LET'S TALK: DC 2.0

BadDeacon · Post by **BadDeacon** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:29 pm

I'm usually pretty "live and let live" about the practices of companies. This is America, they can do what they want, and we can decide to purchase what we want (hooray capitalism).

I think the idea of publishing wraparound covers, but only soliciting the front cover, with something surprising on the back, is a great idea. It requires people to go in to their shops and check out the books to "play along".

Having an entire month where the branding is "What The F***", however, even if it is in acronym form, seems very crude and distasteful.

I'm surprised at my own adverse reaction to this one, because I usually try to foster an attitude that publishers have the freedom to do whatever they want, and I have the freedom to purchase or not, and it's all good either way.

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:44 pm

It's not going to stop me from getting and enjoying the titles I already am, but it seems pretty low-class on DC's part. WTF? Seriously? You can't print the expletive in your own books (most of 'em anyhow) but you're going to use the acronym on the cover.

fudd71 · Post by **fudd71** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:14 pm

I read the article because I was intrigued by the title, mainly because I hate it. It seems unnecessarily crude and offensive. I guess I’m just too old but I will never equate crude and vulgar with hip.

As far as the cryptic nature goes I prefer it to giving spoilers. Solicits seem to be a necessary evil of the modern comic book business. I think being cryptic and not really saying anything is the best way to handle a bad situation.

Perry · Post by **Perry** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:19 pm

I may be the minority here, but the "WTF" branding doesn't phase me at all, though I can understand others having a totally different reaction.

I think the reason I am not bothered in the least by this is simply that I am so removed from anything DC is doing anyway ... other than the main BATMAN title, so this provokes neither good nor bad thoughts.

SpideySavestheDay · Post by **SpideySavestheDay** » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:41 pm

This promotion won't matter to me. What gets me to read anything new are recommendations from my lcs owner, this board/podcast, and other knowledgeable comic fans. Good luck to DC none-the-less.

ctowner1 · Post by **ctowner1** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:49 pm

seems like a yawner to me.

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L nny

Post by **JohnMayo** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:43 pm

fudd71 wrote:Solicits seem to be a necessary evil of the modern comic book business.

Consumer directed solicitations have been part of the comic book business for decades. DC Releases from 1984 is the earliest consumer facing solicitations from DC that I can document at the moment but it very well may not be the earliest such thing.

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:23 pm

JohnMayo wrote:
fudd71 wrote:Solicits seem to be a necessary evil of the modern comic book business.
Consumer directed solicitations have been part of the comic book business for decades. DC Releases from 1984 is the earliest consumer facing solicitations from DC that I can document at the moment but it very well may not be the earliest such thing.

Were they solicits, John, or just teasers? I remember the Direct Currents page that listed what you should be buying this month, but were there really 3-months out solicits for upcoming titles outside of ads?

Not being snarky...I'm genuinely curious!

fudd71 · Post by **fudd71** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:00 pm

JohnMayo wrote:
fudd71 wrote:Solicits seem to be a necessary evil of the modern comic book business.
Consumer directed solicitations have been part of the comic book business for decades. DC Releases from 1984 is the earliest consumer facing solicitations from DC that I can document at the moment but it very well may not be the earliest such thing.

Fair enough, and maybe I am just more in-tune with what is going on now then I use to be. However seemingly as a younger reader I would buy my books and read them with the only information I had about upcoming issues being the few words on the final page of issue or maybe a house add in some other title from the publisher.

Post by **JohnMayo** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:04 pm

torchsong wrote:Were they solicits, John, or just teasers? I remember the Direct Currents page that listed what you should be buying this month, but were there really 3-months out solicits for upcoming titles outside of ads?

Not being snarky...I'm genuinely curious!

I have some of these some place. As I recall, they had the solicitation blurbs for all of the comics two or three months out and black/white covers for some of them. They latest when to full color brochures/pamphlets which still didn't have all of the covers. I'll see if I can find some of these and scan them in. Bottom line, consumer facing solicitations have been part of the business for around 30 years or so.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:15 am

JohnMayo wrote:
torchsong wrote:Were they solicits, John, or just teasers? I remember the Direct Currents page that listed what you should be buying this month, but were there really 3-months out solicits for upcoming titles outside of ads?

Not being snarky...I'm genuinely curious!
I have some of these some place. As I recall, they had the solicitation blurbs for all of the comics two or three months out and black/white covers for some of them. They latest when to full color brochures/pamphlets which still didn't have all of the covers. I'll see if I can find some of these and scan them in. Bottom line, consumer facing solicitations have been part of the business for around 30 years or so.

I would love to see some old Direct Currents. If I recall, they were a couple of months in advance and not the three months we get today. Also, as you mentioned, they didn't show all the covers. I remember even the first previews I ever purchased and it was more text than pictures. Amazing Heroes also used to run very high level solictations I think a month or so in advance, it depends if their mag was late or not

I personally think the advance solicitations is a big problem for comics. It seems that there is more focus on the internet on what is coming out 3 months from now versus 1 month or 1 week from now. It doesn't help that even prior to Previews, the publishers release solicts online. However, they started to do that because solicts were being leaked all the time.

I heard one idea is to have two solictations, one for retailers and one for customers, but that doesn't work because the retailers will leak the solicts.

I think what publishers should do is publish a high level solictation 3 months for publication and then as they get closer to release of the books, give out more information. Don't show all the covers 3 months in advance. Or maybe show some promo art but not the final cover.

Perry · Post by **Perry** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:35 am

My question is could the system not work with just 2 months advanced solicitations or order deadline requirements? Is 3 months really needed from the time ... say Previews is printed to the final order cut-off? Is it also more beneficial to have an extra month to pull in orders?

I would think it would be more helpful to have your buyers wait only 1 month after their order is placed instead of 2. That is too much time to grow weary or lose interest, while a month wait, to me, would just increase excitement.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:00 am

Perry wrote:My question is could the system not work with just 2 months advanced solicitations or order deadline requirements? Is 3 months really needed from the time ... say Previews is printed to the final order cut-off? Is it also more beneficial to have an extra month to pull in orders?

I would think it would be more helpful to have your buyers wait only 1 month after their order is placed instead of 2. That is too much time to grow weary or lose interest, while a month wait, to me, would just increase excitement.

When you say buyers do you mean the retailers or customers?

As a business, you need to know in more in advance the products that are coming up. Think about movie theaters and book stores (both online and actual stores). They know in advance for several months what is coming out. That is why in previews the collections and OGNs are solicted even more than 3 months in advance.

The issue, in my mind, is what level of information they need to make business decisions.

Post by **JohnMayo** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:31 am

I've scanned in DC Direct Currents #1from January 1988 (copyright 1987) which covers items being released from February 9th to March 8th 1988. So more of a "what is out next month" and not the two or three month look ahead we get today. The key difference is this as a consumer facing publication, not something geared for both consumers and retailers like Previews currently is. The format was an 8 page, unbound pamphlet with one side of each sheet in color and the other in black and white. This meant pages 1, 4, 5 and 8 where in color while pages 2, 3, 6 and 7 were only in grayscale.

Less than half of the 8 pages are devoted to the weekly solicitations. In total, 44 items are covered and that includes the entire listing of trades, hardbacks and other collected material: the Batman: Year One Hardcover. Only eight covers are shown, six in color and two in black and white. Of the items listed, of particular note is Hellblazer #6 which is the only title still currently being published with no breaks between then and now. Of course, in another month or two that will no longer be the case. Before the New 52 reboot, we could have added Detective Comics to the list. Oddly, no issue of Action Comics is listed.

According to the "From the Editor" column, the preceding DC Releases was the first "fanzine" by a publisher available free of charge in quantities large enough all readers could get a copy.

Are solicitations a problem for comics? Certainly. Spoilers abound. People feel they can keep track of a series from the solicitations. It shifts the focus from what is now to what is next.

The industry used to have a retailer geared marketing material and consumer geared marketing material but the retailer information got leaked out resulting in twice the effort for no gain. That seems to be an unsolvable problem. I recall at the time making effort to get that retailer information because I wanted to know more than what was in the consumer information. I probably have some of the retailer only and consumer only publications from back in the day but I'm not entirely sure where that stuff would be.

Given the final order cutoff process, I think it would be possible to shrink the windows between the initial solicitation and the final order cutoff date and that help.

I think the better question is what should and should not be in the solicitations in order to increase interest in buying the issues without spoiling any issues yet to be released. Better guidelines on how to write solicitation blurbs could improve the situation without mandating major changes to the logistical side of comic book solicitation and distribution. In other words, working within the constraints of the current system, how could things be improved by simply changing the information contained in the solicitations?

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:43 am

JohnMayo wrote:I've scanned in DC Direct Currents #1from January 1988 (copyright 1987) which covers items being released from February 9th to March 8th 1988.

Thanks for sharing. It brings back some great memories.

JohnMayo wrote: Are solicitations a problem for comics? Certainly. Spoilers abound. People feel they can keep track of a series from the solicitations. It shifts the focus from what is now to what is next.

I agree that is a big problem right now. There seems to be more talk sometimes on the internet on what is going to happen versus what did happen. If the current process does not change, I think publishers should release very little information for previews and release more information as it gets closer to publication.