Haitus

This blog is on haitus for the time being.

I'm hoping to find time to come back to it and actually give it the sort of attention I had originally intended.  If I determine that isn't possible however, then I will likely discontinue it entirely.

Winners and Losers - Disney buys Marvel

With the news that Disney is going to be purchasing Marvel Entertainment we find the landscape of the comic industry undergoing a potential major change. Marvel has already seen changes in recent years as the publishing arm of the company has shifted focus to maximizing profits by inundating the market with more and more material (a case of quantity over quality if you will) in order to meet the return expectations of their stockholders. This focus will likely become even more magnified as they will need to further increase returns in order to maintain the value of Disney’s investment and meet the expectations of Disney shareholders. While DC is part of a larger corporation (Time Warner), they haven’t been under great pressure to squeeze every possible penny out of their publication division to the degree that Marvel likely will be expected to perform. Easily the largest part of Disney’s return on their investment will be in utilizing Marvel’s properties for other media, but make no mistake that the publishing division will have to carry their weight in increasing Disney’s revenues and maintaining their stock value.

There is a lot to be excited about in this purchase, not the least of which is the potential for seeing Pixar’s handling of some of Marvel’s characters in animated projects. However, there are also a lot of questions generated by this purchase – a lot of things that can be good and a lot of things that may be bad. With Disney being such a family-oriented brand, will there be forced changed to Marvel’s presentation of their characters? Or will they treat their Marvel branch the way they do some of their movie production arms (Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, etc.) with the idea being the general public doesn’t directly associate those divisions with the Disney entity. Will Disney’s movie honchos have a negative impact on the portrayal of Marvel’s characters on-screen (think X-Men black leather outfits, Dr. Doom, Galactus)? Will we see a lot more animated projects (direct-to-DVD and theatrical releases) because of Disney’s deeper pockets?

The biggest loser in this merging of assets is likely to be BOOM! Studios. With their recent licensing of some of Disney’s library (The Incredibles; Cars; Monsters, Inc; Finding Nemo; Mickey Mouse and Co.), the publisher stood to make great gains in the younger reader’s demographic. As it stands now, BOOM! Studios will probably be expending a lot of resources to build a sustainable market for these projects only to have Disney move them to Marvel’s publishing division when the license has run its course. While you can’t really blame Disney for making that move (if they do) simply because they will have the means through Marvel to produce those books, it is really a shame that they (and the Marvel arm) will be reaping all the benefits of BOOM! Studio’s efforts to fully develop that market with those characters. BOOM! Studios will certainly see some short term financial gains through those publications, but then will watch all that future money go through Marvel when the licenses are not renewed. That really has to be frustrating to Ross Ritchie and Mark Waid.

It will be very interesting to see the full ramifications of this deal over the next several years. What will Marvel’s publications look like in 2015? How will movies based on Marvel characters be received with Disney making the major decisions? How much better might the animated projects be with Pixar’s involvement (or will there be a ‘dumbing down’ of the scripts to appeal to a younger audience)? In the end, who will be the biggest winners and losers? Will fans be better served when it is all said and done or will they be wishing for the days when Marvel was its own company.

Back-up features in comics

The recent jump to the $3.99 price point for some titles has been implemented in different ways. Marvel Comics bumped up the price on their top level monthly titles and mini-series and left their mid-level and lower selling titles at the $2.99 price. DC initially bumped up seven monthly titles and select mini-series (plus two more recently premiering titles) and left the rest of their line at the $2.99 price. However, whereas Marvel Comics made no changes to the content of the more expensive monthly titles (same page counts), DC has added 8 page back-up features to the higher priced monthly books. This begs the question – do the back-up features actually accomplish anything?

A normal comic is 22 pages. Coming in at $2.99, that boils down to somewhere close to $1 per 8 pages ($1.09 if you want to get technical). So by raising the price of select titles by $1 to $3.99 and adding 8 extra pages of material, effectively the cost per page hasn’t really changed. And I would assume the cost to produce the additional material remains the same (on a per page basis), so the end result is that one wouldn’t expect DC to be seeing any additional profits on their $3.99 comics (certainly not compared to Marvel Comics who is getting $1 more per book without additional costs).

Here is the list of DC’s (monthly) $3.99 titles: 
Detective Comics – Batwoman / The Question 
Batman: Streets of Gotham – Batman / Manhunter 
Action Comics – Flamebird & Nightwing (Kryptonian versions) / Captain Atom 
Adventure Comics – Superboy / Legion of Superheroes 
Booster Gold – Booster Gold / Blue Beetle 
Doom Patrol – Doom Patrol / Metal Men 
Green Arrow & Black Canary – Green Arrow & Black Canary (back-up alternates between them) 
The Shield – The Shield / Inferno (premieres in Sept) 
The Web – The Web / Hangman (premieres in Sept)

So what is the benefit to DC? First, adding the backup feature enables them to raise prices without making their readers feel like they are being completely taken advantage of. Second, it allows them to test the waters of a price increase without alienating those same fans. We all know eventually the back-up features are going to disappear and the $3.99 price will remain. By that point they have already gotten their readers used to paying that price each month for the titles in question so it won’t be a sudden shock to the wallet. A third benefit is that it allows them to put into print stories about characters who otherwise wouldn’t have a title and enables them to build interest in said characters and perhaps generate enough of a fan base to merit giving those characters their own title.
But does it really work that way?

The way I see it, there are three principle audiences for these DC titles. The first is fans of the main feature character(s). They were buying the title before the back-up feature was added. They likely don’t appreciate having to pay an extra $1 for back-up material they care little for. The second is fans of the main feature character(s) and the back-up feature character(s). These fans are the ones who would have the least number of complaints about paying an extra $1 for the title because they are happy to be getting stories with the back-up feature character(s). The third is fans of the back-up feature character(s). These fans are the most unappreciative of the new price point because they care little about the main feature and are paying a premium for the back-up stories (I expect these fans are few and far between). There is a fourth category, but those are comic fans who don’t like the main feature character(s) and back-up feature character(s), and as they were not buying the book to begin with, we don’t really care about them.

Of the three (principle) audiences, two of them are less welcoming of the higher price point because they are paying ‘extra’ for characters/material they have little interest in. While they may have added a few new readers to the title through the addition of the back-up features (those being fans who care little for the main feature characters but are buying for the back-up feature), they’ve likely lost more readers who were chased away by the higher price. And the new readers are temporary at best because once the back-up feature is dropped, those readers will leave the title as well.

Those who are fans of the back-up feature (whether they were original readers of the title who also happen to like the addition of the back-up feature or if they started reading strictly because of the back-up feature) still can’t be overly happy about the progression of the stories. With 8 pages per issue, it takes 3 months before it matches the equivalent of a regular comic issue. With that in mind, while the main feature sees 12 full issues per year, the back-up feature only manages about 4 full issues worth per year.
Here is a likely 3 month scenario: 
22 page main feature + 8 page back-up feature 
22 page main feature + 8 page back-up feature (perhaps 1 recap page and 7 pages of story) 
22 page main feature + 8 page back-up feature (perhaps 1 recap page and 7 pages of story) 
Supposing a story-arc runs 4 issues, the main feature has 3 story arcs per year and the back-up feature takes a year to complete a single story-arc*. A year is a long time to ‘wait’ for a full (88 page) story arc (unless you are an Ultimate Wolverine vs. Ultimate Hulk reader, in which case a year seems like a quick turnaround). 

Given all of these factors, the likely outcome is that sales on the title take a significant drop and are replaced by sales of the trade. Fans of both features continue to buy the monthly issues. A number of fans of just the main feature decide to wait for the trade so they don’t have to pay for a back-up feature they have little interest in. And fans of the back-up feature wait for the trade collection of the back-up feature so they don’t have to pay a premium price to read those stories. In the end, does anybody really win? Does DC end up making more money? Do fans end up with the material they want? The only real winners might be fans of the back-up features. Assuming they are actually collected and printed in trade format, those fans will be able to buy stories featuring some of their favorite characters that otherwise wouldn’t be available. And perhaps that translates into sales for DC that not only offset the loss of sales caused by the price increase of the monthly title, but also allows them to bring new monthly titles to the market if those back-up features generate enough fan interest. 

* I’m personally intrigued by the idea of rotating the main and back-up features to increase the number of story arcs (Green Arrow & Black Canary already do something similar – the back-up feature rotates between the two stars of the series while the main feature may focus on one or both of the characters in any given issue). 
Again, supposing a 4 issue story-arc, here is how the two plans would compare: 
Current plan 
Main feature – [12 + 12 + 12 + 12] + [12 + 12 + 12 + 12] + [12 + 12 + 12 + 12] = 3 story arcs per year 
Back-up feature – [ (8 + 8 + 8 ) + (8 + 8 + 8 ) +(8 + 8 + 8 ) +(8 + 8 + 8 ) ] = 1 story arc per year 
Rotation plan 
Main feature – [12 + 8 + 12 + 8 + 12 + 8] + [12 + 8 + 12 + 8 + 12 + 8] = 2 story arcs per year 
Back-up feature – [8 + 12 + 8 + 12 + 8 + 12] + [8 + 12 + 8 + 12 + 8 + 12] = 2 story arcs per year 
The rotation plan would better satisfy fans of the back-up feature but would also take away a full story arc each year from fans of the main feature and likely decrease their satisfaction in the title (perhaps even leading to their dropping it -- not to mention the creative team on the main feature also wouldn’t be happy about having their output cut).

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152

Now that the final issue of the second mini-series has finally hit the stands, I sat down and read the entirety of Mouse Guard: Winter 1152. Written and illustrated by the very talented David Petersen and published by Archaia Studios Press, Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 follows the travails of Guard members Saxon, Kenzie, Lieam, Sadie as they travel with the legendary Celanawe on a mission to deliver an important invitation and gather needed supplies.

As it has been almost two years since I read Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, I had nearly forgotten just how good Petersen’s art is. Every page of this series is a visual treat. The level of detail in each panel is fantastic. And while I’m singing his praises as a graphic storyteller, I certainly don’t want to shortchange his work as a writer. The story is well paced and entertaining throughout.

This series is far and away better than anything the Big Two publishers are putting on the stands in recent years. It is a book that could easily sell in significantly higher numbers if there were more retailers whose ordering habits end when they hit the Marvel portion of Previews and don’t want to venture into the smaller publishers section. Those types of retailers are missing a great opportunity to open their doors to a wider demographic of readers, not only through Mouse Guard and other offerings from Archaia Studio Press but also from some of the great kid-friendly titles now being produced by Boom! Studios such as The Muppets, The Incredibles, and their recent acquisition of the license for Mickey Mouse and crew. In these tighter economic times, it won’t be surprising to see retailers of that mind go the way of the Dodo before long while their smarter minded competitors reap the benefits of offering a wider selection of quality titles.

In the meantime, if your local retailer is one of the unenlightened, you can always get the forthcoming collected hardcover of Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 through an on-line retailer. Once you get a look at it, believe me, you’ll be glad you did.
Sample pages of the series are available on the official Mouse Guard web-site.
Check them out and then order your copy as soon as possible.

Thoughts on the Justice League

Bristol: DC Nation
The UK’s first DC Nation panel was rounded off with news about the Marvel family, and the place of the Justice League of America within the DCU. For the Marvels, their current storyline was finished with “Justice Society of America” #25, and following this they will be reset to become an important part of the post-“Blackest Night” DCU, with Freddy Freeman in the role of Shazam and Captain Marvel Jr. playing a part in “Justice League: Cry for Justice.” Expanding on this, DiDio explained that the role of the Justice League within the DCU is a difficult balance. “The book should feel epic and should feel grounded. It should move with the universe, stand apart form the universe. It should highlight all the greatest characters and showcase brand new characters.” DiDio said that everyone seems to have a different idea of what the Justice League should be, but that essentially he felt that they should be the hub of the DCU. James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli’s forthcoming “Cry for Justice” miniseries will “basically be a reset for the superteam,” establishing a new set of storylines to continue into 2010.

So Didio claims the book should feel epic, highlight all the greatest characters, and should be the hub of the DCU. Yet during McDuffie’s run they restricted him from using the ‘greatest characters’, hamstrung him by forcing him to feed off other events, all of which essentially limited the title from establishing its own epic feel. And then they fire him for what amounts to answering fans’ questions about why the book was written as it was.
Len Wein is writing the next story arc or two and then it is rumored that Geoff Johns will be taking over as writer of the title. And what do you bet they open the entirety of the toy box for him. Most of the big guns will likely be made available. I know the ‘new’ Batman (Dick Grayson) is going to be a part of it. Sure it isn’t Bruce, but it still gives the appearance of having one of the iconic characters in the mix. I’m going to guess that Wonder Woman will have a role. Superman will probably be absent in the early going, but I’m sure there will be an adequate stand-in for him (Supergirl seems the likeliest choice there).
Much as I dislike much of the core of what they’ve been doing at Cup O’ Joe comics over the last several years, I still have to admit they at least get it right in terms of making their big guns book the central driving force of their major epics. Their core storylines (basically the ‘event’ mini-series and subsequent fall-out) have all generated out of the goings-on in the adjective-leading Avengers titles. Those books are not stringing along off storylines from other series, they are directly feeding most of their other titles in one form or another.
Dwayne McDuffie really got a raw deal in this whole thing. I’m not sure if Didio really gets it or not. He seems to be giving the right lip service now, and if Johns is indeed the next writer of the series that would certainly give the appearances of Didio finally putting his money where his mouth is … but until we actually see it I’m going to remain skeptical.