DC Comics Hits Reset

[Trama]

DC Comics is rebooting their entire line in September, and going day-and-date digital with all of their titles.

How's everyone feeling about this? Personally, I'm conflicted.

A lot of these characters are long overdue for an overhaul. But I kind of feel that they're going after an audience that doesn't exist. Especially if their day-and-date digital titles are $3 or $4.

This is a pretty big move. They're going to burn a lot of people if they revert to legacy numbering in a year.

[cbikle]

I think there's a shot at getting new readers who'll follow the books digitally and the reboot works in that case I guess.

It will piss off a lot of older readers who've already been through this reboot-shenanigans 3 or 4 times already (COIE, Zero Hour, 52, et al) who might just drop the titles (and perhaps follow them digitally).

Collectors and continuity-fans will be very, very annoyed by this.

I think the reboot and the digital move might be the final nails in the coffins of more than a few comic shops.

[Bruce]

A lot of these characters are long overdue for an overhaul. But I kind of feel that they're going after an audience that doesn't exist. Especially if their day-and-date digital titles are $3 or $4.

I agree. I'm not shocked many people are talking about this. I'm so lost in the DC world.
I feel like they just kept going larger and larger with their stories. Who knows where to jump on or who everyone is?

Biggest problem they can fix for me though is letting me walk into a store with 10 bucks and walk out with more than 2 issues.
I'm sorry, but 22 pages of story is not worth 4 bucks. Not when the trade will come out 6 months after the story finishes up at 12 bucks. Or half that off Amazon or at the half off bins at shows.
I brought my girls to my LCS last week. First time I had been to the store in over a year. I walked out with a Shrek Comic, and a Kung Fu Panda Comic. They both wanted Wonder Woman, but I'm not buying my little girls the latest Wonder Woman comics. Not age appropriate.
I dropped around 9 bucks for two comics. Two kids comics. That's all I wanted to spend. Nothing else looked worth the cover price.

If DC wanted to really do big things, they would drop their issues down to 1.99 or even lower with the revamp.
That would give Marvel and others a huge kick in the nuts.
It would also put a lot of small press books out of business, which sucks. I understand that. But they will eventually make it work.

[Bruce]

For anyone interested in what is going on.

[50%grey]

It also means the creative teams will get paid less.

I'm not sure what the solution for comics is right now with the pricing.

Obviously, it is retarded to make the consumer pay 4 dollars for something that is digital only.

Everyone knows by now we need to move off singles, that is a dieing product.

But how can they make it work, and make everyone happy? I have no idea..


I think they are doing this abit to early to be honest, they should wait about 2 more years when tablets are everywhere.

Then they do what netflix is doing, and charge a sub fee in tiered brackets. People will still buy the hardcopies of the trades, just look at Blueray sales.

Can also run the books in seasons, instead of 10 comics a year do 1 comic a week for 2 monthes. Gives the creative teams 9 monthes to work on there books.

[Orphangrinder]

It also means the creative teams will get paid less.

Why does it mean that?

[50%grey]

Because if the singles were going for 4 dollars, and you get rid of that market to go all digital at 2 dollars then something has to be cut back.

You still have to do advertising for the books, the only thing that goes away is the paper/printing cost.

I don't think it costs companies double the price to print comics, but maybe i'm wrong.


*EDIT* NM, it looks like they are not going fully digital with this move, they are just releasing comics digitaly the same day it hits stores.

I guess they don't want to piss off the store owners by undercutting there sales with the digitals.

[Trama]

I guess they don't want to piss off the store owners by undercutting there sales with the digitals

That's one of the bigger issues that no one is talking about. Ideally, digital allows publishers to engage in McDonalds economics (scale) because they no longer have printing/shipping costs and their storefront is larger.

In reality, individual issues should be 99-1.99 in the digital world. But that would also doom the direct market. Not immediately, but within 5-10 years. You can reboot and renumber all you want - but to get new people to sample, sometimes the first one has to be free.

That, and placement needs to be better. It's amazing to me that not one of the websites for the superhero summer movies has a pdf comic free to download. With all that traffic why wouldn't they do that?

[Wingfan]

Yeah, as long as the digital versions are 1.99 or less I'm on board. I wish they'd be .99, but that's a pipe dream. Time to get an iPad 2 or some other tablet now. I was holding off until DC and Marvel both went digital day and date with all books, guess I'll have to settle for DC now and wait on Marvel.

Now sure how I feel about them kinda re-booting certain things, but since it's not a 100% re-boot, I'm sure I'll be ok.

[Guru_George]

They need to stay below 2$ dollar if they want people to buy digital. The Ipad store it's what's going to make the Ipad in the long run, just like Ipod. DC needs to get into the Ipad store and market there.

[dmario]

this looks like a Jim Lee drawing inspired by a Liefeld drawing.

is there ANY way to make Cyborg not look so... dated?

[Bryan E.Warner]

Is it perhaps a Move to being more competitive with Marvel ?.......and to be competitive in the film industry..?

[50%grey]

Looks alright, not sure why people hate on the 90's so much at least the books were exciting.

[cbikle]

Looks alright, not sure why people hate on the 90's so much at least the books were exciting.

Not everyone would agree.

[Bruce]

Not everyone would agree.

I agree with this.
I remember Vertigo being exciting. Maybe some other small press books, but the spandex market was really bad.