DC's Dan DiDio Out as Co-Publisher 1 1

[Buzzetta]

19 hours ago, VintageComics said:

We live in a society where the general public does NOT want to pay for quality. We constantly choose quantity in one way or another by always looking for the lowest price. I've said this for years on here.

And so capitalism is in a constant struggle between cutting costs to what people are willing to pay for and putting out just enough of a product that people are willing to pay for it, with both sides pulling in opposite directions...one side trying to save money, the other trying to make money.

If the general public were able to live in their means and willing to pay for quality, we'd get more quality. It's really that simple.

Corporate greed is also responsible in the opposite direction. Companies could make a little less money and put out a better product but no company is willing to do that.

That's what I believe.

Then the real question becomes is there 'quality' in a comic book... and to who? 

[Ken Aldred]

8 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

Then the real question becomes is there 'quality' in a comic book... and to who? 

Yup. It’s subjective.

For a while I didn’t buy new comics, and arguments about all modern comics being rubbish were common here. When I picked up again reading digitally, I found that there’s still some great material out there, especially when I can buy a digital trade collection for £3, on average. 
 

Try Image, for example.  They publish a wide range of genres, and you might find something you like there, even if my taste, or my definition of quality, doesn’t match up with yours.

[Buzzetta]

9 minutes ago, Ken Aldred said:

Yup. It’s subjective.

For a while I didn’t buy new comics, and arguments about all modern comics being rubbish were common here. When I picked up again reading digitally, I found that there’s still some great material out there, especially when I can buy a digital trade collection for £3, on average. 
 

Try Image, for example.  They publish a wide range of genres, and you might find something you like there, even if my taste, or my definition of quality, doesn’t match up with yours.

Exactly... I have no problem reading anything at $60 a year and I will eventually re-up my digital subscription the next time I see an incentive. 

However the only monthly title I collect is Amazing Spider-man, and I have not bought a single copy since my LCS owner retired and closed the store.   I will buy them all back at the end of the year from MCS or something.  As of now, I do not see the value in $4-5 an issue for 6 to 7 minutes of entertainment. 

The concept though of having hordes of old paper in boxes due to spending $100 a month on monthly titles is ludicrous to me.  I would rather put that money toward a golden age book that I value more as a relic or collectable. 

 

[adampasz]

I saw Didio in person at a couple of cons back in the day, and I always liked his passion. Maybe his creative vision never matched his enthusiasm, but he definitely knew how to launch a big event. I would consider 52 & One Year Later, New 52 and Rebirth all successful launches.

Comic universes work in cycles, and big events eventually fade away. It should be expected that after 3-5 years, readers will be ready for something different. My biggest criticism of DC is they've put too much faith in the "2nd Wave" concept to sustain their line. 52 / OYL had Countdown (blech). New 52 had a wave 2. And Rebirth had... well, I'm not quite sure what happened there.  Marvel is often criticized for just churning out events, and I don't want DC to just copy Marvel, but Marvel's marketing is generally successful at making it feel like there is something big going on every year. Marvel seems better at identifying which stories are connecting with readers, and doubling-down on them (e.g. World War Hulk, House of X). DC achieved this with Metal, but I think that's about it.  And I think DC really blew it with the Action and Detective 1000 events. Sure the books sold well, but I think they missed the opportunity to do something earth-shattering. Sorry, Rogol Zaar didn't cut it.

[evilskip]

2 hours ago, JollyComics said:

Yes but sadly Amazon has taken many peoples' jobs and local store owners - I have seen the local businesses are disappeared in last 20 years and more stores are still vacant.  The banks are desperate to make money so they have to increase the rental prices or will force to sell their properties.  More people preferred to sell their products online over the brick and mortar.  I am sure more deers will roam all over the vacant places in my suburb area.

I canceled Amazon Prime that had to do with the shipping but many movie rental are associated with Amazon Prime that ran up my credit cards at about $60 a month.  I was tired of seeing my money always went to Amazon so I have to control my money. Also, I used to buy MANY MANY nice comic books from Amazon in early 2000 but I don't see them very much anymore.

While this may be a little off point,  most banks do not own strip malls, stores and the like. They may finance the construction of said properties, and may actually grant a mortgage to the developer/owner once it is built, but that is it. Usually the only way they wind up with ownership is if the owner defaults on the loan, then the property is taken over by the bank. And they try to sell it asafp because they aren't in the business to run stores. Trust me, they don't determine retail rental prices. Rents go up because the developer/owner feels they can get it and somebody would be willing to pay it, realistic or unrealistically (usually the latter).

I was in the mortgage end of a large bank for years and we had a large budget for lending, around $400 million annually. We didn't touch the business market as it was too risky.

[1Cool]

My big concern would be the optics to the collectors out there.  Many of us have been preaching the impending doom of print comics but to see one of the big two close up shop is another thing.  Hearing comic execs talk about the death of comics must hit close to home when you are a collector with 200k socked away into a comic collection.  I’d think we would see a flood of collections up for sale if DC goes bye bye.

[Bird]

5 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

My big concern would be the optics to the collectors out there.  Many of us have been preaching the impending doom of print comics but to see one of the big two close up shop is another thing.  Hearing comic execs talk about the death of comics must hit close to home when you are a collector with 200k socked away into a comic collection.  I’d think we would see a flood of collections up for sale if DC goes bye bye.

and a flood of comic shops closing up with inventory becoming available as well

[1Cool]

15 minutes ago, Bird said:

and a flood of comic shops closing up with inventory becoming available as well

I know a couple of the store owners who have come on here have said over half their sales are new books and I’d guess DC has to be at least 1/3 of those books sold.  So take away 15% or more of a stores sales and I’d think there would be quite a few closures.  Will all that money typically spent on new DC books flow into the back stock market or would it go elsewhere?  I’d guess most would go elsewhere since those buyers obviously want new stories and old storylines won’t cut it.

[Lurker89]

On 2/22/2020 at 9:23 AM, Mercury Man said:

I think comic books publishers, continue to put themselves in these corners, by publishing too many titles, and not giving us enough quality.  It's always quantity vs. quality with them.  I would rather see 3-5 weekly books each put out by Marvel and DC, with great writers and top artists, rather than 8-12 titles put out each week with sub par writers, and awful artists.  

No need for multiple X-books, too many Batman family spin offs, stop the reboots, and please stop putting out titles of lower tier characters who nobody really cares about. 

Agree, They 100% do this to themselves and have for years... Marvel and DC Both. The money grab and unsustainable growth they want and pursue with things like 100 X-titles on top of the 1000 other drek titles all culminating in a nonsense venom-verse event that makes no sense. (And I'm a huge Venom fan but come on)

 

The worst part of this is that some really good writing gets lost in all the noise.

Lemire on Moon Knight was great.

Cates on Thanos was awesome.

Disagree with you on "Lower tier characters that no one cares about"  because "that's like your opinion, bro", and one I strongly disagree with... A character of note does not become one overnight. When a writer wants to do one of those characters it's usually a passion project and leads into actual poignant art.

New Spidey is horrible stopped buying and reading like 8 issues in.

 House of X/Powers of X are well written from what friends have told me and I like the general plot points that have read up on. Unfortunately it was like 30 X-titles too late I generally like Hickman so there's that.

If they would focus on their good writers and artists let them work on passion projects and not dictate the work for a money grab from brain dead masses who need their identitarian issues mirrored in what used to be art, the situation would look very different.

 

The art is still there but you need to dig to find it. The flame of actual creativity is being snuffed out by micromanaging PR sensitive troglodytes trying to fill a bag of money while they burn our industry to the ground.

[Buzzetta]

3 hours ago, 1Cool said:

My big concern would be the optics to the collectors out there.  Many of us have been preaching the impending doom of print comics but to see one of the big two close up shop is another thing.  Hearing comic execs talk about the death of comics must hit close to home when you are a collector with 200k socked away into a comic collection.  I’d think we would see a flood of collections up for sale if DC goes bye bye.

Depends on the comics.  GA War Supermans would continue to do well as they are seen as relics of the era rather than integral books to the run.   Last weeks venom virgin black and white artist flavor of the month variant will probably elicit a, 'who cares"... from most. 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Buzzetta

[kav]

44 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

Depends on the comics.  GA War Supermans would continue to do well as they are seen as relics of the era rather than integral books to the run.   Last weeks venom virgin black and white artist flavor of the month variant will probably elicit a, 'who cares"... from most. 

I think comic collections will become more valuable not less if printing comics stops.  Less supply, the money would go from new books to older.  I wouldnt stop wanting ASM #3 for example, just because ASM was no longer being printed.  I stopped buying ASM 40 years ago anyway.

Edited February 24, 2020 by kav

[Buzzetta]

28 minutes ago, kav said:

I think comic collections will become more valuable not less if printing comics stops.  Less supply, the money would go from new books to older.  I wouldnt stop wanting ASM #3 for example, just because ASM was no longer being printed.  I stopped buying ASM 40 years ago anyway.

I can see that.  However, I cannot see the speculation on new stuff maintaining the pace that it does, because, there would be no new stuff to speculate on.  That is why I felt that things like variants would settle down. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 2/22/2020 at 9:23 AM, Mercury Man said:

I think comic books publishers, continue to put themselves in these corners, by publishing too many titles, and not giving us enough quality.  It's always quantity vs. quality with them.  I would rather see 3-5 weekly books each put out by Marvel and DC, with great writers and top artists, rather than 8-12 titles put out each week with sub par writers, and awful artists.  

No need for multiple X-books, too many Batman family spin offs, stop the reboots, and please stop putting out titles of lower tier characters who nobody really cares about. 

A THOUSAND TIMES THIS!

[thunsicker]

So, who really cares.  How many of us actually get new floppies every month.  I know I haven't bought a new comic for years.  Even longer since I bought a Marvel or DC comic.  If the new content comes in the form of DC Universe shows, Disney + shows, DCEU movies, and Marvel movies it will make very little difference to me.

Edited February 24, 2020 by thunsicker

[1Cool]

Just now, thunsicker said:

So, who really cares.  How many of us actually get new floppies every month.  I know I haven't bought a new comic for years.  Even longer since I bought a Marvel or DC comic.  If the new content comes in the form of DC Universe shows, Disney + shows, DCEU movies, and Marvel movies it will make very little difference to me.

This is a good question but i think its short sighted to say no new books will have no impact on back stock sales (especially if you look out 20 years).  If sports cards stopped making new cards stating the card market was dead do you think the overall card market would just keep plowing ahead?  No new stories = even less new collectors = quarantines steady decline in collectors over the next 20 years.  I've not bought a new book in over a decade (other then 1 variant which I didn't read) but I do not see the death of DC comic division as a minor blimp in the industry.  There will be a trickle effect which we will all notice.

[thunsicker]

2 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

7 minutes ago, thunsicker said:

So, who really cares.  How many of us actually get new floppies every month.  I know I haven't bought a new comic for years.  Even longer since I bought a Marvel or DC comic.  If the new content comes in the form of DC Universe shows, Disney + shows, DCEU movies, and Marvel movies it will make very little difference to me.

This is a good question but i think its short sighted to say no new books will have no impact on back stock sales (especially if you look out 20 years).  If sports cards stopped making new cards stating the card market was dead do you think the overall card market would just keep plowing ahead?  No new stories = even less new collectors = quarantines steady decline in collectors over the next 20 years.  I've not bought a new book in over a decade (other then 1 variant which I didn't read) but I do not see the death of DC comic division as a minor blimp in the industry.  There will be a trickle effect which we will all notice.

So you're saying the back issue comics I buy might be cheaper?  Sign me up.

[William-James88]

On 2/21/2020 at 10:36 PM, comics4all said:

Wow! I wonder if DC were to close, would Disney follow suit or take over the market?

Speaking of which ...

https://cosmicbook.news/marvel-taking-over-dc-comics?amp&fbclid=IwAR3x-2dcnUc2qt09Zg0NULy3plF-ZSJxFssIGewNxCaY6oMaAmf953U0O74

[ADAMANTIUM]

5 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

10 minutes ago, thunsicker said:

So, who really cares.  How many of us actually get new floppies every month.  I know I haven't bought a new comic for years.  Even longer since I bought a Marvel or DC comic.  If the new content comes in the form of DC Universe shows, Disney + shows, DCEU movies, and Marvel movies it will make very little difference to me.

This is a good question but i think its short sighted to say no new books will have no impact on back stock sales (especially if you look out 20 years).  If sports cards stopped making new cards stating the card market was dead do you think the overall card market would just keep plowing ahead?  No new stories = even less new collectors = quarantines steady decline in collectors over the next 20 years.  I've not bought a new book in over a decade (other then 1 variant which I didn't read) but I do not see the death of DC comic division as a minor blimp in the industry.  There will be a trickle effect which we will all notice.

If were going down the rabbit hole anyway, there was this  

https://cosmicbook.news/marvel-taking-over-dc-comics?fbclid=IwAR3j5uYqI08fAbPxnH2QekGWPgeWErHH3vAe80KM4qRx8vHqLWTrJNb53lw

Home » Comic Book News

MARVEL RUMORED TO TAKE OVER DC COMICS

Matt McGloinPosted: 02/23/2020 - 21:5758 Comments

 

A big rumor has hit the net that in the wake of AT&T firing Dan DiDio, that Marvel and Kevin Feige may take over DC Comics.It's claimed that AT&T wasn't happy at all with Dan DiDio's latest attempt at rebooting DC Comics with the upcoming "5G" event, aka the "fifth generation" reboot of DC, which would have seen classic characters replaced with a "contemporary" take on the characters.It's said that Dan DiDio butted heads with Batman writer Scott Snyder over the 5G reboot, as Snyder didn't want his comics involved with the event, which caused problems at DC.So Friday saw DiDio called into the AT&T/Warner Bros. offices where he was fired and let go from DC Comics, which saw DiDio exit the grounds immediately.It's claimed that AT&T doesn't want to do the 5G reboot as they have too much as stake with the classic characters involved with the movies and television shows and the various merchandise products (divisions which do make money, as DC Comics sales have been rather poor).It's said AT&T is considering using Hollywood movie and TV writers on the DC comics - writers who already have a proven track record - instead of comic book writers. An example would be James Gunn writing a comic (directing The Suicide Squad), Greg Berlanti returning to write for comics (Arrowverse writer, producer) or now since J.J. Abrams is with WarnerMedia, Abrams could write comics, such as how Abrams recently wrote Spider-Man with his son for Marvel that was a big success.So having the new 5G comic book characters (such as a black Batman) wouldn't fit with a Robert Pattinson Batman on the big screen and all the marketing and promotion involved, toys, etc. (I'll also add that Marvel Comics tried a similar approach with their "Marvel Now" event that saw classic characters replaced which failed miserably.)

 

AT&T considering licensing DC Comics to Marvel 

It is claimed that what AT&T is also contemplating, is getting out of the publishing side of things altogether and farming DC Comics out, possibly to Marvel (note: Ethan Van Sciver said AT&T will close down DC Comics if 5G fails). It's said AT&T doesn't want to sell DC Comics because they see the value in the various intellectual properties (i.e. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman).The Lords of the Long Box YouTube channel does note that the rumor of Marvel taking over DC Comics might be just something thrown out there by AT&T and Warners in order to see the fan reaction, but at the same time notes that instead of having no DC comics published, wouldn't it be better to have Marvel take over and publish the DC comics and characters?The YouTubers even go so far and state that as part of the deal, it could mean that Kevin Feige (who recently became in charge of Marvel publishing) may develop some of the DC characters into movies, or even bring some of the characters into the MCU, such as through the Multiverse.While this all might sound like a stretch, Disney and Sony have come to a deal over using Spider-Man in the MCU, so why not AT&T licensing out their DC characters, especially if AT&T has no interest in publishing?Interestingly enough, just this December saw Geoff Johns tease a DC and Marvel crossover in the last issue of Doomsday Clock. Perhaps Johns' "Doomsday Clock" was also counting down to the doom of DC?

[1Cool]

16 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

If were going down the rabbit hole anyway, there was this  

https://cosmicbook.news/marvel-taking-over-dc-comics?fbclid=IwAR3j5uYqI08fAbPxnH2QekGWPgeWErHH3vAe80KM4qRx8vHqLWTrJNb53lw

Home » Comic Book News

MARVEL RUMORED TO TAKE OVER DC COMICS

Matt McGloinPosted: 02/23/2020 - 21:5758 Comments

 

A big rumor has hit the net that in the wake of AT&T firing Dan DiDio, that Marvel and Kevin Feige may take over DC Comics.It's claimed that AT&T wasn't happy at all with Dan DiDio's latest attempt at rebooting DC Comics with the upcoming "5G" event, aka the "fifth generation" reboot of DC, which would have seen classic characters replaced with a "contemporary" take on the characters.It's said that Dan DiDio butted heads with Batman writer Scott Snyder over the 5G reboot, as Snyder didn't want his comics involved with the event, which caused problems at DC.So Friday saw DiDio called into the AT&T/Warner Bros. offices where he was fired and let go from DC Comics, which saw DiDio exit the grounds immediately.It's claimed that AT&T doesn't want to do the 5G reboot as they have too much as stake with the classic characters involved with the movies and television shows and the various merchandise products (divisions which do make money, as DC Comics sales have been rather poor).It's said AT&T is considering using Hollywood movie and TV writers on the DC comics - writers who already have a proven track record - instead of comic book writers. An example would be James Gunn writing a comic (directing The Suicide Squad), Greg Berlanti returning to write for comics (Arrowverse writer, producer) or now since J.J. Abrams is with WarnerMedia, Abrams could write comics, such as how Abrams recently wrote Spider-Man with his son for Marvel that was a big success.So having the new 5G comic book characters (such as a black Batman) wouldn't fit with a Robert Pattinson Batman on the big screen and all the marketing and promotion involved, toys, etc. (I'll also add that Marvel Comics tried a similar approach with their "Marvel Now" event that saw classic characters replaced which failed miserably.)

 

AT&T considering licensing DC Comics to Marvel 

It is claimed that what AT&T is also contemplating, is getting out of the publishing side of things altogether and farming DC Comics out, possibly to Marvel (note: Ethan Van Sciver said AT&T will close down DC Comics if 5G fails). It's said AT&T doesn't want to sell DC Comics because they see the value in the various intellectual properties (i.e. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman).The Lords of the Long Box YouTube channel does note that the rumor of Marvel taking over DC Comics might be just something thrown out there by AT&T and Warners in order to see the fan reaction, but at the same time notes that instead of having no DC comics published, wouldn't it be better to have Marvel take over and publish the DC comics and characters?The YouTubers even go so far and state that as part of the deal, it could mean that Kevin Feige (who recently became in charge of Marvel publishing) may develop some of the DC characters into movies, or even bring some of the characters into the MCU, such as through the Multiverse.While this all might sound like a stretch, Disney and Sony have come to a deal over using Spider-Man in the MCU, so why not AT&T licensing out their DC characters, especially if AT&T has no interest in publishing?Interestingly enough, just this December saw Geoff Johns tease a DC and Marvel crossover in the last issue of Doomsday Clock. Perhaps Johns' "Doomsday Clock" was also counting down to the doom of DC?

That definitely would be a twist that may spice things up a bit.  If Marvel movies takes over producing DC movies then could we possibly see a Justice League & Avengers movie?

Edited February 24, 2020 by 1Cool

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 minute ago, 1Cool said:

That definitely would be a twist that may spice things up a bit.  If Marvel movies takes over producing DC movies then could we possibly see a Justice League & Avengers movie?

ya I heard about it yesterday, it's all speculation at this point, but like a M. Night Shyamalan,  it's twisted up the yin yang! @Crops068 gets the credit for finding the article