An innovative alternative to 5G that would expand DC's digital readership

So I have been pondering this idea for sometime, and I think it would potentially solve a lot of DC's declining readerships problems, as well as the whole Traditionalist versus SJW problem that has plagued comic books.

I'm pretty sure that most readers would not object to having more racial diversity in comics that reflects today's demographics. (I mean why would you?) The problem is that readers are attached to certain characters, and will have their comic hearts crushed if they are replaced. (As per example, when they blew Ollie up in a helicopter, I blew my top and quit reading comics for quite some time) which is why 5G is a bad idea.

[B]so the solution:[/B]

The future with big media companies is in streaming, most people pay a certain amount of money each week to have access to Netflix or Amazon, but what if DC did the same, but had deals with companies like Netflix and Amazon whereby you could access comics from their website directly if you payed a flat fee.

Say for $20 dollars a month you get 8 comics of your choosing....plus 4 comics for free of DC's choosing, that would allow them to push diverse characters, and modernize their roster once they became popular. I am not just talking about a Black Lighting comic that would have a link to it when you loaded the Netflix show, but new dynamic creative characters, where you would use the surplus income to keep pushing the new or diverse characters until they catch on, be it two years, or 5 to 7. If readership increased they then would have more money to put towards new titles like the old days.

Thus the rising price of comics solved.
The lack of distribution and media advertising solved
The lack of racially diverse characters with their own titles solved
The lack of new readers from diverse demographics (Potentially solved)

I realize that this probably wouldn't happen because it could threaten the sales of the direct market as printed collectibles, but it just seems to be a better option than 5G, something that was a financial disaster for Marvel Comics

I don't think that having an extension for Amazon Prime or Netflix dedicated to comics would reach a wider audiance tham let's say, comixology, however if it came with your monthly subscription it could work.

Comics on streaming platforms is not a bad idea. For Netflix, you can access everything for free if ypu pay the monthly subscriptions so it wouldn't be wise for DC to put their comics on there, because it would be a way for fans to access the issues with DC getting less proffit if a fan were to buy it at an lcs or digitally.

You don't have this problem with a streaming service such as Amazon Prime however, because while their is some free material, much of it can only be accessed if you rent or buy it.

What if you could pay less than $10 and get everything DC puts out but after a year delay?

[QUOTE=Lee Stone;4853961]What if you could pay less than $10 and get everything DC puts out but after a year delay?[/QUOTE]

I like this a lot, even if it was a 6 month delay; so you'd be an arc behind would be cool with me.

Another solution is to release trades sooner and maybe make them smaller and cheaper similar to mangas; I would eat that **** up I would by all my books in that format and once Absolutes or Omnis for my favorite runs come up I would double dip

[QUOTE=BringMe_YoungManLogan;4852535]So I have been pondering this idea for sometime, and I think it would potentially solve a lot of DC's declining readerships problems, as well as the whole Traditionalist versus SJW problem that has plagued comic books.

I'm pretty sure that most readers would not object to having more racial diversity in comics that reflects today's demographics. (I mean why would you?) The problem is that readers are attached to certain characters, and will have their comic hearts crushed if they are replaced. (As per example, when they blew Ollie up in a helicopter, I blew my top and quit reading comics for quite some time) which is why 5G is a bad idea.

[B]so the solution:[/B]

The future with big media companies is in streaming, most people pay a certain amount of money each week to have access to Netflix or Amazon, but what if DC did the same, but had deals with companies like Netflix and Amazon whereby you could access comics from their website directly if you payed a flat fee.

Say for $20 dollars a month you get 8 comics of your choosing....plus 4 comics for free of DC's choosing, that would allow them to push diverse characters, and modernize their roster once they became popular. I am not just talking about a Black Lighting comic that would have a link to it when you loaded the Netflix show, but new dynamic creative characters, where you would use the surplus income to keep pushing the new or diverse characters until they catch on, be it two years, or 5 to 7. If readership increased they then would have more money to put towards new titles like the old days.

Thus the rising price of comics solved.
The lack of distribution and media advertising solved
The lack of racially diverse characters with their own titles solved
The lack of new readers from diverse demographics (Potentially solved)

I realize that this probably wouldn't happen because it could threaten the sales of the direct market as printed collectibles, but it just seems to be a better option than 5G, something that was a financial disaster for Marvel Comics[/QUOTE]

I think the basic problem is that there's only so much "space" to produce new content, so the classic characters and any new characters "compete" for that space, which would be the same no matter the method of distribution. (Also, I think a lot of readers get attached to specific characters, which makes it tricky.)

As far as solving the "Traditionalist versus SJW problem," I don't think it would. The antagonists in that whole fiasco aren't interested in sharing the pie evenly; they want their favored stuff to be the [I]only[/I] stuff made, with everyone else shut out if they like something different.

$20 is too expensive, not even Prime cost that much. It's a nice idea though

[QUOTE=Timothy Hunter;4852643]I don't think that having an extension for Amazon Prime or Netflix dedicated to comics would reach a wider audiance tham let's say, comixology, however if it came with your monthly subscription it could work.

Comics on streaming platforms is not a bad idea. For Netflix, you can access everything for free if ypu pay the monthly subscriptions so it wouldn't be wise for DC to put their comics on there, because it would be a way for fans to access the issues with DC getting less proffit if a fan were to buy it at an lcs or digitally.

You don't have this problem with a streaming service such as Amazon Prime however, because while their is some free material, much of it can only be accessed if you rent or buy it.[/QUOTE]

Amazon would seem to work then, but good point with Netflix, perhaps continuous paid advertising with a link to DC website packages could work? Sigh...it would be nice to see AT&T come up with marketing ideas instead of the fans.

[QUOTE=WebLurker;4854053]I think the basic problem is that there's only so much "space" to produce new content, so the classic characters and any new characters "compete" for that space, which would be the same no matter the method of distribution. (Also, I think a lot of readers get attached to specific characters, which makes it tricky.)
As far as solving the "Traditionalist versus SJW problem," I don't think it would. The antagonists in that whole fiasco aren't interested in sharing the pie evenly; they want their favored stuff to be the [I]only[/I] stuff made, with everyone else shut out if they like something different.[/QUOTE]

The idea with the package deals would be that once readership caught on, you would be using some of the surplus money to fund the new more diverse characters whose comics would be free until, the characters developed a popular fanbase.

I think I hear what your saying on the SJW stuff “there so politicized that they wouldn’t be happy unless the main characters, Superman/Batman are of different gender or ethnicity?”

I think that once you had a bunch of new heroes who would have the potentiality of eventually becoming as popular as Deadpool, Harley Quinn, or new Captain Marvel, than they would have less ammunition for their cause, and would probably move onto something else. As the traditionalists tend to be reacting to the changes they see as being pushed by SJW’s, they would probably pipe down to, and foul people like Milo Yiannopoulis would take a hike as well. I honestly really don’t think the bulk of these people read comics, they tend to be malcontents who thrive off of political causes.

[QUOTE=9th.;4854084]$20 is too expensive, not even Prime cost that much. It's a nice idea though[/QUOTE]

Well the whole idea is to make the margin line profitable and keep DC comics readership growing. Perhaps you could have package deals. $10 for a certain amount of comics each month, plus the extras, or $20 dollars for more, or full access? Just trying to find ideas to keep the business going and growing.

Thanks for your input guys, challenges my own thinking.

Isn’t this what DCUniverse Streaming service is?

[QUOTE=9th.;4854084]$20 is too expensive, not even Prime cost that much. It's a nice idea though[/QUOTE]

Given the price of the actual comics, it’d be a great deal.

[QUOTE=Superfly Frankenstein;4854267]Isn’t this what DCUniverse Streaming service is?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it is.

I’d say DCUniverse is more a library then an up to date comic reader. While it has a wide variety of books, the newer books are months behind what is currently out. While it would be nice if that was the case that it supported new books the price would probably go up from $8 a month. However it’s not a bad idea and I’d personally like to see something like this in the future.

[QUOTE=WebLurker;4854053]
As far as solving the "Traditionalist versus SJW problem," I don't think it would. The antagonists in that whole fiasco aren't interested in sharing the pie evenly; they want their favored stuff to be the [I]only[/I] stuff made, with everyone else shut out if they like something different.[/QUOTE]

If DC can find the distribution channels to reach a wider audience, and produces content those people want to read, and markets it properly so people know to look, it won't matter if certain people want to share the pie or not. Their bitching and whining didn't stop Captain Marvel or Wonder Woman or Black Panther from being huge hits in cinema, and it wouldn't stop the comics from being successful either. But the trick is finding the right distribution, the right products, and the right marketing. :p

Regarding a subscription service....something along these lines could work. We don't really have much to base its success on outside of Marvel Unlimited and Comixology and some loose parallels with Netflix and other streaming services. I'd think a multi-tier approach; let people buy the individual issues they want for 99 cents with no subscription, and offer a couple subscription plans where you pay X amount and get Y books; more expensive plans offer more titles. For the higher tier subscription plans maybe add in a few benefits like discounts on trade pre-orders, early access, exclusive behind the scenes content, or something. And of course, subs would still be able to buy more comics for 99 cents too. Nickle and dime the customers to death, with enough value included that they thank you for it. And since digital resources are relatively cheap, it's not necessarily a bad business call, though this sort of thing is outside my experience.

But you'd have to structure the whole thing right. I don't know if you could take the comics as they are now, with their monthly release schedule, endless renumberings, limited target audience, and convoluted continuity, and get the subs you'd need. That would largely only pull in established floppy readers willing to make the switch to digital, and we've seen that they resist doing that. No, you'd need stuff that appeals to other audiences; kid focused stuff like Superman Smashes the Klan and more adult fare like Last God. In the same way that Netflix has shows for kids, for families, and for adults, this would need the same kind of thing, with each title labeled and cataloged properly so the right audiences can find it.

You'd have to change the release schedule (has to be weekly, in my mind), the numbering (a "seasons" structure, like tv shows, seems viable; Superman season 1, issues 1-26). You'd have to change the creative approach to fit the new factors.

The entire process would have to change. But I feel like it could work, if it were handled right. Basically Ink/Zoom, Black Label, those YA bookstore OGN's, and I suppose some main continuity type stuff all rolled into one digital subscription service.

I'd probably want the whole thing linked to the DCU app in some way; that way you've got more than just comics to offer, and the people who sub for the shows and cartoons will inevitably find themselves reading the comics between new episodes, and it's a small jump from there to buying.

Honestly, there are still people that choose to read shonen jump manga illegally when the subscription cost is literally like 1$ or 5$ these days. Some people just genuinely don't care to support the creators of these books and will choose to read them illegally. That's why finding the right buisness model is so tough.

[QUOTE=DragonPiece;4854354]Honestly, there are still people that choose to read shonen jump manga illegally when the subscription cost is literally like 1$ or 5$ these days. Some people just genuinely don't care to support the creators of these books and will choose to read them illegally. That's why finding the right buisness model is so tough.[/QUOTE]

Sure, there are people like that. But, there will be people that want to support things. Since, it's cheap anyone from anywhere can subscribe. The model is very good if you ask me

[QUOTE=manwhohaseverything;4854466]Sure, there are people like that. But, there will be people that want to support things. Since, it's cheap anyone from anywhere can subscribe. The model is very good if you ask me[/QUOTE] It is a good model, but it's not sustainable unless there are tons of subscribers to make up the cost. I don't know actual statics of how shonen jump is selling, just know these manga pirated sites still get a lot of views...