The Mighty, Mighty Infinite Consolidated One-Stop New 52 Complaint Thread

[PennyDreadful]

DC is not really growing; it is contracting. They give lip service to publishing different genres but do nothing to promote non-superhero titles. And now they are doing more Superman and Batman books. Also, April retail share for DC was only 26 percent. After less than 2 years. The success of the reboot was short-lived and it attracted few new readers. It looks to be an act of desperation. I also give it less than 5 year. I don't think it will last beyond the current regime.

[HeidTheBaw]

I agree with you that it's a poor business philosophy to base all decisions solely off of profit, but you also cannot dismiss the numbers entirely. Not in the entertainment industry, anyways (as this industry is, arguably, not considered a necessity to life). DC saw their sales dip below a number that was palatable to them and decided to shake things up a bit to stimulate those sales. We know that DC's initial plan was not to cause their "original" readers to jump ship, but to bring the newbies in along side of them to create a universe in which everyone was up to speed right away. We all know that the last thing a business wants to do is chase away any customers, regardless of how familiar with the product they are. The bottom line is that the people who are reading the new stuff (which it is a fact to say that there are now more readers) like it and the writers and artists like what they are writing about (which we know because as soon as editorial wants something a writer does not agree with, the writer walks). As a result, DC is seeing their company grow.

Consider that despite how many readers jumped ship when they announced the reboot, DC has kept enough old readers and brought aboard enough new readers and kept them all interested that they are STILL experiencing an INCREASE from their pre-New 52 sales. I just don't see how you can fault them for that. It doesn't get any simpler than what has been said a billion times over on this very message board....IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T BUY IT.

Yep - can't really argue with this at all.

[PennyDreadful]

Eh...the bloom is off the rose regarding the reboot. In better hands, it might have been cool, but again, the problem is the editorial regime, not the DCU.

Right now, I think a lot of readers who left due to the DCnU are happily reading titles by other publishers, experiencing some schadenfreude at DC's current negative PR, and hoping that maybe Warners will clean house at some point. Right now, the big problem is that they can't keep creators and sales are dropping (again).

DC's now the Sideshow Bob of comic publishers, stepping on a series of rakes.

[chastmastr]

I agree with you that it's a poor business philosophy to base all decisions solely off of profit, but you also cannot dismiss the numbers entirely.

Of course not--hence my words like "solely" or "only." One has to make ends meet somehow.

I just don't see how you can fault them for that.

I don't fault them for needing to make an income, but I do fault them for sacrificing what was good and noble about many their characters for the sake of profit.

It doesn't get any simpler than what has been said a billion times over on this very message board....IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T BUY IT.

And I don't; what books I get that are set in the New 52 I am buying in spite of that, and because of the way the characters are done, by writers I genuinely like. At least half of my DC purchases at this point are set outside the New 52 (or, like Batman Inc., can be read plausibly as apart from the New 52): Adventures of Superman, Legends of the Dark Knight, Li'l Gotham, the upcoming Batman 66 and Batman Black and White, Astro City, and so on.

[HeidTheBaw]

Of course not--hence my words like "solely" or "only." One has to make ends meet somehow.



I don't fault them for needing to make an income, but I do fault them for sacrificing what was good and noble about many their characters for the sake of profit.



And I don't; what books I get that are set in the New 52 I am buying in spite of that, and because of the way the characters are done, by writers I genuinely like. At least half of my DC purchases at this point are set outside the New 52 (or, like Batman Inc., can be read plausibly as apart from the New 52): Adventures of Superman, Legends of the Dark Knight, Li'l Gotham, the upcoming Batman 66 and Batman Black and White, Astro City, and so on.

I think you should remove "Tired of arguing about comics for now" from your signature.

[chastmastr]

I think you should remove "Tired of arguing about comics for now" from your signature.

LOL! :) I don't know--at what point does discussion become arguing, and particularly a sort of back-and-forth stressful conflict thing? I don't feel burned out yet with the current topic...

[Darkspellmaster]

I have a quick question. Given that they've been kind of disassembling themselves do you think that Warners will eventually have to sell the Comics section of DC to another company?

[chastmastr]

I have a quick question. Given that they've been kind of disassembling themselves do you think that Warners will eventually have to sell the Comics section of DC to another company?

If it's to a company that will treat the characters better than DC has been lately, I sincerely hope so. Marvel's been doing quite well under Disney, in my opinion.

[skyvolt2000]

I have a quick question. Given that they've been kind of disassembling themselves do you think that Warners will eventually have to sell the Comics section of DC to another company?

As a whole-NO. You still have properties making money.

Now if you start picking and choosing-you might see it or see properties licensed to others.

They are not going to give away any property that will burn them because someone else was more willing to do something with that product then them.

It would depend on what that other company would do with the property that DC seemingly refuses to do with some properties.

I Vampire-how would it fair under IDW? Based on the series-it would be IDW's top seller and regard series by default. The key would be distribution-I can find more IDW, Archie, Dark Horse, Image & Dynamite trades in book stores and the public library than DC's new 52 books. I can't read I Vampire if I can't find it-I think going to IDW would change that.

I think it would work for properties that don't rely on other DC characters. Does Dial H, I Vampire, Static (I know they don't own him), GI Combat, Green Team, The Movement, Blackhawks, Grifter, Stormwatch, Voodoo & Men of War need to interact with DC guys to be successful? 4 we know they can be.

Now how much of a change would need to be done if we are talking about Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Wally West, Hawkman & Capt Atom?

[Action Ace]

I have a quick question. Given that they've been kind of disassembling themselves do you think that Warners will eventually have to sell the Comics section of DC to another company?

No. Time Warner can make a lot of money outside comics with the DC superheroes in movies, tv, animation, video games, clothes, lawn chairs, lunch boxes etc. etc. etc. It is far more likely that they'll determine that comics publication isn't worth the expense and hassle and just get rid of it. My best guess is that the choice is between New52 DC Comics or no DC Comics at all.

[Dissentisgood]

I think this quote sums this thread up nicely.

The reboot happened on August 31st, 2011.

• 1 Year, 9 months, 17 days
• 656 Days
• 56,678,400 seconds
• 944,640 minutes
• 15,744 hour
• ~93 weeks

Why is this still a thing?

I agree. It's abhorrent the New52 has lasted this long.

[Dissentisgood]

Well it certainly increased ORDERS. I think until return numbers are ever offered up, we don't have much hard evidence as to a true sales bump.

[Dissentisgood]

I agree with you that it's a poor business philosophy to base all decisions solely off of profit, but you also cannot dismiss the numbers entirely. Not in the entertainment industry, anyways (as this industry is, arguably, not considered a necessity to life). DC saw their sales dip below a number that was palatable to them and decided to shake things up a bit to stimulate those sales. We know that DC's initial plan was not to cause their "original" readers to jump ship, but to bring the newbies in along side of them to create a universe in which everyone was up to speed right away. We all know that the last thing a business wants to do is chase away any customers, regardless of how familiar with the product they are. The bottom line is that the people who are reading the new stuff (which it is a fact to say that there are now more readers) like it and the writers and artists like what they are writing about (which we know because as soon as editorial wants something a writer does not agree with, the writer walks). As a result, DC is seeing their company grow.

Consider that despite how many readers jumped ship when they announced the reboot, DC has kept enough old readers and brought aboard enough new readers and kept them all interested that they are STILL experiencing an INCREASE from their pre-New 52 sales. I just don't see how you can fault them for that. It doesn't get any simpler than what has been said a billion times over on this very message board....IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T BUY IT.

That "increase" ship sailed months and months ago.

However I do agree with you on the don't like it, don't buy it, reasoning. I haven't bought a single New 52 book.

But this paints a false dichotomy. Like it or don't buy it as the only two outcomes.

I prefer don't buy AND encourage others to not buy it also AND make your voice heard on the topic as often as possible.

Some of us prefer to multitask.

[Addams]

Only good thing about this reboot as far i'm concerned is the Wonder Woman main title thanks to Azzarello. Now i read and enjoy this book which is really new for me.

But in the same that awful stunt of a reboot made me drop almost all books that i used to read.

I'm still reading Batman, cause he's Batman, and Teen Titans, cause i'm an old fan of the team, despite Lobdell weak writing and the fact that Tim created the team made me facepalmed so hard that i still have the mark on my forehead.

The idea to create a big jump in starting point for new readers was a very good one. But gee, 2 years now this joke has started and it was my worst years as a DC reader EVER. Worst than the freaking 90's, way worst, so much worst.

At least back then we had Wally and Donna Troy.

So yeah, screw you DC.