Layoffs at DC?

[dornwolf]

Yeah. This thing is really common with companies of the established fanbase.

In anime land, when Kyoto Animation who usually churns out anime series starring cute girls for years... meaning they've built up a steady audience of horny boys... suddenly advertised they're gonna make an anime starring shirtless swimming pretty boys, the backlash from their horny boy's crowds were massive, and the shouting was the same
"nobody will buy this"
"why waste time and energy on this make the usual instead"
"I'm done"
That didn't stop them, because they know, and proven right because guess what, shirtless swimming boys anime turned to be a huge hit among girls and gays.

In anime those shouting is even more stupid because anime, in general, has a huge and varied audience, it's just that particular company has only been making cute girls anime that there's a fan backlash.

Marvel was like that too right when they started more openly targeting girls? Ms. Marvel, Moon Girl, Jane Thor, etc... anything with an established fanbase, be it comics, games, D&D, when they try something not usual there's always someone shouting.

Right now there's a protest over the use of Combat Wheelchair in D&D because somehow some fans don't understand that D&D with dragons and magic can also have a magic wheelchair.

Sorry getting OOT, but I'm in the mood of ranting about stupidity. I'm done ^^

Wait hold up people are arguing about including a magic wheel chair in dungeons and dragons. Seriously?

[vasir12]

Wait hold up people are arguing about including a magic wheel chair in dungeons and dragons. Seriously?

It was the dumbest thing ever. People don't know how to mind their business these days.

[superduperman]

I don't play D&D but my understanding is that you can pretty much make up your own rules, right?

[Doctor Kent Nelson]

I would gladly live with a comic market that dwarfed the market I grew up with even if it meant none of the characters I cherished were written for me. The notion that the industry is too fixated on how to squeeze more money out of me before I die is baffling, except I guess for the fact that the people making these decisions are just worried about keeping their jobs long enough to retire before I do.

The tradition should be about creativity and moving forward. I can be pretty sure that DC will never write a Dr Fate book that lives up to whatever your peak period is anyway.

Not necessarily, whether it's Batman 1940, Batman 1980 or Batman today, it's Bruce Wayne... the formula is simple and as it should be with Dr Fate.

[vasir12]

I don't play D&D but my understanding is that you can pretty much make up your own rules, right?

Yep. That's the most baffling part of it. Anything you want is considered "canon"

But to stay on topic, pretty much everyone can see that the current formula for comics is broken, but no one can give a definitive answer on how to fix it. There are three or four different ways in the past couple pages in this thread alone.

I think both AT&T/WB and DC see this but have been just as unsure as anyone. Right now, this move is reactive to ease their financial burden as fast as possible, but the reports I've been reading on it tell me they still might not be sure how to make it profitable just yet.

A wider reach is a nice idea but it's easier said than done.

[Ascended]

There is no DC logo anywhere on new editions of preacher - not even the words DC on blurb on the back from new printings of trades im looking at online

Hey, there we go, something to distinguish Preacher from Flash. See, we don't need imprints!

And in the interest of not offending our fellow posters I'll keep my opinions about christianity to myself.

Wait hold up people are arguing about including a magic wheel chair in dungeons and dragons. Seriously?

That was my thought.

One of my last campaigns, we had a flying vardo (a little house-like wagon on wheels) that had interdimensional spaces for extra rooms, an armory and full kitchen, and moved under its own power instead of being pulled by horses. And people are complaining about a wheel chair? People draw the weirdest lines in the sand.

[Doctor Kent Nelson]

DC catered to much to 'long-term fans' and that stagnated their brand.

And where does Batman fit into this ideology?

[Ilan Preskovsky]

It's not one woman, but two that seems to be taking over the role of publishers: Marie Javins and Michele Wells. And I believe you are doing both of them a disservice. Javins has 30 years of experience working with both Marvel and DC. Wells came from a more traditional book publishing, but she helped make DC Young into DC's most novel and creative line. Catwoman: Under the Moon, The Oracle Code, The Shadow of the Batgirl, and Raven were all far from "inoffensive", and I'd say they were more mature in their themes than most of DC's regular output.

And Vertigo is long dead, and arguably had been dead for a long time before the shambling corpse was put out of its misery. I doubt Javins has much to do with those decisions, and Wells most definitely did not.

Oh sorry, this is why I should have looked up her name. I know that Javins are both highly respected in their field and I'm very glad they're both sticking around. Pam Lifford is who I was referring to.

Let me quote Heidi MacDonald in her article on the matter at the Beat:

• And of course the biggest question of all…what does Pam Lifford want? I’m told the decisions on how to reshape DC were all hers to make. And the book on Lifford is that she’s more of a toy/licensing person than a publishing person. All of her most significant moves to date have been regarding branding of the characters with an eye to pajamas, lunch boxes and so on. Will John Stankey, Jason Killar and Ann Sarnoff continue to see comic books as very cheap R&D and keep the comics line healthy?

Also this:

• Black Label is likely being phased out. The removal of editors Mark Doyle and Andy Khouri, who headed up DC’s mature label effort, is a big flashing arrow at that conclusion. Announced projects such as the highly promoted Rorschach miniseries by Tom King and Jorge Fornes will continue, and Black Label will remain a “label” for collected editions. However, WM’s President, Global Brands, Franchises, and Experiences Pam Lifford, who oversees DC, is said to dislike the more mature approach to comics. And no, this isn’t just because of Batman’s full frontal back in the day.

[iron chimp]

Hey, there we go, something to distinguish Preacher from Flash. See, we don't need imprints!

And in the interest of not offending our fellow posters (who I respect) I'll keep my opinions about christianity to myself.



That was my thought.

One of my last campaigns, we had a flying vardo (a little house-like wagon on wheels) that had interdimensional spaces for extra rooms, an armory and full kitchen, and moved under its own power instead of being pulled by horses. And people are complaining about a wheel chair? People draw the weirdest lines in the sand.

Well yes if yr going to.pretend you dont even.publish it and pretend vertigo - whose logo is on it - is some 'other' company with nothing to do with dc.

Who the f publishes a critically acclaimed comic and 30 years later is too embarrassed to put their own name anywhere on it.

Thats how bad things are slipping away

[Frontier]

For what it's worth, many people's favorite years of comics were from when they were primarily still aimed at kids.

But a lot of seminal and iconic comics/runs came about when comics were starting to become geared towards older audiences.

[king81992]

And where does Batman fit into this ideology?

Batman is over exposed and relying too much on him played role in the current mess.The dumpster fire called Death Metal is proof of that.

[cranger]

Not necessarily, whether it's Batman 1940, Batman 1980 or Batman today, it's Bruce Wayne... the formula is simple and as it should be with Dr Fate.

Well, they did replace Batman not too long ago. And I am not saying you have to like a different Dr Fate or that they should even be changing anything about Dr Fate (I lean towards just making new characters), I am saying the market has to dictate these things and there is no market for Dr Fate right now so the character is unfortunately fair game.

[cranger]

Let me quote Heidi MacDonald in her article on the matter at the Beat:

Just my opinion, but some of these writer's are too caught up in their own narrative. Heidi comes across as a skilled writer but I find the near paraphrasing of Bleeding Cool articles to be quite suspect, that is not a differing opinion in any way, which is not surprising because there really is not anything newsworthy or public about these people they are speculating about.

[Vordan]

Simply put, “WarnerMedia doesn’t want to be in the comics business. It wants to be in the character business,” another source with knowledge of Warner Bros. operations tells me. That same source contends that the company may have no longer wanted DC and its comics to be the driving force behind entities that are so important to WB franchising and licensing goals. Moving forward, both sources believe comics will be just a small part of the necessary intellectual property maintenance needed to keep corporate cash cows like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman humming along.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dc-com...ayoffs-fallout

This is pretty much the worst case scenario. Batman will be fine, he’s got plenty of outside media versions that portray him well. But if you’re a character who hasn’t had a good outside media adaption in a while, like Green Lantern for example, what happens to you? We complain about movie synergy but this seems poised to take it to a whole new level. Plus what happens when the adaptions fail like Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies did? If that stuff is supposed to be what drives the IP, what then? Given how utterly incompetent WB has been in handling Superman for example, I have zero faith in them “driving” the character over a comics guy like Grant Morrison.

[cranger]

Hey, there we go, something to distinguish Preacher from Flash. See, we don't need imprints!

And in the interest of not offending our fellow posters I'll keep my opinions about christianity to myself.



That was my thought.

One of my last campaigns, we had a flying vardo (a little house-like wagon on wheels) that had interdimensional spaces for extra rooms, an armory and full kitchen, and moved under its own power instead of being pulled by horses. And people are complaining about a wheel chair? People draw the weirdest lines in the sand.

D&D players have complained about everything, the only reason this is a thing is because whatever Twitter drama just won't go away decided to latch onto this and duke it out over before they all move on and forget they even knew anything about it.