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  1. #1
    Fantastic Member CoffeeCup's Avatar
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    Default Why does DC not double ship their buggest titles?

    This is the biggest reason why Marvel out sales DC each month. Why doesn't DC ship their best salers twice per month as well?

  2. #2
    Boing Boing Baggies. Baggie_Saiyan's Avatar
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    Simple. Quality>Quantity.
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  3. #3
    Astonishing Member The_Greatest_Username's Avatar
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    DC is doing fine with their current plan. If they started double shipping, many stories would dip in quality because of the rushed story telling.

  4. #4
    Astonishing Member FanboyStranger's Avatar
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    Allocation of talent is the major reason.

    Also, double-shipping is something that's always been viewed with suspicion by the industry at large. It originally came up in the '80s when Marvel decided to take up more shelf space to freeze out growing independent publishers. To a certain extent, that's why Marvel started doing it again a few years ago, too.

  5. #5
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CoffeeCup View Post
    Why does DC not double ship their buggest titles?
    This is the biggest reason why Marvel out sales DC each month. Why doesn't DC ship their best salers twice per month as well?
    Actually, no, it isn't. Marvel constantly relaunches their titles with new "#1 Collectors Issue!" that people buy into for a couple of months before sales often calm down again. But Batman, which had its relaunch back in 2011, still frequently does better than many Marvel titles with lower issue numbers.

    As for double-shipping, I DC has sometimes done it in the past. A prime example from the last century was the Knightfall arc (where Bane broke Batman's back). But you have to use multiple artists to meet a two-week schedule, and that doesn't always produce good results.

  6. #6
    BANNED
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    to duble ship, a lot of planning has to be done. also is impossible with only one artist double ship, fabok and Capullo are big attractions on JL and Batman.

  7. #7
    Phantom Zone Escapee manofsteel1979's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    Actually, no, it isn't. Marvel constantly relaunches their titles with new "#1 Collectors Issue!" that people buy into for a couple of months before sales often calm down again. But Batman, which had its relaunch back in 2011, still frequently does better than many Marvel titles with lower issue numbers.

    As for double-shipping, I DC has sometimes done it in the past. A prime example from the last century was the Knightfall arc (where Bane broke Batman's back). But you have to use multiple artists to meet a two-week schedule, and that doesn't always produce good results.
    I seem to remember for a time in the late 80s right after ACTION COMICS went weekly, SUPERMAN went biweekly to keep the three Superbooks a month quota.

  8. #8
    Incredible Member
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    Thank god they don't. Double shipping is tough on the budget.

  9. #9
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by manofsteel1979 View Post
    I seem to remember for a time in the late 80s right after ACTION COMICS went weekly, SUPERMAN went biweekly to keep the three Superbooks a month quota.
    I looked over the GCD databases for both Superman and Adventures of Superman during the period Action Comics was a weekly title (May 1988 - March 1989) but the only indication I'm noticing of that title coming out more than once a month was during the December 1988 cover-date period when both Superman and Adventures of Superman appeared to have more than one issue in the same month. This was also just before the Invasion! crossover period, so whether it was because of that or not I have no idea, but if it was because of Action Comics Weekly I would think it would have been more than just that one month.

    Action Comics Weekly: http://www.comics.org/series/3564/covers/

    Superman: http://www.comics.org/series/3386/covers/?page=1

    Adventures of Superman: http://www.comics.org/series/3345/covers/?page=1

  10. #10
    D*mned Prince of Gotham JasonTodd428's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CoffeeCup View Post
    This is the biggest reason why Marvel out sales DC each month. Why doesn't DC ship their best salers twice per month as well?
    Nope, it's merely one factor in the overall scheme of things and there are many things that contribute to sales figures. Sure DC could possibly make more money by double shipping certain titles but those titles would suffer creatively speaking. DC recently concluded three weekly series all of which suffered in one way or another creatively and a contributing factor was because of the time constraints involved. Titles that double ship have the same problem even if it's to lesser degree. Frankly if DC were to start regularly double shipping certain titles those titles would be off my pull list quicker then anything.
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  11. #11
    Mighty Member brandnewfan's Avatar
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    If they double shipped their main titles, I would have to drop some or all of the "lesser" titles because I just couldn't afford it. So I'm glad they don't.

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post

    As for double-shipping, I DC has sometimes done it in the past. A prime example from the last century was the Knightfall arc (where Bane broke Batman's back). But you have to use multiple artists to meet a two-week schedule, and that doesn't always produce good results.

    DC had actually been double shipping the Batman books every summer for a few years by the time Knightfall came out in 1993. Knightfall was actually the last year they did that.
    Last edited by kevink31593; 05-10-2015 at 10:32 AM.

  13. #13
    D*mned Prince of Gotham JasonTodd428's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brandnewfan View Post
    If they double shipped their main titles, I would have to drop some or all of the "lesser" titles because I just couldn't afford it. So I'm glad they don't.
    I'm the opposite. If they double shipped their main titles then I would drop those and keep reading the lesser ones just as I was doing with Marvel until recently. In general I enjoy the lesser titles more anyway so it wouldn't be a problem for me.
    Supporting LION FORGE COMICS and other independent publishers.

    Check out Lion Forge's Catalyst Prime Universe. Its the best damned superhero verse in comics. Diverse characters and interesting stories set in a universe where anyone can be a hero. And company that prides itself on representation both in the comics themselves and in the people behind them.

    Oh my goodness gracious! I've been bamboozled!

    When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. AVATAR AANG

  14. #14
    Extraordinary Member Zero Hunter's Avatar
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    They did sort of double ship the Legion and the Superman books back in the day. The stories would run from one issue of Legion of Superheroes into the next issue of Legionaries so it was basically double shipped. Same with the Superman books how the story would a lot of time just go from Action to Superman to Man of Steel.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zero Hunter View Post
    They did sort of double ship the Legion and the Superman books back in the day. The stories would run from one issue of Legion of Superheroes into the next issue of Legionaries so it was basically double shipped. Same with the Superman books how the story would a lot of time just go from Action to Superman to Man of Steel.
    Superman basically quadruple-shipped during the '90s, with one story line running through all four of his titles.

    Which it looks like may be the case again with the "Truth" story line this summer.

    Personally, I'm glad they don't; I'm pretty sure I'd start dropping any title that did, just for the price. I'll give it a go with the Superman crossover this summer (really the first time I'll ever have not trade-waited a multi-title storyline), but I'm not excited about it.

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