Could the Flashpoint reboot have been avoided?

[colonyofcells]

Graphic novels that take longer to do might improve the quality of stories. Graphic novels will also benefit from reboots so customers don't need to keep track of 10 years of continuity.

[Darrin Kelley]

In the age of Print On Demand, publishers are able to produce books that never go out of print. Never have a finite number of copies produced. Which makes there never be a need for reissues or new print runs. It makes those books always accessible to the public. It's something that the bigger publishers have not really taken advantage of yet.

But smaller publishers like me? It's our bread and butter.

That doesn't even count the continuing availability of electronic versions you can get on tablets and smart phones.

As for continuity. My company is producing books specifically with a promise to the customers that there will never be reboots or a rewriting of history in anything we do. Because our writers have many decades of fresh stores to tell. There is no conceivable end to the new material there will be. Because frankly, the books are practically writing themselves.

[BohemiaDrinker]

The real question is not that "if the reboot could be avoided" but "if the reboot could have been better executed".

And yes, it could. It could have attracted the same amount of new and lapsed readers without displeasing the people that were buying it then.

The reason it didn't is because it was built under ill-thought guildelines.

[Pharozonk]

In the age of Print On Demand, publishers are able to produce books that never go out of print. Never have a finite number of copies produced. Which makes there never be a need for reissues or new print runs. It makes those books always accessible to the public. It's something that the bigger publishers have not really taken advantage of yet.

But smaller publishers like me? It's our bread and butter.

That doesn't even count the continuing availability of electronic versions you can get on tablets and smart phones.

As for continuity. My company is producing books specifically with a promise to the customers that there will never be reboots or a rewriting of history in anything we do. Because our writers have many decades of fresh stores to tell. There is no conceivable end to the new material there will be. Because frankly, the books are practically writing themselves.

Now if only we could get your people to take over DC...

[Darrin Kelley]

Now if only we could get your people to take over DC...

Only if one of us wins a completely rediculous lottery jackpot.

One of my partners has expressed that she would sorely love to take over writing on Wonder Woman. And she's a real fan. A lover of the original Marston stories.

[Thor-Ul]

Avoided? Yes, it could had been avoided, but it were the bosses who wanted the reboot.

[hsalf1901]

Not only could have being avoided the whole idea seemed to be pulled out of the collective editorial ***hole. Multiversity was supposed to be published not long after Final Crisis. But DiDio fell in love with the number 52 no doubt because of DC publishing 52 at one issue per month.

see :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mul...d_and_creation

I can find earlier interviews here on CBR, but I'm feeling lazy.

And, when Johns was made Creative Editor IMO, his work went to hell.

Who edits the editors?


later

bill

[Darrin Kelley]

Avoided? Yes, it could had been avoided, but it were the bosses who wanted the reboot.

What the bosses wanted was for DC to be selling competatively with Marvel.

The reboot was a tired old method that has continually failed every single time it was done. It was not the solution that the bosses either wanted or demanded.

They wanted sustained competative sales growth. And that is definitely not what they got. DC is currently selling below the levels they were before the reboot. That's not any kind of success.

[colonyofcells]

Hopefully, the more innovative half of post convergence will find new customers.

[Triple J]

In the age of Print On Demand, publishers are able to produce books that never go out of print. Never have a finite number of copies produced. Which makes there never be a need for reissues or new print runs. It makes those books always accessible to the public. It's something that the bigger publishers have not really taken advantage of yet.

But smaller publishers like me? It's our bread and butter.

That doesn't even count the continuing availability of electronic versions you can get on tablets and smart phones.

As for continuity. My company is producing books specifically with a promise to the customers that there will never be reboots or a rewriting of history in anything we do. Because our writers have many decades of fresh stores to tell. There is no conceivable end to the new material there will be. Because frankly, the books are practically writing themselves.

Maintaining continuity is hard - especially when you are dealing with 40+ books and perhaps that many writers and editors...which of the mainstream/bigger comic book companies have managed to do that or something similar? Valiant, perhaps.

You seem to think that 'rewriting' history is bad...not really (unless you are referring to just rehashing the story). Take for instance: Shazam's new history. Johns rewrote his history, gave a new origin to him and his family of characters. Yes, there are people who liked it, and there are people who didn't - doesn't make it any more or less good, in terms of quality.

If DC were a smaller company with a smaller amount of books, perhaps it might have been possible...and let's not forget all the different versions of each characters. Just take a look around here: there are clearly people who like and dislike the current versions of DC characters - and prefer to go with one existed prior to New 52.

They would have to choose one version of character to stick with - for all future (unless they rely on multiverse titles; which is a possibility).

[Buried Alien]

Maintaining continuity is hard - especially when you are dealing with 40+ books and perhaps that many writers and editors...which of the mainstream/bigger comic book companies have managed to do that or something similar? Valiant, perhaps.

Marvel Comics during the Jim Shooter era of the 1980s, but Marvel lost many good people who didn't like Shooter's taskmaster style.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Triple J]

What the bosses wanted was for DC to be selling competatively with Marvel.

The reboot was a tired old method that has continually failed every single time it was done. It was not the solution that the bosses either wanted or demanded.

They wanted sustained competative sales growth. And that is definitely not what they got. DC is currently selling below the levels they were before the reboot. That's not any kind of success.

I am assuming you are referring to period right before reboot, so 2010-11? Yeah, DC definitely sold more during 2014 (and that's not including digital sales). Yes, sales were lower than 2013 or 2012, but it's definitely higher than before the reboot.

2014 - 26,836,455 estimated units
2013 - 28,184,085 estimated units
2012 - 29,602,125 estimated units
2011 - 26,522,201 estimated units
2010 - 23,528,000 estimated units

[colonyofcells]

To minimize reboots, can limit the continuity to the team titles and event titles. Altho solo titles will also need frequent reboots to keep up with the ever evolving times. Based on declining sales, dc should do another reboot.

[Triple J]

Marvel Comics during the Jim Shooter era of the 1980s, but Marvel lost many good people who didn't like Shooter's taskmaster style.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Perhaps I should have made it clearer, I was speaking in terms of time too....in DC case, they would have had to maintain consistency throughout 75 years. I really don't think that would have been possible.

[colonyofcells]

Around the time of coie, I remember most of the professionals keeping track of pre-coie continuity were either retired or dead. For post convergence, it is better to get brand new managers,writers and just forget about continuity and old comic book tropes.