How do you give feeback to DC Comics?

[gman451]

Back in the day, you used to be able to write letters to give your opinion of a given issue or title. They even gave you the address to write to on the letters page in the comics. In this day and age, how do fans get their opinions to DC? Or does DC even bother with opinion and go strictly on sales?

[Ascended]

Back in the day, you used to be able to write letters to give your opinion of a given issue or title. They even gave you the address to write to on the letters page in the comics. In this day and age, how do fans get their opinions to DC? Or does DC even bother with opinion and go strictly on sales?

Well, sales trump anything, so if you really want to make your opinion heard, speak through your wallet. Buy the quality, good books and don't buy the bad, low quality ones....even if it means breaking your collection or not reading your favorite character/s.

But you can get ahold of DC through other means too. Some pro's will post on forums like this occasionally, but twitter seems the best way to go. A lot of pro's interact with their fans through that, and a number of posters here have had conversations (or at least had questions answered) that way.

And if it's an option for you, conventions are probably still one of the best ways to talk to the DC staff.

[MajorHoy]

Stand on your roof and yell real loud?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

There's so much constant feedback on social media that DC has a pretty good idea of what fans are buzzing about and what they're upset about.

[oasis1313]

DC doesn't care what the readers think. They're just indulging their own fanboy whims in a protected little corner of Warner Brothers.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

DC doesn't care what the readers think. They're just indulging their own fanboy whims in a protected little corner of Warner Brothers.

The course correction and media blitz that accompanied the Rebirth relaunch would indicate that this is not true. No comics company blindly obeys the whims of the most vocal critics, because they often don't represent the majority. However, when DC's sales started to decline amidst consistent complaints from fans that DC had lost its connection to its past history following the New 52 reboot, they directly addressed those problems.

[byrd156]

Stand on your roof and yell real loud?

Works every time.

[James Hunter]

Well, sales trump anything, so if you really want to make your opinion heard, speak through your wallet. Buy the quality, good books and don't buy the bad, low quality ones....even if it means breaking your collection or not reading your favorite character/s.

But you can get ahold of DC through other means too. Some pro's will post on forums like this occasionally, but twitter seems the best way to go. A lot of pro's interact with their fans through that, and a number of posters here have had conversations (or at least had questions answered) that way.

And if it's an option for you, conventions are probably still one of the best ways to talk to the DC staff.

I'm hijacking this thread just to ask what about those of us who aren't on twitter (no, I'm not a dinosaur but I have no interest and have never had any interest in twitter). Is or should there not be some basis of contact for us (and that applies to all companies)

This is why I miss the letters pages.

[liwanag]

Stand on your roof and yell real loud?

it's been 6 hours, i'm tired, hungry, and i don't think it's working.

[kjn]

And if it's an option for you, conventions are probably still one of the best ways to talk to the DC staff.

But they can also be really tricky environments: lots of people present, and there is a marketing aspect to the large commercial ones that can make groupthink a big problem. (Case in point: Batgirl's experiences at the 2011 SDCC.) I doubt DC editors go to the more conversation-focused fan-run ones (you will find writers like Gail Simone or G Willow Wilson at such, though), and if they do, they don't do so in the job.

Note also that there are dangers in today's feedback-saturated world. If, like in the New 52 case, you have declining sales and lots of people clamouring for $THING, then yes, do $THING. But if you have lots of people calling for $THING, and you're doing $THING, but sales are still declining, then you have a case of either people not being able to express what they want (something which is very common) or that the people calling for $THING aren't your real customers. Then you might be better prepared to listen to the lone or dissenting voices.

There is a more roundabout way: chat with the staff of comic book stores, especially the owners. I imagine DC and Marvel runs dedicated channels for these people, and influencing them can make a disproportionate impact.

[oasis1313]

The course correction and media blitz that accompanied the Rebirth relaunch would indicate that this is not true. No comics company blindly obeys the whims of the most vocal critics, because they often don't represent the majority. However, when DC's sales started to decline amidst consistent complaints from fans that DC had lost its connection to its past history following the New 52 reboot, they directly addressed those problems.

Really? I didn't notice any course corrections, but then, I just drifted off from lack of interest in the overall Rebirth.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Really? I didn't notice any course corrections, but then, I just drifted off from lack of interest in the overall Rebirth.

With the New 52 and DCYou, DC comics were pursuing a more streamlined continuity that jettisoned the decades-long history that the DCU had accumulated and was seen as a barrier for new readers looking to jump on board. They also tried to portray the DC characters as much younger and single 20-somethings in the early stages of their careers, as opposed to the experienced veterans they'd been before. With the DCYou, they tried to experiment even further with new directions and revamps to their older characters. However, sales were steadily dropping and fan enthusiasm was low.

With Rebirth, the course correction was made pretty clear from the outset by Geoff Johns's DC Universe: Rebirth #1. Re-establish a stronger link to the past legacies, relationships and continuity that fans loved, and re-assert the more classic elements of the DCU characters in their traditional roles. Overall, Rebirth was successful in terms of reversing the decline in sales and bringing back a lot of lapsed fans.

Not all fans are happy, of course. There's never been a moment in comics history when everyone was satisfied with the state of long-running geek properties. Nerds love to bitch and moan about stuff. That's what we do. The tricky part for those in charge is reading the tea leaves of sales and fan reception in a way that gives people comics that are creatively innovative and challenging, but also providing comics not so different from the comfort food that many fans expect and demand. That is not an easy task, particularly when DC and Marvel are also subject to whims and needs of their corporate parent companies, who view them as little more than IP farms and have little to no respect for the medium.

[BohemiaDrinker]

However, when DC's sales started to decline amidst consistent complaints from fans that DC had lost its connection to its past history following the New 52 reboot, they directly addressed those problems.

That was during a very particular editorial moment, though.

And the second everything went somehow back at how it was up there, there comes the same crap again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Bored at 3:00AM]

That was during a very particular editorial moment, though.

And the second everything went somehow back at how it was up there, there comes the same crap again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Depends on what you think "the same crap" is. If you are talking about the very Identity Crisis-esque Heroes in Crisis, I think the success of Rebirth is what gave DC editorial the confidence to try darker storytelling again after their relatively brighter and more optimistic tone of the past few years. Despite its many faults and its controversial reputation, Identity Crisis sold very well and garnered a lot of positive reactions, so I can see why DC would want to continue to experiment with different tones and styles.

I respect that these kinds of stories aren't for everyone and when they are done badly, they are reaaaaally bad like the infamously terrible Cry for Justice. Thus far, I am cautiously optimistic that DC's latest attempts to diversify their line will have more hits than misses, but you never know. Like I said, it's impossible to please everyone. Dedicated fandoms like ours are a notoriously grumpy and dissatisfied bunch. Try one thing and you piss off one group. Try another and you end up pissing off an entirely different group. The only option is to try your best to create comics that excite you and hope that enough people agree with you.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Depends on what you think "the same crap" is. If you are talking about the very Identity Crisis-esque Heroes in Crisis, I think the success of Rebirth is what gave DC editorial the confidence to try darker storytelling again after their relatively brighter and more optimistic tone of the past few years.

You're being too much of an optimist. As soon as some of the people who had their hands taken off the decision making got back into it, we've got dead Wally and Ric Grayson and amateur Titans etc. The configuration of the DCU sucks yet again, and ut has a signature.

That's pretty much the same old crap. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯