A street-level team title

[millernumber1]

Well, there are a few people who want a team title with ONLY the street-level Charlton characters on it. And there are a few others want a title that includes ALL the Charlton characters, regardless of their power levels.

I just don't think that's realistic or will sell. So this poll is to clarify things and see what people think about a team title with pretty much all of DC's street-level characters on it, which I think would have a better chance of selling. Remember, it's HARD to sell an ongoing!

It would include:

-- Batman

-- Green Arrow

-- Black Canary

-- The street-level JSA members

-- The street-level Charlton characters

-- And maybe some others who you folks might suggest

Don't worry if there are a lot of members on the team. Every member doesn't need to appear in every story.

Needs Spoiler.

[Agent Z]

Roy Harper

Connor Hawke

Artemis Crock

Jade Nguyen

Gavin King

We just had that with Birds of Prey and it didn't sell. I like all teams to be a mixtures of non-powered. lightly-powered, and heavily-powered heroes. Variety is the spice of life.

Given that describes virtually every super team made by DC, a street level team would be variety.

[Trey Strain]

Given that describes virtually every super team made by DC, a street level team would be variety.

Yep.

If DC would publish this, the JSA, the LoS and a Flash team title, they'd be rolling. All of those offer something different from what we're seeing now.

[The Darknight Detective]

Where is this billion dollar movie starring Batman? I didn't see Batman in Wakanda.

In real dollars, he has at least two films reaching a billion. BTW, good luck trying to convince people here that Bats doesn't sell far more comics than every other DC character.

[deadboy80]

Was gonna say, once upon a time this title was called Batman, or Detective comics. It's been about twenty or so years, and I miss that Batman. Damn.

[The Darknight Detective]

Was gonna say, once upon a time this title was called Batman, or Detective comics. It's been about twenty or so years, and I miss that Batman. Damn.

I grew up and loved that Batman back in the '70s myself, though he wasn't nearly as popular as he is now, either.

[MajorHoy]

Yep.

If DC would publish this, the JSA, the LoS and a Flash team title, they'd be rolling. All of those offer something different from what we're seeing now.

"Different" doesn't always mean "profitable".
DC has published plenty of "different" comic books that didn't do all that well on the market side.
And if you're basing your ideas solely on the limited responses of this forum, you're actually getting feedback from what % of overall actual comic book consumers?

[Trey Strain]

"Different" doesn't always mean "profitable".
DC has published plenty of "different" comic books that didn't do all that well on the market side.
And if you're basing your ideas solely on the limited responses of this forum, you're actually getting feedback from what % of overall actual comic book consumers?

Do you think they would be smart to NOT publish those comics?

I'll keep an open mind and listen while you make your case.

But before you start, keep in mind that if one of them doesn't sell, then DC can just -- cancel it!

[The Darknight Detective]

Do you think they would be smart to NOT publish those comics?

I'll keep an open mind and listen while you make your case.

But the Major is 100% right about our group here not really reflecting the overall market. You really need scientific polling to be able to form an opinion in regard to any comic-book idea, which none of us have at our finger tips. For better or for worse, nobody in the industry at the top really cares what is said here at this site.

As to your question at the head of this thread, I have absolutely no qualms about having a street-level title. If it were available, I would buy it.

[Trey Strain]

For better or for worse, nobody in the industry at the top really cares what is said here at this site.

Of course the people who write, draw and publish comics read the message boards. If you did one of those jobs, you'd read them too. Who else are they going to listen to?

What do you think Rebirth was all about? It was a reaction to to older readers grousing nonstop on the message boards for years about what a "debacle" the New 52 was.

You know that Geoff Johns was a member of HEAT for a long time before he wrote Green Lantern, don't you? How did he find out about HEAT? He went online and looked.

I'm sure though that in general when old timers fight change, or fight against ideas that might earn the companies money, the comics companies take that with a grain of salt.

[The Darknight Detective]

Of course the people who write, draw and publish comics read the message boards. If you did one of those jobs, you'd read them too. Who else are they going to listen to?

What do you think Rebirth was all about? It was a reaction to to older readers grousing nonstop on the message boards for years about what a "debacle" the New 52 was.

You know that Geoff Johns was a member of HEAT for a long time before he wrote Green Lantern, don't you? How did he find out about HEAT? He went online and looked.

I'm sure though that in general when old timers fight change, or fight against ideas that might earn the companies money, the comics companies take that with a grain of salt.

Well, you're free to believe DC makes their decision based on the message boards, Trey, but they still don't. They care only about sales numbers and their own private polling. Having said that, a self-written letter to the published still has its impact if the numbers are large enough.

[MajorHoy]

Do you think they would be smart to NOT publish those comics?

I'll keep an open mind and listen while you make your case.

But before you start, keep in mind that if one of them doesn't sell, then DC can just -- cancel it!

The problem here is, I might be interested in a "street-level team", but it would depend in part on who's writing it and what the overall idea behind the team is.
As for what you suggested,

. . . a team title with pretty much all of DC's street-level characters on it, which I think would have a better chance of selling. Remember, it's HARD to sell an ongoing!

It would include:

-- Batman

-- Green Arrow

-- Black Canary

-- The street-level JSA members

-- The street-level Charlton characters

-- And maybe some others who you folks might suggest

Don't worry if there are a lot of members on the team. Every member doesn't need to appear in every story.

No interest in that mess.

I'd prefer something more like bringing back

Something more specific in terms of a geographical area.
(Maybe in a place like Hub City?)

[Trey Strain]

Well, you're free to believe DC makes their decision based on the message boards, Trey, but they still don't. They care only about sales numbers and their own private polling. Having said that, a self-written letter to the published still has its impact if the numbers are large enough.

They don't view the message boards as polls because the boards are too skewed away from casual customers. The customers who interest them the most are the casual ones, because growth in a market occurs at the margins.

But they read the boards, and if they see what they think are good ideas, they use them. That's what you would do too.

[kjn]

But the Major is 100% right about our group here not really reflecting the overall market. You really need scientific polling to be able to form an opinion in regard to any comic-book idea, which none of us have at our finger tips. For better or for worse, nobody in the industry at the top really cares what is said here at this site.

Heck, not even scientific polling is likely to that accurate. People are generally rather poor at articulating what they want or prefer, and you're likely to run into all sorts of bias as well.

This is basically why the editors earn their money: their job is not really to edit the stories, it is to select stories out from the slushpiles, choose the writers, and give their guidelines to the writers. But in 90% of the cases, you're unlikely to be able to tell a great story from a clunker with an synopsis or outline alone.

Of course the people who write, draw and publish comics read the message boards. If you did one of those jobs, you'd read them too. Who else are they going to listen to?

What do you think Rebirth was all about? It was a reaction to to older readers grousing nonstop on the message boards for years about what a "debacle" the New 52 was.

We know some creators read here, because they have posted here, like Gail Simone or Ray Dillon. But comics fandom isn't as egalitarian and porous and open in their creator-audience relations as sf fandom (though many of the old creators had their roots thre) for all sorts of reasons. So I wouldn't be surprised if some editors or writers were regular lurkers, or looked in now and then.

But for their sake, I really hope they don't hang out here too much, because we who post here are not representative of the general market. Writing to us would basically mean writing to an echo chamber, and I've seen that happening to both authors and publishers within the science fiction and fantasy field. It can mean short-term success, but means creative stagnation.

As for Rebirth, your theory might be one part of it, but only part. If New 52 were selling like hotcakes, I doubt they'd look at Rebirth, no matter how much old fen were grousing. Sales numbers was likely the main thing. Another thing might have been the stories they received and communication with their writers. It also seems possible that Rebirth was part of the general plan of New 52, but I wouldn't swear to that. It might also be a case of creative stagnation.

[The Darknight Detective]

They don't view the message boards as polls because the boards are too skewed away from casual customers. The customers who interest them the most are the casual ones, because growth in a market occurs at the margins.

But they read the boards, and if they see what they think are good ideas, they use them. That's what you would do too.

Yeah, but I doubt anything said here hasn't been thought about by management long, long before.