DC is staffed by Goddamn morons!

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

I've heard similar things myself. How much credence do you give it?

[Rob]

I dunno.

It makes sense in a way, but it's a pretty wide move to make just to retool Superman. I mean, back when the Siegels first rattled their sword, DC responded by turning him into Electric Blue Superman, without blowing up the whole DC landscape in the process.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

So, on a scale that ranges from US sponsored Coup d'états, to Illuminati,/NWO you'd rank it as?

[Rob]

NWO Wolfpac.

Supposedly Johns and Lee have an announcement they'll be making on June 11 that is going to directly affect the upcoming Man of Steel film. For the guys behind the wheel of the comic reboot to have an announcement that affects a feature film starring the character at the center of this conspiracy theory....that's too many planets aligning at once for it to be coincidence.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

Indeed. At least one person has suggested that it'll be a day that the internet cracks in twain *lol*

[Akitsu]

The way I see it, this will probably turn out to be a good thing in the long run. Let's face it, casual comic readers were kind of daunted by seeing issues numbered in the hundreds. Logistically, even if you wanted to pick up the current issue and go with it, there's that part of your brain that goes "Well, what happened in all those issues before."

Marketing wise it makes sense that DC reboot at this point... big news stories, a big new movie, and even an upcoming tv series... but I don't think that's the only reason for it. Maybe the whole same day digital distribution thing was a bit of a problem with all the contracts they currently have, and rebooting it all was the only way to accomplish that goal. After all, this effectively means that all those current series would be officially over, and their contracts void.

Then of course there's the aforementioned legal action concerning Superman. Thanks for linking that Rob, had no idea.

That said, given that decision... maybe DC saw this as an opportunity and made a big event of it. After all, torrents are killing them on the digital distribution front. (As for those who claim this will effectively "kill" the comic store, quit dreaming. Your digital copy is 100% worthless collection wise as far as increasing value and rarity)

In the end, these big events can only be judged in hindsight, but I think DC is on to something here. Rebooting back to issue 1 for everyone means people can pick up the entire run of comics for each series they like and know they're getting the same month. No more "Oh, I need 234 of this, and 902 of that and 54 of the other..." just the same number for all... at least for a bit. Hopefully long enough to get some new fans onboard.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

Speculators aren't keeping comic shops alive, and haven't been for a long time.

[Akitsu]

Maybe not at your shop... but down here there's a vast number of diehards who don't miss a single issue, and won't take a copy with any blemishes. Next time you go in, ask if they pull issues for anyone... you'll be shocked to know a lot of customers just come in and pick up a massive stack each week.

Besides which, comics shops these days don't just deal in comics... but merchandise, statues, DVDs, toys, etc. If it's geeky, they carry it. Still can't get a Thor statue on your iPad.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

While I may not be a regular reader any longer, I can assure you I'm quite familiar with the history of the industry and the nature of comic shops.

We have two comic shops in this little town. Ive been a customer of one shop for over 22 years, and the other almost that long, approaching 19 years. Despite not really doing much comic buying these days, I'm still familiar with what goes on at both, and know how much activity to expect at the shops on a Wednesday.

I'm familiar with pull-lists because I had them at both shops. As such, there are no surprises for me there. Back in my heyday I was buying no less than 10 comics a week, and there were others who put me to shame. Heck, Rob could tell you all about that.

And yeah, I'm well aware of the merchandising. They've had to branch out and accept many non-comics offerings from diamond just in order to stay afloat, because comic sales weren't cutting it by themselves.

Anyway, most collectors and readers prefer mint copies, regardless of eventual value. Not taking dinged copies isn't synonymous with Speculation. As a reader and collector I didn't want dinged copies if I could help it, and I had no intent towards eventual resale.

Speculators buy comics for investment purposes, and aren't really fans or readers. Hell, they barely count as collectors. Most speculators got out of comics following the crash of the speculator bubble that started in 1993, and for the most part they have stayed away. Even on eBay, where aftermarket sales are brisk, it remains a buyers market, not a speculators/seller's haven. Most comic speculators moved on to richer, albeit similar or related fields, such as action figures.

This reboot will have to do far more than just deliver neat covers with #1's on them, and a few good issues afterward in order to sustain any boosts in the readership. Its going to have to deliver consistently good stories in order to hold onto the new readers, AND to keep the established ones that might be torqued about the whole thing.

In my case, I was pushed out by a number of factors. First and foremost was cost, as comics (and all periodicals) were getting and continue to get quite pricey. Secondly, Marvel's CIVIL WAR helped chase me away as a regular Marvel reader. Thirdly, the gradual darkening of the DCU pushed me away from DC's titles. Last, the dawning realization that I was witnessing things that happened in continual cycles that would eventually be repeated again and again, took a lot of fun out of the experience. Since that time, I've only bought things periodically, usually events like ANNIHILATION, BLACKEST NIGHT, or THANOS IMPERATIVE (*grumbles*) for example.

Now, were my financial situation to improve, I'd probably start buying again. Believe me, I miss the weekly fix, even now.

[Rob]

Customers picking up massive stacks of books per week and insisting on them being in pristine condition doesn't necessarily mean they are speculators. It could very well mean they are just anal retentive collectors.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

Indeed. Its a trait common to collectors of all stripes. Mint comics. Mint cards. Mint boxes. The list goes on.

[Akitsu]

Lol... my point was that digi-comics, no matter how good, don't have any physical presence. That's fine for some, but most comic readers find them a pale imitation to the real thing. No change in value, no rarity, no chase...

At the back of every comic book buyer's head is that faint possibility one of the books he or she is reading might be worth money some day. As is, the market prints far too many books for that to be possible... hrm... if only there was some way to trick people into paying nearly the same price just to read a comic without it being printed.

Hey, even better... how about those people who've always wanted that mint, pristine copy, and the ability to READ the comic too. (Those would be the jerks who stand there reading a copy only to put it back on the shelf and lift a copy fresh from the rack to buy) I wouldn't be shocked to hear there's a big overlap of people buying digital comics and printed.

Let's face it... everyone who reads comics is a part of the speculators to some extent. Whenever a special cover, a rare, or a low run indie comic comes your way... you can't deny being tempted to pick it up despite the practical side of your brain telling you how unlikely it is to raise in value. You don't care... it's cool. Fuck that practical side... it's the same nagging voice of a million mothers who threw away the first appearance of Batman because, "You're too OLD for funny books."

Don't get me wrong, the 90's were filled with jerks who bought comics as a moneymaking thing, buying every single cover just to get that one rare that might be more than the rest... but they just evolved Pokemon style into one of two things. Some actually broke down and read the comics they horded, realising they'd spent tons on something that wasn't worth much but for entertainment purposes. They still fret about pristine copies, but read their books. The others moved on to the "next big thing" and are chasing down some other collectable, be it statues, cards, or toys... all of which are also at the comic store.

[awa64]

At the back of every comic book buyer's head is that faint possibility one of the books he or she is reading might be worth money some day.

I have categorically never bought a comic book with the thought that I would be able to receive even a penny in exchange for it someday.

Let's face it... everyone who reads comics is a part of the speculators to some extent. Whenever a special cover, a rare, or a low run indie comic comes your way... you can't deny being tempted to pick it up despite the practical side of your brain telling you how unlikely it is to raise in value.

When I discover a low-run indie comic that I like, I think "I hope this catches on so they can do a reprint run that people can pick up cheap."

When I see a special cover, I think either "Meh." and remorselessly ignore it or "That looks cool; shame it's more expensive than the standard cover" and ignore it with a small amount of remorse.

[Rob]

Let's face it... everyone who reads comics is a part of the speculators to some extent. Whenever a special cover, a rare, or a low run indie comic comes your way... you can't deny being tempted to pick it up despite the practical side of your brain telling you how unlikely it is to raise in value. You don't care... it's cool. Fuck that practical side... it's the same nagging voice of a million mothers who threw away the first appearance of Batman because, "You're too OLD for funny books."

"Everyone" is an all-encompassing term, and it immediately invalidates the point you are trying to make. "Everyone" who reads comics most certainly is not purchasing them in the hopes that they'll someday get some sort of financial return on their investment. Do SOME people purchase comics in hopes of making money someday? Sure. However those folks are few and far between, a far cry from their numbers in the early 1990s. They've long since moved on to other short term ventures. People who read comics.....READ comics. They get their return on their investment the moment they open the book.

I don't know of anyone who has bought a low run indie comic for investment purposes. Anyone who has ever recommended one to me has done so under the pretense of "you gotta read this," not "you gotta stock up on this."

The reason the aforementioned first appearance of Batman is worth a fortune is because it's so rare. Basic laws of supply and demand. All those mothers throwing them away back in the day because comics were cheap, disposable entertainment. Nothing printed in the last 20 years will every achieve that kind of fortune, because every comic collector on Earth has a copy of everything printed in the last 20 years polybagged in their collection. That's why the speculators ditched comics. They got tired of lugging their box of Turok #1's from comic shop to comic shop hoping to sell them for $$$$, only to have the retailer roll his or her eyes and point to the 500 unsold copies of Turok #1 in their quarter bins.

Comic collectors don't collect comics with an eventual resale in mind. They collect comics because they love them. The want variants because they have a completist mentality and want 'em all. They want mint copies because they take pride in their collection.

The speculator days of comics are , by and large, dead and gone. To try to attribute this mindset by and large to "everyone" in fandom is mis characterization.

[^o^CORVUS^o^]

As others have countered your other points more than well enough, I'll just address the following.

Lol... my point was that digi-comics, no matter how good, don't have any physical presence. That's fine for some, but most comic readers find them a pale imitation to the real thing.

That's because some people want the actual, physical item in-hand. I prefer real books to eBooks for just that reason.