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On Boycotting DC $3.99 Titles And The Lowest Marvel Sales In Years

Published Thu, 16 Feb 2017 08:00:41 -0600

Today is ComicsPRO's annual meeting in Memphis Tennessee, where retailers and publishers gather to talk through the minutia of the direct comic book industry.

Vernon Wiley, retailer of The Comix Gallery in Wilmette, Illinois has a few things to say ahead of that. Specifically Marvel and DC, posting them to a retailer-only forum (and giving Bleeding Cool the change to reprint it publicly.)

First, there was the news that DC Comics are increasing the price of their monthly titles to $3.99, including a Buy-Physical-Get-Digital code – but keeping the ComiXologfy price at $2.99. And Vernon is taking action.

As a response to the unequal pricing of DC's online versions of their monthly $3.99 line, I have decided that these books will be available for subscribers and special order only. I cannot support books where DC's mindset is to eliminate us as main sellers of their product.

I apologize to the creators of these books who are working hard to earn a living. This is not a shot to you, the creative people who aren't involved in this decision. However, DC has put me in this position, and until they make an even playing field on these books I cannot in good faith promote and sell product that seeks to make me a less desirable source for their books.

I hope DC can find you other venues to ply your trades, as I doubt these books will last long if a majority of retailers follow this example.

But he's not letting Marvel off the hook either. He writes,

I will state at the beginning these are only my own thoughts and deductions from my store's personal experience, but what is happening at Marvel these days? Their sales are the lowest here in the twenty years I've been in business, and here's a few reasons I believe why.

1.- Pricing. There can be little growth once it's perceived by readers they are getting nickle and dimed pursuing their hobby. $4.99 first issues, "anniversary" issues, yada yada, I get it. It's a free market society, and this is a common tool. However, tacking on an extra buck for an eight page story that readers aren't asking for, let alone slamming a ten dollar price tag on books occasionally for quick profits leaves a pretty sour taste in many customers experiences. You also have a line wide $3.99 price that greatly kills any chance of selling second tier books featuring second and third tier characters. Some of these titles might flourish and grow a bit if fans weren't put off by charging as much as their big titles, such as Avengers or Spider-Man, which I have no resistance for at $3.99

2.- Family titles of books. Most of your line cannot support third and fourth waves of titles. The 2nd title on books like Dr Strange and Black Panther seem like overkill for 2nd tier characters, but adding a 3rd title (or a fourth, like the big guns) just seems wasteful of resources and is certainly not getting you any additional readers. This type of marketing kills new readers who get overhelmed and discouraged when just trying to read a Dr Strange or Black Panther comic.

3.-Innovation and Vision. Once in a while, a title like Powerman and Iron Fist will squeak in, but the monthly Previews catalog just seems to be a lather, rinse, and repeat formula that has made my eyes glaze over when looking at your offerings. Give up on insane ideas like trying to shove Inhumans on us, and work on the Xmen line, which has dwindled in popularity with the ignoring of it not being in your stable as media development. 50 plus thousand readers is not going to make a dimple of success of a TV show or movies that need tens, if not hundreds of millions of followers to satisfy the bottom line. Invent some new characters or situations that are interesting. While Deadpool and Wolverine are enjoying media success, it's not news that their comic versions are a long way from the top of the charts. These titles are pretty familiar to comic readers, and have a niche audience for us at best these days.

Marvel is our largest product supplier. They simply cannot wait until next year to offer something new and different to refresh and invigorate their line of comics. The marketing and product placement based publishing are not at the core of what makes comic books popular and sell better.

Looks like it's going to be an interesting few days.

Are you a comics retailer, publisher, creator, editor or distributor with something to say? Get in touch. And follow our ComicsPRO coverage over the next few days.

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