Marvel Business Practices Discussion

[One More Day]

My pleasure!

Very glad you liked it.

kdb

Wait, you wrote Thunderbolts #1? Are you the creator? I loved the original run of Thunderbolts!!!

[Deus ex Chris]

You both make great points. I understand the reality. I just don't love it. I feel like I'm paying a higher rate to sustain businesses whose services I'm not using. Necessary or not, it stings a little.

[Kurt Busiek]

Not something you'd know but is another example of something Mr. Wacker could easily support or refute.

Presumably, if he wants to (and if his higher-ups allow it), he can.

But he's not required to.

He's an editor. Back when I was a sales guy, most of the editors didn't know squat about what sales promotions we were running for each title. These days I expect Marvel's editors probably know more about what the rest of the company does than they did back then, but whether they share it online isn't up to the readers.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Wait, you wrote Thunderbolts #1? Are you the creator? I loved the original run of Thunderbolts!!!

That's me! Well, and penciler Mark Bagley.

With Tom Brevoort looking over our shoulders.

kdb

[Ari Gold]

Presumably, if he wants to (and if his higher-ups allow it), he can.

kdb

I totally get that, and accept it if that's the case.

I just think it relates to a point earlier in the conversation on whether or not Mr. Wacker actually backs up his positions or simply falls behind "you don't know what you're talking about".

[Spaced]

Wait, you wrote Thunderbolts #1? Are you the creator? I loved the original run of Thunderbolts!!!

Yup, he also wrote some of the best Avengers books of all time too (well imho anyway).

[One More Day]

That's me! Well, and penciler Mark Bagley.

With Tom Brevoort looking over our shoulders.

kdb

I loved your work on it! Thanks for creating one of the best comics of the 90s Bagley's work is awesome.

[Kurt Busiek]

I feel like I'm paying a higher rate to sustain businesses whose services I'm not using.

You may be doing that a lot of places, without knowing it.

Not quite the same example, but heavy users of Netflix and Blockbuster pay less per use than light users, your taxes subsidize services you may not use as much as others, what you pay at the supermarket covers what shoplifters take, etc.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I just think it relates to a point earlier in the conversation on whether or not Mr. Wacker actually backs up his positions or simply falls behind "you don't know what you're talking about".

I don't.

You're citing a question asked of someone else, after Steve left the conversation, at least for today, as evidence that he doesn't back up his positions.

I also think, given that your interest in it seems all about the Marvel vs. DC market share game, that you're treating business as a sports event, and are angry that Steve won't give you information to boost your team, even though he hasn't been here since before it was asked.

I think Steve said early on that he didn't particularly intend to take part in this discussion, and give a lot of insider information. That doesn't mean that what answers he's given are therefore to be disregarded, merely because there are other questions he won't answer to your satisfaction. Particularly the ones where he hasn't even seen the question yet.

kdb

[Deus ex Chris]

You may be doing that a lot of places, without knowing it.

Not quite the same example, but heavy users of Netflix and Blockbuster pay less per use than light users, your taxes subsidize services you may not use as much as others, what you pay at the supermarket covers what shoplifters take, etc.

kdb

Yeah, it's the world we live in, I guess. Of course, I'm only a little resentful of the pricing. It's not something that bothers me terribly, and it certainly doesn't deter me from buying the titles I want. It probably should, though. My bank account would appreciate it.

[Spaced]

Presumably, if he wants to (and if his higher-ups allow it), he can.

But he's not required to.

He's an editor. Back when I was a sales guy, most of the editors didn't know squat about what sales promotions we were running for each title. These days I expect Marvel's editors probably know more about what the rest of the company does than they did back then, but whether they share it online isn't up to the readers.

kdb

In a lot of cases it'll boil down to an "I pay your wages" arguement. It's never valid though, at least not in my experience.

[Ari Gold]

You're citing a question asked of someone else, after Steve left the conversation, at least for today, as evidence that he doesn't back up his positions.

kdb

I see how that can be misconstrued. My bad.

I think those of us who have been involved in the conversation with Mr. Wacker over the course of the past few months have other specific points of reference.
I don't expect him to respond to that particular point because he doesn't have to. That's fine.

I also think, given that your interest in it seems all about the Marvel vs. DC market share game, that you're treating business as a sports event, and are angry that Steve won't give you information to boost your team, even though he hasn't been here since before it was asked.

kdb

That's fine as well. But like most here I was first and foremost a Marvel zombie, until recent years when their business practices really turned me off from the company.

The market share game is only 1 point that, again, over the course of 100 pages has been discussed at length and this was just another layer/wrinkle to the conversation.
Marvel has been artificially stuffing the sales charts.

[NickFury90]

I think the funniest part were the passive-aggressive spin that DC did once they lost the marketshare, criticizing the validity of winning those estimates and that they don't really care about that...despite spending most of the fall beating their chest about those very same estimates when they WERE winning.

[timeismoney]

I see how that can be misconstrued. My bad.

I think those of us who have been involved in the conversation with Mr. Wacker over the course of the past few months have other specific points of reference.
I don't expect him to respond to that particular point because he doesn't have to. That's fine.



That's fine as well. But like most here I was first and foremost a Marvel zombie, until recent years when their business practices really turned me off from the company.

The market share game is only 1 point that, again, over the course of 100 pages has been discussed at length and this was just another layer/wrinkle to the conversation.
Marvel has been artificially stuffing the sales charts.

Sure they have it's all about money why can't most of you guys accept that and move on Marvel is doing what a business is suppose to make money. If
that rub you the wrong way spend your money else where. I think Ford make and sale people crappy cars i don't cry about everyday when i go to buy a car I go for GMC made car because i think there made better and since i don't drive Ford i have nothing bad to say about them. But hey it is the internet where people go to cry.

[Ari Gold]

I think the funniest part were the passive-aggressive spin that DC did once they lost the marketshare, criticizing the validity of winning those estimates and that they don't really care about that...despite spending most of the fall beating their chest about those very same estimates when they WERE winning.

Not sure if this is the right thread . . . but DC didn't actually lose the market share on comics sold.

They led by 3% on Top 300 comics, and by 7% on Top 300 Graphic Novels. They lost in "other items" whatever that means.

And the fact that Marvel had to ship out tens of thousands of issues free of charge in an attempt to make up that difference.