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Post by Dr. Poison on Aug 25, 2015 15:34:52 GMT -5
From www.bleedingcool.com:
DC Tells Editors, Stop Batgirling, Go Back To Meat And Potatoes
Posted August 25, 2015 by by Rich Johnston
38 Comments Forum Old Forum
4114412
Action-Comics-043-(2015)-(Digital-Empire)-016This morning we mentioned that DC Comics was down over $2 million on planned revenue/expenditure for 2014/2015.
Here’s where the other shoe gets dropped. I understand from a number of senior sources that DC editorial have been told to “stop Batgirling” and go back to “meat and potatoes”.
Ironically this shouldn’t affect Batgirl which is still a strong seller against expectations, especially on digital. And Harley Quinn should also remain immune.
Batman was also already going to revert to Bruce back as Batman and Jim Gordon as Commissioner, that was always the plan.
But Superman? Yeah, look for him to ditch the shirt and jeans look a lot quicker than planned and to get back into the suit pronto. As for his identity revelations – that they can keep, but they have to downplay it a little and not make the stories be about the change in identity status as much as they are now.
Dark Knight III is expected to do very well and absolve DC of many sins. But expect a lot of the current fringe books to be tidied up quicker than they may have otherwise.
The lesson learned is that you cannot calculate and manufacture “surprise” hit books. The reasons books like Batgirl or Harley hit – or Ms Marvel and Hawkeye hit – is because they’re doing something that the rest of the line wasn’t doing. Marvel aren’t trying to make every book into Ms Marel. Not yet, anyway. The audience it seems doesn’t want the bulk of the titles like that, it’s the fact that there’s only one or two that make them special and it does well.
Comic book audiences are a lot more conservative than some people give them credit for.
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Post by Dr. Poison on Aug 25, 2015 15:37:42 GMT -5
I'm kind of happy to read this. The new Dr. Fate book is abysmal. Starfire(which visually appealing) is a boring book. The cosmetic overhauls for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Batman are just plain silly. Several of the current DC You books have that similar thick-lined cartoony art that often times looks half-finished. I'm all for a back to basics approach at this point.
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Post by Action Ace on Aug 25, 2015 21:35:38 GMT -5
Comic book audiences are a lot more conservative than some people give them credit for.
I try my best.  I was rather surprised by the lack of cancellations in the November solicitations. Let's see how busy the grim reaper is in December. The sooner Batgirl quits "Batgirling" the happier I'll be. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2015 23:07:49 GMT -5
Batgirl is one of their better selling titles so don't expect changes there any time soon. Same with Harley Quinn. Look at the 48 books DC publishes each month, then look at which ones move under 50K print units (which is about 35-40 of those 48 titles). Those are the one you will see changed or cancelled. Batman is still at the top but was losing sales with Gordon as Bat-Chappie. It will go back to Wayne as Batman soon. Batgirl is one of the few titles that flirts with the 50K mark as has been over it more often than not with since the Batgirling of Batgirl. It's success is what keyed the attempt to boost sales with the experiment.
Those types of books were unexpected hits when they do hit. No one expected Ms. Marvel or Hawkeye to get the critical acclaim and sales success they did, but they surprised people. Same with Batgirl and Gotham Academy initially. The difference was Marvel didn't then try to copy the formula blindly on a bunch of their books and make it an editorial mandate. The books succeeded because they were something different. When you make everything try to conform to that new success as a formula, you aren't offering something different, you are offering a different formulaic approach to the formulaic approach that you had and wasn't working.
New 52 sales were diminishing except for a core of 6-8 titles that does well, and propping it up with events (either minis or September events) wasn't making enough of a difference to keep them from losing market share to Marvel and Image. They tried to reach back to lapsed fans with Convergence, but its sales didn't meet expectations. They tried to reach out to new readers with DCYou and sales aren't meeting expectations, so they are going back to the formula that wasn't working in the first place and caused them to try these desperate moves hoping this time it will work?
In the corporate world this is a red flag that either you need new leadership with new vision to find a formula that works or you need to downsize operations, cut wheat from the chafe and focus on only the most profitable products in the line and scrap everything else. If I were DC editorial and admin, I would be feeling a little heat right now. If corporate is noticing the lack of revenues and the failure of 3 different plans to raise marketshare by the current leadership, they may step in and make some severe changes to the staff and product line. A suit could easily look at the sales list and say something like, keep the top 10 sellers cut everything else and cut staff to the level we need to publish 10 books and eliminate the costs that way. That's the way the corporate thought process works, and I think DC had a long run autonomous from WB corporate, but the transformation to DC Entertainment from DC Comics and the recent move may have changed that. That autonomy may have been dependent on keeping revenues steady. They haven't been. They have been losing ground in the market for a couple of years now and haven't found any way to right the ship themselves. They need to do something or they may find it done for them and on the outside looking in.
-M
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 27, 2015 0:43:03 GMT -5
Time for a management shake up. Goodbye Didio, Lee and Harras.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2015 9:00:34 GMT -5
Right Now, I have dropped both Superman Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman due to poor decisions of the way they are handling it. DC Editorial Staff of Didio, Lee and Harras are doing a poor job of handling these two issues. I think Superman Wonder Woman book is making me cry over the stupid costumes that both Superman and Wonder Woman wears.  This is the biggest Turn Off of the CenturyThe stories alone makes me ill and - I've dropped this book a week ago of my Comixology Account and sold all my Print Issues too. I also dropped Wonder Woman because I feel that Meredith Fitch is doing a poor job of cleaning up Brian Azzarello's mess and I just can't take it anymore. Having said that - I'm sticking with Sensation Comics and Wonder Woman 77 For my Wonder Woman's fix. I feel that DC Comics handling of these two issues especially Wonder Woman is making me feel sad, frustrated, and the lack of respect of handling the Donna Troy mess that I've learned recently that turn my world upside down and that's why I just stomach it anymore. hondobrode is right! - it's time for DC Comics to fire Didio, Lee and Harras! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2015 14:22:54 GMT -5
Technically Didio and Lee are not the editorial staff. Didio and Jim Lee are co-publishers. Geoff Johns is the chief creative officer (everyone leaves Johns out of these discussions but as CCO he is supposed to be the one who has decided directions, tone, feel and look for the line of books and is just as much responsible for their success and/or failure of Didio and Lee.
Bob Harras is the senior V.P. and Editor-in-Chief of the DC comics line. He is the head of the editorial staff, which works under him. Vertigo has a separate editorial regime.
Above them all is Diane Nelson who is president of DC Entertainment.
Lee Didio and Johns are administration not editorial in the structure of the company. If editorial becomes the fall guy, it won't be Lee and Didio. If administration is the fall guy, Nelson is the one in charge and is more likely to take the fall, and she has been the one voice trying to temper Didio lately.
There may be terms of the sale of the Wildstorm properties to Warner that we don't know about that protect Lee and ensure his place in the company. There may be buyout clauses in contracts that would cost Warner more than they want to spend to get rid of certain people than keep them in place, or keep them employed but keep bumping them up to a position that is less hands on. There's a lot behind the curtain we will never see or know that factors into these kinds of decisions.
For all we know Warner wants to trim the publishing line and scale back the operation and the shortfall stemming from cost overruns from the move is just an opportunity that presented itself and they are capitalizing on to give them an excuse to do what they wanted to do but were avoiding because of PR reasons. Again there's a lot we don't know, including what the thinking is of the suits who are above the admin of DC comics. If we were shareholders we might get a glimpse in an annual report, but even then we won't know.
And while I dislike Didio's decisions, and despise the way Bob Harras does things, I am not rooting for people to lose their jobs and livelihoods. That is something many (including myself) often forget when we call for these types of changes. And it is something I am trying to be more mindful of now.
-M
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 30, 2015 17:32:20 GMT -5
I personally think we need more 'Batgirling' since Batgirl is (IMO) the best book DC's putting out right now.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 30, 2015 19:09:47 GMT -5
I personally think we need more 'Batgirling' since Batgirl is (IMO) the best book DC's putting out right now. Me too, but it seems we're in the minority as books like Prez and Gotham Academy (which I adore) aren't doing that great. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 30, 2015 22:04:44 GMT -5
Gotham Academy is a close 2nd, most definitely  . I didn't love Prez, but I'd like to see it succeed. |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Aug 31, 2015 4:29:27 GMT -5
Batman, Batgirl, Gotham Academy and Prez also are the only 52 DC ongoings on my pull list. I've also been seriously considering adding Grayson, Black Canary and Omega Men to that list, maybe even Midnighter. And if I had inlimited funds, I admit I might try Hitch's Justice League...
Oh, and I had no issue at all with Azzarelo's run on WW but stoped buying as soon as M. Finch was on board.
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Post by Icctrombone on Aug 31, 2015 6:23:38 GMT -5
Since Nu52 started I have only bought Birds of Prey. I stopped about a year ago and presently only get JLA by Hitch.
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Post by fanboystranger on Aug 31, 2015 13:06:17 GMT -5
I personally think we need more 'Batgirling' since Batgirl is (IMO) the best book DC's putting out right now. That's a strange way of spelling "Astro City". Omega Men is the best in universe book that DC is producing, in my opinion. It started out great, and it gets better by the issue. |
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Post by fanboystranger on Aug 31, 2015 13:09:33 GMT -5
I think the Finches' Wonder Woman is the most New 52 of all New 52 books. It's got the flashy art, but it's so cookie-cutter and middle-of-the-road in every other way. I scratch my head when people refer to it as a return to form for WW. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 31, 2015 18:35:04 GMT -5
I personally think we need more 'Batgirling' since Batgirl is (IMO) the best book DC's putting out right now. That's a strange way of spelling "Astro City". Omega Men is the best in universe book that DC is producing, in my opinion. It started out great, and it gets better by the issue. Astro City isn't DC, it's Vertigo  I really hated the art on Omega Men, and the fact that they started the story by killing Kyle Rayner pretty much made it a non-starter for me. Besides Batgirl and Gotham Academy, I'm pulling Teen Titans (which I like, but is seriously meandering)... I may get Midnighter (we'll see how issue 3 is)... Starfire.. Cyborg (though I may not continue him... I don't like that he's not a Titan anymore)... that's about it. I tried most of the 'DCYou' books, but that's really all that's grabbed me enough to pay for. |
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. I didn't love Prez, but I'd like to see it succeed.
