Is DC struggling to sell comics?

[Celgress]

I think the issue is how do you make sure you get a PEICE of that 30% increase beyond BATMAN.

Also I think the frustration for DC fans is we get told "you can do a book starring (BLANK mainly POC) because it won't sell. So here is YET another Batman book."

Meanwhile Marvel says "hold my beer and here you go." Moon Girl went 47 issues. Squirrel Girl went 50. Ms Marvel went 70+ in 4 years. Miles is looking at 100 in 2022. Gwenpool went 36 issues-30 issues too long.
Now add in Boom Studios with Batman's current writer.

DC fans are not asking for 12 issues and a ton of ongoings. 3-4-6 issue minis or one shots or OGNs (which they are trying now) will do. Marvel's TRASH can get shots before some of DC's royalty like JSA.

Your post reminds me of this famous Star Wars scene - "We'll never get it out now. It's impossible!" "That is why you fail"

[Goldrake]

Jim Lee already explained how this was going to work. It will not be everything all at once, instead things would roll out over the course of the year.

The idea is not just to take two months to give artists a head start or line everything up to come out the same month. They want to release titles staggered apart and they want those titles to be things that feel like there is a reason to come out and not just because they have always done those titles or need X number of books or to check off some criteria.

Lee also said that they gonna have a smaller line. They have reduced the number of editors and staff. It all makes sense, besides Some editors on twitter pointed out it was all sales related, Titles that underperformed will not get ongoings.

[Godlike13]

What I think they tried to ellaborate is that most fans thought DC would launch titles like JSA, Titans or other B-List heroes related. But instead, DC just launched more titles that had related with Bat-books.

By using Cass Cain as an example?

[HsssH]

This.

Based just on their properties and longevity, they should always be neck-and-neck with Marvel, even surpassing them now and then. There's no reason they should always be a distant 2nd.

But historically, DC can't get its sh*t together - be it comics, movies, merchandise, etc - and it doesn't look like that's about to change anytime in the foreseeable future...

Wasn't New 52 in first 6-10 months outselling everything Marvel did? I vaguely remember jokes about Aquaman selling better than every Marvel book.

[The Darknight Detective]

Wasn't New 52 in first 6-10 months outselling everything Marvel did? I vaguely remember jokes about Aquaman selling better than every Marvel book.

That did happen, but it never lasts that long, unfortunately.

[Aahz]

Also I think the frustration for DC fans is we get told "you can do a book starring (BLANK mainly POC) because it won't sell. So here is YET another Batman book."

Meanwhile Marvel says "hold my beer and here you go." Moon Girl went 47 issues. Squirrel Girl went 50. Ms Marvel went 70+ in 4 years. Miles is looking at 100 in 2022. Gwenpool went 36 issues-30 issues too long

At least if we are talking about the difference between Comichron Sales Numbers of DC vs. the ones of Marvel, it is pretty save to say that Moon Girl, Squirrel Girl and Ms Marvel are here not a deciding factor.
The books might do well at other markets, but their sales via Diamond a pretty low (and while all the additional Batman books do usually quite well).

[Pinsir]

I could be wrong, but isn't DC Comics a larger publisher than Marvel? Not because of their comics, but their graphic novels and other publishing ventures. I also think its one of the larger publishing houses in North America.

[RJT]

guys we have been making suppositions that some new titles would come out in April, they didn't, now we are starting to say May or June. Come next month we will assume that it will be July. We have no evidence they are even planning anything. .

Except the April solicits did have new titles. And creators like Josh Williamson and Scott Snyder have said they have projects coming up that haven't been announced yet. So there's more evidence to support Jim Lee's "we're doing a slow roll out" than there is to refute it.

[Goldrake]

Except the April solicits did have new titles. And creators like Josh Williamson and Scott Snyder have said they have projects coming up that haven't been announced yet. So there's more evidence to support Jim Lee's "we're doing a slow roll out" than there is to refute it.

Those writers won't be on books fans are hoping, don't expect synder for example on a Green Arrow book. The new titles in April again aren't what fans hoped for, we all Knew about Green Lantern.
Eventually some books will replace others, Swamp will last ten months, once over it will be replaced by another book.
Lee spoke in summer, since then things have changed alot in DC, lots on layoffs and soon there will be a third wave of layoffs. They don't have enough editors for a bigger line of publishing and also to cut losses or increase profits all books that performed badly have been canceled.

[RJT]

Those writers won't be on books fans are hoping, don't expect synder for example on a Green Arrow book. The new titles in April again aren't what fans hoped for, we all Knew about Green Lantern.
Eventually some books will replace others, Swamp will last ten months, once over it will be replaced by another book.
Lee spoke in summer, since then things have changed alot in DC, lots on layoffs and soon there will be a third wave of layoffs. They don't have enough editors for a bigger line of publishing and also to cut losses or increase profits all books that performed badly have been canceled.

It's not DC's fault if fans have built up an imaginary line of books and creators in their heads--if the argument is that fans aren't excited about DC's publishing slate, make that argument. Saying that they aren't going to be adding new titles beyond the ones announced for March is not true. Lee has said they are building the line back up slowly, not all at once, and the fact that new books were announced for April and that creators like Bendis, Snyder, and Williamson have all said they have other titles coming out both support Lee's statement.

[LAWtoyoto 432]

How strange DC kept getting layoff the editor and staffs while in Marvel , nothing had happen so far in the industry except furlough the staff.

[Robanker]

How strange DC kept getting layoff the editor and staffs while in Marvel , nothing had happen so far in the industry except furlough the staff.

Marvel's parent company didn't just absorb another mega corporation and accumulate up to $100B in debt. Let's not pretend that DC's current state of losing employees has anything to do with either Marvel or DC. This is entirely about AT&T slashing costs to save money so they can apparently give it to Zack Snyder or something.

[RachelGrey]

Marvel's parent company didn't just absorb another mega corporation and accumulate up to $100B in debt. Let's not pretend that DC's current state of losing employees has anything to do with either Marvel or DC. This is entirely about AT&T slashing costs to save money so they can apparently give it to Zack Snyder or something.

I think Disney/Marvel knows that comics aren't super profitable, however, comics turned into TV Shows and Movies are like gold to Disney/Marvel right now, they make such insane profits from these movies that it justifies keeping the creative wheels turning at Marvel Comics to generate future story and character IP that they can transition to TV and Movies at a future date. They found a way to make comic books profitable by making super hero movies that appeal to large audiences.

Now with the pandemic giving Disney+ a massive boost, and they are planning to include Star+ outside of the US for more adult content which allows them to make darker Marvel properties and release them on Star+ where parental controls can be used.

DC kind of messed up at first with DC Universe, but they realized their mistake and are refocusing on HBO Max where they can unify all WB content in one location. This is actually not a bad move, but it did piss off all the people who subscribed to DC Universe.

It's funny though how Hulu (International Star+) and HBO Max both suffer from international release problems because of licensing deals with outside products. That's why Disney isn't going to include properties outside their IP on Star+ because that was the reason they couldn't broadcast Hulu outside the US. HBO Max suffers from the same licensing deal issues where it is difficult to release it in international markets because of how many licensing deals that AT&T and WB have with cable companies scattered all over the world. It was the same reason that DC Universe never existed outside the US.

In Canada all the HBO Max series and DC Universe series are scattered across Crave and Netflix because there was no other way to distribute those shows in Canada. Crave charges an arm and a leg for HBO content, but they have exclusive deals. Some of the mass media content that WB wants more people to see, they release on Netflix in Canada.

I guess this is one of the issues, Disney is willing to do whatever it takes to unify their media presence world wide, WB/AT&T are still more focused on the US market than they are on the world wide market, and they have tied themselves up in so many world wide licensing deals that it actually impacts their profitability.

How does this impact comics, it impacts how the two companies see comics. Disney/Marvel see comic books as a profitable creative resource for all of their other media. They now control Disney, Marvel, Alien and Predator, Star Wars, and probably other properties. They don't care if the comics make that much money because they actually make decent money selling trades for the kid friendly series like Ms Marvel, Miles Morales, and Spider-Gwen, and they make good money on the other trades and omnibus' that they release. They are even learning from DC's experiments in children's literature to do the same at Marvel and create a line of scholars books that uses their superhero IP and Disney characters to generate books for kids.

[the COMET]

I could be wrong, but isn't DC Comics a larger publisher than Marvel? Not because of their comics, but their graphic novels and other publishing ventures. I also think its one of the larger publishing houses in North America.

Yes, i've noticed for some time now that there's a tedency here for saying that Marvel outsells DC, always did and always will. Not to mention inumerous threads titles like "Why DC can't be like Marvel?". "Why Marvel is so much better than DC?". "Why Marvel is so great and DC so bad?". And so on..
A lie told a million times becames the truth, some say.

I know there are statistics sites that compute comics sales, but they seem to be US sales only and no garantee that's not rigged. I wouldn't be surprised if Marvel bought a lot of their own comics to pretend they are outselling DC.

[Goldrake]

Yes, i've noticed for some time now that there's a tedency here for saying that Marvel outsells DC, always did and always will. Not to mention inumerous threads titles like "Why DC can't be like Marvel?". "Why Marvel is so much better than DC?". "Why Marvel is so great and DC so bad?". And so on..
A lie told a million times becames the truth, some say.

I know there are statistics sites that compute comics sales, but they seem to be US sales only and no garantee that's not rigged. I wouldn't be surprised if Marvel bought a lot of their own comics to pretend they are outselling DC.

I am a staunch DC fan, but having lived abroad for work(various european countries) situation is even worse for DC. Go into most comic shops you will find 60%Marvel 40% DC and I am being generous in these numbers. Comics arrive late even months after. Marvel is all over when it comes to merchandise and hardly any DC. They are light years ahead not just in comics. Even when DC movies come out they hardly put merchandise for these movies and when they do, its small stuff. Once I asked a comic shop owner about that, the answer was that they get some demand but supply is few and usually takes time to arrive, by then customers lose interest.