PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[Vordan]

Push comes to shove I expect they’ll relaunch Superman with PKJ on the title and hand Action off to someone else. For now at least it seems the head editor of the Superbooks is happy with the way things are.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Push comes to shove I expect they’ll relaunch Superman with PKJ on the title and hand Action off to someone else. For now at least it seems the head editor of the Superbooks is happy with the way things are.

I think the game has completely changed in regards to the importance of monthly sales. That's just one metric for how DC determines whether a comic is successful.

Currently, PKJ's Action is keeping the majority of the hardcore fans happy while Jon has the main stage, but also keeping that sweet, sweet IP farm chugging along with stories and characters that outside media can adapt, which is really what the comics are being created for.

[Vordan]

I think the game has completely changed in regards to the importance of monthly sales. That's just one metric for how DC determines whether a comic is successful.

Currently, PKJ's Action is keeping the majority of the hardcore fans happy while Jon has the main stage, but also keeping that sweet, sweet IP farm chugging along with stories and characters that outside media can adapt, which is really what the comics are being created for.

They’re not entirely unimportant, see Aquamen getting cancelled for proof, but I certainly think that what PKJ is doing is providing some great material for adaption elsewhere. The Warworld Saga would make for a great Superman movie or video game, hopefully the powers that be recognize the potential in what he’s doing and let him flesh out Superman’s Rogues and the corners of his Mythos that have desperately needed fleshing out.

[Zagre]

Push comes to shove I expect they’ll relaunch Superman with PKJ on the title and hand Action off to someone else. For now at least it seems the head editor of the Superbooks is happy with the way things are.

Hopefully you're right. I'd hate to lose what's to me the best Superman book right now (and one of the better ones we've had in the last few years).

[Matt Rat]

I'm not in the pro-PKJ camp, I'd rather have change. This run just isn't for me.

[HsssH]

Well would be weird if new editor came out and said "Current stories that we are publishing? Pointless crap, but keep buying" so I wouldn't pay too much attention about what he said in those tweets.

As for sales, they probably still want these books to at least break even.

[Matt Rat]

Well would be weird if new editor came out and said "Current stories that we are publishing? Pointless crap, but keep buying"

And the thing is, the marketing has already betrayed him on that, as that's kind of been the message they've been sending since Dark Crisis was announced. There's no stakes in what PKJ is telling at all because we know Clark will be fine until that event takes place further along in the future, and even then, the Dark Crisis tie-in with Jon suggests Clark will just be spending time in an 'ideal' world and will presumably get out then too.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

They’re not entirely unimportant, see Aquamen getting cancelled for proof, but I certainly think that what PKJ is doing is providing some great material for adaption elsewhere. The Warworld Saga would make for a great Superman movie or video game, hopefully the powers that be recognize the potential in what he’s doing and let him flesh out Superman’s Rogues and the corners of his Mythos that have desperately needed fleshing out.

Agreed, like I said, sales on monthly issues are just one metric in determining success. However, if you have a series like Aquamen that can't even generate enough excitement to get decent sales on its first issue, then, yes, put it out of its misery.

[Robanker]

They’re not entirely unimportant, see Aquamen getting cancelled for proof, but I certainly think that what PKJ is doing is providing some great material for adaption elsewhere. The Warworld Saga would make for a great Superman movie or video game, hopefully the powers that be recognize the potential in what he’s doing and let him flesh out Superman’s Rogues and the corners of his Mythos that have desperately needed fleshing out.

I've been so busy moving I must have missed that news. Aquamen got the axe? Damn!

But yeah, this is ripe for adaption and exactly what I was thinking for a Superman video game that isn't a visual novel like the Telltale games.

[HsssH]

I've been so busy moving I must have missed that news. Aquamen got the axe? Damn!

I think it is not official yet, but people with sources are hinting at it.

[Robanker]

I think it is not official yet, but people with sources are hinting at it.

Well that's one way to make a splash.








I'll be here all week. spoilers:

More than we can say about Aquamen, I suppose.

end of spoilers

[Vordan]

Well would be weird if new editor came out and said "Current stories that we are publishing? Pointless crap, but keep buying" so I wouldn't pay too much attention about what he said in those tweets.

As for sales, they probably still want these books to at least break even.

True, but PKJ has indicated that he’s already working on the plans for what comes after the Warworld Saga so I think for now we can take Kaminski at his word that DC is happy with the current regime.

And the thing is, the marketing has already betrayed him on that, as that's kind of been the message they've been sending since Dark Crisis was announced. There's no stakes in what PKJ is telling at all because we know Clark will be fine until that event takes place further along in the future, and even then, the Dark Crisis tie-in with Jon suggests Clark will just be spending time in an 'ideal' world and will presumably get out then too.

That’s… always the case though? Superman already died and came back multiple times, if you’re reading his books to see if this time the villain will kill him and that will be the end of Superman, you’re wasting your time. In the end he will always win. What makes the current story interesting for me is how he comes back after suffering such a crippling loss, what will happen to Mongul, what will be the final fate of the other Authority members, what are the secrets of Warworld and Genesis that PKJ has been building up, and how will this affect the status quo going forward for his run. I like PKJ’s voice for Superman but I’m mostly enjoying his run for how he’s building Mongul up to be a legit threat again after years of jobbing, and how he’s making Warworld feel like a viable setting for more stories going forward.

[Ascended]

Even if the current powers that be are aware of the perception of the IP, how much can they afford to let it slide in hopes that they're restoring brand reputation and pedigree?

In the case of a IP like Superman, I think as long as the attrition is within the standard industry drop, you're fine. I wouldn't expect a better attrition rate for this franchise, not given the state it's in. Three years down the road, after putting in the effort to improve the title's reputation and sales? Expect better by then maybe, but definitely not now.

I think what really matters at this point are reviews. If a book is getting crazy good reviews but only pulling average/moderate sales, then you're just dealing with a lowkey sleeper hit...not unlike the triangle era, which people called the hidden gem of early 90's DC. If you have that going for you (and we seem to right now), then you have room to grow the audience.

There's standard marketing/advertising options to increase the books' profiles, but the best option is probably word of mouth online marketing. Cheap, fast, efficient, it's *the* best strategy around. See if you can get some influencers talking about the book. Who's that redhead twitch streamer? Amoranth or something? The pretty one who bought a gas station or something stupid. She seems to be the Felicia Day of her generation; the nerdy hot chick nerdy guys all have a small crush on. Get her to talk about Action during one of her streams and you might not have to do anything else.

Of course, the problem with anything you do is that it's gonna be hard to reach all the way down to the LCS level. That's a whole mountain of issues and challenges all on its own.

I want them to work on raising Clark's profile again, but I've learned that the comic industry is largely about three month windows and I don't much expect them to ever think longterm anymore.

And that mindset is the biggest reason the market is in the position it's in now. It was never a growth market, never intended or designed to be (you don't make your product harder to find, and expect to move more units). If the Big 2 had tackled the problems of the direct market twenty, maybe even ten years ago, maybe something could have been done to fix things. But now I think we might be past the point of no return. The direct market isn't gonna die immediately, the sky isn't truly falling yet...but I'm not sure if there's much that can be done to change the trajectory we're on and expand the readership. Hell, publishers can't even get the audience they still have to try new books and characters, much less bring brand new people into the LCS.

I'm surprised the Future State characters even got here; I'd have expected them to debut in YA OGN's. Much stronger, friendlier market there. But maybe AT&T wanted the "authenticity" of the LCS so the new faces would seem legit, rather than, say, Starfire's daughter from that "I'm Not Starfire" book?

Also: Aquamen is cancelled? No! Has issue 2 even come out yet???

I don't ever want to hear anyone talk about media synergy again. Those of us who actually look into it know that "synergy" only actually exists for a rare handful while most of the time success in larger media does nothing for comics. But if Aquaman and his billion dollar movie success can't even get a book to last three issues before getting cut.....yeah, nobody talk to me about synergy again!

[Last Son of Krypton]

DC Comics Writers Had Rewrites Over The Death Of The Justice League

One of the notable aspects of Justice League #75, featuring the death of the Justice League, was that it was meant to be set in the near future so that individual Justice League character books could continue with a) the lead character still alive and b) everyone else not having to react to the news that the Justice League were dead.

However, I'm told that this could only go so far. Gossip coming out of Fan Expo Philadelphia is that creative teams were informed that they were going to have to deal with their lead characters being dead after all. It came as a bit of a surprise to many who found themselves having to rewrite their comic books on the fly. Especially if their character had recently died and already been revived…

It's not the first time DC Comics has done this, during Death Metal, with 5G about to hit, creative teams were told to prepare to suddenly age their characters to fit the new timeline, at some yet-to-be-determined point. Of course, that then didn't happen. This one is…

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dc-c...ustice-league/

Watch this dumb event derailing our favorite book.

[SJNeal]

Ugh, so unnecessary.

Continuity has been so loose in recent years anyway, it's not like an editors blurb stating "These events occur before/after..." in a few books couldn't have easily avoided rewrites.