How do you give feeback to DC Comics?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

The current bane of my life is politics, not comics. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, on that, we can finally agree on something

[BohemiaDrinker]

Well, on that, we can finally agree on something

You see, I thought about this response for a minute and I don't think we disagree as much as you think. I'm okay with keeping a positive attitude, taking a break when you feel you need to, all that.

The thing is just that comics don't affect me that much. I love them, I've been reading lots of them for 3 decades plus, I'm more well informed on their history and back-office politics and editorial contests than most, but if I'm not reading or discussing them, they're a non-entity. Comics don't have the power to make miserable, as you pointed out earlier. And because - not despite - all that, I like to discuss things on a, let's say, "candid" manner.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

You see, I thought about this response for a minute and I don't think we disagree as much as you think. I'm okay with keeping a positive attitude, taking a break when you feel you need to, all that.

The thing is just that comics don't affect me that much. I love them, I've been reading lots of them for 3 decades plus, I'm more well informed on their history and back-office politics and editorial contests than most, but if I'm not reading or discussing them, they're a non-entity. Comics don't have the power to make miserable, as you pointed out earlier. And because - not despite - all that, I like to discuss things on a, let's say, "candid" manner.

I can understand that. I am much the same way with politics. I am able to stay relatively optimistic and light-hearted in my life because I bitch and moan so relentlessly to my friends and on social media about politics. My venting relieves me of a lot of anxiety and anger that would otherwise build up inside me. If venting about DC's current output accomplishes the same for you, that makes perfect sense.

For me, though, I would rather focus on the positive about my entertainment obsessions. There's so much rampant negativity in fandom already, and I don't want to contribute to it further with my own snark. I had already done my fair share of that during the dark days of the HEAT flame wars and when Identity Crisis first hit. A few years back, I imposed a live and let live policy about this kind of stuff on myself. But, if I see someone being pointlessly negative or insulting to creators or editors who are simply trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, I'll try to help them find a better way to express their frustrations so they don't make the same mistakes I did with Ron Marz, Kevin Dooley and Mike Carlin back in the day.

[Buried Alien]

I can understand that. I am much the same way with politics. I am able to stay relatively optimistic and light-hearted in my life because I bitch and moan so relentlessly to my friends and on social media about politics. My venting relieves me of a lot of anxiety and anger that would otherwise build up inside me. If venting about DC's current output accomplishes the same for you, that makes perfect sense.

For me, though, I would rather focus on the positive about my entertainment obsessions. There's so much rampant negativity in fandom already, and I don't want to contribute to it further with my own snark. I had already done my fair share of that during the dark days of the HEAT flame wars and when Identity Crisis first hit. A few years back, I imposed a live and let live policy about this kind of stuff on myself. But, if I see someone being pointlessly negative or insulting to creators or editors who are simply trying to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, I'll try to help them find a better way to express their frustrations so they don't make the same mistakes I did with Ron Marz, Kevin Dooley and Mike Carlin back in the day.

We were in the trenches with Wet Willie, KC Suberman, and Joe Grendel, Bored.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[BohemiaDrinker]

I can understand that. I am much the same way with politics. I am able to stay relatively optimistic and light-hearted in my life because I bitch and moan so relentlessly to my friends and on social media about politics. My venting relieves me of a lot of anxiety and anger that would otherwise build up inside me. If venting about DC's current output accomplishes the same for you, that makes perfect sense.

It isn't even venting. Outside of the current HiC debacle and the introduction of NuWally as 12 year old stereotype, nothing really managed to irritate me.

It's just pointing to a duck and saying "look, that's a duck. We all wish it was a phoenix or a gryphon, but it's a duck. It quacks and everything"



Which brings me to the point of this thread: there should be a more efficient way to communicate this stuff to DC (or Marvel). DC in special seems pretty disingenuous about feedback or criticism these days. Then again, Didio is the kind of guy who wouldn't mind taking the entirety offandom head on on most issues (he kinda has done so), so I doubt it would make any difference.

[Restingvoice]

It's in here. I think.

https://www.dcentertainment.com/#contact

[Bored at 3:00AM]

We were in the trenches with Wet Willie, KC Suberman, and Joe Grendel, Bored.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

The horror....the horror...

[Bored at 3:00AM]

It isn't even venting. Outside of the current HiC debacle and the introduction of NuWally as 12 year old stereotype, nothing really managed to irritate me.

It's just pointing to a duck and saying "look, that's a duck. We all wish it was a phoenix or a gryphon, but it's a duck. It quacks and everything"



Which brings me to the point of this thread: there should be a more efficient way to communicate this stuff to DC (or Marvel). DC in special seems pretty disingenuous about feedback or criticism these days. Then again, Didio is the kind of guy who wouldn't mind taking the entirety offandom head on on most issues (he kinda has done so), so I doubt it would make any difference.

I honestly don't think anyone working at DC and Marvel have had any problem gauging fan reaction these days. There's so many avenues for fans to complain about stuff now, it would be virtually impossible for them to not hear about it. Hell, even back in the old days of letter columns, editorial and creator would dismiss most letters as the rantings of crazies. I don't see any upside to giving fans an easy to use channel for which to funnel all their bile and hatred and death threats over the continuing adventures of musclemen in tights punching each other.

[James Hunter]

It's in here. I think.

https://www.dcentertainment.com/#contact

Thanks for that, its nice to have a contact source (I'm not in any hurry to go on twitter so its nice to have an alternative!)

[BohemiaDrinker]

I honestly don't think anyone working at DC and Marvel have had any problem gauging fan reaction these days. There's so many avenues for fans to complain about stuff now, it would be virtually impossible for them to not hear about it. Hell, even back in the old days of letter columns, editorial and creator would dismiss most letters as the rantings of crazies. I don't see any upside to giving fans an easy to use channel for which to funnel all their bile and hatred and death threats over the continuing adventures of musclemen in tights punching each other.

This maybe was true in the early days of the internet. Right now the "signal to noise ratio" is all screwed up.

[Eto]

it's been 6 hours, i'm tired, hungry, and i don't think it's working.

lol.
Remember, " in brightest day, in blackest night....."
you can do it!

[Bored at 3:00AM]

This maybe was true in the early days of the internet. Right now the "signal to noise ratio" is all screwed up.

What's signal and what's noise is all a matter of perspective. For instance, you may think people enjoying Heroes in Crisis is just noise whereas people who aren't is the signal, whereas someone else would feel the exact opposite. I think it's too early to tell either way.

DC shouldn't be bound to whoever shouts the loudest anyway. You'd think there are literally millions of people clamoring for Zack Snyder's 3 hour cut of Justice League, when it's more likely a handful of obsessed dudes who talk about it incessantly. DC listens to retailers, who listen to their customers, they listen to fans, they listen to their corporate owners, who listen to their shareholders. There's no one objective truth to all of those opinions. Nor can DC solely base their decision making upon sales. Figuring out what's going to work and what won't is probably the hardest job of running a publishing company and it's mostly guesswork and leaps of faith.

DC has published many great comics that nobody was interested in buying and they've also published plenty of awful comics that sold like gangbusters. I don't see that ending any time soon. I'm glad DC is willing to take risks, though. DC may fall flat on their faces a lot, but I'd rather they do that than tread water like Marvel does too much of the time because they know the movies will keep them afloat.

[BohemiaDrinker]

What's signal and what's noise is all a matter of perspective. For instance, you may think people enjoying Heroes in Crisis is just noise whereas people who aren't is the signal, whereas someone else would feel the exact opposite. I think it's too early to tell either way.

Except it's not really like that. There isn't a binary "like/dislike" here. Everybody has a opinion, which can be less or more complex, and everybody is discussing it. All the time.

Can you imagine what is a 1000 people shouting reviews of your latest work directly at you, every minute of everyday?

That's what comic pros go trough: they're not big enough celebs to have a proper distancing from the average Joe, and yet they're big enough for the amount of feedback - direct and most times unsolicited - to be overwhelming.

And there is no filter for it.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Except it's not really like that. There isn't a binary "like/dislike" here. Everybody has a opinion, which can be less or more complex, and everybody is discussing it. All the time.

Can you imagine what is a 1000 people shouting reviews of your latest work directly at you, every minute of everyday?

That's what comic pros go trough: they're not big enough celebs to have a proper distancing from the average Joe, and yet they're big enough for the amount of feedback - direct and most times unsolicited - to be overwhelming.

And there is no filter for it.

So, how do you propose filtering all that? Or, rather, who do you propose filtering all that and wouldn't that person be filtering that feedback through their own preferences?

What or who determines what's valid criticism and what isn't?

[BohemiaDrinker]

So, how do you propose filtering all that? Or, rather, who do you propose filtering all that and wouldn't that person be filtering that feedback through their own preferences?

What or who determines what's valid criticism and what isn't?

I really have no idea.

All I said is that a better system should exist.

Now, DC did make a comprehensible survey back at the start of the New52, but I doubt they took the results into account much, based in their output. But hey, at least it was something.