Will Marvel want to try something similar to the DC deal with Walmart?

[The Dying Detective]

These are the displays Wal*Mart will be using for the DC books (photos courtesy Dan Didio via Newsarama)







-M

Interesting would you these would be attractive enough to draw people in and buy on impulse?

[Prof. Warren]

What good is putting in stuff that LOL is available to read at any time at the public library?

What good is putting in stuff that features characters DC has CRAPPED on like the Teen Titans? Or guys who do not have stuff in trade like Cassie & Bart Allen.

Where are the POC at? How many more parents of color have to scream out loud where is the content with stuff that looks like them? Instead of this mind set that if it's POC it's not going to sell. You don't want them going to Boom & Lion Forge-who is going after them.

1) I guess you could read some of this reprinted material at the library but if someone's at a store and they see something that looks interesting to them, they might well buy it rather than thinking that they'll make a special trip to the library at a later point.

2) Most readers who pick these up will have no idea of how well or how shabbily DC has treated these characters of late. I agree that it's ironic on DC's part to use characters like The Titans to push into themselves into a wider market when they've given them short shift in their main books but any potential new readers will be unaware of that.

3) I don't think it's unreasonable on DC's part to lead with their most recognizable characters. If you want to sell a kid, of any ethnic background, on picking up their first DC book, Batman and Superman are a good way to go. I don't think DC is deliberately avoiding POC in this case, they're just leading with their biggest icons and I think that's fine. But if you wanted to be snarky, you could say that, unlike Marvel, DC doesn't really have a great bench of minority characters to feature even if they wanted to.

Most Wal-Marts have the magazines set up in the BACK with electronics. Some have them by jewelry. Some have them by auto/paint.
Most Wal-Marts do not have more than 4 check out open and the rest be self -check out. NO Wal-Mart is going to take down Time, People, Hip Hop trash magazines and gossip rags fro DC nor Marvel. Heck they don't do it for Archie.
Archie-a digest you will be LUCKY to find at Wal-Mart. Not all of them sell it. Which is why you see them at Target now in EVERY check out lane.

TOYS might be the only place they can go to be seen.

IN all honesty-if Marvel was to do this-they need to go to Target.

Who has a huge section set aside for comics, games and shows like Stranger Things-generally located by the electronics and games.

Yes, I agree that Target would be a better fit for Marvel than Wal-Mart.

These are the displays Wal*Mart will be using for the DC books (photos courtesy Dan Didio via Newsarama)







-M

Hmm...I'm not totally sold on those. Not bad in and of themselves, but my main thought looking at these is wondering where these displays are going to be located.

Also, once more than a couple of issues have come out, are these copies just going to be manhandled as people rifle through the stack looking for previous issues?

Which brings me to my main complaint/concern: when I first read about this, I didn't realize that Bendis and King's stories would be serialized. I think that's a terrible idea. You don't want to have new readers get their first comic only to find out they've got to get eleven more issues to get the whole story. And what's more, you've got to hope that Wal-Mart is going to be conscientious about keeping back issues in stock. What if someone starts reading this on issue 4 and they want to go back and get the beginning of the story?

By the time the twelfth installment of Bendis and King's stories are out, will the previous eleven still be in stock in these dinky cardboard displays for anyone who wasn't getting the issues right from the start? I would expect the answer to that is no. That, to me, is terrible. And it's going to alienate/piss off new customers who are paying five bucks a pop for these. If you're going to sell comics to an audience outside the traditional comic book store, don't do things that the traditional comic shop is better equipped to handle, like have serialized content that requires a store owner or worker who can steer a customer towards issues they missed. Wal-Mart workers will not know or give a fu*k about back issues for these books and readers trying to get the whole story will get frustrated and simply give up.

My experience as a kid with these 100 page DC books back in the day was that the main appeal was that you got a lot of bang for your buck. When I got a big Batman Family or Superman Family issue, you had multiple stories that were all self-contained. That's what DC should be doing with this. Yes, put their big name talent in there but have them do sharp one and dones.

The idea that Bendis and King's stories will stretch out over twelve issues (that is what they're each going to run for, right?) is just ridiculous. The only people who will stick with that are the old time, die hard comic fans, which is not the audience they should be catering to with these. I think two and three parters would be stretching it. But twelve parts? Come on.

I like the idea of trying to get comics out to an audience that wouldn't normally encounter them but the more I see about this, the more I think DC has made some poor decisions on how to put their best foot forward. I hope it all pans out for them but we'll see how it goes.

[UltimateTy]

People buy books at Walmart?

I don't think I've ever actually gone to the book section there

[Prof. Warren]

People buy books at Walmart?

I don't think I've ever actually gone to the book section there

They do have a book section - although I imagine it's more common that people buy magazines there rather than books.

[CentralPower]

Marvel pulled this **** with the "Armor Wars" tie-in for "Secret Wars" back in 2015.

This is great. This is exactly the kind of thing Marvel and DC should both be doing. DC is really stepping it up with their new labels, formats and means of distribution and I hope Marvel follows suit. There's no reason not to do things like this.

This is terrible.

I want to go to the comic store on Wednesday and having my comics in my pull-file. I do not want to shamble around Target or Wal-Mart for my comics, and hope that the store put them on shelves (and that the comics are in condition worth buying).

There is nothing wrong with selling regular comics or reprints at Target or Wal-Mart. (Nobody who cares about the industry should oppose greater distribution.) But, having new content (especially by legitimate talent) sold exclusively at Wal-Mart or Target just makes the hobby less fun for existing fans.

Wal-Mart workers will not know or give a fu*k about back issues for these books and readers trying to get the whole story will get frustrated and simply give up.

Wal-Mart and Target also have no incentive to steer customers towards a comic store for back-issues.

[Prof. Warren]

This is terrible.

I want to go to the comic store on Wednesday and having my comics in my pull-file. I do not want to shamble around Target or Wal-Mart for my comics, and hope that the store put them on shelves (and that the comics are in condition worth buying).

There is nothing wrong with selling regular comics or reprints at Target or Wal-Mart. (Nobody who cares about the industry should oppose greater distribution.) But, having new content (especially by legitimate talent) sold exclusively at Wal-Mart or Target just makes the hobby less fun for existing fans.

The hobby is only as fun or as difficult as you choose to make it for yourself.

No one's making you "shamble around Target or Wal-Mart" for your comics.

If DC was selling the remainder of the Doomsday Clock series or whatever big book they have exclusively to Wal-Mart, then I could see a reason to bitch about it.

But these issues are chiefly comprised of reprinted material and the new stuff they contain will be collected eventually.

If I happen to be in a Wal-Mart and I see these, I might pick an issue up. But I'm sure not going to make a special trip to seek them out and I'm not going to give an actual sh*t if either they're a) not there or b) in too poor a condition to buy.

Wal-Mart and Target also have no incentive to steer customers towards a comic store for back-issues.

Why would they? Especially as these books are Wal-Mart exclusives and, as far as any employee would know, are not being sold anywhere else.

[Daniel22]

It is very odd. I imagine the person doing the purchasing having a small pile of books that they don’t know what to do with. Sure they might just put them on the rack and sell them for cover price. They might just give them to a kid they know. They might read up what a variant is and be even more baffled that they have no way of marketing them in their store so instead just keep them in a draw. Vaguely knowing they are worth something but not really being that bothered otherwise.

I think it's going to be a mix of some canny employees realizing that they have potentially valuable variants, and discreetly purchasing those for themselves at cover price, and other stores having no idea what they have and just putting all the comics, including variants, on the shelf at cover price. I can already see a cottage industry sprouting up, with speculators waiting to be the first in line to check the new books for that stray 1:1000 variant.

[skyvolt2000]

Interesting would you these would be attractive enough to draw people in and buy on impulse?

LOL all they did was take the design of the boxes they had at Toys R Us. Because that is what they used for the Rebirth and MAYBE the DC You books.

[Daniel22]

Marvel pulled this **** with the "Armor Wars" tie-in for "Secret Wars" back in 2015.



This is terrible.

I want to go to the comic store on Wednesday and having my comics in my pull-file. I do not want to shamble around Target or Wal-Mart for my comics, and hope that the store put them on shelves (and that the comics are in condition worth buying).

There is nothing wrong with selling regular comics or reprints at Target or Wal-Mart. (Nobody who cares about the industry should oppose greater distribution.) But, having new content (especially by legitimate talent) sold exclusively at Wal-Mart or Target just makes the hobby less fun for existing fans.




Wal-Mart and Target also have no incentive to steer customers towards a comic store for back-issues.

We're approaching this at totally different angles. I'm excited to share my hobby with more people and am hoping for/looking forward to having new fans branch into comic shops. I'm not the target audience for this initiative and that's ok with me. It seems like you're only looking at it from how it impacts you personally, which is fine of course, but that's not how I'm looking at it.

[skyvolt2000]

Why would they? Especially as these books are Wal-Mart exclusives and, as far as any employee would know, are not being sold anywhere else.

Employees don't care.

They have plenty of stuff that that is "exclusive" and they don't push it.

Remember Star Trek Into Darkness & Beyond, Black Panther, Pacific Rim, Solo and others have had exclusive versions of dvd & bluerays. I saw no employee pushing them.

Wal-Mart and Target also have no incentive to steer customers towards a comic store for back-issues.

That is not either of the companies's issue. Especially if I am an employee who knows how much of a cesspool some stores are from experience. I wouldn't do it.

If DC or Marvel or Diamond had brain cells-why not make all those book returnable. Diamond does a deal with Wal-Mart to SELL them. See Wal-Mart has a nice placed called the CLEARANCE section. Put them there be it grab bags or blind boxed for a set price (hopeful below $20). Or do like Vintage Movie Trading post a bin with a 1 each per issue.

So for the store that can't sell Moon Girl-you have a place to send her. You keep what you think you can sell and get rid of what you can't.

[nnelg]

Diamond Distributors is trying to outfit drug and toy stores with comic racks, which will feature Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse and Dynamite titles.

https://www.newsarama.com/40453-diam...retailers.html

Meanwhile, Gamestop is also going to start selling comics, including both Marvel and DC. Only tent-pole characters, though, so probably Avengers, Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Black Panther.



https://www.cbr.com/gamestop-selling-marvel-dc-comics/

It is nice to see them trying fix the problem they caused by deciding to sell their products exclusively in specialty stores.

[9th.]

I don't see why they're not already doing it. Very few people I know actually go to comic book stores and if they do it's for merch.

[nnelg]

I don't see why they're not already doing it. Very few people I know actually go to comic book stores and if they do it's for merch.

Choosing to sever ties with big chain stores was one of their biggest mistakes.

[MajorHoy]

Choosing to sever ties with big chain stores was one of their biggest mistakes.

I think the big chain stores were also dropping comic book sales as well. Marvel and DC comic books were still available for newsstand sales even as drug store chains / convenience store chains / supermarket chains were reducing the space available for magazine sales (including comic books) in general.

[9th.]

I think the big chain stores were also dropping comic book sales as well. Marvel and DC comic books were still available for newsstand sales even as drug store chains / convenience store chains / supermarket chains were reducing the space available for magazine sales (including comic books) in general.

What time period were they selling comics drug/convenience stores? When I was coming up I had to get my comics from eBay, Barnes and Nobles, and the occasional mall comicbook store.