DC is lacking...

[Daniel22]

Rebirth in particular was really lacking in variety. As others have pointed out, even if you are determined to do almost exclusively superhero books, you can still do a variety of genres within the superhero umbrella. But with few exceptions we've gotten straight superhero. What drew me to DC originally, after being almost exclusively Marvel (except for Batman, of course) was (or is is "were"? I never know) books like Demon, Spectre and Hitman. They are doing a good job with Sandman Universe and Vertigo (lots of great stuff upcoming, it looks like) but I really would like more in-universe non-superhero (or superhero themed horror/suspense/war/etc) stuff.

[byrd156]

But those other genres may not sell enough to justify DC printing them. They gave Jonah Hex a series during the New52, and they had some other war-related books then. Also had some sword & sorcery stuff in the New52. But it seems sales weren't good enough to justify continuing them.

All Star Western was a damn good book.

[Lee Stone]

All Star Western was a damn good book.

It was pretty good. I liked Moritat's art.

But it's unfortunate that it's launch coincided with the launch of 51 other ongoings, many of which were DC's big name franchises.
I would've been surprised to see any non-superhero title survive that much competition for retailer dollars.

[kjn]

If DC (or Marvel) are to branch back out to the "old" genres they used to publish, I'd say the time to do it is now, because the market and distribution system is already going through an upheaval with the shift towards trades and digital.

Now, I don't think those other genres will be as profitable as their superhero lines, but it can still be a good plan to do so. Both companies depends on their superhero lines to survive, and if another genre becomes more popular at the expense of superhero stories, then they have little choice than to downsize radically. It can also help in creating more stable employment for artists and writers. Don't forget that modern superhero comics are very labour intensive, due to long storylines, detailed art, and so on.

[Jim Kelly]

Back in the 1990s, the Vertigo imprint was quite successful with several ongoing titles and limited runs. I don't think their sales were ever as high as the super-hero comics, but then they didn't need to have high sales, because the price was usually higher than the mainstream super-hero titles (so the mark-up made up for lower print runs) and Vertigo was able to repackage those stories in collections that many dedicated readers would buy.

So why did DC let go of that market? These days they seem to prefer bundling the supernatural characters in with the super-hero, rather than keeping them in a separate line. Also the Vertigo line used to do the kinds of stories that you would never see in the super-hero books. Stories set in a more realistic world.

I think it's a matter of will. If DC had a publisher who was dedicated to developing the other sorts of stories, then there would be an effort to introduce readers to that kind of thing. You can't force super-hero buyers to get titles that fall outside that line. But, for example, DETECTIVE COMICS could have an anthology format where one of the features was something like Nathaniel Dusk or Sierra Smith and set entirely outside of the DCU. They could then collect those stories in trade paperbacks.

Eventually, consumers would get used to DC offering other things besides super-heroes. But the publisher would have to be invested in sticking with this program over the long haul. And maybe Warner Bros. Brands only wants to support the super-hero brands and doesn't care about reviving other brands to feature at Six Flags.

[docmidnite]

I would definitely like to see Sword & Sorcery (which was launched during the Nu52's Zero Month and featured Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld and had Beowulf as its backup) as well as Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (just with Kirk Langstrom as their resident science expert instead of Ray Palmer) return to the DCU proper again.

I really liked those books and the way they were part of the main DCU.

[Raijin]

DC are putting out Hanna-Barbera titles that no one cares about. I don't think it would hurt them if they experienced with other genres. They can literally do a line full of weird scifi books or mystery stuff. War comics are a hard sell. They're just too basic.

[byrd156]

DC are putting out Hanna-Barbera titles that no one cares about. I don't think it would hurt them if they experienced with other genres. They can literally do a line full of weird scifi books or mystery stuff. War comics are a hard sell. They're just too basic.

Don't insult those Scooby Doo team-ups, there's some passionate people around here for those books.

[Raijin]

Don't insult those Scooby Doo team-ups, there's some passionate people around here for those books.

Uh...it's not like i said they were bad? I enjoyed quite a few of them myself. But whatever. DC should be actively trying to reach ALL demographics, not just with superheroes either. Scifi and Fantasy are huge, especially with the YA crowd. I have a friend who is a huge fan of erotic fiction but wouldn't dare touch a comic book. Publishers (specifically dc) should look into things like this.

[byrd156]

Uh...it's not like i said they were bad? I enjoyed quite a few of them myself. But whatever. DC should be actively trying to reach ALL demographics, not just with superheroes either. Scifi and Fantasy are huge, especially with the YA crowd. I have a friend who is a huge fan of erotic fiction but wouldn't dare touch a comic book. Publishers (specifically dc) should look into things like this.

You literally just said no one cares about them.

[MajorHoy]

Don't insult those Scooby Doo team-ups, there's some passionate people around here for those books.

Hell, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up is one of the two books from DC I still buy on a regular basis these days!

[byrd156]

Hell, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up is one of the two books from DC I still buy on a regular basis these days!

I know that's what I meant by passionate people lol.

[Colt Cape]

I would definitely like to see Sword & Sorcery (which was launched during the Nu52's Zero Month and featured Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld and had Beowulf as its backup) as well as Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (just with Kirk Langstrom as their resident science expert instead of Ray Palmer) return to the DCU proper again.

I really liked those books and the way they were part of the main DCU.

I wouldn’t mind a Fafhrd and Gray Mouser led Sword of Sorcery series either!

[Raijin]

Hell, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up is one of the two books from DC I still buy on a regular basis these days!

i try to read them every time a DC character pops up. I don't know if the issue with Angel and the Ape came out yet.

[Lee Stone]

I wouldn’t mind a Fafnr and Gray Mouser led Sword of Sorcery series either!

You'd have much better luck getting that from Dark Horse or Dynamite.
And they would actually care about it succeeding or not. Which is another reason genre fiction doesn't do well at DC right now.