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Did DC Comics Game The System With Creative Bankruptcy?

The DC Comics statistics for direct market sales for August 2016 showed them dominating DC Comics. I used the word "humiliated" but some folk really didn't like that.

And it is a remarkable turnaround for DC Comics to dominate sales so, especially on far fewer published comics than Marvel.

But how did DC get there, how did it achieve figures in excess of the New 52 relaunch, and what likelihood is there that they can keep it up? And how should Marvel feel?

The New 52 relaunch in 2011 was in a similar situation. DC Comics marketshare was at a shamefully low position. Crashing below the 30% barrier then verging on crossing 20%.

The New 52 event was best known for rebooting the DC Universe (mostly) and relaunching every title from issue 1. But it also coincided with DC Comics going day-and-date digital and comic stores getting their comics on a Tuesday in readiness for Wednesday on sale (even in the UK – thank you Bob Wayne). There was lots of change. And like the DC Rebirth, DC Comics made all the comics returnable.

You'll see that reflected on the chart with an (*) on the comics positions, they indicate that the comic is returnable and discount total sales by 10% in an attempt to reflect that, even though the comic may actually have 50% returns – or none at all – when it comes to it.

This encourages retailers to order in bulk, to find the ceiling of demand and order far less conservatively than they may normally do. And it worked. Some books still sold out but some retailers will have plenty to return. Is it anywhere close to the 10% estimate Diamond use for their statistics? That's the thing – we don't know, and probably never will. However there are still costs associated with returning unsold comics, so retailers won't order willy-nilly. But it does throw some doubt into the performance of every DC Rebirth title in that list in the direct market. Some may have done better and not need that 10% statistical adjustment. But some will need a much larger correction downwards.

Although not as much as it will the 400,000+ sales of Champions #1 in October from Marvel.

So the returnability of DC Rebirth is all, "been there, done that". Why has it done so much better this time?

It's become less experimental, more conservative and less diverse. And I don't just mean regarding ethnicity, gender or sexuality – although that is an issue.

Rather than having 52 ongoing main continuity titles, DC Comics has but 29 – but a number of them ship twice a month. The rest are different imprints or mini-series. And as the old favourites are concentrated on, Batman, Superman, Justice League and new Suicide Squad characters, this means an absolute lack of anything vaguely experimental.

The New 52 launched with All-Star Western, Men Of War, Blackhawks, Resurrection Man, I Vampire, Justice League Dark, Demon Knights, Voodoo, telling different kinds of stories in different genres. DC Rebirth has none of that.

It is the most conservative line-up that either DC or Marvel have ever shown. DC Comics does have Vertigo, Young Animal and the Hanna Barbera line, but DC Rebirth is incredibly homogenous, especially considering the titles that DC had published of late.

But it has worked. While Marvel Comics is diversifying the tone and feel of the line, aiming for future new audiences, with Squirrel Girl, Patsy Walker, Deadpool, The Vision, Moon Girl and more, DC Comics has, at a push, Harley Quinn and Green Arrow. While Marvel mixes it up with Riri Williams, Jane Foster, Miles Morales, Amadeus Cho, Iceman and Angela, DC Comics brings back the old married Superman and the young married Wally West. They are doubling down on the nostalgia.

And then shipping it twice a month.

It's a cynical approach, it's a conservative approach, it's a move against experimentation and a return to the comfort zone. And it is kicking everyone's collective arses.

Nick Spencer, writer of Captain America, who the position of his comic Captain America dropped plenty of points on the September charts says,

https://twitter.com/nickspencer/status/777657366196006912

That might reveal a bigger picture though. It is notable that with the New 52 relaunch, DC Comics brought in a large amount of readers, old and new into comic stores, and everyone's sales benefitted, DC and Marvel, and others. A rising tide lifted all ships.

In this case, if Nick's analysis is correct, the customers came in – but only bought the DC Rebirth books. Everyone else's sales were unaffected. This could mean that the DC rebirth was just about getting existing DC Comics customers to spend more. Or it brought in new customers which went to both Marvel and DC, but also got Marvel readers to stop buying their Marvel comic in favour of a DC comic. That $2.99 price point for DC Rebirth may also have been a factor in that. So while the overall picture for individual Marvel titles may be unchanged, when the launch sales of the DC Rebirth fade away, Marvel may suffer.

And yes, DC Rebirth sales will fade away from their current high spots, but it may retain enough interest, exposure and audience to see their titles continue to take on Marvel Comics, in a way that they haven't in recent years. The long term effect of cannibalising the past – even more so than they and Marvel have done over the decades – remains to be seen.

But those that do well, also look for the creative teams to find new and exciting homes at Image Comics. And DC and Marvel to have to go through the whole thing again…ll wild speculation and conjecture.

This article, such as it is, has been brought to you by wild speculation and conjecture.

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