What's up with Superboy's sales?

[Jasoninthewoods]

The book has recently sunk below the 100 mark. What do you personally think DC needs to do to course-correct?

Get him out of The Teen Titans ,and Ravagers.

He needs just one book to be featured in.

[ascended]

I agree with most everyone here. The book lacks a direction of its own, and gets drafted into crossovers every other month. And the months where it isnt part of an official crossover, it still ties into Titans or Ravagers or Legion Lost or something.

I like the New52 Superboy. I find his powerset fun, and appropriately powerful enough for a member of the Super-Family. I find his origins interesting, and full of potential future stories. His personality is (or rather, was) lots of fun to read about, largely due to his struggles to understand basic social interactions and decision making stimuli. Hell, I have even come to enjoy the Tron costume.

But my wife and I are about to drop the title. The Culling tore it off the tracks, and largely, it never recovered.

I think, in order to fix the title.....no more crossovers. Thats a must. The book will never find its own niche when it keeps tying into other titles.

And the various mysteries surrounding Superboy....those need to be answered; quickly, strongly, and intelligently. Is there indeed a third donor in his genetic makeup? If so, who is it and why/how did their genetic traits get wrapped into Kon's? Is Lex really the human donor as we all assume?

Answer these lingering questions so we readers can get a stronger feel for who he is. And dont drag it out. Dont give half answers that only lead to more (stupid and ultimately un-important) questions. Dont make the process take two years to get through. I want it all to shake out in six months or less, (four would work, I think) and be more or less done with.

Flesh out the past so you can build towards the future. In the process of doing that, give Kon a solid status quo to revolve around, something that has staying power, and is easy to jump in on. His own city, or perhaps establish a nomadic, travelling approach. A civilian identity and an actual name. And his own supporting cast. I like his friendship with Bunker, that works. But he needs some real people in his life, and his stupid, super rich landlady isnt cutting it alone.

Fresh talent. I dont think anyone over the age of 30 should be working on the book. And if DC has to go outside their regular talent sandbox for that, so much the better.

[Desaad]

You do realize the original New 52 writer (Lobdell) has been writing published comic book stories since 1988, which is almost 25 years?

Yes, I'm very aware.

I think, fundamentally, that was and is a mistake, but if you're going to put any of the older creators on such a book, Lobdell and Morrison are the ones.

Defalco is an entirely different animal, bland by nature, workmanlike over the course of decades.

[destro]

Yes, I'm very aware.

I think, fundamentally, that was and is a mistake, but if you're going to put any of the older creators on such a book, Lobdell and Morrison are the ones.

Defalco is an entirely different animal, bland by nature, workmanlike over the course of decades.

I don't really agree, he has done some fine work on Spider-Man, Spider-Girl and Thor in the past among other books. I will agree that his work on Superboy has not been the best.

[Fused]

Well if my account means anything, it was in my top 5 favorite books this time last year and since DeFalco's taken over I've dropped it.

[DrewHLMW]

the h'el one arth and the death of the family stuff wraps in the issue 17s in february, so i say with legion lost being cancelled and ravagers surely to follow at the issue 20-22 mark. (for ravagers itself it'll probably be somewhere between issues 14-18)

so I say use the issues 18-20 for superboy, teen titans and the ravagers final issues to finally wrap up the whole harvest and nowhere plots and give superboy a new creative team at issue 21 or 22 whatever one it will be at the start of the fifth wave (probably may/june/july) to give him a new direction. hopefully this will also cement the teen titans as a proper team finally and for both books we can move onto new stories. I don't mind if superboy stays on the teen titans though.

[[]D[]/\/\[]D @ Nite/So-tite]

For those complaining about the crossovers and appearances in other books, isn't all of that done for sales and awareness?

Isn't this DC's way of promoting the character?

[MajorHoy]

For those complaining about the crossovers and appearances in other books, isn't all of that done for sales and awareness?

Isn't this DC's way of promoting the character?

It's their attempt.

But how many of these underwhelming crossovers have backfired and just made some readers drop a title rather than try new books for the crossover? I was buying Teen Titans until The Culling debacle began.

[CagedLeo730]

I don't understand this talk about Superboy being in all these "crossovers". It's only a crossover if his title is involved. It's like saying Justice League International was in a crossover with Batman just because Batman appears in it. The Culling was the only crossover that Superboy was in until "H'el on Earth". He's made "appearances" or "cameos" in Legion Lost and Ravagers.
However, it can be said that early on Superboy and Teen Titans were interweaved but not necessarily crossing over. It was more about showing 2 different sides of the same event.

[CagedLeo730]

It's their attempt.

But how many of these underwhelming crossovers have backfired and just made some readers drop a title rather than try new books for the crossover? I was buying Teen Titans until The Culling debacle began.

Have you started reading Teen Titans after the crossover?? Because starting with issue 10, they had nothing to do with the Culling. All the Culling stuff is now only in Ravagers. What's different now than before the Culling?

[MajorHoy]

Have you started reading Teen Titans after the crossover?? Because starting with issue 10, they had nothing to do with the Culling. All the Culling stuff is now only in Ravagers. What's different now than before the Culling?

I wouln't know . . . the only Teen Titans issue I bought since The Culling was #0, and boy did I regret that mess!

[stephens2177]

I agree with most everyone here. The book lacks a direction of its own, and gets drafted into crossovers every other month. And the months where it isnt part of an official crossover, it still ties into Titans or Ravagers or Legion Lost or something.

I like the New52 Superboy. I find his powerset fun, and appropriately powerful enough for a member of the Super-Family. I find his origins interesting, and full of potential future stories. His personality is (or rather, was) lots of fun to read about, largely due to his struggles to understand basic social interactions and decision making stimuli. Hell, I have even come to enjoy the Tron costume.

But my wife and I are about to drop the title. The Culling tore it off the tracks, and largely, it never recovered.

I think, in order to fix the title.....no more crossovers. Thats a must. The book will never find its own niche when it keeps tying into other titles.

And the various mysteries surrounding Superboy....those need to be answered; quickly, strongly, and intelligently. Is there indeed a third donor in his genetic makeup? If so, who is it and why/how did their genetic traits get wrapped into Kon's? Is Lex really the human donor as we all assume?

Answer these lingering questions so we readers can get a stronger feel for who he is. And dont drag it out. Dont give half answers that only lead to more (stupid and ultimately un-important) questions. Dont make the process take two years to get through. I want it all to shake out in six months or less, (four would work, I think) and be more or less done with.

Flesh out the past so you can build towards the future. In the process of doing that, give Kon a solid status quo to revolve around, something that has staying power, and is easy to jump in on. His own city, or perhaps establish a nomadic, travelling approach. A civilian identity and an actual name. And his own supporting cast. I like his friendship with Bunker, that works. But he needs some real people in his life, and his stupid, super rich landlady isnt cutting it alone.

Fresh talent. I dont think anyone over the age of 30 should be working on the book. And if DC has to go outside their regular talent sandbox for that, so much the better.

I agree with this,great post.

[flottanna]

I hope sales don't drop I like the book.

[Lexrules]

I still say they should never have gotten rid of the Conner concept. I know some on here don't like that take but it was the one that I think best suits the character. Either way I hope they can find a way to right the ship.

[manduck37]

I don't understand this talk about Superboy being in all these "crossovers". It's only a crossover if his title is involved. It's like saying Justice League International was in a crossover with Batman just because Batman appears in it. The Culling was the only crossover that Superboy was in until "H'el on Earth". He's made "appearances" or "cameos" in Legion Lost and Ravagers.
However, it can be said that early on Superboy and Teen Titans were interweaved but not necessarily crossing over. It was more about showing 2 different sides of the same event.

When Superboy was sent to take out the Titans, you had the fight take place in TT and then Superboy picked up right after the fight. So it crossed over into TT, as a major part of the story was set up in SB and then dealt with in TT. Plus you had the Culling and then SB picking up on an island somewhere and you needed to read the TT book to know why SB was on the island. So really, almost the entire early run of SB was a crossover with TT. Which was incredibly annoying. When I purchase a SB book, that's who I want to read about. I don't want story fragments from a TT crossover. That's why I'll be dropping the book.

There was so much strong story material that they could have moved forward with and explored. If you want a character to appear in a solo book and a team book, tell separate stories. Don't make the solo book dependent on the team book.