But don't expect adults to be heading to cosplay festivals or competitions dressed as their favorite manga accountant or anime wine connoisseur. Specialized comics still make up a small — but growing — part of Taiwan's market. However, Lo suggests that, as the current generation grows older, they will begin to seek out comics with adult themes such as business or politics that are directly related to their lives.
"Comic books that are closer to the real world and have a direct influence on the readers are the direction we are going in," he said.
One would expect that bookstores would be the largest sellers of comic books, with fairs and exhibitions making up the shortfall. But in Taiwan, comic book rental shops are where comics most are bought and sold.
"Theoretically, rental bookshops are illegal in Taiwan," Lo noted. "However, [they] are the most important retail and distribution system for the comic book business."
Take Eslite (誠品書店), for example. Lo said comics account for only 8 percent of that company's consumer sales. On the other hand, there are more than 800 comic book rental stores in Taipei alone.
But like other non-export-oriented aspects of the local economy, the comic book business has suffered in recent years. Nowadays, a famous comic will usually enjoy a first print run of 60,000 copies. "When the economy was doing well, it wasn't unheard of 100,000 to 120,000 copies of one volume being sold," Lo said.
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