Should DC just sell WildStorm to another company?

[Hybrid]

You know what the definition of wasted potential is? I think WildStorm is a pretty good candidate for that.

The universe, created by Jim Lee, was initially published through Image, and during the '90s era had produced some quality comics that remain fan-favorites to this day. When it was bought by DC, it should've been good for the brand as a whole, having the power to launch it into the stratosphere. In reality, DC has treated WildStorm as if it were the redheaded stepchild of the family, basically neglected and downplayed as much as possible. Many suspect they only bought WildStorm to get Jim Lee, as well as all the other talent associated with it. That's not an unfounded theory.

After twenty years, the universe has yet to reach its potential. There's no talk of any movies, animation, video games, or more integration in general, and the biggest "bone" the universe was throne was them bringing it back as a comic book series after it was discontinued. Don't even get me started on how bad it went when they tried to put WildStorm character in the Nu52 DCU.

I feel like if literally any other company had this on their hands, they would've used WildStorm on a level it could've been. But since this is DC, they'll always put their homegrown brands first and foremost, and honestly it'd be unrealistic to expect them to invest too much time and money in an acquired imprint rather than their own stuff.

So that brings me to my point:

Should DC just sell WildStorm to another company?

I think someone like Netflix would jump at the chance to buy WildStorm, because with both Disney and Warner Bros. leaving them this year, they'll have a noticeable void in original superhero content. Hell, they bought Rob Liefeld's Extreme Universe in preparation for it (I expect they'll basically be Deadpool clones). They bought Millarworld to both get into comics and have material to adapt, so it's definitely something they're doing. If I saw on the news "Netflix buys WildStorm from DC", I'd be happy because then they might actually get use.

Or really, anyone. Because anyone but DC would make better use of the WildStorm Universe, because they don't have a plethora of homegrown A-list superheroes on their hands.

What do you think?

[numberthirty]

I think that you have not read The Wild Storm.

[Hybrid]

Did you read the full post?

[numberthirty]

Did you read the full post?

Yes.

If you think that it is not reaching it's potential, I disagree completely.

The Wild Storm is easily worth everything you mention. Don't care if one bit of it happens.

Never mind that I disagree with how you framed DC's treatment of the IP.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

DC doesn't know what to do with Wildstorm, and I don't think Jim Lee knows either.

I don't see any real evidence that Jim Lee has thought too much about Wildstorm for years, and I doubt he cares. He has a great job at DC being co-head honcho with Dan DiDio, and it seems like he's happy with that.

If Jim Lee were willing to let DC sell WildStorm, but he himself would stay with DC, I think DC would go for that in a second. However, if DC did sell WS, I do agree that Netflix or Amazon or some media company who wants to get into comics IP so they could turn it into movies/TV should buy it.

In other words, I don't think another comics company should buy it unless they're willing to create a full line of comics from it, not just one title.

If Marvel somehow bought WS, it would languish there just as it did with DC because Marvel has plenty of its own IP to devote resources to. Remember, Marvel owns both CrossGen and Malibu, and they threat them even worse than DC does WildStorm.

If a media company wouldn't buy WS, maybe DC could work out a licensing deal with Dark Horse. Dark Horse is one of the Premier Publishers, so it has the infrastructure to handle WS, and at the same time, they've lost several key licenses in the last few years, so they could use a recognizable property with a built-in audience.

[ed2962]

Why would DC even want to sell Wildstorm? It would only create more competition for DC/Warner Bros.

[Panic]

The Wild Storm is really good. DC put Warren Ellis on the book, that's hardly treating it like the proverbial redheaded stepchild.

[MajorHoy]

Why would DC even want to sell Wildstorm? It would only create more competition for DC/Warner Bros.

Wait . . . how can you be a real comic book fan if you think logically?!?

[Hybrid]

How would WildStorm "compete" with DC? They'd get a good payday for selling it, and it'd be a brand that doesn't compete directly with them as it isn't Marvel.

[Bruce Wayne]

Because superheroes are DC's bread and butter. And more superheroes from other companies means less money for DC. It's actually very simple.

Not to mention that WB is using DC as a cheap IP farm and would chew them out for selling properties that could be made into movies.

[Lee Stone]

There's as much chance that DC would sell Wildstorm as there is that Marvel would sell Crossgen or Malibu.

[MRP]

How would WildStorm "compete" with DC? They'd get a good payday for selling it, and it'd be a brand that doesn't compete directly with them as it isn't Marvel.

Because there is limited shelf space in most comic shops and dollars available from retailers to buy new titles. If something else takes up those dollars and shelf space, something else isn't getting bought and displayed for sale. It's part of the reason Marvel and DC put out so many titles, to squeeze competition off the shelves and limit dollars available for retailers to buy other products. It's why market share matters so much to the heads of each company (more so than how any individual title is selling). Anything that might potentially get those dollars and shelf space is competition. The payday they would get would be a drop in the bucket really, and would hardly qualify as good, especially when you consider the scope and scale of what Warner (who would be selling not DC) gets when selling off other media brands. Of sold to another media company (like Netflix or Amazon for instance) who would try to exploit it in other media forms for their streaming services, it would then compete for subscribers for DC newly launched streaming service as well (and that competition is for a far more lucrative market than publishing comics is).

The truth is that the comic market of the last 10-15 years has not produced a customer base that has supported the Wildstom line with enough of a sales base to do much more with it than they have. If Wildstorm books moved more units, it would get more titles or a full line. Wildstom was very much a product of its time and times have changed. Attempt to update the line (or integrate into the DCU as a whole) have largely not succeeded in moving enough units with the current comic customer base. There have been some quality comics produced (the Ellis books that folks have mentioned) but nothing that has set the sales numbers on fire. The current direct market for periodical comics is a small niche market and no one is going to trot out products that have continuously shown a lackluster sales record for over a decade. People like to believe "if you build it, they will come" will happen in the market for their favorite properties, but time and again we see that buying habits of the current customer base are regressive and resistant to change. Sure there are exceptions, but for the most part the vast majority of the dollars available in the current market are tied up with traditional best sellers and event style books with little room for anything else. None of the attempts with Wildstorm have found an audience, so a company is not going to continue to throw money at it when it hasn't worked in the market. This is the reality of the direct market in the 21st century.

Then there is the whole matter of opportunity cost-if you put talent on books and take up editorial workload for books that don't sell well, you are taking it away from books that might...which works against properties that haven't had a solid sales record in some time, especially when you look at how slow the buying habits of your customer base change and their reluctance to switch their dollars from the traditional sellers to other books. The market right now is essentially a zero sum game, if dollars go to something new, they are taken away form something else already in the market, it's not a growth market where new products bring new dollars to the pie to make it bigger, new products just re-slice the pie and potentially make other pieces smaller.

So there are a lot of factors why Wildstorm is only getting the Warren Ellis book and its spin-off than just DC hates or neglects Wildstorm.

-M

[Elmo]

to put it short a lot of people aren't feeling those characters anymore and I guess they just aren't bankable at the moment
The Wild Storm is freaking great though I would love to see a gritty adult cartoon based on it

[Killerbee911]

How would WildStorm "compete" with DC? They'd get a good payday for selling it, and it'd be a brand that doesn't compete directly with them as it isn't Marvel.

How would Wildstorm compete with DC? Zealot is Wonder Woman, Mr Majestic and Apollo are Superman, Midnighter is Batman, The Authority is Justice League. Half of the reason Wildstorm didn't work in DC is because their heroes competed for the same slots as top DC heroes. It makes no sense to let Wildstorm out and compete with DC and yeah a good relaunch of Wildstorm would compete with DC and Marvel it is probably only publisher other than Valiant that has been consistent to be honest they have the material to compete if properly backed.

You really think Sony or Universal couldn't use the Wildstorm brand instantly make it contender to DC? Yeah that is smart move let go of a property that potential and even worse property has potential to kick you in the nuts. Imagine if Wildstorm was running free right now and they fast track a good Majestic movie or good Midnighter movie. DC fans like to have the ego that Icons always stay Icons forgetting that Captain Marvel use to do better than Superman. It never cross people minds that you can improve on the formula and beat the original product at times. And Wildstorm has been very good at putting out modern interpretations of superhero tales. Note I am not saying it is guarantee to happen just the possibility it could happen and in letting go of something DC has to ask what happens if Wildstorm does very well?

[Ascended]

So there are a lot of factors why Wildstorm is only getting the Warren Ellis book and its spin-off than just DC hates or neglects Wildstorm.

-M

Thank you. I didn't want to have to explain it.

It's often good business to keep control of IP's even if you're not using them at all. Better to have a IP and not use it, than have that IP used against you.