Posted in: Batman, Comics, Current News, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, c2e2, dc comics, james tynion iv, NYCC, Punchline

DC's Editor-In-Chief Hugged James Tynion IV When Batman Sold 200K

James Tynion IV has been talking on his Substack newsletter about when his run on Batman began, alongside the launch of Something Is Killing The Children. Talking about what it takes to launch a comic book series, whether for an established character or for a creator-owned book, and the different markets you need to appeal to.

I wanted to get folks attention turned toward Punchline, and originally, I talked about trying to get an advertisement made up to announce her presence in the book… But I had gotten the math a bit wrong. We had slipped her onto the cover for Batman #92, and that issue was released in the solicitations dropping before my second issue was released. People started speculating online who the mysterious figure in the background of the cover was. So, I got permission to release the design of Punchline in my newsletter…

I remember when the Artgerm cover of Punchline for Batman #94 was suddenly switched to #92. This is clearly the reason, and came after people had been paying $15 in advance for the cover.

Then came the end of February. I attended C2E2, my first convention of the year, and signed comics for Punchline cosplayers. I remember when the editor in chief of DC walked up to me after a panel and told me the sales on the upcoming Batman #92, bolstered by the Artgerm Variant cover featuring Punchline, and gave me a hug. That it was the highest selling issue of Batman since the Wedding, with sales over 200K. I remember saying that I promised them that I was going to sell some Batman comics for them, and I was glad I could keep my promise. I was so overwhelmed and happy with the response at that show, not only because of the love for my nascent Batman run, but because I was already seeing almost an equal number of SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN copies in my line that I was seeing BATMAN issues.

That would have been Bob Harras, back then of course. Marie Javins came in, in August, after Bob was among many laid off and quit early. And of course, that would be the last time anyone at DC Comics would be hugging James Tynion IV for quite some time.

There was a bit of a gallows humor joke all weekend at C2E2. That it was going to be the last convention of the year. I can't remember the first time I heard about Covid-19. It must have been over the holidays, approaching the turn of 2020. But at that time, the few voices in my social media feeds saying that we should be paying attention to this news story growing in China seemed hysterical. They were describing a pandemic that I had no context for, and I didn't take it all that seriously. I was telling people all weekend that I would see them a few weeks later in Emerald City.

I wonder if New York Comic Con will be a hug riot?

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