Tilting at Windmills - Aug 16, 2012

[DarkBeast]

But while Snyder's Batman isn't terrible, it is boring and too stuffed with owls. Meanwhile, Nightwing is dull, I,Vampire is awful, the Superman books are incredibly bad and Wonder Woman is tawdry. I'm looking for a jumping-off point and it looks like the 0 issues are it. I buy five or six Marvel books in a given month.

I'll never not buy comics, but I am repulsed by most of the new 52. Just my opinion.

Hm, based on this and your previous comments (especially the complaints about "nihilism"), I think my tastes are kind of similar to yours.

I would recommend Batman Incorporated for a take on the character and his universe that definitely isn't boring or nihilistic. Unless you just don't like Morrison (which is fair), you would probably like what's been going on in that title. The first Batman Inc. collection is out as a collected edition, but any of the two (soon to be three) issues of Vol. 2 are all kinda like one-and-dones.

[rolacka]

I think it sucks that a book can sell 20,000 books a month, but won't be carried by stores because they each won't sell enough to justify carrying it. I wish there was a better system for customers to buy these long tail books. I'd love it if a print on demand system existed where I could go into a shop (or their online store), say I want a book, and have Diamond print and ship a book to the store the next week. Instead, I'm stuck having to know what I want three months early to make sure the store knows to order it so I actually have a chance to buy it.

Digital works better than stores for the long tail.

I agree with Brian's point that comics and stores need more series selling dozens of comics and fewer selling a handful (or less). From the big two especially there is a lot that could easily be cut. 52 titles seems mad to me as someone who reads Marvel and independents mainly, but never really got into DC (though has read the occasional thing and could easily be persuaded to pick up the right book). There was just so much that I was overwhelmed so got nothing.

For how effective the new 52 has been I think jtigan's point on the skewed numbers is fair, but I know Brian has indicated the same thing in other columns and he said that the new DC has pushed up the standard for DC (I think Diamond's monthly numbers support this too).

[Alter Ego Comics]

From one retailer to another, great column, Brian. My New 52 year in review mimics yours, and add my voice to the crowd that is in favor of fewer books being published by DC & Marvel. If a book from "The Big Two" is selling less than 20,000 copies, it needs to be cancelled. I'm a firm believer that comic sales would go up if the number of monthly titles went down.

All in all, though, DC should be proud of what they accomplished with The New 52. They brought new/lapsed readers in, told some pretty solid stories and helped to revitalized the entire comic book industry.

[destro]

Does it matter that the New 52 creative is 99% terrible? Dull, redundant and offensive stories permeate the line. DC did a final push here to get older or long-time readers out of their universe. The 1986 reboot was the exact opposite, bringing in exciting creators with verve and personal vision. It didn't alienate most long-term readers (just some) and it brought the characters into the modern world without losing their decency and heroism. They have forgotten those lessons and presented modern readers with nihilists and two-dimensional wonders by Rob Liefeld, J.T. Krul and Scott Lobdell.

Sales are up, so, seriously, does it matter if the art and stories are bad if the comics sell? I miss the DC Universe, but I have 70 years worth of stories to read about it. Honestly, I think it was a mistake to let the people who broke DC try and fix it. Now it's even worse than it was before. But sales are up. Weird.

Oh please. Sounds like you're just PO'd that the old status quo is over and are complaining about it. There was plenty of crap out pre-crisis, post crisis and in the new 52. But in every case there have been good books as well. You just aren't willing to get over your own prejudice and nostalgia to find them.