Okay so 2 weeks ago D.C announced the HUGE news that they are going for a launch of the new DCU, it seems that everyone interested in comics has had their say… MY TURN.
For those who have not heard D.C, the worlds second biggest comic publishers after MARVEL have announced they are starting a new D.C UNIVERSE and taking a rather huge step of re-numbering all their current publications to start again at no.1 and launching a bunch of new titles all from no.1. In September 2011 D.C will be launching 52 new monthly titles, this is pretty big news for those of us interested in comics.
Firstly I want to put on record that in principle I think it’s a great idea, comics can seem a really daunting medium for the new reader, I own a comic shop and see first hand how people come in and really want to get started but see BATMAN at #710, DETECTIVE COMICS at #877 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN at #663. Their eyes widen at the thought of how much time, effort and expense they would have to spend on catching up! Obviously I then talk these guys through how they don’t need to go out and sell the house to catch up and instead give them ideas of good places to start, but sadly I am yet to be cloned so there’s a me present at every comic store! This is where the no.1’s D.C are going to be releasing will be a really helpful pointer to the new readers they are trying to grab. I am also really excited about certain characters who’ll be getting their own publications that are long over due like SWAMPTHING and BATWOMAN. The shake ups of creative teams are getting me hot under the collar too, so Scott Snyder is being moved from DETECTIVE COMICS – that’s sad… but he’s moving onto BATMAN – Awesome! and I’m sorry but SUPERMAN’s grounded story started really well but for me has kinda lost it’s way and who better to come in and really revive the Big Blue Boyscout than Grant Morrison! I know many fans are still up in arms from his runs on the Bat titles but I have got to say I am a big fan and he’s proved here he can really push things forward, which if you believe the noises being released by D.C is what this new universe is all about!
My problems with the launch of the new DCU (apparently it’s not a reboot as everyone has been saying and I had been writing here until I just got an email correcting me from Diamond Comic Distributors) are as follows: Firstly I want D.C to put their money where their mouths are, accessibility has to be thought of as an ongoing concern, making all issues a no.1 now and the titles that last the race will again be on or around their 900th issue in another 70 years time, even when a run of a comic hits #50 the back catalogue is going to be pretty daunting to the new reader so why don’t D.C borrow the point one idea from MARVEL? But rather than using it just once have a point one issue every time there is a new story arc beginning, so you may have a BATMAN #1.1, #12.1 and #25.1 with each point one telling the reader this is a new story arc and great jumping on point… How will the great unwashed know what these point ones mean? I hear you all call and that my friends leads me onto the second problem I have with the new DCU - advertising… So far the announcements coming out from D.C are causing quite a stir with their already, for the most part, loyal fan base. Fans they’ve already got but I’m not really seeing or hearing anything from none comic people. So they’ve come up with a radical idea to get new readers involved but are not marketing it to the new people, Jeez D.C pull your fingers out, get an ad about it on everything! Advertise the shit out of it!!! The GREEN LANTERN movie is about to start in cinema’s, get a trailer on it explaining what you’re doing! Get facebooking, tweeting, get a TV ad out there for gods sake, make sure every single 10-34 year old in the real universe has heard about this new and exciting D.C universe, don’t just leave it up to us comic retailers as, as everyone knows we’re all socially incapable geeks who are just going to scare them away!!! Let us do this later! My other problem is, and this probably won’t come as a surprise to many – the digital offering… Now as a comic retailer (have I mentioned I sell comics for a living?) I am always wary of online comics, you might think this is because if a soul is buying the digital version they are less likely to buy the actual comic and to a small extent that is a concern but not as much as you’d think. In my experience people buy physical things online, downloadable content like movies, music and comics gets downloaded sure but how many people actually pay for it? Not very many, and they are selling the digi-comics at the same price as the actual comics!! Surely this is just gonna drive away the few souls who would ordinarily be up for buying the downloadable content. Again I think D.C could have been a lot smarter here and use the internet for what it’s really there for… no not porn, information! D.C should set up a part of their site that lists all the current months comics with links to the pertinent back issues to that story given away or at least viewable online free with a chronological reading list so that the reader can see what has happened, have a read and then if they get hooked go and source the physical back issues. Surely this would really make comics accessible to the new readers and therefore drive up sales and drive more traffic to their site increasing advertising revenue!
D.C I applaud you for undertaking this huge shake up but if you’re going to do something radical then do it properly, not half arsed and again advertise the shit out of it and not just to the guys and gals you’ve already got…
