How could DC Comics sales be revived?

[blunt_eastwood]

Switch to all digital and have a monthly subscription model.

Start marketing said digital content to general audiences.

[BohemiaDrinker]

The commentary above is not an opinion, by the way. I can provide links to monthly sales figures and the month's top 100 selling books. Currently, DC Comics is in a terrible position.

I'm sorry, but that commentary is, indeed, an opinion. Since DC left Diamond we have no reliable sales data on their books: ICV2, Comichron and any other source for sales numbers are working on remeding that fact but, as of now, their sampling pool is probably too small and too uneven to paint an accurate picture.

You may be right, and DC might be in terrible place financially. Or you may be wrong and they can e selling more than they ever did. We just don't know.

[InfamousBG]

Stop making just Bat related content. Give other characters a chance to shine without half assing it. It's literally do or die time now.

I 100% agree with this. I love the Bat but I want to see more characters in minis and solo or even group books. Expand...not decrease and give more of something you already have.

[InfamousBG]

You know that History of the Marvel Universe mini from three years ago? DC version, please.

This right here. Exactly what I would like to see.

It wont fix everything but it could fix a good amount. You want to make everything canon?! Then prove it.

[astro@work]

How to fix?
1. Stop with the Bat-obsession
DC made a base assumption that all the cancelled non-Bat titles would just shift readers over to the Bat titles.
Nope. My monthly expenditure on comics has dropped by 50% over the last 5 years.
I would easily be spending those dollars on monthly JSA, Legion, Titans, Shazam, Superboy titles.

2. Don't rush to new status quos.
I'm all about evolving the status quo, and NOT leaving characters trapped in an endless loop of sameness.
(The failed BatCat marriage is why I dropped half the batbooks). But the move to so much sudden change feels like an equally knee jerk reaction.
Talk about so much missed opportunity with Jon as Suberboy and Super Sons content. We went from decades of no movement to all of it all at once.

3. More synchronicity with outside media
"Oh but then they'd be selling out". Baloney. This idea goes back to including Jimmy Olsen in the funny books.
When the young kid comes into the LCS for the first (and possibly only) time, they want to find stories of the characters they saw in movies and TV.
That's what keeps them coming back. When they don't find anything recognizable, like a Legends book, or a Supergirl they recognize, or their favorites like White Canary...
goodbye forever. DC has been fighting this for at least a decade...while their sales improved? Nope.

4. More marketing of digital comics
They need to do this outside of the books themselves. People don't want to travel to the LCS for the same reason they don't go to the mall anymore. And don't buy newspapers. And only shop on Amazon. As much as I personally love the smell and the feel of paper copies...that's a dinosaur now.
If comics are going to stay alive and relevant, people need to realize the model has changed.

[Nomads1]

Switch to all digital and have a monthly subscription model.

Start marketing said digital content to general audiences.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't DC cancel its App and transfer all its content to Comixology, whose App then went through a terrible revamp, which made it very user unfriendly, and subsequently stopped making purchases on it? Seems to me that DC is going in the exact opposite direction you're suggesting (and I'm not, in any way, passing judgement on your suggestions, mind you). I myself redduced A LOT my digital DC purchases just because it became a chore to get them.

Peace

[InfamousBG]

How to fix?
1. Stop with the Bat-obsession
DC made a base assumption that all the cancelled non-Bat titles would just shift readers over to the Bat titles.
Nope. My monthly expenditure on comics has dropped by 50% over the last 5 years.
I would easily be spending those dollars on monthly JSA, Legion, Titans, Shazam, Superboy titles.

2. Don't rush to new status quos.
I'm all about evolving the status quo, and NOT leaving characters trapped in an endless loop of sameness.
(The failed BatCat marriage is why I dropped half the batbooks). But the move to so much sudden change feels like an equally knee jerk reaction.
Talk about so much missed opportunity with Jon as Suberboy and Super Sons content. We went from decades of no movement to all of it all at once.

3. More synchronicity with outside media
"Oh but then they'd be selling out". Baloney. This idea goes back to including Jimmy Olsen in the funny books.
When the young kid comes into the LCS for the first (and possibly only) time, they want to find stories of the characters they saw in movies and TV.
That's what keeps them coming back. When they don't find anything recognizable, like a Legends book, or a Supergirl they recognize, or their favorites like White Canary...
goodbye forever. DC has been fighting this for at least a decade...while their sales improved? Nope.

4. More marketing of digital comics
They need to do this outside of the books themselves. People don't want to travel to the LCS for the same reason they don't go to the mall anymore. And don't buy newspapers. And only shop on Amazon. As much as I personally love the smell and the feel of paper copies...that's a dinosaur now.
If comics are going to stay alive and relevant, people need to realize the model has changed.

I agree with everything to a point. #4 I have a issue with. I have been going to two of the same comic shops for paper copy books for 40 years. I love them both. I have seen stores go under over the years which is sad. Where books are sold in smaller shops/malls/outlets people still love to go. It is like a 2nd home.

I agree there needs to be a big digital thing but never...i mean never get rid of the books.

I know, I know I sound old and whatever but if the comics just start to go digital then the mighty have fallen.

[scary harpy]

Excellent, MajorHoy!

[Stingo]

How to fix?
1. Stop with the Bat-obsession
DC made a base assumption that all the cancelled non-Bat titles would just shift readers over to the Bat titles.
Nope. My monthly expenditure on comics has dropped by 50% over the last 5 years.
I would easily be spending those dollars on monthly JSA, Legion, Titans, Shazam, Superboy titles.

2. Don't rush to new status quos.
I'm all about evolving the status quo, and NOT leaving characters trapped in an endless loop of sameness.
(The failed BatCat marriage is why I dropped half the batbooks). But the move to so much sudden change feels like an equally knee jerk reaction.
Talk about so much missed opportunity with Jon as Suberboy and Super Sons content. We went from decades of no movement to all of it all at once.

3. More synchronicity with outside media
"Oh but then they'd be selling out". Baloney. This idea goes back to including Jimmy Olsen in the funny books.
When the young kid comes into the LCS for the first (and possibly only) time, they want to find stories of the characters they saw in movies and TV.
That's what keeps them coming back. When they don't find anything recognizable, like a Legends book, or a Supergirl they recognize, or their favorites like White Canary...
goodbye forever. DC has been fighting this for at least a decade...while their sales improved? Nope.

4. More marketing of digital comics
They need to do this outside of the books themselves. People don't want to travel to the LCS for the same reason they don't go to the mall anymore. And don't buy newspapers. And only shop on Amazon. As much as I personally love the smell and the feel of paper copies...that's a dinosaur now.
If comics are going to stay alive and relevant, people need to realize the model has changed.

Agree with many of your points, but the last one - going all digital - would effectively end my tenure of purchasing new DC comic books. I only buy physical copies and if that means I'm destined to be left out in the cold...then so be it. I'll always have Paris (and a TON of DC back issues).

[MajorHoy]

You know that History of the Marvel Universe mini from three years ago? DC version, please.

This right here. Exactly what I would like to see.

It wont fix everything but it could fix a good amount. You want to make everything canon?! Then prove it.

I'd also love DC to do something like that.

But, for those of us who have been around a while, remember right after Crisis on Infinite Earths we had

It was a wonderful presentation, but DC started changing things from it almost immediately (like with Captain Atom).

Switch to all digital and have a monthly subscription model.

Start marketing said digital content to general audiences.

So, have DC screw over the local comic book shops (which are not the problem here!) and alienate any readers who are not digital buyers?
I'm sure that would do wonders for DC's sales.

[Felipe Silveira]

First DC has to understand its readers.
Hype on twitter doesn't mean sales success, Batgirls proves it and Robin Tim Drake will show it too.

[Aahz]

I guess something like a line wide relaunch, with concentrating on the classic versions of the characters (basically Rebirth 2.0) with some good creative team (and more importantly good editors) could do it.

This time they just need to stick with that, not make dumb changes to their iconic characters and franchises because they are dated/problematic/not diverse enough/...

[Colossus1980]

Unfortunately I think comics are too much of a niche market to ever increase sales. If all these movies, tv shows, and video games and merch can't help then I think it's a lost cause. They are too expensive and sometimes too quick to finish for the price you pay. If and when the superhero fatigue sets in onscreen maybe the big 2 companies will shrink down their output significantly. The youth are not comic book fans, just movie and tv show fans.

[Felipe Silveira]

Unfortunately I think comics are too much of a niche market to ever increase sales. If all these movies, tv shows, and video games and merch can't help then I think it's a lost cause. They are too expensive and sometimes too quick to finish for the price you pay. If and when the superhero fatigue sets in onscreen maybe the big 2 companies will shrink down their output significantly. The youth are not comic book fans, just movie and tv show fans.

That would be true if other publishers were down. But it's not the reality, Image and Boom are selling more today than before Covid.
The thing is, more was expected from DC after Didio's departure, and that hasn't been confirmed.

[Aahz]

3. More synchronicity with outside media
"Oh but then they'd be selling out". Baloney. This idea goes back to including Jimmy Olsen in the funny books.
When the young kid comes into the LCS for the first (and possibly only) time, they want to find stories of the characters they saw in movies and TV.
That's what keeps them coming back. When they don't find anything recognizable, like a Legends book, or a Supergirl they recognize, or their favorites like White Canary...
goodbye forever. DC has been fighting this for at least a decade...while their sales improved? Nope.

Honestly I think for the most part it would be better if the Outside media would stick closer to the source material (unless they doing something with a really obscure character), if the comics start to constantly change to reflect the newest movie or TV show or what ever, they would likely even lose more readers.

Having on the other hand shows that stick close to the allready published material, might actually generate some sales (it works at least pretty well for Manga).