Marvel Reader's thoughts on DC renumbering

[HopeLantern]

I thought this would be the right place to put this. So that I can give credit to where credit is due, the original thread for this is located here (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=370976).

My question is for you who are Marvel faithful, what are your thoughts about DCs rumored (supposed) renumbering of all company wide comics? "Every. Single. One." ? Do you think this is a great idea? Do you think it's a bad idea? Will this in any way hurt Marvel?

Will this bring you back to DC if you left or increase your interest in "Flash point"?

I personally think it's a horrible idea and will send a lot of people packing to Marvel. But I speak as someone who grew up on Marvel, took 7 years off collecting, then got back into comics 3 years ago with DC. I think it's especially bad given how high some of DC's books number into (Action Comics just had #900 sometime ago and I think Detective Comics might be in the late 800's)

Hopefully a great discussion follows.

[Hulk_Is]

DC does some weird things sometimes that make you kinda go "WTF?". Thing's that make me glad that they aren't the #1 comic book publisher. Anyways...

I'm already getting Aquaman #1, but personally I have to wait and see what #1's will be forthcoming and their solicitations. I mean, I still have no interest in a Zatanna #1 or a Doom Patrol #1, but would be interested in maybe a Superman #1, as long as he's not grounded. ;-)

[Castel]

Well, before saying that it's an horrible or a good idea personally i'm going to wait and see what all this stuff is really about and all the consequences of it.

Cause so far we don't know much.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Personally? I hate it.
They were so close to issue 1000 and now, do over?
Even if they restart everything as a reboot, almost everything will be the same. Batman's parents will still be dead, Barbara will still be shot in the spine, and Jason Todd will still blow up. This isn't clearing up clutter but instead is just reliving the glory days when the medium should move forward with it's own ideas.

[CyberHubbs]

I'm not worried about a title making it to 1000. Just don't care. If it is an Age of Apocalypse deal, and the Flashpoint world stays for about a year, that could be interesting.

[SpideyCzar]

It'll give me a reason to at least try some of their characters that lack personality or who usually don't appeal to me. But the trick will be for DC to make bland characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and countless others interesting and keep me as a reader after the intial renumbering.

Marvel hooked me as a reader of Captain America, Iron Man, Avengers, and Thor with re-numberings of new #1's. And my mindset prior to reading those renumbering series was that those characters/titles were not my type or were boring, but it was the creators (Brubaker, bendis, JMS, Fraction) who kept me interested in following those titles.

The renumberings will give myself and other possibly new readers a chance to not be overwhelmed by picking up issues #866 of a series and jumping into the middle of a long running storyline (since DC refuses to include recap pages), it'll be up to the creators to keep me on as a reader and keep me interested in any renumbered titles. That'll be DC's struggle in my view.

[nomadic writer]

I can't see how it helps to swap intimidatingly high issue numbers for an intimidatingly large selection of reboot titles. Sure, a single title can get a sales boost thanks to people seeing a new #1 as a good point to jump on. But nobody's going to walk into their comic shop and decide to jump on fifty new titles simultaneously. The more #1 issues that are on the shelf, the more it's going to dilute any "impulse buy" effect for any of them. I don't read any DC at the moment, and shoving every single DC title in the comic shop my way saying, "Now is a good time to start reading any one of these!" is sure not going help me to get started.

Also, maybe I'm just overly cynical, but the first place my mind went on hearing this was "Heroes Reborn".

[Metal Sphere]

These are just renumberings. What's more important is the actual content within the renumbered books and the full extent of Flashpoint's changes to the DCU.


And with those issue one renumberings, will come a new rejigged status quo. And yes, characters will be changed. Some may no longer exist. There will be new books, new creators, new teams, new characters and new… new. With no current plan for the new status quo to be undone or reversed.

This is the most exciting part about all this. New talent coming on board, new characters to work with, etc... Hopefully this willingness to try new stuff extends to established characters.

[Umbra]

Hold up. They are rebooting everything? :confused:

[Umbra]

Hmm...it's good and bad. It's a good jumping on point for people who don't read DC. But it really sucks for people who have been collecting there stuff.

[ftbagel]

DC does some weird things sometimes that make you kinda go "WTF?". Thing's that make me glad that they aren't the #1 comic book publisher. Anyways...


I don't know, Marvel has it's share of "WTF's", as well.

Iron Man eventually ended with Disassembled only to be resurrected under Ellis' watch which turned into Invicible Iron Man, which turned into Iron Man: Director of Shield, which turned into War Machine (I think).

All the while, Fraction and Larrocca started an Invincible Iron Man title (not to be confused by the one spearheaded by the Knauff's) which, when all was said and done, had become the new flagship Iron Man book(no one told me--I was too busy following the so-called flagship book started by Ellis), but, due to circumstances in titling, can't be renumbered into Iron Man's original numbering like Thor's and Cap's books have recently done.

*sigh*

I need an aspirin.

And a gun.

[Omega Supreme]

Hold up. They are rebooting everything? :confused:

Who knows ?

As Geoff Johns has the biggest man crush on Hal Jordan and Barry Allen he could very well bring the whole DCU back to the silver age just for making them the center of the universe.

[Umbra]

Who knows ?

As Geoff Johns has the biggest man crush on Hal Jordan and Barry Allen he could very well bring the whole DCU back to the silver age just for making them the center of the universe.

Man...I don't know. I hope Marvel DOES NOT do this. Move forward. I'm surprised it's not a 'crisis'.

[agrich]

There will be new books, new creators, new teams, new characters and new… new. With no current plan for the new status quo to be undone or reversed.

If there were current plans (and there probably are), they certainly wouldn't say so, as it would lead some people to stop buying while they wait for things to be undone or reversed. Which will happen anyway.

[coconutphone]

I posted this on the Spidey forum:


I don't mind the idea actually. Kinda sucks for those long running books but I'm sure they'll get some acknowledgement if not a reversal when they hit the next milestone.

For me it's a bit different than say Marvel's new Captain America/Daredevil/Punisher #1s which are just starting more because it's a new creative team and they want a #1 to help push it. The fundemental continuity of virtually everyone in the DCverse is changing thanks to Flashpoint. Some will be more affected than others but that is more of a reason to go #1 than Captain America's current book IMO. Same writer there.

I'm sure books like batman Inc will relatively unchanged but you can bet they'll use the opportunity to clear up stuff for Aquaman, Superman, Hawkman, etc that have more muddled/complicated continuiies. They could even do massive changes that would have been tough to pull off like unmarrying Lois & Clark.

Won't hurt my collecting at all. I'll probably start a few new books too.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I think this would kill the market. Think about LCS. They always buy too many number 1's, and the next month, the books drop by a couple thousands. If everything is a number one, and they order too many, and nobody buys most of the titles, guess the LCS's will go under!

[Imraith Nimphais]

These are just renumberings. What's more important is the actual content within the renumbered books and the full extent of Flashpoint's changes to the DCU.
This is the most exciting part about all this. New talent coming on board, new characters to work with, etc... Hopefully this willingness to try new stuff extends to established characters.

I quite agree.

I couldn't care any less about the issue (re)numbering. I eagerly await to see who the new creative teams will be and on wot books will they feature. If the JL by Johns and Lee is all true then that's one additional title to my pull list come September...that said, they damn well better not pull Irving off of Xombi (my favourite DC book cuurently).

[Umbra]

I quite agree.

I couldn't care any less about the issue (re)numbering. I eagerly await to see who the new creative teams will be and on wot books will they feature. If the JL by Johns and Lee is all true then that's one additional title to my pull list come September...that said, they damn well better not pull Irving off of Xombi (my favourite DC book cuurently).

I currently get Thunder Agents, Zombi, Inc. and Tec. So I hope those are not totally rebooted. I hope that they do not touch Tec, at all.

[CMBMOOL]

IF, and this is a Big IF, DC does wipe it states clean and restarts its entire line, then I would be a bit shock that they tried this act. :eek:

Especially with Marvel still contiunes with stuff like this all the time, and they still kept the original renumbering on some of the titles as well. So that Marvel can have their cake and eat it too. :frown:

[Castel]

IF, and this is a Big IF, DC does wipe it states clean and restarts its entire line, then I would be a bit shock that they tried this act. :eek:

Indeed. A complete reboot sounds like a pretty extreme and desperate move honestly.

[Dark Phoenix]

The problem isn't really the numbering because, honestly, what does a number matter. My main reservation is looking back and seeing how many times DC has done this in their history. Maybe not to this great extent but its been done before. Every few years they decide their universe is messed up and needs a reboot.

The most troubling thing is the first title, Johns & Lee on Justice League. Yes, they say Lee has been working long and hard on this already but seriously, does anyone expect more than 2 or 3 issues before a LONG hiatus (months long) then maybe 1 issue, then a fill in team, then it getting cancelled or restarted to cover up the mess that was made.

Lee chose to be an executive and he should just stick to that then pretending he will be able to maintain ANY consistant schedule.

[Personamanx]

I can deal with Series renumberings. If the reboot goes into actual DCU History than I'll be a little pissed. If it's a total 100% reboot of the DCU I'm out... I'm all for doing things to attract new readers but it is possible to attract new readers without screwing older fans over.

This assumes that the creative teams for all the books I read stay the same writer wise.

[Addams]

The main problem i have with this reboot possibility is that if it's happen then they can as well change the company name.

From DC to JC, from Detective Comics to Johns Comics.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Stuff the re-numbering. I'm more interested in the announcement of Same Day Digital across all these titles. That's the game changer.

[Infestor]

The renumbering doesn't bother me so much. But the reboot is a major turn off.

[Fast]

They are renumbering because they are also launching a system of releasing a digital comic the same day it is available in LCS and are trying to attract new readers online.

[babybro]

It depends, I love the fact that they are going digital, that is a key aspect I love that DC has over Marvel.

The biggest thing that interest me is their constant repeat of the word "modern and diverse DCU."

What I'm curious about is will the DCU become more racially diversed than before. I will admit, marvel has been leaving a sour taste in my mouth. We have Fear effect, and once again their isn't any prominent minority figures within the event. Blue Marvel is delegated to one issue in the homefront, etc etc.

On the other hand, flashpoint has Cyborg as being the most important hero in the DCU in that universe. A MAJOR difference between the two IMO.The only thing is that I don't personally find Cyborg an interesting character, but I applaud DC for having the balls to do something that I don't believe the MU
can, place a minority figure center stage like that. It's for that reason alone as to why I'm picking up flashpoint.

Still, their current minority selection could use some help. The MU finally has the only current black powerhouse in comics with Blue Marvel. The DCU has Icon but we haven't seen him or the rest of the milestone heroes in a long time. Alex Ross had plans on creating a minority kid to be added to the mythos of Shazam but that was scrapped.

If the DCU can maintain this momentum of keeping minority figures as important members of comics and not second rate heroes while improving their minority hero selection (have some brick powerhouses like Icon and Ravager (Alex Ross Minority Shazam addition), energy powerhouses, etc) than I can definitely see myself switching sides like I did a long time ago when they first announce they were picking up milestone.

[briest57]

Well I'm dropping DC for Marvel... oh hang on Marvel comics are $4.

Honestly it's enough to make me start buying 2000Ad again :)

[turtlefood]

I think renumbering all at once does a lot more for the hype machine than gradually giving everything a new number one ESPECIALLY when going full line day and date digital, that's a bold move compared to the current disappointing digital efforts from Marvel and DC. I am buying Captain America #1 and Daredevil #1 in July, i'll probably get Rucka's #1 Punisher in August. Avengers and New Avengers just relaunched. I'm not a collector for the sake of collecting, i just like collecting stories i like so if these books are GOOD that's all i care about. DC is really boring right now and needs a swift kick in the butt and although Flashpoint is as gimmicky as you can get for a restart, i'm still glad something is happening. Green Lantern #1 on a whole new direction please.

[ColdFury]

What I'm curious about is will the DCU become more racially diversed than before. I will admit, marvel has been leaving a sour taste in my mouth. We have Fear effect, and once again their isn't any prominent minority figures within the event. Blue Marvel is delegated to one issue in the homefront, etc etc.

On the other hand, flashpoint has Cyborg as being the most important hero in the DCU in that universe. A MAJOR difference between the two IMO.The only thing is that I don't personally find Cyborg an interesting character, but I applaud DC for having the balls to do something that I don't believe the MU
can, place a minority figure center stage like that. It's for that reason alone as to why I'm picking up flashpoint.

On the other hand, you could take the viewpoint: "Oh my god, this reality is broken, it has CYBORG as an analogue for SUPERMAN."

Granted, that's a bit too cynical for my tastes, but still. They put the minority guy as the flaghead... when it's there to underscore how messed up reality is in this series.

Also, DC's minority track record isn't that great, and 'basing the characters' in their legend isn't going to diversify anything. I could be wrong, but I doubt we'll see any 'diversity' other than them keeping Ted Kord dead and giving us Jamie as Blue Beetle still.

[babybro]

On the other hand, you could take the viewpoint: "Oh my god, this reality is broken, it has CYBORG as an analogue for SUPERMAN."

Granted, that's a bit too cynical for my tastes, but still. They put the minority guy as the flaghead... when it's there to underscore how messed up reality is in this series.

Also, DC's minority track record isn't that great, and 'basing the characters' in their legend isn't going to diversify anything. I could be wrong, but I doubt we'll see any 'diversity' other than them keeping Ted Kord dead and giving us Jamie as Blue Beetle still.


Oh I agree that DC, before flashpoint, has had a horrible track rate when it comes to minorities. At least I know with Marvel, I can always check out
bendis who does a fantastic job on making Luke Cage be important (much to the dismay of many comic book fans) and Parker who does a fantastic job
with Luke as well. Iron Man 2.0 doesn't even feel like the main character in his own comic, and I've never been a fan of BP.

With DC, outside of maybe their Aqualad, we haven't really seen much. But than flashpoint hit, and while I don't think it's messed up per say, it's merely just different, but still, the point still stands that they took a minority figure and place him as literally one of the, if not the most important figurehead of the DCU, while fear effect has no minority figures in the driver seat. At least DC is doing something over there, something that can't be said with fraction that's for sure.

[deathcry]

I think this would kill the market. Think about LCS. They always buy too many number 1's, and the next month, the books drop by a couple thousands. If everything is a number one, and they order too many, and nobody buys most of the titles, guess the LCS's will go under!

And its not only this that will leave the LCS with a bloody nose, but the day and date digital stuff will also hurt them.

This is a bold move all around. I'm not sure how well its going to work for the industry though.

[Metal Sphere]

I just checked out the USA Today article covering this, and the comments from DC are more concerned with the future of the industry.

And to them, the future lies in digital consumption. So this is a pretty bold first step away from the LCS-based business model. The real question is how well they execute their digital distribution.

[turtletrekker]

I don't read DC, so this largely irrelevant to me except in the context of "what if Marvel did the same?"

Honestly, I wouldn't care. The number on the cover is far less important than the quality of the story inside.

[Brian M.]

I'm going to be trying some titles like Justice League and Batman and Superman.

It's like when Marvel created the Ultimate Universe. It's almost exactly the same concept, except with DC's entire line.

[Parch]

As long as the renumbering isn't too confusing. Good jump on point, and these titles usually get labelled as version 2 or whatever. Watch them take advantage of the 1000th issue and start renumbering again. Important issues like that are too much of an opportunity to pass up.

Marvel is no innocent for crazy renumbering. They've done some confusing stuff. Deadpool TeamUp being numbered backwards? Grow up, Deadpool.

[Zolton]

Love it. Love it love it love it.

I've been waiting for a good jumping on point for books like Superman and Wonder Woman for a while now (let's not speak of the JMS debacles) and have also been waiting YEARS for EXACTLY what was just announced today regarding JLA. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee on a new JLA with the Big 7. Thank. You.

[RDMacQ]

I posted this on the Spidey forum:

I don't mind the idea actually. Kinda sucks for those long running books but I'm sure they'll get some acknowledgement if not a reversal when they hit the next milestone.

For me it's a bit different than say Marvel's new Captain America/Daredevil/Punisher #1s which are just starting more because it's a new creative team and they want a #1 to help push it. The fundemental continuity of virtually everyone in the DCverse is changing thanks to Flashpoint. Some will be more affected than others but that is more of a reason to go #1 than Captain America's current book IMO. Same writer there.

I'm sure books like batman Inc will relatively unchanged but you can bet they'll use the opportunity to clear up stuff for Aquaman, Superman, Hawkman, etc that have more muddled/complicated continuiies. They could even do massive changes that would have been tough to pull off like unmarrying Lois & Clark.

Won't hurt my collecting at all. I'll probably start a few new books too.

See, I'm a little worried about doing what Marvel did with... a certain storyline which we won't go into here. I just don't want them to start saying "this didn't happen but everything remains the same."

[RDMacQ]

I wonder though... perhaps Flashpoint is meant to do what Final Crisis failed to...

[ThunderingHammer]

I'm Marvel to the core. Could care less about DC. I just hope they fail and somebody takes DC outback and puts it out of its misery.........:biggrin:

[CyberCoyote]

Bold move. Taking chances. Hope it works. I've pretty much given up all my Marvels for DC books but the reboots aren't freaking me out. It seems like they're trying to make the big digital push easier with less overbearing jumping on points.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I'm Marvel to the core. Could care less about DC. I just hope they fail and somebody takes DC outback and puts it out of its misery.........:biggrin:

AH AH AH! The main rule of any business is competition is a good thing. Competition encourages a business to try new strategies and fight for the consumer. If they were a monopoly, they'd be REALLY lazy and absolutely ruin themselves with bad ideas because they are allowed to without competition.

[Fast]

AH AH AH! The main rule of any business is competition is a good thing. Competition encourages a business to try new strategies and fight for the consumer. If they were a monopoly, they'd be REALLY lazy and absolutely ruin themselves with bad ideas because they are allowed to without competition.

I wouldn't want DC to ever go under because I love it as well as Marvel. However they would still be competing against other forms of entertainment its not like this a neccesity that is still required that only one company distributes.

[Rheged]

Stuff the re-numbering. I'm more interested in the announcement of Same Day Digital across all these titles. That's the game changer.

Seriously. I can't believe people are so concerned about the renumbering, when SAME DAY DIGITAL is practically cutting the throat of local comic book stores. I'm very curious to see how DC is going to balance that and the jump toward digital.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I wouldn't want DC to ever go under because I love it as well as Marvel. However they would still be competing against other forms of entertainment its not like this a necessity that is still required that only one company distributes.

Nor do I want DC to go.
But without competition, no new ideas are formed in the same industry. Really, Marvel needs DC as much as DC needs marvel.

[Prince Of Orphans]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the loss of profits from pulling all their titles back to $2.99? Is this just making up for lost ground?

OR

The $2.99 initiative was solely for the purpose of bringing in readers, keeping their attention long enough, and then restarting all their books, hoping sales would transfer maybe?

[Dog]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

[FriendRoss]

it will be interesting to see how they do the pricing on the day of digital release stuff


i can definitly see myself never buying a physical dc monthly again. the best thing for marvel and dc is to live on handheld devices


get on kindle's and nooks or whatever.



your telling me in a few months if i want to buy the new green lantern corps... i can just hit cvs, wallgreens, gas station, what ever for a itunes card 24 hr 7 days a week... instead of having to go to a comic book shop


when is marvel going to do this?

[Songbird/Diamondback]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

I don't think it's all the DC fans. Once their favorite characters start disappearing for their A-Listers, they're going to feel the problems.

[Songbird/Diamondback]

it will be interesting to see how they do the pricing on the day of digital release stuff


i can definitly see myself never buying a physical dc monthly again. the best thing for marvel and dc is to live on handheld devices


get on kindle's and nooks or whatever.



your telling me in a few months if i want to buy the new green lantern corps... i can just hit cvs, wallgreens, gas station, what ever for a itunes card 24 hr 7 days a week... instead of having to go to a comic book shop


when is marvel going to do this?

But I like supporting my LCS. :frown:

[Fast]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

Seems very split to me leaning towards the cynical approach from what I've seen though to be fair not much is really known at this point and DC fans are used to reboots and continuity resets (this is what the umpteenth time?)

[FriendRoss]

But I like supporting my LCS. :frown:

listen... the guys that lit the street lamps at night.... and all the blacksmiths, along with the horse buggy makers where great guys too.... times change


besides.... the lcs will just officially become local card game stores

[Songbird/Diamondback]

listen... the guys that lit the street lamps at night.... and all the blacksmiths, along with the horse buggy makers where great guys too.... times change

besides.... the lcs will just officially become local card game stores

Fine. But adding to the unemployment rate is REALLY going to go over well during this economic climate.

[FriendRoss]

i cant believe a layoff of 50% of hobby shop employees is going to hurt the unemployment rate to much


i dont think you could really call some of the ones ive seen "employeed"

[Prince Of Orphans]

I never even considered that DC would be cutting out the middle man, i was way too focused on the renumbering/reboot news. I'm feeling really bad for the good people who run the local comic stores in my city right now...

[Uxas]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

I'd say you were imagining it. This move by DC is much bigger than issues of continuity/whatever. Being more of a DC fan, I'm just glad that they did this first. I'm waiting for Marvel and their Disney masters to respond.

[turtletrekker]

Just speaking for myself, I will never go digital, price be damned. The day comics go 100% digital is the day I stop buying.

[mentok27]

its a brilliant idea, though how well it'll work?

the Direct market is dead(dying technically) and theres growth to be had in Digital subscriptions and Online book retailers...... catering to the obsessive compulsive tendencies of the direct market fanboy is only going to ensure "comics" dont reach new readers.

i dont know what will happen in a year or two after this relaunch but perhaps taking a "season" approach to the whole concept of ongoing books is a wise move?

that was my initial thought.

Untill i see creative teams and previews i wont be able to form an opinion on content, however i do hope Green Lantern remains mostly unchanged and jonah hex's book survives.....

[Jake V]

I never even considered that DC would be cutting out the middle man, i was way too focused on the renumbering/reboot news. I'm feeling really bad for the good people who run the local comic stores in my city right now...

If they run a decent store, they'll be fine. If they're one of those glorified UPS drop off locations that requires you to keep a pull list or else they won't order the comics you want, they deserve whatever happens to them.

[paulski]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

No, it's a fair question.

If Marvel felt they had to do the same and reboot/renumber their entire line for a specific purpose, I'd probably be fine with it. It's more when they just renumber title after title after title with new #1's just to get a cheap sales pop (which quickly disappears) that it gets pretty frustrating.

I regard this as something else entirely, though - it's a once in a generation seachange at DC, and I liken it to what they did in 1985 or 1986 with the first Crisis.

[carabas]

I wonder if six months from now Marvel will do a watered down version of DCs pseudo reboot.


I wonder though... perhaps Flashpoint is meant to do what Final Crisis failed to...Final Crisis wasn't really meant to do anyhting except tell a great story and sell lots of books, both of which it did.

[Dark Phoenix]

I wonder if six months from now Marvel will do a watered down version of DCs pseudo reboot.

Final Crisis wasn't really meant to do anyhting except tell a great story and sell lots of books, both of which it did.


I tried reading Final Crisis but could not get through it. It seemed that DC stepped out and let Grant Morrison (who I do normally love) run wild and to me, the story was convoluted and uninteresting.

[XPac]

I tried reading Final Crisis but could not get through it. It seemed that DC stepped out and let Grant Morrison (who I do normally love) run wild and to me, the story was convoluted and uninteresting.

I never completely understood Final Crisis.

It had a great atmosphere to it, and had a lot of great moments. But as a whole, a lot of it (the finale in particular) just kinda went over my head.

I can't help but think if I were high while reading it, I'd think it was the greatest comic book story ever told.

[Tikal]

I've never been a huge dc fan but, i'm pretty excited about this.
It's a change and one of the things thats always kept me away from dc was there long and confusing history.
I think thats why i was able to get into green lantern, it restarted everything and retold the origin so i felt like i was on board

new universe new history and really cool concept in my opinion.
other then being stubborn and not wanting to "conform", i dont see why anyone wouldn't want to give this new universe a chance. It certainly has conflict and sounds interesting as hell.

[littlemaths]

It's a brave move. Obviously there are comparisons to be made with the '85/'86 reboot, but it's a very different market out there now. I don't think anyone would deny that the readership of comics needs revitalising. The emphasis on digital is a smart move, but I do wonder if they're going to be losing longer term readers by pushing away continuity this way.

It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. I suspect Marvel is going to be watching what happens very closely and picking and choosing elements of DC's new direction for their own business plan over the next five or ten years.

[FriendRoss]

it is a hell of a hit to the lcs.... i was just thinking


not only do they now how new competition in the form of a more trendy and convenient choice


but all those DC back issue in all those long boxes just turned into beta max tapes basically

[crossbones]

although i have always preferred Marvel, i've always been a DC reader as well, and i'm loving the reboot/renumbering. mainly because DC's continuity has been a nightmare since COIE. very unfriendly for new/occasional readers.

looks like i'm adding a lot of DC titles to my pull list this september, with titles like Justice League, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing etc. to accompany the Batman titles i've been pulling already. can't wait!!!

[U-Foe]

I've never bought a DC book in my life. Any knowledge I have of their characters comes from movies, TV shows, video games, action figures,ect.

So, this actually raises my intrest. A chance to jump in on the ground level. I'm not saying I'm gonna buy a bunch of DC titles, but I'll at least give this new Justice League book a shot for the first several story arcs, since it's the main A-listers from the company.

I'm not a fan of the digital stuff, though. I'll fight it as long as I can. You can't beat the feeling of going to a LCS and holding the print in your hands.

[FriendRoss]

after i got my netflix account ive lost all sense of needing that physical collection

[YouthofToday]

Marvel has been way a head of DC in terms of digital. I think they only reason they haven't gone day/date across the whole line was not to piss off the lcs community. I'm curious to see if there is any backlash there. I know we all know it was coming, but I think most saw it still a few years away. Wonder what their digital price point is going to be? Is it going to be exclusive to like the iPad or will you be able to just purchase it like a pdf that can be read anywhere?
No offense to the lcs, but I'm ready for digital. I've posted this a few times, but I would probably shift more than 1/2 my pull list to digital if the price was right. I'm not paying full price for it. If that's the case, I'll stick with print. But if it was between $1-2, I'll be all over it.
I don't really read anything from DC, so this move doesn't do much for me. I like Batman, but I just read about Bruce being Batman and doing "Batman" things. I tried INC, but I dropped it after 2 issues. I tried Detective when Snyder and Jock took over, but I don't care about Dick(no pun intended). Maybe with this reboot, there will be a book that has what I'm looking for.

[Rheged]

I'm guessing the pricing on Same Day Digital is going to be the same as print, as that at least would be a concession to the LCBS. If not ... well, things will get interesting. I could even see litigation, if DC didn't do so.

[Methalius]

While I understand the frustration about renumbering if I enjoy something, I'm certainly not going to continue to enjoy it just because the publisher changed the number from #738 and relaunched it as a #1.

I'm not going to give up reading any Marvel Comics I am currently reading but I will likely pick up a handful of DC books to see if there are any that I will enjoy that I am currently missing out on.

Typically speaking I'll stick to Batman books though. I am interested in checking out Aquaman though.

[Dog]

I'm guessing the pricing on Same Day Digital is going to be the same as print, as that at least would be a concession to the LCBS. If not ... well, things will get interesting. I could even see litigation, if DC didn't do so.
The digital price might be higher, even. The digital version of that Invincible Iron Man annual that was released day-and-date cost more than the print copy.

[Rheged]

The digital price might be higher, even. The digital version of that Invincible Iron Man annual that was released day-and-date cost more than the print copy.

That's true. I had forgotten about that. How did that work out for Marvel, do you remember? I think they also did a Thor book on Same Day Digital, but at the same price?

[turtlefood]

That's true. I had forgotten about that. How did that work out for Marvel, do you remember? I think they also did a Thor book on Same Day Digital, but at the same price?

Marvel's not interested in selling digital books though, it would be crazy for DC to charge MORE than 2.99 an issue, which is already an insane price. It wouldn't surprise me for them to squander any hype they have for their digital initiative though.

[Rheged]

I find it interesting that a lot of DC fans are saying "Yeah, go for it," but I bet if Marvel did the same thing there'd be shrieks of "Cash grab!," "You don't respect the fans!," etc.

Where does that difference come from? Or am I imagining it?

I don't know if there's a difference in the reaction of DC fans and Marvel fans to this idea. I was on hiatus when Heroes Reborn was done, but I believe the sales and fan reaction was favorable to that, and this move of DC's reminds me of that.

I do think Marvel's continuity is more fixed and important, and therefore the fans are more resistant to such drastic measures. Whereas DC fans have had their continuity rebooted quite a few times, and are probably used to it.

[Rheged]

Marvel's not interested in selling digital books though, it would be crazy for DC to charge MORE than 2.99 an issue, which is already an insane price. It wouldn't surprise me for them to squander any hype they have for their digital initiative though.

I have to disagree. Marvel's VERY interested in selling digital. They just haven't figured out a way to do so without killing the LCBS and the collectors they rely on for their survival.

I would be surprised if DC charged more than 2.99 also.

[YouthofToday]

The digital price might be higher, even. The digital version of that Invincible Iron Man annual that was released day-and-date cost more than the print copy.

That was an odd situation though because it was that 60+ page annual. They broke it up into 3 sections and I think each was $2 which made it more than the $5 cover price.
I'm pretty sure the day/date Ultimate Thor and Spider-man issues have been the same as print.

[FriendRoss]

im fine with paying 2.99 for a new digital comic... 3.99, i dont think so.... it would have to come with something for 3.99..... maybe a free back issue or something




but as far as saving lcbs... why? i just went over to mine on my lunch break..... no new comics.. the guy says, no new comics because of memorial day... they just got them, come back later. i see them in the boxes.. sitting there.... but he sent away a couple of us because some other guy had to come in and open the boxes


as a buisness

1... never send away paying customers
2... the guy there should of been able to open the fing box and sell product
3... the guy who is allowed to open the box should of been standing there when they opened today... when they closed yesterday, they knew this would be an issue



i walked out the door thinking, geez... bring on digital distribution

[turtlefood]

I have to disagree. Marvel's VERY interested in selling digital. They just haven't figured out a way to do so without killing the LCBS and the collectors they rely on for their survival.

I would be surprised if DC charged more than 2.99 also.

I just don't think you can make half hearted efforts and attract people to your digital stores. I check out Amazon's mp3 site every day to see what their daily deal is and at the top of the month for their 100 mp3 albums for $5 special. Think of Steam and their midweek madness, crazy holiday sales, and now they implemented daily deals. Until Marvel and DC go 100% aggressive in the digital market, they are doing more harm than good to their digital sales potential because people will check out their site and see high prices and old books and might not return if their isn't a new wave of hype. DC's #1 line wide day and date shenanigans is that hype, they better not squander it. In theory it should be so much easier for DC/Marvel because it's their product and they set the prices.

[Rheged]

but as far as saving lcbs... why? i just went over to mine on my lunch break..... no new comics.. the guy says, no new comics because of memorial day... they just got them, come back later

i walked out the door thinking, geez... bring on digital distribution

I LOVE my LCBS. They are more than just a place to buy comics. They help foster a comic fan community in my city. Heck, they help the community period. They are knowledgeable and offer items that I'd never have known about or thought about picking up, if I hadn't seen it at their store. And they sell real physical items. I'm still old school and I still like my print books.

[Rheged]

im fine with paying 2.99 for a new digital comic... 3.99, i dont think so.... it would have to come with something for 3.99..... maybe a free back issue or something




but as far as saving lcbs... why? i just went over to mine on my lunch break..... no new comics.. the guy says, no new comics because of memorial day... they just got them, come back later. i see them in the boxes.. sitting there.... but he sent away a couple of us because some other guy had to come in and open the boxes


as a buisness

1... never send away paying customers
2... the guy there should of been able to open the fing box and sell product
3... the guy who is allowed to open the box should of been standing there when they opened today... when they closed yesterday, they knew this would be an issue



i walked out the door thinking, geez... bring on digital distribution

Well, your LCBS isn't like mine at all. That would never happen at my store. The owner understands it is a business and customers have expectations. He's even driven up to Diamond's warehouse when they've screwed up the shipping and delayed the week's books to get us our books on Wednesday.

But yeah, I've encountered stores like yours. And yes, they won't be around much longer.

[Rheged]

I just don't think you can make half hearted efforts and attract people to your digital stores. I check out Amazon's mp3 site every day to see what their daily deal is and at the top of the month for their 100 mp3 albums for $5 special. Think of Steam and their midweek madness, crazy holiday sales, and now they implemented daily deals. Until Marvel and DC go 100% aggressive in the digital market, they are doing more harm than good to their digital sales potential because people will check out their site and see high prices and old books and might not return if their isn't a new wave of hype. DC's #1 line wide day and date shenanigans is that hype, they better not squander it. In theory it should be so much easier for DC/Marvel because it's their product and they set the prices.

Did I mention I was old school? :wink: I'm clearly not the kind of shopper you are, so I'll defer to your knowledge of what attracts the digital buyer. I agree that Marvel will have to step up the digital initiative and marketing, and god knows, they need to find someone competent at website design, but they are still looking at some stumbling blocks to digital. They WANT to go forward and they need to, but they haven't figured out how to solve some basic problems, such as the LCBS situation. DC's move maybe what pushes them into the pool, and print be damned! :mad:

[metr0man]

I think it would have been a terrible idea if not for the fact that they also announced same-day-digital-delivery for every one of their comics.

I think it says something about comic fans backwards-looking mentality that they care way more about the renumbering than the digital thing.

DC just moved to Digital Comics. That's what this is all about. Print is dying so they are phasing out print altogether.

[Imraith Nimphais]

Just speaking for myself, I will never go digital, price be damned. The day comics go 100% digital is the day I stop buying.

While I am not one to say "never"...I do prefer purchasing the "floppies" as it were. So I will still be supporting my LCD.:smile:

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I have to disagree. Marvel's VERY interested in selling digital. They just haven't figured out a way to do so without killing the LCBS and the collectors they rely on for their survival.

I'd disagree.

Marvel have tried several half-hearted attempts at Digital Comics. But their motivation has never had stores or collectors at their heart. It was motivated purely by Digital Rights Management, and Marvel's dogged determination that they would only ever operate a Digital Library rather than Direct Download.

Even now, as we saw with Ultimate Comics Thor (Accidentally going up a week early, and then being unauthorized even though people had PAID FOR IT for another week) last year, the only place Marvel offers single issue downloads is far from the ownership it might seem to be at the outset.

Marvel's attitude towards Digital Comics really has for the most part been one of living in denial, adamantly not believing that they HAD to move with the times, and refusing to accept just how freely their books were already being pirated.

[FriendRoss]

I think it would have been a terrible idea if not for the fact that they also announced same-day-digital-delivery for every one of their comics.

I think it says something about comic fans backwards-looking mentality that they care way more about the renumbering than the digital thing.

DC just moved to Digital Comics. That's what this is all about. Print is dying so they are phasing out print altogether.

your exactly right


and being able to launch into the digital world with number 1's is a great idea



a guy picking up his tablet and browsing the DC shop, is going to be able to see clearly where the stories start and stop, all 100% right there in front of his finger tips... no question over volumes or back issues... it will all be right there, layed out in order




im just trying to decide if id rather drive accross town.... get my books in my hands... or swing by the gas station on the way home from work and grab a card


im leaning card.....

[destro]

but all those DC back issue in all those long boxes just turned into beta max tapes basically


Riiiiiiight. Because nobody would ever ya know, want to just buy them to read a good story.

Just like after the 1st Crisis nobody ever wanted to read any of pre-crisis stories again...except that they did.

[DisneysFolly]

Renumbering thing annoys me but something I haven't seen many people point out is how many DC titles were already numbered quite LOW. Yeah, we all know that Batman, Detective and Action are high. As are others. But some of DC's best selling titles and key character titles are all very low: most Batman titles are under #50, Green Arrow and Flash were recently relaunched, the Green Lantern titles are all relatively low and easy to get into for new fans. Booster Gold, JLA, etc. This isn't a company with as hefty a numbering issue as people are claiming.

So this blanket defense of the renumbering I've seen out there seems quite naive of the fact that titles are getting rebooted that are ABSOLUTELY accessible to new readers.

[Imraith Nimphais]

I know when I travel, and come across proprietor-owned bookstores and such I always ask where they keep their "old" stock. I invariably always find a "treasure" or two for my library...same goes for comic books. I may eventually try the digital thing, some day...but for now I am quite happy with going to my LCD on a weekly basis and pickin up my "floppies".

[K Von Doom]

I don't think numbering makes stories more interesting

[Jack J Napier]

I'm will to bet that same day digital doesn't go any further than the Number one's. I'm sure all the second issues will be turned digital at later points.

[dupersuper]

If it is an Age of Apocalypse deal, and the Flashpoint world stays for about a year, that could be interesting.

Hopefully with better art.