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Success is different for every medium. Most people use sales or reviews for judging success. If a movie opens at number one over a weekend, and it stays there for a month, that is a successful movie. If the New York Critics say Mama Mia is great on Broadway, then it’s a success. That works for mainstream media but how well does that work for comics? Can we apply standard models of evaluating success to judge if a comic will be a success, was a success, or can that not work for comics? Marvel’s Civil War was talked about like crazy, is that the criterion for success or is there more?

When it comes to movies, success can be measured in box office sales.  If the movie earns a certain amount of ticket sales over a weekend or weekends the movie is considered a success.  Can we judge how successful a comic is by its sales? It seems reasonable to think that the amount of comics sold is counted, but it can prove to be harder due to how the comics are bought and sold. Shops order a set amount of comics that they believe will sell. Just because they order 300 issues of one comic doesn’t mean they are going to sell 300 issues. While a publisher might see a sale of 300 comics the shop owner doesn’t.  This doesn’t allow for an accurate measurement of sales between the publisher and the seller. Which sales do we use, those of the publisher’s or the local comic shop? Which is the accurate representation of sales and therefore a representation of success? If we can’t decide maybe sales aren’t a good method of assessing success?

Awards and recognition are given to other mainstream literature books. If a book receives an award or is recognized by a group of people, it can be counted as a successful book. Does that mean that for a comic to be considered successful it needs to be recognized by an association and given an award? Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of awards given out to comic books, at least not that I know about. There is an award known as The “Will Eisner Comic Industry Award”. It’s given out yearly in multiple categories to great comic books.  Can we accept that the comics on this list are all successful? Therefore, are all the ones not on the list not successful? I don’t think that’s fair to other books that might be considered successful but aren’t on the list.  The award may lend credit to the writer or the penciler but that doesn’t ensure success. Maybe success lies with the penciler or the writer?

While it’s true that artists can bring in readers to an unsuccessful book, do they alone hold the cards to a successful book? If I saw Joe Mad, Jonathan Cassiday, Alan Davis, or Alan Moore on a book would I know by default that the comic would be successful? I can’t say that for sure either. While they are great artists, artists alone don’t ensure the success of a book. The same could be said for a writer. Bringing in a great writer, who has written dozens of novels, or maybe a great television show, doesn’t mean they will write a successful comic. Writers alone can’t carry the weight, but great writers can draw attention to a comic.

What if we looked at success differently? What if we identify a successful comic and apply those characteristics to other comics, offering a comparative set of standards to use as a guide? If everyone holds different values for success will that lead us closer to defining success for comics? Probably not. A publisher uses orders, pencilers/ writers can use recognition and awards, and fans have their own methods as well for determining success. There are so many different views of what is a successful comic that everyone might not agree to it. 

Does success of a comic validate it as meaningful literature? If a comic isn’t successful in the eyes of someone else does that ruin my enjoyment of it? Personally, no. I’ve enjoyed comics that don’t win awards, don’t have a great penciler or writer, and that has been published but never talked about. Sometimes a measurement of success shouldn’t be about awards, publicity, or talent. Maybe success should be more personal. If I, the reader, get what I want from a comic, a great story, great art, and a thirst for more, if a comic can give me that, then yes I’ll consider it a success. That’s the opinion that matters the most. I read comics because I enjoy them, not because they are award winners, at the height of popularity, or everyone talks about them. I read them because each story is a success in its own right, even if I’m the only one believing that.