DC Comics Coming To Webtoon

[Jabare]

Considering DC isn't investing a big movie budget, taking a risk for a greater return is worth it. I'd argue you have the wrong idea here. Getting into another market is fine, but let's be honest, breaking into Webtoons is not hard. It isn't some complex foreign medium. DC Comics is first and foremost in the business of building brands and expanding their brands. Doing R&D so they can be more successful at other ventures, be it merchandising, film, tv, gaming. You name it.

Their competitor takes risks all the time on a variety of properties. Some pan out, while others do not. It's a smarter business play if you're trying to grow for the future. Not only is it R&D, but it's a look at another brand or franchise. Marvel does not lead with Spider-Man all the time despite him being their most popular hero.

The dangers of playing it safe aren't sudden, obvious, and dramatic. They don't make headlines. They develop slowly over time and are almost impossible to pinpoint. Not taking risk is a bigger risk. In this brisk-paced world, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking a risk. The cost of inaction is often higher than what we can imagine.

Look Kodak, almost going out of business for not embracing Digital.

Time goes fast. Nothing lasts forever. I'll always be in favor of seizing the day. Otherwise, someone else will take your lunch.

Look at: Blockbuster, Nokia, Xerox, Yahoo, Myspace, Macy's, Border's, Toys R Us, TiVo, etc., etc., etc.

"Playing it safe in business" is very rarely the best choice for long-term success.

The point being is you seize the day. DC might have missed an opportunity here. I'm not assuming DC is going to blow up all over Webtoons. That'd be great, I guess, but just like the DCEU, nothing is certain.


End of the day, it's just a difference of opinions. I'd rather be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk than Kay R. Whitmore.

[Vakanai]

Considering DC isn't investing a big movie budget taking a risk for a greater return is worth it.

Worth it why? What is the benefit here to DC to do someone else first here? There has to be something for them to gain. And no, telling the world "we have heroes besides Batman and Superman" isn't as worth it as you think. Again, this is just to start out with, not the whole thing. They can still take risks with the future titles, but there's no marked benefit to start off with one. Better to use a hero everyone knows and is popular, and then when they're hooked say "hey, like this? Check out these other DC Webtoons titles!" as a smart strategy.

I'd argue you have the wrong idea here. Getting into another market is fine, but let's be honest, breaking into Webtoons is not hard. It isn't some complex genre. DC Comics is first and foremost in the business of building brands and expanding their brands. Doing R&D so they can be more successful at other ventures, be it merchandising, film, tv, gaming. You name it.

Exactly! Problem is, as much as you hate it, just throwing a brand out in the wild like that is not the smartest or most effective way of expanding their brands. Instead of expanding one hero brand by throwing out some unknown hero who many will look over, getting them interested in the DC brand via the Bat-brand and then introducing the Plastic Man or Elongated Man brand is the more effective way for them to expand those brands.

Their competitor takes risks all the time on a variety of properties. Some pan out, while others do not. It's a smarter business play if you're trying to grow for the future. Not only is it R&D, but it's a look at another brand or franchise. Marvel does not lead with Spider-Man all the time despite him being their most popular hero.

No, no they don't. Marvel started with the brands they had that did well (of the ones they hadn't sold the rights too). The MCU didn't get kicked off with Captain Marvel or Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man. It started with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, the Avengers. The riskier titles came after. DC is doing exactly what their competitors did here. You say Marvel takes risk, ignoring that they didn't start off with their riskier characters but worked up to it (again, with the safest characters of those they had the film rights too).
The smarter play if you're trying to grow for the future is exactly what their competitor did - their most popular characters first and then expand out. That is what the R&D actually says. Says a lot that you mention how Marvel didn't start with Spider-Man all the time - that's because they literally couldn't. They didn't have the animation rights for a long time, they still technically don't have the film right and needed to partner with Sony who does have the rights. If Marvel could have, they would have started with Spider-Man. It killed them that they couldn't, but they didn't have the option and adapted. That's the truth. DC's not in Marvel's position, Sony doesn't have their "Spider-Man's" films and animation rights.

Marvel deserves credit for making a success out of what they had, but we can't act like they wouldn't have started the MCU with Spider-Man if it were an option for them, they would have.

The dangers of playing it safe aren't sudden, obvious, and dramatic. They don't make headlines. They develop slowly over time and are almost impossible to pinpoint. Not taking risk is a bigger risk. In this brisk-paced world, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking a risk. The cost of inaction is often higher than what we can imagine.

Yeah, considering how well Batman's Webtoons comic seems to be doing, I'd say there's no danger here. Also, they're not avoiding all risk, they're not guilty of inaction - so they didn't start with Vixen and Detective Chimp and Creeper - that doesn't mean at least one of them doesn't have a comic coming. You see the first comic isn't a hero you're interested in and you say DC won't take any risks despite there being plenty of other titles that will follow.

Look Kodak, almost going out of business for not embracing Digital.

DC is embracing Digital. And they're doing it in a way Marvel isn't. But you don't want to give DC credit for taking that risk cause Batman.

Time goes fast. Nothing lasts forever. I'll always be in favor of seizing the day. Otherwise, someone else will take your lunch.

And again - starting with Batman doesn't negate them taking further risks and introducing other heroes. Like Marvel starting with Iron Man through the Avengers, starting with the big names and branching out works.

Look at: Blockbuster, Nokia, Xerox, Yahoo, Myspace, Macy's, Border's, Toys R Us, TiVo, etc., etc., etc.

None of which are even remotely similar examples.

"Playing it safe in business" is very rarely the best choice for long-term success.

And taking unnecessary risks has ruined far more businesses than what you've named. It's harder to name them, because they usually fail with their risks early. But if you look, there's a lot of examples of risks taken and ending in failure. For you, it's cut and dry black and white right and wrong what you want and everything else - but it isn't that simple. Because it isn't now, nor almost ever, a case of risk vs no risk. There's a middle ground, the realm of managed risks, and the best companies follow that. Examples:
1. A risk - entering a new market.
2. A unnecessary risk - entering a new market with a wild card unknown product.
3. A managed risk - entering a new market with a proven safe product and then branching out with new and more unknown products over time.

DC is doing a managed risk. Managed risks pay off more often than wild risks.

The point being is you seize the day. DC might have missed an opportunity here. I'm not assuming DC is going to blow up all over Webtoons. That'd be great, I guess, but just like the DCEU, nothing is certain.

Agree and disagree - I think DC has demonstrably seized the day and that no opportunities were missed here. No obscure character was gonna blow up if they dropped first, but now that eyes are on DC on Webtoons, those characters have a better chance of people actually reading them now when they drop.

End of the day, it's just a difference of opinions. I'd rather be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk than Kay R. Whitmore.

Sure, you would. But Tim Cook's done a better job than Steve Jobs did. And DC, being a business, would rather be Tim Cook.

[Jabare]

So you seem to be stuck on this argument like it's an attack on Batman, which it isn't. At best, he's just the character used for the strategy here, which is a small part of what I'm saying but not the point I'm making.

Marvel was near bankruptcy. They had those original crappy VHS movies. Then Howard the Duck. Then Blade, Then Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four. Then the MCU. But beyond the films, they've had failures and successes in animation, video gaming merchandising, so and on so forth. You can't look back and say Marvel didn't take any risks.

And as much as you don't want to admit it. DC takes Risks too. All these companies do it. DC getting into Webtoons is a smart idea a long overdue Idea, which is why I've been the biggest advocate and strongest supporter of it. However, you're looking at this from a short-term standpoint. Like this is something DC can stick their finger in and let grow for 30 years. Despite your love for DC as this company that plays it safe. That is an ill-informed illusion. Their greatest success and innovations come from risks, and it's been demonstrated numerous times.

One, this isn't a risk despite you trying to paint it as one. It's a webtoon. Given how Naver and Line Webtoon are structured, DC has no cause for concern. Two DC just dipped their toes in here. They could have started with more than one comic. Three and back to my main point after reading the fourth comic (the first three were great), the thought that they are taking this more like a Sunday comic strip has started to set in, and they could have done something more than this.

Also, I think you're overlooking the timeframe this series has. We only have four freely released issues available, with another 3 to 5 more premium issues for purchase.

Tim Cook stands on the shoulders of what Steve Jobs built, and make no mistake, this man takes risks, which is why he makes the big bucks. You can't pinpoint a successful long-term CEO that doesn't take risks.

Your argument is you think I dislike Batman, which is completely false. I recognize what Batman has been to DC for decades. You can't argue against that. And then you bring up these other characters like Vixen or creeper I never mentioned like I'd want them instead. My point consistently is I think this is an opportunity to do even more. You fail to recognize that DC has taken risks with Batman and because of that he stands at the pinnacle of DC.

[J. D. Guy]

I love how CBR (the website) has an article that acts (or pretends to act) surprised that the Batman comic on Webtoons has eclipsed the views on the more standard floppy Batman DC fair.

That's not surprising at all; it's to have been expected. Digital and ease of access alone allows the courting of a wider audience not held back by the trappings of the direct market comic system. When you combine that with Webtoons being the popping website and platform that it is and has been growing into for a good long while by this point, alongside a comic who's cadence fits right into one of Webtoons popular genre draws, and it's no wonder it's getting readership numbers that surpass "more mainstream" stuff.

[Lal]

I love how CBR (the website) has an article that acts (or pretends to act) surprised that the Batman comic on Webtoons has eclipsed the views on the more standard floppy Batman DC fair.

That's not surprising at all; it's to have been expected. Digital and ease of access alone allows the courting of a wider audience not held back by the trappings of the direct market comic system. When you combine that with Webtoons being the popping website and platform that it is and has been growing into for a good long while by this point, alongside a comic who's cadence fits right into one of Webtoons popular genre draws, and it's no wonder it's getting readership numbers that surpass "more mainstream" stuff.

Well, Webtoons is also free. We don't know how many of the readers are paid costumers.

[Vakanai]

So you seem to be stuck on this argument like it's an attack on Batman, which it isn't. At best, he's just the character used for the strategy here, which is a small part of what I'm saying but not the point I'm making.

I am not - I admit I was beginning to suspect you were upset that one of the characters you like better wasn't first, but it didn't influence the direction of my responses.

Marvel was near bankruptcy. They had those original crappy VHS movies. Then Howard the Duck. Then Blade, Then Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four. Then the MCU. But beyond the films, they've had failures and successes in animation, video gaming merchandising, so and on so forth. You can't look back and say Marvel didn't take any risks.

I haven't. But they didn't take wild risks - like I said, there's this thing called managed risk as well as calculated risks. That's what Marvel's done, and though you don't want to see it that's what DC's done here.

And as much as you don't want to admit it. DC takes Risks too. All these companies do it. DC getting into Webtoons is a smart idea a long overdue Idea, which is why I've been the biggest advocate and strongest supporter of it. However, you're looking at this from a short-term standpoint. Like this is something DC can stick their finger in and let grow for 30 years. Despite your love for DC as this company that plays it safe. That is an ill-informed illusion. Their greatest success and innovations come from risks, and it's been demonstrated numerous times.

As much as I don't want to admit it? I've admitted several times that going into a new market like Webtoons is a risk. I said that. And they managed some of that risk by starting with a safe Batman and family slice of life comic. A calculated risk. That's a good thing. Also, I'm not under an ill-informed illusion - I am looking at this from a long-term standpoint, and I've been worried you've been thinking of this short term. You're focused so much on Batman making it first that you haven't once thought about the comics in the pipeline, the titles still coming.

I don't love DC because they play it safe. I know they take risks, and that often these risks pay off. But most of them, like Marvel, are calculated, managed risks. But they are still risks. You're the one who writes them off as having not taken a risk here - if they were playing it safe we wouldn't have this discussion, this deal with Webtoons was smart, needed, and a risk. As much as you wish to say it wasn't, this was a risk! And Batman doesn't negate that.

One, this isn't a risk despite you trying to paint it as one. It's a webtoon. Given how Naver and Line Webtoon are structured, DC has no cause for concern. Two DC just dipped their toes in here. They could have started with more than one comic. Three and back to my main point after reading the fourth comic (the first three were great), the thought that they are taking this more like a Sunday comic strip has started to set in, and they could have done something more than this.

It is - it's a risk for multiple reasons. Whenever they've tried to expand beyond the old traditional model there's been pushback. The Wal-Mart comics had comic book shops up in arms. Moving away from Diamond ditto. Even the digital comics site/app. Heck, even the Kids/YA lines have seen some of it. Every time they've done something like this they've annoyed the shops and had fans complain about it or speak of how it's a bad idea. Some of the fanbase are complaining now about this saying how they fear if this is popular and takes off it'll change their comics. Everything runs a risk of alienating the current base while possibly failing to expand successfully in other areas. Sure, they could've done more right away - but just because they didn't know doesn't mean they won't. You're very quick to damn them, thinking you understand what they plan and that this is just them dipping their toes in a treating it like a Sunday comic and that's all that'll come of this. You're arguing under your own subjective opinions on what this means and what comes next, but that has no bearing on reality. All I'm saying is wait and see.

I think you had the hope for more obscure characters, a wider array of titles at start, and I think you were hoping for a big epic narrative story and were especially disappointed that it was a cutesy slice of life with the family thing. So to you, DC failed to live up to your hopes and doesn't deserve the credit for what they've done. But they've done well here, they expanded their audience, they branched into another genre, they've introduced a ton of people to other characters in the Batfam they didn't know anything about, and they've largely managed to do so without getting the pushback from the fandom and distributors and shops that normally hassle them.

DC did good here. They did great. And they didn't play it 100% safe, even if you don't want to see the risks here because it wasn't what you wanted to see.

Also, I think you're overlooking the timeframe this series has. We only have four freely released issues available, with another 3 to 5 more premium issues for purchase.

I've not overlooked that. I don't know why you think I have? I'm actually looking forward to this (I haven't even read the free issues yet, kind of want to wait for ten or so to get free so I can read a good bit at once - I'm very excited though!).

Tim Cook stands on the shoulders of what Steve Jobs built, and make no mistake, this man takes risks, which is why he makes the big bucks. You can't pinpoint a successful long-term CEO that doesn't take risks.

Oh, I know he makes risks. Calculated, managed, but risks none-the-less. Just like DC has and does. Just like here. It's why I made the comparison.

Your argument is you think I dislike Batman, which is completely false. I recognize what Batman has been to DC for decades. You can't argue against that. And then you bring up these other characters like Vixen or creeper I never mentioned like I'd want them instead. My point consistently is I think this is an opportunity to do even more. You fail to recognize that DC has taken risks with Batman and because of that he stands at the pinnacle of DC.

You're wrong, that wasn't my argument. Certainly not the main thrust of it. My argument's been that this was a risk, that the most successful risks are calculated and managed risks, that you're being too hasty to make a judgement when there's still more comic titles coming, and that you're not giving DC the credit it deserves or the benefit of the doubt.

You're right, this is an opportunity to do even more - difference is I'm eagerly waiting to see what more is coming, and you're taking it that there isn't more and asking "This is it?"
This is an opportunity to do more - and DC is going to deliver. Step one isn't the final step.

Besides, DC and a lot of others are quite happy right now.

[oneveryfineday]

Well, Webtoons is also free. We don't know how many of the readers are paid costumers.

The secret to free content is that it’s not really “free” and websites can make money selling ad space and personal data, even from people who don’t bother signing up for accounts.

I’d say Webtoons has a great distribution model though. It’s like back in the ol’ days when comics were mass-produced, easily accessible, and sold for dimes.

[Vakanai]

The secret to free content is that it’s not really “free” and websites can make money selling ad space and personal data, even from people who don’t bother signing up for accounts.

I’d say Webtoons has a great distribution model though. It’s like back in the ol’ days when comics were mass-produced, easily accessible, and sold for dimes.

To be fair, dimes were worth more then. Gotta love inflation.

[SuperX]

How hard would it be to make regular comic issues into webtoons?

[oneveryfineday]

How hard would it be to make regular comic issues into webtoons?

It’s not impossible. Some of Marvel’s “infinity comics” at their launch were old comics reformatted into vertical scroll. Back in May DC also launched vertically-reformatted versions of JL, Superman, Batman and WW, but then unlaunched it. I think those reformatted comics will eventually show up on Webtoons though.

[Factor]

It will be interesting to see which strategy has a bigger payoff in the long term.
Marvel's strategy of boosting their own app with new vertical content.
Or DC's strategy of launching vertical content through Webtoon.

I think both have pros and cons.
Marvel's app is way better than DC's (plus it's actually available outside the US).
But DC has the opportunity to reach a new audience that wouldn't come straight to their own app. In the future I think they will need to find a way to bring the Webtoon fans to DC Infinite, thought.

[Hypo]

This is apparently an ad running on facebook:

[Factor]

DC's marketing is so bad lol. Only us fans will stop to read an ad like this, especially on Facebook.

[Hypo]

Fairly certain Webtoon is taking the lead on marketing and well, everything related to this.

[Avi]

Do you all think there'll ever be more DC content than "Wayne Family Adventures"?

After the disaster with the Ismahawk web series that Webtoon seems to have greenlit without consulting DC/WB, I thought the Webtoon collab would sizzle out, but Marvel's Eternals just dropped on Webtoon and BWFA still does well, so I could see DC giving it another go with a second property.