Is 2022 the worst year in DC's history since the 70s?

[Aahz]

To be fair, by the time Selina came back, Kathy Kane was Bruce's established love interest.

From what I remember Kathy had stopped appeareing by the time Selina came back.

According the the DCU Guide they stopped using her in 1954 and brought her back in 1966.

Kathy was created in 1956 and stopped appearing regularly and being Bruce Love Interest in 1964.

[Jim Kelly]

I have a bias toward National Periodicals/Warner Communications over Magazine Management/Cadence Industries, so maybe I saw things differently. But I felt that it was D.C. that was doing a lot of the experimenting. Only to meet with failure at the spinner racks time and again. Then Marvel would do the same thing and get all the credit.

The big success for National was in their horror anthologies (or mystery anthologies, since the Code prevented the use of "horror"). Those allowed writers and artists to constantly experiment with new story-telling techniques.

In terms of competition, there were all the other comic book publishers that had survived the 1950s purge and managed to stay alive in the 1960s and 1970s--like Archie, Dell/Gold Key, Charlton and Harvey. Added to their number were all the publishers that appeared for awhile and then died off--Harry Shorten's Tower Comics, Jim Warren's magazines, Martin Goodman's Atlas line, Dennis Kitchen's above ground comics and loads of other small to medium size publishers.

I know there are other U.S. publishers still around besides the Big Two, but are they able to publish as many titles? It seems, as in the old days, there are a few publishers that are managing to survive and a bunch of other publishers that have come and gone.

[skyvolt2000]

I know there are other U.S. publishers still around besides the Big Two, but are they able to publish as many titles? It seems, as in the old days, there are a few publishers that are managing to survive and a bunch of other publishers that have come and gone.

Some can.

It is just that most only want to do mini series that has a begin, middle and end.

Some like Boom have books that have a set number of issues like Tom Taylor's Seven Secrets or Al Ewing's We Only Find Them When They're Dead.

Titan comics had River of London that does story arc and start with a new number 1.

Folks want to turn their nose on indy books because some don't have Batman numbers. However some of those titles do what a LOT of Marvel and DC books don't. SELL OUT every issue. Even if it's selling out all 6 copies while Batman might move 40 out of 65 copies in a store.

[Jely4me]

That's why I stopped regularly buying / reading comic books back in 1995 for about 15 years . . .

I’ve never stopped per se, let my list dwindle down to all but nothing a couple times over the years, but I realized about a year ago that I’m 4 years behind in my reading monthlies, I haven’t finished Immortal Hulk as an example, nor read a single Hickman X-book, and was buying stuff out of habit, or boredom, and my divorce played a huge part as I was focused on other aspects in life. Been reading and collecting since 1973, this hobby dates me, the Mutant Massacre, Death in the Family with Jason, the Legion, the Hulk’s exile in #300. All stuff I’ve reread recently. Chuck Dixon’s Robin. 124 long boxes later, and I’m cynical. Lost the enthusiasm? Probably. I don’t identify with the themes of some of these books anymore either. Why it’s time to go, I’m a completist and that’s the only reason why I’m still here, Marvel and their constant new #1’s makes it sooooooo easy. DC’s schizophrenia is a bit more complex, but they’re both a mess.

[D.Z]

DC YOU was the worst for me.

[Top Hat]

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are in the Top 50 too, with Ivy ranking #22 in August (can't find numbers for September).

To fit their narrative that Batman is killing DC they lump them in with his titles.

[cranger]

Some can.

It is just that most only want to do mini series that has a begin, middle and end.

Some like Boom have books that have a set number of issues like Tom Taylor's Seven Secrets or Al Ewing's We Only Find Them When They're Dead.

Titan comics had River of London that does story arc and start with a new number 1.

Folks want to turn their nose on indy books because some don't have Batman numbers. However some of those titles do what a LOT of Marvel and DC books don't. SELL OUT every issue. Even if it's selling out all 6 copies while Batman might move 40 out of 65 copies in a store.

No one else can publish as many titles. Image could come close at one point when everyone was speccing on #1 issues from them but it obviously was not sustainable. Then again, Marvel is not likely making as much of a profit as they could be publishing as many titles as they do. Or, the deals they get in contracts with printers and such makes it a wash to publish half the line at a loss but they get the market presence as a benefit.

There is a reason your store appears to be buying 65 copies of Batman if they only sell 40 copies the week it comes out (and I honestly question this number, but anyway). It is because they want product on the shelf that if someone comes and gets started on the title (or in comics) they can find X number of months back issues to buy and catch up on while waiting for the next issue. They know more people will trickle in over the months and pick up a bulk of issues if they are sitting there. Ideally most titles would have this kind of shelf presence because it would mean they are all profitable enough to not have to sell through at 100% in order to stay in business.

If your store did not want left over issues of Batman, they would not be ordering that high. Every time you make that evidence of something it really just weakens your point.

[cranger]

To fit their narrative that Batman is killing DC they lump them in with his titles.

It does depend on who is making the claim, but yes a lot of stuff does get lumped under the Bat-Umbrella. Which is still a fair criticism, as I am not excited at how prominent Gotham is in DC as it does make the DCU feel very small, but some people do label this as 'Batman books' which is misleading. I imagine in many cases there is significant readership of these other books that are not actually reading Batman (or Detective).

[Jim Kelly]

When I studied the statements of ownership in the 1960s, it always seemed to me that for every comic sold there was one not sold. The statement would have the total number printed, how many were sold through retail and then how many were trashed, returned, office copies or given away and the totals would add up to the print run. And it seems like they had to always print twice as many comics as they expected to sell.

Also, to make it easier on retailers they let them just send in the front cover for the comics they couldn't sell--and I think later they didn't even ask for that, the retailer just had to report how many were unsold. Supposedly the retailer put those comics in the trash, but probably not.

Neal Adams claimed that the reason the comics that he, Jack Kirby and others worked on didn't have as high sales as they should was because they were being sold out of the back of the store. And organized crime was involved in the distribution of comics and magazines--so some would fall off the back of a truck.

The switch to direct sales was attractive to the publishers because there were no returns--the comic shops had to sell the comics or eat the cost. Of course, when comic books were considered collectible, a shop could over order and put some of those comics aside in their inventory, then sell them later for a higher price. Not that any reputable shops would actually do that.

[krazijoe]

When I studied the statements of ownership in the 1960s, it always seemed to me that for every comic sold there was one not sold. The statement would have the total number printed, how many were sold through retail and then how many were trashed, returned, office copies or given away and the totals would add up to the print run. And it seems like they had to always print twice as many comics as they expected to sell.

Also, to make it easier on retailers they let them just send in the front cover for the comics they couldn't sell--and I think later they didn't even ask for that, the retailer just had to report how many were unsold. Supposedly the retailer put those comics in the trash, but probably not.

Neal Adams claimed that the reason the comics that he, Jack Kirby and others worked on didn't have as high sales as they should was because they were being sold out of the back of the store. And organized crime was involved in the distribution of comics and magazines--so some would fall off the back of a truck.

The switch to direct sales was attractive to the publishers because there were no returns--the comic shops had to sell the comics or eat the cost. Of course, when comic books were considered collectible, a shop could over order and put some of those comics aside in their inventory, then sell them later for a higher price. Not that any reputable shops would actually do that.

Ahhhh, the good ole days when the only things not quality made were the backs of trucks. One would think that there would be a lot of stuff broken that fell off the back of the truck, but nope, it was all quality made and would hold together even after that big fall...TV's, Microwaves, Fur coats, suits, cigarettes, comic books...All survived the fall. Weird...

[Rod G]

2022 the worst year?

It might as well be.

[Amadeus Arkham]

DC has definitely had worse years, imo.

[Menacer]

2022 the worst year?

It might as well be.

How can you form that opinion and not be even reading any of the comics.

Never understood how this is accomplished

[D.Z]

Ok year but 2023 will be better.

[MajorHoy]

How can you form that opinion and not be even reading any of the comics.

Never understood how this is accomplished

If a person has no desire to buy / read any of the comic books currently being published by DC, but they had previosly been supporting DC titles, that in itself is an indication to them.