So I'm thinking about niche culture, and how niche interests like science fiction have managed to actually be quite successful lately. Specifically I'm thinking of TV - BUFFY, FARSCAPE, DARK ANGEL (let's not talk about CLEOPATRA 2525) and others have all been much more successful, and gained wider audiences, than the common wisdom says they should have.

And yes, I'm including BUFFY. It may be more modern fantasy than science fiction, but in television the two things fall squarely within the same niche. STAR TREK and BABYLON 5 were always far closer to fantasy than science fiction in their outlook, anyhow. What we're really talking about here is Cult Television, any definition of which is also going to include out-and-out fantasy shows like XENA.

'The sort of person who watches BUFFY also reads a fair amount.' Now. The sort of person who watches these shows is, more often than not, also someone who reads a fair amount. Obviously, they're not all reading comics - but God knows the several million people who tune into BUFFY every week would be a welcome addition to comics' audience. So what are they reading? Well, novels mostly. 'Proper' books. And not just spin-offs of their favourite TV shows. They're reading Iain Banks, Tad Williams, Anne McCaffrey. The sort of books that sell in their millions.

I'm all for destroying the niche/nerd stereotype of comic readers, but by the same token; their money's as good as anyone's. And I'm sure any of us could name five non-spin-off comics that would appeal to people who watch FARSCAPE and read Marion Zimmer Bradley.

The perennial problem is, of course, making them aware of this fact. (The other perennial problem is that the comic industry has nowhere near enough money to launch any kind of mass-medium outreach program.)

There's one other thing which marks this kind of niche culture out from the mainstream (and there's a constant irony in comics that what gets called Cult in television and books is exactly what we'd call mainstream, but I'm sure you've heard that one a million times).

That other thing? It's the inclusive, but loose-knit, community that revolves around the genre and its reading habits. You see, not everyone - especially in the United States - who reads these books does, or even can, get them from a local bookshop. Precisely because they're a niche interest, you can't always find them. Some bookstores don't even have appropriate sections, and of those that do, many are woefully understocked. But there are other ways of keeping your library up to date. One which doesn't require leaving the house, and will make you aware of the latest offerings in your genre of interest.

And I'm not talking about the Internet. The amount of people online is increasing daily, even exponentially, but we're still a long way from having everyone online, and it's still largely a young person's game. I know plenty of BUFFY viewers over the age of 30 whose only real online experience is work e-mail. They'd take a lot of persuading to look at something even as slick and mainstream-friendly as Artbomb.net, because as soon as they see comics they switch off.

But they'd probably be more receptive - more convinced of the medium's legitimacy in relation to their other interests - if comics started appearing in something similar to what they already use. In the type of source that many of them already turn to for their reading experience.

'How about a mail order book club for comics?' I'm talking about mail order book clubs.

Many of the people I know who watch cult TV are also members of science fiction/fantasy book clubs. There are only a couple here in the UK - I gather there are many more to choose from in the US. And I'll eat my hat if there isn't something similar in most countries around the world. They generally operate on a simple policy - everything they offer is at a discount from the cover price, and in return for such cheap books you agree to buy at least one a month. If you're the sort of person who reads these books anyway, that's a no-brainer.

So how about one for comics?

Yes, I know that many of the science fiction/fantasy book clubs also carry graphic novels. But have you seen what they carry? It is, inevitably, the Big Sellers. BATMAN, SUPERMAN, X-MEN, SPIDER-MAN. The stuff that's been proven to sell consistently - because that audience, even if they've never read comics in their life, still know who the characters are. It's a safe bet.

And sure, you get the occasional gem like SANDMAN being offered in these clubs. But it's fighting against a wave of capes, and this saddens me. What are the chances of CHANNEL ZERO winding up in the monthly catalogue? Or STRANGEHAVEN? I mean, come on. An audience like that would lap up STRANGEHAVEN in droves. But it's not going to happen, because no-one with enough clout and/or money is going to push it onto the company that runs the club.

So. How about one for comics?

Imagine a catalogue offering the newest graphic novels turning up in your mail every month. A catalogue from which you could order, for example, the new hardback collection of BONE and get the rest of the series in softback for a bargain price. Or which offered every PREACHER book on a sliding discount - order one, get a dollar off the cover price. Order two, get two dollars off. Order all of them, get twenty dollars off, and so on. Book clubs can offer items at a discount because of their low overheads, and a comic version would have to be no different.

'Offer a free copy of LONE WOLF AND CUB #1 to anyone buying AKIRA.' The permutations of offers and discounts such a club could offer are huge. After all, why stop at PREACHER? Run the same discount for Eddie Campbell's BACCHUS series. Offer a free copy of LONE WOLF AND CUB #1 to anyone buying two or more volumes of AKIRA. Buy CHANNEL ZERO, get COUSCOUS EXPRESS at half price. This isn't rocket science, here. There are already online comic sellers offering deals not a million miles away from this concept. But what about those not connected? Who will think of the Un-line people?

I know I'm talking here about a medium, not a genre. But the attitude is the same - and besides, if science fiction/fantasy book clubs can (and do) already offer FROM HELL to their audience, I don't think genre is strictly the issue here.

Maybe the potential audience numbers are too small. Maybe the revenue wouldn't be enough. Maybe no-one can be bothered. But you know what?

I'd sign up in a heartbeat. And I bet I'm not alone.

Antony Johnston is the author of JULIUS, SPOOKED and THE LONG HAUL. His new ongoing series WASTELAND begins in July 2006.

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