What If Rebirth Fails?

[NeathBlue]

Rebirth will be a letdown for me if the original JSA aren't back in their classic look relatively soon, that won't make it a failure, but I would be very disappointed.

[Chrysalis_Changling]

The teams, yes (for the most part). The actual books, the fact that we already know which series won't last more than 12 issues isn't the best sign. I love Blue Beetle, but enjoy it while it lasts guys.

there are far less of those kind of books this time around mostly because they've already gotten burnt twice with trying to put out a boatload of titles that appeal to everyone(First the new 52 and then DCYou)

so instead of a batwoman solo book she's starring in detective comics on a bat team

instead of a black canary solo book we're getting batgirl and the birds of prey

instead of a catwoman solo book we're probably just gonna see her make small guest appearances on books

instead of a red lanterns book we're getting green lanterns with them as the villains

instead of swamp thing we get hellblazer with swamp thing acting as a supporting character

there's probably more but you get the picture

while this does leave them with far less unique book ideas than marvel it does put them in a better position where they'll be able to cancel fewer and fewer books due to the light risks involved

[TRS80]

The fact that they are doing rebirth and calling it what they are is already a success. They admit they deviated from the core of what most of these characters represent to the fans. I call that an important win.

[TRS80]

Comic book companies are IP farms for movie making studios now. As long as they aren't losing money they will keep operating pretty much the same as always. The "failure" movie BvS has made more revenue in 3 weeks than all of the comic books DC has ever sold combined

I have had this thought too. Eventually they will run out of ideas. They need comic book companies and readers now more than ever. If they are smart, they will keep DC on life support if it falls apart. Just so they can watch trends for more accurate marketing. But also so they can borrow from what works and what doesn't in the current zeitgeist of comic book readers.

[paulojrmam]

so instead of a batwoman solo book she's starring in detective comics on a bat team
instead of a black canary solo book we're getting batgirl and the birds of prey
instead of a catwoman solo book we're probably just gonna see her make small guest appearances on books
instead of a red lanterns book we're getting green lanterns with them as the villains
instead of swamp thing we get hellblazer with swamp thing acting as a supporting character

They seem like very lucid ideas. And nothing stops them from giving solos to Batwoman, Catwoman, Swamp Thing et cetera if they gather clamor through their appearances.

[Ascended]

Comic book companies are IP farms for movie making studios now. As long as they aren't losing money they will keep operating pretty much the same as always. The "failure" movie BvS has made more revenue in 3 weeks than all of the comic books DC has ever sold combined

Its true that comics are just IP farms now.

However, there's still a valid reason to ensure the long-term success of the industry. And that is because the movie studios still need fresh material to mine for ideas.

In most cases, a movie (or show or game or cartoon) will pull its inspiration from a comic story. They might deviate considerably, as with Winter Soldier, or they might just pull the basic plot concept and build something new around it, as with Dark Knight Rises, but at the core of 99% of superhero movies is a comic storyline, and more often than not, a popular and fondly remembered one.

Now sure, we get several stories a year out of each book, but how many of those stories can be translated to film? You could certainly turn Scott Snyder's Court of Owls into a movie, but something like Death of the Family doesnt work without a substantial amount of groundwork since the audience wont care about Joker going after all the sidekicks if the audience doesnt care about the sidekicks in the first place. And stories like Heavy Metal would be a really hard thing to sell to the general audience too, since you're not even dealing with Bruce Wayne in the suit and the story deviates from what people think of when they hear "Batman".

Though I suppose there is always the opportunity to turn those stories not suitable for a big budget movie into other things. A mobile game inspired by Heavy Metal, or a animated direct-to-DvD Death of the Family, for example, might be viable options. But even so, that still just highlights the need to keep these characters active in the comics medium.

So keeping the industry alive to churn out stuff for the larger-media folks to steal is in the long-term best interests of the parent companies. Thats not to say the industry needs to be kept the same as it is right now, of course. Disney and WB could easily just publish a line of OGN's like the Earth-1 line, or perhaps even go to free web comics paid for through advertising returns and click-bait. But however they do it, its in their best interests to keep ownership of these characters and keep them in new stories.

[Atlanta96]

Comics are just IP farms now. That is so, so sad. If that's true, does it mean that if comic book adaptations lose their profitability, comics themselves will die?

[Ascended]

Comics are just IP farms now. That is so, so sad. If that's true, does it mean that if comic book adaptations lose their profitability, comics themselves will die?

......

Probably not.

History proves that keeping these characters around is profitable. Whether we're talking about the old Fleschier Superman cartoons from the early 40's or Avengers, there isn't a decade that has gone by without at least a few high profile comic-based movies, shows, or games.

And as long as the comics themselves break even, there isn't much incentive to get rid of them. For companies like Warners and Disney, they're just one more bullet in the gun, and as long as it doesnt backfire and hit their bottom line, they're not likely to care. That's not to say that WB might not decide to shrink DC down to a fist full of OGN's a year, but even if the modern superhero movie movement loses steam, there's more than enough evidence of the genre's reliability to keep it around in some fashion.

[Lee Stone]

Comic book companies are IP farms for movie making studios now. As long as they aren't losing money they will keep operating pretty much the same as always. The "failure" movie BvS has made more revenue in 3 weeks than all of the comic books DC has ever sold combined

Well, the Big2 are.
Outside of the Big2, you still have comics being made because of the love for the medium.
And there will always be comics as long as someone has a pencil and knows what can be done with the combination of words and images.

As long as kids grow up and say, "hey... I can do that..."
As long as creators keep discovering it's a medium that really requires no more than one or two people to actually produce something (no matter how many credits they pile into modern comics)...
As long as those people grow up and long for types of comics that are not readily available and choose to make their own...
There will be comics.

The great thing is, no matter how 'Big Business' DC and Marvel get, there's still decades of material out there that will continue to inspire.

But as far as the DC and Marvel Universes go... yeah, they're both currently stuck in a corporate IP mindset and will be until the superhero movie phase runs out and they return their focus to readers again.
The good thing, however, is that there is a side-effect to all this that the medium will continue to be in the public eye. And more classic stuff is being kept in print or brought back into print. (For instance, I'm thrilled to death about Dr. Strange because it means Marvel is finally moving forward on digitizing the old stuff.)
So more and more potential future creators are coming into contact with comics for the first time right now.

[inisideguy]

I think Rebirth is a great idea. I will miss the different books they threw at us in the new 52. Lots of variety. But I understand why they are doing what they are doing. Fans say they want variety but really dont. That is the case in both big companies. Astro city is probably one of the best comics anyone is putting out. No one buys it.

[paulojrmam]

Also, there are the other comic book companies, and I bet if DC (or Marvel btw) shrinks down, one of these other can take the market share that once was DC's.
And on the matter, are the other companies owned by big conglomerates like Warner or Disney or they deal only with printing? By others I mean, like, Image, Boom, Valiant, IDW, Dynamite...?

[Grayskull Guardian]

Rebirth will be a letdown for me if the original JSA aren't back in their classic look relatively soon, that won't make it a failure, but I would be very disappointed.

You and me both. I know I won't get any form of the JLA that I want but I hope we get the JSA back whether we are talking Golden Age or modern age.

[GreenLanternRanger]

I'm rooting for Rebirth. If it's successful that means they might expand it over time, meaning we might get books for more characters. I mean we still need a Legion of Superheroes and Shazam book.

[Ascended]

I'm rooting for Rebirth. If it's successful that means they might expand it over time, meaning we might get books for more characters. I mean we still need a Legion of Superheroes and Shazam book.

Well, they already said they're doing more Omega Men this winter or something, and there's that whole new imprint with the Doom Patrol they just announced, so I expect that once DC gets its core roster of titles cemented in decently selling ranges they'll expand again.

Rebirth feels to me like the company stepping back, taking stock, and trying to get their house in order. Once that's done, the only place to go is outwards and that'll lead to a return of the fringe stuff. Though that might fall under a different banner, like Vertigo or whatever.

[Grayskull Guardian]

I know it's just a name, but Shazam will never be the "real" Captain Marvel to me.