"The Dark Knight" Sales Effect, Vertigo's Future & Digital Rankings

[CBR News]

DC Comics' Bob Wayne and John Cunningham discuss July sales as "Before Watchmen" to "Batman: Earth One" perform strongly alongside "The Walking Dead's" major performance. Plus, an exclusive look at DC's top 20 digital titles.


Full article here.

[ian33407]

Mark my words, the future of Vertigo belongs in clever revivals of some of their very first creations :

- BARNUM ongoing
- GHOSTDANCING ongoing
- ROGAN GOSH ongoing
- HOUSE OF SECRETS ongoing
- THE EATERS ongoing

With such concepts, what to need for except good creative teams ? - and don't push me I have some suggestions too about this ..

[Just Endless]

Couple thoughts,

A) that 'it's actually the top 21 b/c of Walking Dead' comment makes no sense at all.

B) For what possible reason, really, at all, Is Batman: Dark Knight in DC's top ten books? The david finch thing? It is absolutely horrible.

[fredmanson]

With this kind of answer for the Vertigo actual line, it's really not a good answer. More and more titles from Image Comics, Boom! Comics, IDW Comics and Dynamite Comics are doing better with their own series which would have been published under the Vertigo imprint.

I really do not like at all the smog around the Vertigo imprint. Why so much "no-answers"??? Is Vertigo to be closed as classic comic books publisher and only kept as OGN/GN publishing company? If that's the objective, I prefer to quit the boat before it sinks very depth...

Vertigo is no more on the cutting edge. Image Comics is. Unfortunately, I do not like at all the Image Comics style, and the titles are lacking this Vertigo feeling. So, what can I do? What can be done?
I am totally lost there...

[Desaad]

The smog is because those guys have no say in Vertigo. Even guys like Didio and Lee do very little with Vertigo.

Interview Berger and you'll get something substantive.

As for what can be done to 'fix' Vertigo? Hard to say. The only reason to go to Vertigo is the page rate, and the printing policy (they keep stuff in print); you need money immediately, and you can be sure that if you are successful-ish in any regard the books will be in print and available and well distributed.

It's safe, and it's secure, and I think it's probably something that a number of up and comers would go to if there was a process in place to look at their stuff, with more open submissions.

But at this point the contracts are too restrictive to attract guys who are guaranteed to produce well-selling series. They take away your TV and movie rights. If you have a high concept that is really vital, especially in light of what you are seeing with Kirkman's walking dead, why would you want to risk losing out on that control? And on the full royalties associated?

Up and comers might be interested, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for them to get into the Vertigo door. Stalwarts are not going to be interested because they can generated enough buzz and sales at Image to make as much money (more or less) on the front end and then have the potential for much higher earnings with any 'big media' spin off.

[FlyBoyZombi]

B) For what possible reason, really, at all, Is Batman: Dark Knight in DC's top ten books? The david finch thing? It is absolutely horrible.

THE DARK NIGHT Rises ??

[SJNeal]

THE DARK NIGHT Rises ??

Never heard of it...

[rolacka]

With this kind of answer for the Vertigo actual line, it's really not a good answer. More and more titles from Image Comics, Boom! Comics, IDW Comics and Dynamite Comics are doing better with their own series which would have been published under the Vertigo imprint.

I really do not like at all the smog around the Vertigo imprint. Why so much "no-answers"??? Is Vertigo to be closed as classic comic books publisher and only kept as OGN/GN publishing company? If that's the objective, I prefer to quit the boat before it sinks very depth...

Vertigo is no more on the cutting edge. Image Comics is. Unfortunately, I do not like at all the Image Comics style, and the titles are lacking this Vertigo feeling. So, what can I do? What can be done?
I am totally lost there...

Does Image have a style? They are mostly creator-owned series with no real similarities to eachother (consistent creative teams is probably the thing they have most in common with eachother).

Vertigo doesn't feel relevant anymore, which is a bit sad, but when you thnk about it is great actually. It is fantastic for the comics industry that creator-owned titles do not need to be released b one of the big 2 to be succesful.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Image had a style in the beginning but now it's varied as varied be.