DC Universe official streaming service details

[HandofPrometheus]

[Lee Stone]

Hope it's as good as Doom Patrol.

Meanwhile...
I've read (or re-read):

DC Comics Presents (1978) #26 - The New Teen Titans story
Beginning my Titans reading. Will probably read two or three issues of Titans for each Legion issue until they get caught up in publication dates.
New Teen Titans started about a year before where I begin with Legion. I could've started Legion with #259, but it would be just as far but in the other direction. Plus, the iconic Levitz run starts a few months after #280 and the new Legion logo connects with me more as it's the one I grew up with.
Really liked the story and it was nice to see that Wolfman was already seeding character defining touches, including Cyborg and Changeling's banter, Kid Flash's concern for Raven and Starfire's connection with Robin, right from the start.
This was a re-read for me. I own it already in a digital trade.
At one time, this book's biggest importance was that it was the first appearance of the New Teen Titans, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy as Changeling.
Now, it's probably more sought after as the first appearance of Cyborg and Silas Stone.
It's amazing how DC can downplay franchises enough to make them essentially worthless. Even ones that at one time controlled DC's market share and influenced decisions and directions for other titles.

And I also watched the new episode of Doom Patrol. Shizit is about to get reazil. (Don't know if that's a real phrase, but I'm going with it.)

[Lee Stone]

More reading...

Justice League of America (1960) #179
For me, this is where the League I grew up with begins, with Firestorm joining this issue and just a few months before the first JLA/JSA team-up I read.
I used to have physical copies of all the JLA issues from #179 up to #261, but over time I ended up giving them to my brother after the JLI formed and the old stories became retconned or forgotten (or just too confusing to figure out how they still happened without certain characters).

This was an entertaining story, with Conway adding one of his own characters to add some 'new paint' to the Satellite. Firestorm actually did fit with the Satellite League. Very well, in fact.
It was also good for the team dynamics at the time, as Firestorm added some youth to the team, as well.
With Siren Satan being billed as 'the highest paid fashion model', part of me wonders if Vixen would've known her. Especially since Mari was another Conway creation.

I plan to read JLA in tandem with New Teen Titans and Legion, and as this book also came out a year before Legion #280, I'll be doubling up on JLA to get it and Titans caught up to Legion.

[Lee Stone]

Continuing on...

All-Star Comics #58
This was part one of a two part story that was reprinted in a digest in 1980. I remember my junior high school had the digest in their library and once I discovered it, I kept it checked out almost all year.
The story introduces Power Girl as Earth-2's Supergirl and brings Star-Spangled Kid into the mix.
The arrival of Power Girl and Star-Spangled Kid to the team, combined several issues later with the introduction of Huntress, really sows the seeds for Infinity, Inc.
I loved the art by Ric Estrada and Wally Wood.
And, of course, I'm already a fan of Gerry Conway.
Plus... a great cover by Mike Grell (which may explain why PG resembles a never before seen member of the Legion).

[Jim Kelly]

Mike Grell was one of my favourite artists back in the day and he managed to sell me on a lot of comics just by doing covers. I well remember seeing that cover for ALL-STAR COMICS 58 and having to have it. I guess I would have bought it regardless, because it featured the Justice Society; however, from that cover it's hard to tell that the book is actually going to be about the JSA--it seems more like they are guest stars and the real team is this new Super Squad. Which I wasn't high on. Most kids probably wanted to see a teen group--but I didn't want to see characters my own age, I wanted to see the old JSA. But the Grell cover made it something I couldn't pass up.

Probably not on your reading list, as it comes before your reading of the LSH, but one of the books I loved was KARATE KID. It was because of Grell's cover that I got that book, too. He did most of the covers. However, he was never the actual artist and it was Ric Estrada and Joe Staton who were the regular art team. The first issue was written by Paul Levitz, but after that it was mainly David Michelinie who wrote the book. Both this and HOWARD THE DUCK started their runs at about the same time (Howard's Steve Gerber run being one of the greatest comics series of all time) and in my mind KARATE KID was the DC equivalent of HTD, in tone and premise. The Duck might have been a bit better than the Kid, but KARATE KID will always have a special place in my heart. Iris Jacobs and Beverly Switzler would have a lot to discuss if they ever met (add Nova Kane and that would be quite the meeting of red heads).

[Lee Stone]

Yeah, it looks like a lot of readers probably felt the way you did about All-Star Comics.
It seems DC gave it a second thought after several issues, and decided that renaming the JSA the 'All-Star Super Squad' wasn't going to help. Especially since the JSA already had the name recognition and the readers they were aiming for were JSA fans.
I think it would likely have sold better if they had billed them from the start.
At least it would've probably lasted a bit longer so the Adventure Comics stories could've appeared in All-Star.

I had a random issue of Karate Kid. Think I got it in a bundle with Richard Dragon back during the early days of eBay.
But I don't think I ever read it.
If they ever come to digital, I may check them out.
Ric Estrada on art actually interests me.

[Lee Stone]

Meanwhile...
Let's talk frankly about the service, itself.

First a couple of recent articles.
This one, by Forbes: What Exactly Is The Point Of DC Universe When It's Missing So Much Content?
And this one, by Business Insider: The DC Universe streaming service is leading DC's resurgence in positive fan sentiment, which has rebounded since the all-time low of 'Suicide Squad'

There's no denying that the service has had some good things come out of it, such as Doom Patrol, Young Justice and the Ultimate DC Library...
However...
It's clearly visible that the service has had to change because the audience it originally marketed to was underwhelmed.

I think DC Universe unwittingly became a victim of its own devising: that being digital fragmentation.
Digital fragmentation has been all the rage of late, with new services popping up seemingly monthly, each catering to a more selective theme or audience.

I believe it first impacted me when I went to buy an episode or two of the '60s Steed & Peel Avengers on Amazon (which was my 'go to' service for buying movies and shows) and discovering that the series was now exclusive to some 'Comic Con' membership and you couldn't even buy them.

This has since spread, with more and more shows being removed from Amazon to be made available exclusively elsewhere, and often as 'streaming only' and no purchasing.
To make matters worse, you almost need a scorecard to keep up with where shows are at because they will disappear off one service and appear on some new, never heard of, startup service.

Meanwhile, DC Universe entered into this world of digital acrobatics and proposed to be the ultimate DC fan service. And it targeted not comic fans, but the 'outside world' of tv and movie fans.
The plan was to feature DC Comics TV shows and movies, with at least one new original series going at any given time, some DC-centric news shows to hype upcoming products and some comics on the side to give viewers a taste of what modern comics are like.

But then things had to adapt...
Because the audience that initially came in wasn't too excited about the offerings. No CW shows, no DCEU shows, no Adam West Batman... They really didn't care that much about the comics. Because this audience came from the usual video media sector of the industry.
DC Universe looked barren. All because of Digital Fragmentation.
The CW shows were all licensed to other sources, the DCEU shows were licensed to other sources, the Batman show was licensed elsewhere and the Animated Movies were licensed somewhere else.
They couldn't pull all those things to DC Universe without breaking a bunch of contracts.
And then... why would they want to?
Licensing to Hulu or Netflix could be more lucrative than putting the shows on a service that WB owns.
The best thing DC Universe is for WB is as a leverage to request more money for licensing because if nobody pays they can just put it on DCU.

So, then the direction of DC Universe shifted a bit, with it becoming DC's answer to Marvel Unlimited. They uploaded all (well, almost all, we'll get to that) their comics that have been made digitally available on Comixology, with the one clause that they would be one year behind current print comics. This was done to avoid upsetting both retailers and Comixology.
Now, about that 'almost all'...
DC Comics and DC Universe are not the same. They are separate entities, both under WB.
As such, DC Comics and DC Universe had to reach an agreement about what they could make available.
DC Comics wanted to keep all of Vertigo off the service but DC Universe managed to talk them into having the Vertigo runs of Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing to help support the shows.

So, DC Universe has flipped from being a DC Comics focused digital video service with some comics to being a DC Comics digital reading service with some video.
And this will probably have something to do with the upcoming WB service.
I wouldn't be surprised if they keep DC Universe as primarily comics and put all the video on WB.

One thing that would help raise subscriber faith right now, I think, is announcing the second season of Doom Patrol. We're two episodes from the end of the season, and they still haven't said anything.

Meanwhile, for the audience that came for the comics, DC Universe is a somewhat better deal than Marvel Unlimited and the community features are very nice.
But that audience wasn't the one that they initially sought to service.

I think the flipping may have hurt their image in the eyes of the audience that originally signed up, and the audience they have now would be bigger if they had reached for them from the start.
I don't think they realized how the Digital Fragmentation would effect their service and expected subscribers to be happy with the original programming.
But with one new show a week, it really came across as a glorified 'Columbia House' style video club.
The addition of the full library of comics helped raise its prestige, but maybe not for the audience that came for the shows and movies.

I, personally, am quite pleased with DC Universe, because I can finally check out some comics and either add them to my interests or finally purge them from my system.
One thing I do miss from buying print comics at a newsstand is the ability to flip through the book. The 'entire' book. Sometimes after flipping through, I'll decide not to get it. Or maybe on page 14 there's a panel that really grabs me.
This gives me the chance to finally mark off books that may have marginally interested me but I wasn't willing to pay the $3 to $5 to try out.

And the pricing for DC Universe is just about right.
You don't own any of the content. It could all go away tomorrow.
Or you could pay for it for 12 months then wake one day to find it gone.
Either way, the money lost isn't such a hit because you did get to enjoy much more content than you would have by actually buying the comics.

It'll be interesting to see how DC Universe continues to evolve.
They're currently working on an upgrade to their community forums, so that's a good sign.
But that Doom Patrol renewal needs to come soon.

[Frontier]

Meanwhile...
Let's talk frankly about the service, itself.

First a couple of recent articles.
This one, by Forbes: What Exactly Is The Point Of DC Universe When It's Missing So Much Content?
And this one, by Business Insider: The DC Universe streaming service is leading DC's resurgence in positive fan sentiment, which has rebounded since the all-time low of 'Suicide Squad'

There's no denying that the service has had some good things come out of it, such as Doom Patrol, Young Justice and the Ultimate DC Library...
However...
It's clearly visible that the service has had to change because the audience it originally marketed to was underwhelmed.

I think DC Universe unwittingly became a victim of its own devising: that being digital fragmentation.
Digital fragmentation has been all the rage of late, with new services popping up seemingly monthly, each catering to a more selective theme or audience.

I believe it first impacted me when I went to buy an episode or two of the '60s Steed & Peel Avengers on Amazon (which was my 'go to' service for buying movies and shows) and discovering that the series was now exclusive to some 'Comic Con' membership and you couldn't even buy them.

This has since spread, with more and more shows being removed from Amazon to be made available exclusively elsewhere, and often as 'streaming only' and no purchasing.
To make matters worse, you almost need a scorecard to keep up with where shows are at because they will disappear off one service and appear on some new, never heard of, startup service.

Meanwhile, DC Universe entered into this world of digital acrobatics and proposed to be the ultimate DC fan service. And it targeted not comic fans, but the 'outside world' of tv and movie fans.
The plan was to feature DC Comics TV shows and movies, with at least one new original series going at any given time, some DC-centric news shows to hype upcoming products and some comics on the side to give viewers a taste of what modern comics are like.

But then things had to adapt...
Because the audience that initially came in wasn't too excited about the offerings. No CW shows, no DCEU shows, no Adam West Batman... They really didn't care that much about the comics. Because this audience came from the usual video media sector of the industry.
DC Universe looked barren. All because of Digital Fragmentation.
The CW shows were all licensed to other sources, the DCEU shows were licensed to other sources, the Batman show was licensed elsewhere and the Animated Movies were licensed somewhere else.
They couldn't pull all those things to DC Universe without breaking a bunch of contracts.
And then... why would they want to?
Licensing to Hulu or Netflix could be more lucrative than putting the shows on a service that WB owns.
The best thing DC Universe is for WB is as a leverage to request more money for licensing because if nobody pays they can just put it on DCU.

So, then the direction of DC Universe shifted a bit, with it becoming DC's answer to Marvel Unlimited. They uploaded all (well, almost all, we'll get to that) their comics that have been made digitally available on Comixology, with the one clause that they would be one year behind current print comics. This was done to avoid upsetting both retailers and Comixology.
Now, about that 'almost all'...
DC Comics and DC Universe are not the same. They are separate entities, both under WB.
As such, DC Comics and DC Universe had to reach an agreement about what they could make available.
DC Comics wanted to keep all of Vertigo off the service but DC Universe managed to talk them into having the Vertigo runs of Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing to help support the shows.

So, DC Universe has flipped from being a DC Comics focused digital video service with some comics to being a DC Comics digital reading service with some video.
And this will probably have something to do with the upcoming WB service.
I wouldn't be surprised if they keep DC Universe as primarily comics and put all the video on WB.

One thing that would help raise subscriber faith right now, I think, is announcing the second season of Doom Patrol. We're two episodes from the end of the season, and they still haven't said anything.

Meanwhile, for the audience that came for the comics, DC Universe is a somewhat better deal than Marvel Unlimited and the community features are very nice.
But that audience wasn't the one that they initially sought to service.

I think the flipping may have hurt their image in the eyes of the audience that originally signed up, and the audience they have now would be bigger if they had reached for them from the start.
I don't think they realized how the Digital Fragmentation would effect their service and expected subscribers to be happy with the original programming.
But with one new show a week, it really came across as a glorified 'Columbia House' style video club.
The addition of the full library of comics helped raise its prestige, but maybe not for the audience that came for the shows and movies.

I, personally, am quite pleased with DC Universe, because I can finally check out some comics and either add them to my interests or finally purge them from my system.
One thing I do miss from buying print comics at a newsstand is the ability to flip through the book. The 'entire' book. Sometimes after flipping through, I'll decide not to get it. Or maybe on page 14 there's a panel that really grabs me.
This gives me the chance to finally mark off books that may have marginally interested me but I wasn't willing to pay the $3 to $5 to try out.

And the pricing for DC Universe is just about right.
You don't own any of the content. It could all go away tomorrow.
Or you could pay for it for 12 months then wake one day to find it gone.
Either way, the money lost isn't such a hit because you did get to enjoy much more content than you would have by actually buying the comics.

It'll be interesting to see how DC Universe continues to evolve.
They're currently working on an upgrade to their community forums, so that's a good sign.
But that Doom Patrol renewal needs to come soon.

I think DC Universe is going to continue to be home to the more adult DC content, like Titans/Doom Patrol, Outsiders, and the animated movies. The WB streaming service is said to be aiming for more all-ages content so I can see how the opposite could be DC Universes' "niche."

I'm kind of surprised they haven't renewed either Doom Patrol or Young Justice after their success, but they might be waiting to do at Comic-Con.

[HandofPrometheus]

Meanwhile...
Let's talk frankly about the service, itself.

First a couple of recent articles.
This one, by Forbes: What Exactly Is The Point Of DC Universe When It's Missing So Much Content?
And this one, by Business Insider: The DC Universe streaming service is leading DC's resurgence in positive fan sentiment, which has rebounded since the all-time low of 'Suicide Squad'

There's no denying that the service has had some good things come out of it, such as Doom Patrol, Young Justice and the Ultimate DC Library...
However...
It's clearly visible that the service has had to change because the audience it originally marketed to was underwhelmed.

I think DC Universe unwittingly became a victim of its own devising: that being digital fragmentation.
Digital fragmentation has been all the rage of late, with new services popping up seemingly monthly, each catering to a more selective theme or audience.

I believe it first impacted me when I went to buy an episode or two of the '60s Steed & Peel Avengers on Amazon (which was my 'go to' service for buying movies and shows) and discovering that the series was now exclusive to some 'Comic Con' membership and you couldn't even buy them.

This has since spread, with more and more shows being removed from Amazon to be made available exclusively elsewhere, and often as 'streaming only' and no purchasing.
To make matters worse, you almost need a scorecard to keep up with where shows are at because they will disappear off one service and appear on some new, never heard of, startup service.

Meanwhile, DC Universe entered into this world of digital acrobatics and proposed to be the ultimate DC fan service. And it targeted not comic fans, but the 'outside world' of tv and movie fans.
The plan was to feature DC Comics TV shows and movies, with at least one new original series going at any given time, some DC-centric news shows to hype upcoming products and some comics on the side to give viewers a taste of what modern comics are like.

But then things had to adapt...
Because the audience that initially came in wasn't too excited about the offerings. No CW shows, no DCEU shows, no Adam West Batman... They really didn't care that much about the comics. Because this audience came from the usual video media sector of the industry.
DC Universe looked barren. All because of Digital Fragmentation.
The CW shows were all licensed to other sources, the DCEU shows were licensed to other sources, the Batman show was licensed elsewhere and the Animated Movies were licensed somewhere else.
They couldn't pull all those things to DC Universe without breaking a bunch of contracts.
And then... why would they want to?
Licensing to Hulu or Netflix could be more lucrative than putting the shows on a service that WB owns.
The best thing DC Universe is for WB is as a leverage to request more money for licensing because if nobody pays they can just put it on DCU.

So, then the direction of DC Universe shifted a bit, with it becoming DC's answer to Marvel Unlimited. They uploaded all (well, almost all, we'll get to that) their comics that have been made digitally available on Comixology, with the one clause that they would be one year behind current print comics. This was done to avoid upsetting both retailers and Comixology.
Now, about that 'almost all'...
DC Comics and DC Universe are not the same. They are separate entities, both under WB.
As such, DC Comics and DC Universe had to reach an agreement about what they could make available.
DC Comics wanted to keep all of Vertigo off the service but DC Universe managed to talk them into having the Vertigo runs of Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing to help support the shows.

So, DC Universe has flipped from being a DC Comics focused digital video service with some comics to being a DC Comics digital reading service with some video.
And this will probably have something to do with the upcoming WB service.
I wouldn't be surprised if they keep DC Universe as primarily comics and put all the video on WB.

One thing that would help raise subscriber faith right now, I think, is announcing the second season of Doom Patrol. We're two episodes from the end of the season, and they still haven't said anything.

Meanwhile, for the audience that came for the comics, DC Universe is a somewhat better deal than Marvel Unlimited and the community features are very nice.
But that audience wasn't the one that they initially sought to service.

I think the flipping may have hurt their image in the eyes of the audience that originally signed up, and the audience they have now would be bigger if they had reached for them from the start.
I don't think they realized how the Digital Fragmentation would effect their service and expected subscribers to be happy with the original programming.
But with one new show a week, it really came across as a glorified 'Columbia House' style video club.
The addition of the full library of comics helped raise its prestige, but maybe not for the audience that came for the shows and movies.

I, personally, am quite pleased with DC Universe, because I can finally check out some comics and either add them to my interests or finally purge them from my system.
One thing I do miss from buying print comics at a newsstand is the ability to flip through the book. The 'entire' book. Sometimes after flipping through, I'll decide not to get it. Or maybe on page 14 there's a panel that really grabs me.
This gives me the chance to finally mark off books that may have marginally interested me but I wasn't willing to pay the $3 to $5 to try out.

And the pricing for DC Universe is just about right.
You don't own any of the content. It could all go away tomorrow.
Or you could pay for it for 12 months then wake one day to find it gone.
Either way, the money lost isn't such a hit because you did get to enjoy much more content than you would have by actually buying the comics.

It'll be interesting to see how DC Universe continues to evolve.
They're currently working on an upgrade to their community forums, so that's a good sign.
But that Doom Patrol renewal needs to come soon.

Interesting points. It seemed that DCU launched way too early and not smartly but they seem to be finding their footing very slowly. WB is in full control of the DCEU so I don't know what's going to happen there but for the CW shows I guess I can see how some people want them and it would def put more content on the service but honestly I don't see them as selling points or a reason to subscribe. They need more animation. Give Wonder Woman an animated show or the Birds of Prey. Start getting people interested in the upcoming DCEU movies so people can then start checking out the shows.

As for renewals, they may do it at comic-con or when the season of YJ finishes.

[Gaastra]

When they announced the dc service I really was excited for it. Then they announced the higher price and there really was not much on the app at start plus it was buggy and messed up so I would wait for more shows. Skip to today and I still don't have it. Hated the dark titans trailers. Doom patrol looked odd but I heard was good but for the price I can't pay for just one or two shows. I was really looking forward to the comics but then realized I like to read them in my hands more in trades then on a tv screen so I don't care about that. Take away the comics and that leaves so little on there. Half the shows I have on vudu and dvd aready like superfriends and batman and it's missing dc shows like plastic man, shazam cartoon, swamp thing cartoon and krypto. Worse wb's other streaming channel boomerang with classic cartoons has more on it and is only $3 a month!

I won't get cbs all access for two shows only and I just can't pay for this with so little. Plus Disney plus will be coming out and will be a better deal with more shows right from the start.

I still might get it in the future but now i'll pass. It's a letdown for me for now.

[Lee Stone]

I think Boomerang is $5 a month now.

I was thinking of cancelling it because I've been waiting for the third season of Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
But then I pulled up Wikipedia, did a lot of research and comparison of all the Scooby shows up to 1985 and discovered that the third season is on there.
The episodes are mixed into The Scooby Doo Show, where they were bundled for the Networks.
So Boomerang is saved.

Something else that keeps DC Universe safe for me is it's the only place to get all nine seasons of Superfriends and the full run of the George Reeves Superman.
I was buying episodes on Amazon. Like one a month or so. And now I have an unfinished collection on Amazon Video that will likely never get completed.

And one thing I would love with Boomerang and DC Universe, or any video streaming source, is the ability to make playlists so we can schedule a three hour block of programming.

[Gaastra]

Yeah me to. Also I must point out I don't think dc streaming is awful. It's not. I just need more shows on it before I pay for it.

[Elmo]

I was given a free year of DC universe through a Warner Bros survey. I wasn't really interested in it before and had no interest in paying for it, but lately I'm on it every day and loving it so I might renew it come next year. depends on how much they can improve

[Frontier]

I appreciate having DC Universe so I can watch the DTV's once they release them on there a little after the digital release .

[Lee Stone]

Just read:

Justice League of America (1960) #180
Part two of the Satin Satan story.
It wasn't really that great of a story, but it did help introduce JLA readers to the unique character of Firestorm by giving them a glimpse of Ronnie and Prof. Stein, as well as his supporting characters.
It also helped nudge Green Arrow closer to his decision next issue, which Red Tornado has been making the reader aware of.
I wonder if Conway ever revisited (the now de-possessed) Sabrina Sultress later. She gets another mention this issue as to how popular she is, ranking her up there with Cheryl Tiegs.
I'll have to make a note and see if Vixen name-drops her later.

And they just added this week's batch of comics, including the first issue of No Justice.