There is no demon qi, no "demon"

Another "youth" is about to end.

On September 1, the account of the original comic dream factory of the demon gas issued an announcement, saying that the platform will be officially shut down on December 31st this year, calling on users to complete the asset migration as soon as possible. In the future, there will be a demon comics to provide services in Bilibili Comics. In November last year, station B spent 600 million yuan in wholly -owned acquisition of monster comics. It only passed for only one year from the acquisition to the closed station.

The name of a demon was once a glory in the history of the development of domestic comics: it is one of the earliest original comic platforms in China, and has hatched many well -known comic IPs such as "Hyedo" and "Zhenhun Street". In 2014, "100,000 Cold jokes" born in the demon was adapted into a movie of the same name and won 120 million box office. This was one of the only one in the animation film market at the time.

There seems to be a demon spirit that falls on the eve of "getting better": the number of audiences of domestic animation dramas have emerged in recent years. The film and televisionization of heads such as "Below one" has also been on the agenda.

But when the reader opens the popularity list of the comic app, except for the old -fashioned IP, there are almost only the derivative of the head. And a comic platform cannot rely on original survival.

The closure of the demon seemed to prove the far away. And where is the next harbor of the original Guoman? They are still drifting.

Everyone can make 5 minutes of cartoonists

In the comics industry in 2006, a big thing and a trivial matter happened.

At that time, it was the golden age of paper media, and there were many anime magazines. "Zhiyin Manke", a subsidiary of Zhiyin Group, became the new member of it in January of that year. In the next two years, "Zhiyin Manke" has published domestic original comics such as "September September September", "One District 212" and "God Essence List". The recognition of the society won the title of "My Top Ten Anime Book Awards". In the next few years, it has created a monthly issue of over 7 million, and the revenue accounted for 60%of the total revenue of Zhiyin Group.

"Stealing Star September Sky" Return to the cover of the magazine

"Zhiyin Manke" was introduced in 2006, and the senior anime enthusiast Zhou Jingqi set up a niche forum called "A Fo -Qi". Here "The net name is active, posting here every day, and getting closer to Dong Zhiling, a friend who knows through" Legend of Wonderland ".

"Zhiyin Manke" uses paper media as a carrier to make the original country glowing and heat. What Zhou Jingqi thinks is how the Internet realizes this matter.

Although Zhou Jingqi was only 25 years old when he was established with a Qiqi Forum, he was already a senior network worker. He started building websites for some enterprises since 1998. Later World) Inauguration.

Combined with the experience of Internet industry over the years, Zhou Jingqi analyzed three places where the Internet can transform the original country -

The first is the diversification of the type. There are many types of comics that can be tolerant of the Internet, but a comic magazine often has only one type for readers' positioning. The second is to reduce the entry threshold. Paper media requires strict requirements for the painter. This threshold blocks 90%of the painters, and the Internet emphasizes the storyline. The huge creative platform of the Internet has accommodated a large number of creators. Editing only needs to help him use experience.

But at that time, Zhou Jingqi, the idea of ​​wanting to be a "original comic platform", received all questioning.

In 2008, the Perfect Space Investment established the online text platform. The person in charge of the project was very interested in having demon. Zhou Jingqi took the team to join the perfect time and space. Under the blessing of the platform, many authors rushed here, and Zhou Jingqi had ambitions to be the original comic platform.

But Chi Yufeng, the founder of Perfect Time and Space, did not agree with the idea. "You give me an example, who did it?" Chi Yufeng asked Zhou Jingqi. "I have no example, the theory is feasible." This is Zhou Jingqi's answer. Dialogue like this has happened several times a year. Zhou Jingqi, who could not persuade the boss, accepted a grand investment in 2009 and became an independent website.

Before leaving, Chi Yufeng patted his shoulder and said, "Lady, one day you know you are wrong."

In this way, Zhou Jingqi and Dong Zhiling and several founders such as Dong Zhiling had a demon.

It turns out that Zhou Jingqi's idea is right. The Internet gives many enthusiasts' right to "do 5 minutes of cartoonists". As an original comic platform, there is a monster from the foundation to encourage everyone to participate: the work uses UGC submission system, everyone who wants to publish comics can upload it by themselves, editors can be sent only after making simple reviews. Consistent with most web platforms.

The fans' vigorous creative power was liberated. Among them, many people were blocked by traditional paper media.

Wang Man's "Female Response theme" "The Legend of Daughter" is slightly weird and has been rebuilt by all magazine agencies, but after being put on the website platform, it is deeply sought after by female readers; The magazine was published in his work, and he had been a civil servant for more than ten years, but he never gave up the dream of the cartoonist. Later, his "Brain" became one of the three major IPs of the demon. The name of the gods ". During this time, many works with demon are just like its name. At first glance, the style of painting is peculiar, but it has a confusing attractiveness, with a rough texture of brutal growth. Its most influential IP "100,000 Cold jokes" is a typical representative: the style of painting is rough, but the imagination is enough to jump, and the passage is densely spit.

This uniqueness also attracted a large number of creators and readers. Many comicists in the paper media era also came here to start serialization. Xia Da updated "Long Song Xing" and Yu Yanshu launched "Wrench". Many post -95 readers were also enlightened by Guoman. The market share of the demon gas has gradually increased, accounting for 60%of the domestic comic market before 2015.

Some comic platform editors said in 2019 that there is still a monster is still the best place for major platforms to excavate newcomers. "Because there are enough newcomers on it, and the type of work is rich enough. We also encourage everyone who wants to be a cartoonist. Try the water on the monster first. "

In addition to attracting fans and cartoonists to migrate to the Internet with content, there are some unique gameplays of demon and as the Internet platform, such as vomiting functions and dubbing gameplay.

Readers can write tucao on the pages of the comic single page and interact with other readers and authors. "100,000 cold jokes" author Han Wu once posted on Weibo that "100,000 cold jokes" have millions of vomiting, Among them, there are more than 40,000 pages with the highest single page. The dubbing function is that readers can serve as voice actors themselves, read the lines of comics and upload it.

In the face of various Internet gameplay, the founder of the demon Qi also joked: "We should belong to the Internet circle, not an animation circle. It is not too familiar with the animation circle, haha." In the perspective of the demon, the cartoonist should be It is a person who can tell stories, and it is someone who can make you look at it. "In art, we respect the traditional comic industry, and we can't compare with them, so we shut up. But we are better at business operations and promotion." Dong Zhiling said.

The business operation and promotion in Dong Zhiling's mouth simply summarized, that is, to find a variety of IP monetization methods of comics.

Different from the paper media era, comics need to be realized by publishing single lines. Some monsters follow the web post in 2010. The monthly ticket system was launched on some works. Readers can purchase paid chapters through recharge of demon coins. VIP is 60 yuan a year.

In 2012, the adapted animation of "100,000 Cold jokes" achieved great success. However, when Zhou Jingqi took out the first episode of the animation to see the copyright party, the question received was the same as when the initial startup, "We didn't play this way in the industry." Zhou Jingqi simply decided to release the first episode for free, simply explaining After some, he ran to Shangri -La Honeymoon.

Five days later, the animation was full of the entire network, ranking before Sina Weibo, Baidu's national hotspots, and the relevant rankings recommended by potatoes. Zhou Jingqi followed closely, and made a game that no one had tried in the past industry: making cartoon implant advertising, and the first 12 episodes of the first season of "100,000 Cold jokes" prepared to produce Sell ​​to Suning Tesco.

After the comic adaptation into an animation road runs through, the next step is the harder "ice break": from animation Fan drama to animated movies. On December 31, 2014, the "Hundred Thousand Cold jokes" big movies with a cost of 10 million were launched and ended with a box office of 120 million. "".

This completely inspires the confidence of the entire capital market for the comics industry. With a demon, only one IP with "100,000 Cold jokes" demonstrates how much a comic IP has a small value, not to mention the projects such as "Hydo" and mobile game project cooperation. The comic industry has a story in the capital market to say that more funds have appeared in the "Guoman" land that was once born.

Tencent Animation, Weibo Anime, etc. have begun to make efforts with Internet companies as the background. New platforms such as comics and cloth comics have also risen rapidly. During the peak, dozens of comic platforms have emerged in the industry. The ABC three -round financing was also completed in 2011, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Nangonghong, which was established in 2015, said in a later interview that money was everywhere, "People who do not start a business are like a fool."

In the past, the Guoman industry, which has been floating in the niche circle, seems to finally come to the beginning of the day.

The dispelled "Demon Qi"

Judging from the increase in sales, the batch of animation magazines of "Zhiyin Man" did not be hit by online comics. In 2012, "Zhiyin Manke" became the "second in the world, China first" with a monthly circulation of over 6.5 million, and the following year can still refresh the record with more than 7 million copies.

But its downhill road was caught off guard.

Beginning in 2012, "Zhiyin Manke" snatched the right of signature due to the works of adapting the author of the network. The editorial department that caused the big blood replacement could not be kept in many editors and authors that have expired later; in 2015, the long -awaited online version of the Zhiyin Manbian passenger line could no longer have a place in the market. Tang Jia San Shao Posted by a document to boycott

After all, in this year, this newborn industry that barely grows the business model has begun competition in the curl. The popularity of competition is just as every Internet company competing for the new market: first burn money to seize market share, strive to kill opponents, and let users form consumer habits.

The cartoonist Bei Lane has recalled the unprecedentedly prosperous net on Weibo. In those years: almost every month, there are new comic apps (platforms), and various platforms have crazy money to snatch the author to grab resources, and the manuscript fees have risen. "The" Blood Sky "serialized by Tencent at the time was still popular, and even a well -known platform (now acquired by Youtai) contact me and ask me what is the liquidated damages with Tencent? 》 Go to our platform, we will leave a liquidated damage, and we will give you an inexplicable way to grab the manuscript fee ... "

"Blood Sky" has been adapted into anime

In addition to the author, the founders and editors of major platforms have also become the object of being robbed in the industry boom. In 2013, Wang Xiaozhu, one of the four major founders of the demon spirit, ran away, founded the original comic network of N -dimensional, and took away many demon editors. Essence

Capital requires "strong miracles". Therefore, the comic industry needs to accelerate its own process, find a faster way of output effect, and hand over a good -looking user data to the capital. The exclusive copyright of the author is a way, strengthening its own positioning, and to highlight the irreplaceability of its own platform to highlight its platform.

By around 2015, the difference between the positioning between the comic platforms was clear.

Watching the original team and signing authors of the comics are all comics and healing comics from Weibo. "Fox Demon Little Madam" and "Under One Man"; the new comics have invited senior editors from Japan to create soil for the hardcore martial arts comics "Dartman"; NetEase comics focuses on the bloody boy. The recognition of senior editors in the industry.

At this stage, the "rough" that had made the demon's "rough" that stood out in the golden age of the paper media, from advantages to disadvantages. Each platform began to have its own positioning like the comic magazine of the year, but there was no restrictions on the receipt of the manuscript, but the face began to blur. Its three -big IP "100,000 Cold jokes", "Town Soul Street" and "Brain", which are different works. By 2015, there was no demon. Essence

Instead, many cartoonists who started from here have become important figures to consolidate platform positioning. In the comic sisters who have become popular, you have always followed the healing route of light comedy. In January 2015, they brought the work "Hurry to my brother away" to the exclusive serialization of the comics and the girlfriend's quick -watching comics. After adapted into a movie of the same name, the cumulative box office reached 375 million.

In addition to strengthening its own positioning and attracting different consumers, another acceleration method of the platform is to use traffic logic rather than content logic to produce comics. Capital has high efficiency requirements for changes, but it is difficult for a comic IP to complete the path of "100,000 Cold jokes" in a short time, with long adaptation cycles and high risk.

In order to flush the data, many comic platforms have begun to follow the way of "Daily Comics" and "Traffic Comics". According to the media such as the comics such as the Different words and the Manchuria, in order to rush the data in a short period of time, the platform began to appear a large number of Battle. These comics ignored the logic of the plot. Rhythm. As for the "Japanese Manga", Nangonghong also admitted in the show of the Mancourant room that it violated the logic of the comic content creation, and it was difficult to produce good works.

And to achieve the success of the IP adaptation like "100,000 Cold jokes", relying on a large platform with rich IP reserves to make the original Guoman a part of the IP business, it is a more efficient conversion.

In 2015, when Netease comics was established, the words "Three years later on the New Third Board" were established. It was its confidence to link its games and literary resource reserves. Tencent Animation announced this year to invest 20 million comic funds and 30 million animation funds, increase support for domestic animation original content, and continue to increase copyright introduction. Introduce a large number of high -quality light novel resources.

Netease and Tencent's rich entertainment product reserves are their strongest development of comics, but they have lost their demon with Shanda Group. They also need to consider their IP industry chain in the hot platform war. In the year of the establishment of Netease comics, the demon price was sold for 904 million yuan to Aofei Entertainment.

With many low -aged Aofei entertainment such as "Hi Yangyang and Big Big Wolf" and "Bala La La Little Demon Fairy", there is a Disney dream. What they have made up for the vacancies of their youth to the anime territory. At the site of the conference of the acquisition, the person in charge of Aofei Entertainment once said that there is a gold mine of Chinese anime, because there is the originality of the demon, it is the mainstream of the future pan -entertainment consumption; followed by platform nature, it can source Constantly generate works and IP; finally, benchmarking, it is a place to keep the author and fans. Zhou Jingqi said that it was a fancy of Aofei Entertainment to rely on a large number of companies such as Investment A, Douyu, and even cloth comics, and established the two -dimensional industry chain and its offline operation capabilities for IP. After the acquisition was completed, Zhou Jingqi and Dong Zhiling also entered Aofei Entertainment as executives and continued to be responsible for the work of demon.

But after being sold to Aofei, the advantage of the demon once seemed to have become its disadvantage.

The path of IP transformation is not smooth. In 2016, the "Flower" drama was "collapsed" due to the "collapse", and the bad news of the stop production and dissolution of related project teams, and the development of mobile game development. The plan of "Duanbrain", "Zhenhun Street" and "Flower Bee" has fallen into the real life movie. The "steady stream of works and IPs" that Aofei hopes is difficult to form due to other platforms' robbers and authors.

The market changes under the boom are changing. According to observatory data, watching comics in the first quarter of 2016 mobile animation market users' penetration rate exceeded 50%, leading the second place in the second place. In the third quarter of the following year, the market penetration rate of Tencent Animation was ranked second, and the demon fell to the seventh place.

Those who fell from the peak to the trough are not just a demon. The entire comic platform will taste the bitter fruits that have encouraged growth in the next few years.

After all, the industry that is accelerated by Japanese comics and traffic comics is contrary to content logic, and it only brings the stroke production model of the studio machinery. Bei Lane mentioned a ironic scene on Weibo: At that time, several comic people gathering no longer talked about works, and replaced it to talk about how to make money and make money. "The platform smashes money, investors are invested, the company grows, cartoonists make money, readers have more comic platforms and comic works ...

But behind this prosperity, the problem of realization still cannot be solved.

The monthly ticket system of the comic is always unable to provide the author with sufficient capital like a web. The optimal solution of the monetization of comics is still relying on other IPs, but animation, games, and even live film and television are not products that can be quickly appeared and realized in the short term. In the end, many comic platforms came to the dead bureau of investors 'withdrawal, platform losses, readers' exit, and comicists who could not receive money.

The 2018 comic platform big corner wage arrears incident was a concentrated outbreak. In August of that year, the large -horn comics with a wage of 4 million were collectively discussed by nearly 50 comic authors, causing the attention of the entire network. Netease comics also had a short life that was originally planned to be listed, and sold it to station B like a demon later.

Since 2009, the Internet comic "Demon Qi", so far only remains the remaining taste, and no longer see the brutal growth of the past.

"Not Long" Guoman

The decline of the demon is also life -threatening. It is a bitter fruit obtained by the capital help and the long -term unopened model of the domestic comic industry.

As an original comic platform, it has the core competitiveness of demon, and it is naturally high -quality original comic IP. The comic author with demon gas has accelerated its decline, and this is a common problem faced by a domestic comic industry -under the industry rules for a long time in the past, the original comic authors are very small. "Make money".

In Japan where the ACG industry is developing more systematic, the income composition of cartoonists is often the most proportion. After the comics are sold as a physical single book or electronic book, the author can harvest the book tax for about 10%of the book. For head authors developed by a large number of commercial development, sales of derivative peripheral income are also a considerable income.

These two sources of income are difficult to achieve in the current status of the domestic industry.

Whether it is sold in a single line, or the monthly ticket system or every charging is implemented like today's online comics, the essence is the "payment" of the comics.

And domestic users have undergone a period of copyright chaos, a large number of content can get complete resources as long as the online search, and the payment habits have not been concentrated -the online text industry is still unable to cure the chaos of the stolen text, let alone the development of incomplete comics for development and incomplete development. Essence

Users' paid habits for the comics itself are not cultivated, let alone consumption of comics peripheral products. What's more, the development of ACG peripheral products in China is more inclined to launch the toys that are provided by the child, not the co -branded products with strong age and practicality.

In contrast, the sales cost of copyright seems to be more likely to become a large source of income for comic authors. However, the domestic anime IP has not been fully developed for a long time in the past. For comic works, such IP development speeds have been considered slow -the Japanese comic "Qi Mu Nanxiong's Disaster" was launched in 2012, and in 2017, it was released in the same name starring Yamazaki Hiroshi and Hashimoto Huannai. It took less than 5 years. The IP development of the comic is one step behind, because the eyes of early capital are directed to the entertainment content that develops more complete and easier to adapt, that is, online novels. "100,000 Cold jokes" was serialized in June 2010 at the demon. At this time, the "Douro Continent" of the Tang family has been written to the end of the end.

And the same entertainment content, the production ratio and the popular influence of the comics, are far lower than the online novels that have been developed formed.

In 2021, in an interview with the media, the vice president of Aofei Entertainment had elaborated the differences in the two content segments. He mentioned that in the past few years, the web, which belongs to the online reading category in the past few years, is obviously better than online comics, and the logic behind it is very simple: "Users consume the same time (even longer), the content cost paid by the novel platform platform It will be far lower than the comic platform, which directly determines that there will be a big difference in profit margins between the two. "

Comic creation itself includes a number of processes such as script, split mirror, and coloring. The author of "Gintama" has 9 assistants in Yingqiu. Partner. The cost of labor is higher and the cost of time is a lot. Compared with the online text industry of the same time, it is not easy to maintain a stable week of comics. Reading habits that are relatively slow rhythm are in disadvantages.

What's more, the ACG category, including comics, was originally an area where niche enthusiasts gathered. After introducing Internet thinking and comics to the Internet in the industry, it is necessary to compromise with the public.

The tools for measuring content value and public orientation are traffic and algorithms.

The labels such as male frequency and women's frequency have been subtly changed under the accumulation of the Internet for decades, and the audience's reading habits have been subtly changed. Many people have scoffed in love comics. Favorite categories. At the same time, the IP of the original fans has accumulated, and it has also joined the comic platform competition. For the platform, they must consider the linkage income that the entire IP matrix can get.

This is not criticizing the market of comics. For a chaotic comic industry, the entry of the web IP has given many authors the opportunity to gain platform recommendation, traffic tilt, and stable income, but it has further allowed the comic author to become the "worker" of the platform IP production chain. Essence

The main play of the original comics is a demon, which used to be a "garden" of domestic original comics on the Internet. After this garden is withered, where is the next field that can hatch the original comics to the greatest extent? Those who grew up watching the demon comics are difficult to get an answer.

1. Why is there "a demon"? "Think Big Fantasy"

2. The birth of "100,000 Cold jokes": a great success of a "sorry for the audience", Geek Park

3. Two -dimensional comic company "has demon gas": Tucao is productive forces, Sina Technology

4. In the second half of the "Demon Qi" being disliked, the power plant

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