Okay, once and for all.........

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Has anyone here seen comic books, standard-sized, on sale at ANY non-comics shop in 2020. The last 6 month's obviously everything has been upturned, but in the first 3 months of 2020 and since them, has ANYONE, other than Walmart and whatever other stores sold those Giants, in other words NOT counting them........(and not Archie Digests or any other format oddities such as HEAVY METAL)...are there/have there been any newsstand accounts that sell comic books? Barnes & Noble? Books-a-Million? Any other large chain or small store? ANYWHERE?

  Since and especially before COVID, have you seen newsstand regular comic books (Not these prepacked " collectible "s I've seen in Wal-Mart neither) ever?

.

[Richard Willis]

I’ve also wondered whether periodical comics were still available in regular stores. Years ago, I saw a small selection on the magazine shelf in a 7-11 convenience store. I just did an unscientific study using the Grand Comics Database.

Comic covers there are posted by their contributors even if they have only slight differences (price, non-U.S. versions, direct market edition and newsstand edition).

The following issues of these titles, as far as I can tell, were their last newsstand editions:

Action Comics (2011 series) #984 cover-dated September 2017

Amazing Spider-man (1999 series) #700 cover-dated February 2013

Batman (2016 series) #24 cover-dated Early August 2017

Detective Comics (2011 series) #953 cover-dated May 2017

I suspect that the cost of producing a special version for diminishing newsstand sales was hard to justify, and it’s highly unlikely that regular stores would want to buy non-returnable comics. In an article I just read on ScreenRant, it was pointed out that seeing and buying comics in regular stores would bring in new readers. They aren’t going to a comic book store unless they know that they want a comic book.

[ClarkKent_DC]

The last time I recall seeing the standard comic book was in a Borders, Book and Music store, and that company went out of business nine years ago.

Richard Willis said:

I suspect that the cost of producing a special version for diminishing newsstand sales was hard to justify, and it’s highly unlikely that regular stores would want to buy non-returnable comics. In an article I just read on ScreenRant, it was pointed out that seeing and buying comics in regular stores would bring in new readers. They aren’t going to a comic book store unless they know that they want a comic book.

Today's comic book stores have to reposition as specialty book stores. But I take your point. It's like the demise of Radio Shack; where do you go to find the wires, tools and electronic gizmos they used to sell? 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I don't remember the last time I saw a comic book for sale in anything other than a comic book shop.

[The Baron]

To me, pricing and lack of easy availability are a big part of why I think kids aren't as much into comics anymore.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I-'ll say more later. On bridge, cold, smoky!

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

• ...So. thank you especially to Richard - I don't follow GCD enough - of they consistently listed only-varying-through-UPC titles and that stops in 2017 for DC's Big Two, that would appear to logically show it. Logical that DC might make their Big Two the last ones. I had read that Marvel had withdrawn from newsstands before that.

[Richard Willis]

Emerkeith Davyjack said:

Logical that DC might make their Big Two the last ones. I had read that Marvel had withdrawn from newsstands before that.

I just checked these four titles. I think you're right that they went with the issues that were more likely to attract buyers (ASM 700, Batman/Catwoman romance, etc).

[Richard Willis]

It's smokey where I live, too, but not as bad as the SF Bay area. 

Take good care of yourself, ED. From what you've told us, you are especially vulnerable to both Covid and the smoke.

Emerkeith Davyjack said:

...I-'ll say more later. On bridge, cold, smoky!

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Thank you, Richard! Those issues you list we're the last...with the issues leading up to them having also been sent to newsstands, yes? They gave them a last chance w/those numbers, guess.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Perhaps I can find it myself, but what was the last newsstand issue of the eponymous SUPERMAN title?

  It seems the dedicated chroniclers at GCD - I guess it got no comics press, or " real press, publicity - and " we ', certainly, did not notice it at the time:-(.

  My recent couple-months trip back to Westchester County, New York, where I grew up had an oddity developing regarding comics sales. The COVID close down was more in effect when I first hit the street there, then reversed a little. I saw comics shops listed in my area, even close to me, but they were almost all closed 1p0% - I think a couple in the area were listed in Google as open - I don't know how. Later a Barnes & Noble re-opened. I had the impression of B&N selling comic books but obviously they don't now - An employee at the store, when I asked about comic books, said they didn't get them in. They did have Archie Digests and format oddities in the " genre/fantasy magazines " section - Heavy Metal and Warrant's imitation of Warren Publishing B&W THE CREEPS, which latter I pull at my LCS.

  Late in my time in Westchester I went up-county to Mount Kisco (from the White Plains area where I had been). That was closer to where I actually lives when I was 14 (Chappaqua - I never did get there while I was there:-(). Now...

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...When I was 14 and living in Chappaqua or so, my primary comics sources were a mini-department store in Pleasantville, Plaza Discount, and an archetypical " East Coast candy store " in Mount Kisco...I forget its name now, it was across the street I believe from the diner where decades later the last scene of THE SOPRANOS (which I've never watched) was filmed - Well, when in Mount Kisco I tried to Google comics shops there. I found nothing near me and open, I think...Except I saw the old candy store, which is still in business, come up in the search!!!!!!!!! I had to go there, I did...and they had no comics, they had newspapers and magazines still, but far less than in the past.

  So why did they come up when I entered " comic books "? Maybe just because they had magazines? Maybe, though, they carried comics recently enough that they? - Do businesses fill out their own search terms for Google Search? - were accurately described as thus at the time the Google facts.were written? I could not find them when I tried doing this with Google just now, however.

  Now, what was this thing in the " Wal-Mart Giants " line about a new company that has issued comics that they have somehow persuaded Wal-Mart to carry? Could someone please connect me to stories about them?

[Richard Willis]

I can't answer your other questions, but I took a look at the Superman title in the 2017-2018 time period.

Assuming the people who update GCD were diligent, it looks like the last newsstand issue of Superman was this one, #24 "Early August," 2017.