Like the good, upstanding member of the iFanbase that I am, I went and updated my comics pull list last week and noticed the profundity of #2 issues that were coming out from DC.
Now, of course, subconsciously, I knew that this would happen–2 does tend to follow 1, after all–but at that moment, instead of being excited about the new issues, as I was with the #1’s, I felt this slight feeling of dread—this was it, this was how things were going to be. Weeks of #2’s, #3, #4’s…etc.
Now, I am probably overthinking this, but it seems to me that having all of the same numbers appearing on the shelves week after week kind of changes the dynamics between the creators and readers. (For one thing, as Conor pointed out the other day, it’s going to be a lot easier to tell when creators slip schedules!)
Witness the end of Animal Man #1, Batwing #1 and Action Comics #1. Each of those issues (as with the majority of the first issues released last month from DC) ended with a pretty dramatic cliffhanger, Batwing most so, but still–pretty top notch cliffhangers. And, for those titles, we saw various ways to both satisfy and downplay the impact of the cliffhanger and start moving the story forward.
Folks, this is going to be a pattern with almost all of the books. Unless DC is very careful, we are going to see iterations of the same general plot points throughout the various books, the same issue-to-issue arc. Of course, that’s not a big deal for everyone–not everyone reads as many comics as the folks on this board, but still, it’s making me rethink how I am going to deal with the new DC Comics over the months, if not years to come. Like, sure, each issue needed to do something kind of bold out of the gate to get readers to get the second issue, and we can hope that we see different individual story arcs play out along different timelines, but still, a little over two years from now, it will be the big 25 issue bonanza, two years from now, the big issue 50 event…you see what I am saying?
Now this is not exactly a bad thing. It may be interesting to see how different creative teams handle the “big”
issues, but part of me can’t help but think that the next twelve months will feature eerily similar storylines in all the books as the characters cement their place in the new DC continuity. And even as I type this, I can see some people reading this and thinking, “So what? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it!” or whatever. Fine, sure, but could it be by making the initial first issue splash be so exciting, DC has inadvertently assured us that by the time the 14th issues of their titles come out that people will be kind of bored?
I would assume that the DC editorial staff has thought about this when planning the next two years of stories for specific characters and titles, but I wonder if the different editorial teams are getting together to discuss character and story arcs, to make sure that each creative team isn’t hitting the same basic beats, say, a year from now, where the initial story is coming to an end with some kind of compelling resolution that will set the stage for the next year or so of reading.
Now, being the kind of person who likes to present solutions to the problems he presents, I think I’ve figured out a way to mitigate this: not buying the books when they come out. What’s cool about this is that not only will I not have to deal with the storyline similarities, I’ll actually be saving money, given the price drop that goes into effect a month after a book is released. Of course, I am basically relegating myself to buying those comics in digital form only, but I am more than okay with that.
As more and more people accept digital comics, we may see the concept of the issue number slowly fade into the background, used for cataloging and management purposes. I mean, I know I tend to look at what issues are contained in a particular trade, but that’s because I pick up issues as well as trades and the idea of not missing an issue is something I like. For the most part, though, we are going see issues compiled in terms of story arcs, in published trades, sure, but also in digital compilations. I think about my hardcover Walking Dead trades, and how the transitions from issue to issue is pretty seamless, sometimes invisible. This is almost the reverse of what we saw happen with music, where the ability to buy a single song impacted an entire generation’s appreciation for the long playing album. The notion of issue numbers becoming less relevant reminds me of page numbers for digital books and how the pages change whenever you change font sizes. It’s just this marker that, in the end, is meaningless. A status bar would do the same trick. Indeed, maybe Jack Kerouac was anticipating all of this when he wrote On the Road on a 120 foot roll of teletype paper—Pages, man? Who thinks in pages? We think in stories, man…
At the end of the day, I have to wonder if the ramifications of DC relaunching of their 52 titles will make more of an impact on how people regard comic book stories than on the comic book characters themselves. I think people will stick with some books on a monthly basis, but buy other books in collections ever few months–basically, DC is letting people create their own digital trade paperbacks, whenever they want. This is a profound shift and I think it’s going to create really great opportunities for the customer but wreak havoc for the creators. It is likely that we’ll have the same thing that happens on your DVR happen with your comic book collecting. Now that you don’t have to worry about the shop selling out of your book, you can let a title “stack” as time goes by and just decide to read a half year in one sitting, kinda like what I did with Smallville. Of course, by waiting, you risk the book being cancelled for not enough people buying when the books actually came out (which probably happened to a few TV shows as well; already we are waiting to watch Pan Am to see if it’s going to be cancelled or not).
As I look at the books that are coming out over the next few weeks, I realize I am already pressing “pause” on a few titles with the the intent of going back to them in a few months. I probably won’t read another issue of Batwing until the spring. I like the book, but I don’t necessarily need to spend as much on it, and would rather wait and just get the issues after an arc or two has happened. And if the book is cancelled, well, then the book probably was not that great anyway.
How about you? Did you notice any similarities in the various #2’s you read this week? If you are reading your comics digitally, do you find yourself thinking about keeping up with comics differently, now that you know you don’t have to worry about having to hunt for back issues?
Mike Romo is still an actor in Los Angeles! Email/Facebook/Twitter!
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Great point. One thing that complicates it, though, is that not everyone is going to get the same # issue at the same time. There are several books I’ve decided to wait a month and get the $1.99 issue digitally. And there will be other books, I’m sure, that I’ll be reading several months later. Essentially, the digital launch does minimize the impact to this problem…but just a bit.
The only similarities I noticed across the six number twos I picked up was that they were all better than the number ones had been. That was all.
I’m sorry. Every comic book in the world should have a cliffhanger at the end of every issue to create anticipation for the next issue
I don’t see the problem.
The other thing that I think will be interesting to look at is when books start renumbering, which will allow for some variety. Detective Comics ended at 881, so I can only assume that at issue 19 that book will get renumbered to 900.
I think the amount of goodwill and sales that the reboot has generated for DC pretty much guarantees that we won’t see a Detective Comics #900. That’s not to say there couldn’t be some Eisner-like #900 worked into the architecture of the cover to commemorate the milestone, but to resort to actually renumbering Detective Comics less than two years out doesn’t seem likely.
Now for Detective Comics #1000…all bets are off.
For me, the digital comics allow me to keep up and read the comics as they come out for the first time. I’ve always been a month or more behind everyone. Now that I can get all my books with a few clicks and have them read before the iFanboys talk about them on Sunday. Last month was the first time I’ve actually been able to agree or disagree with their views on a comic the same week the book came out and I for one am excited for it. I’ll still get the trades or omnis/absolutes of my more favorites in the end though.
I did not notice any over all trends as far as story beats in the various second issues, except that most seemed to end with a dramtic splash (or in the case of Stormwatch double-splash) page. So, the cliffhanger mentality seems to be continuing. Besides that however, I did not feel as though Swamp Thing, Stormwatch and Batwing etc were all telling me the same story. I suspect, as the titles continue, and characters branch off in their own voice and direction, we’ll see less overlap between story beats.
I did notice that three titles which I had only “liked” the first issue, all picked up in quality with the second: Stormwatch, Swamp Thing and OMAC. Again, I think that as we go along, books will find their distinct groove. Those that don’t will probably be among the first either canceled or revamped . . .
Strictly in terms of paper books in stores, they’ll start to stagger soon enough. DC will cancel some titles and try new ones so that within 5 years, the issue number will be all over the place. Assuming everything continues as it always has.
I like your thoughts on the digital phenomenon however. This could be why Action and ‘Tec were renumbered. The issue numbers won’t matter soon enough so why go for the 1000th issue?
I think that what you are talking about is a more manageable way to enjoy some of these stories. As much as ilike single issues, my most enjoyable comics reading experiences have been from reading an entire story in one or two sittings. I think with technology and the flood of books on the market creators and publishers would do well to redefine the form and structure of the comic…let it evolve and grow instead of being so rooted in traditional formulas.
There is no way I’m keeping up this pace with the #2 and onward issues. September burnt me out to the point where I need to take a week or two off.
I totally agree with you. This last week I decided to wait on Action and Detective so I could save a couple bucks. They are interesting story lines but I don’t need to keep up with them every month. Plus, paying $3.99 for a comic kills me. I just can’t justify that much money. I can’t wait a few months and go back and grab them on comixology for cheaper.
The price point is killer for many of us. I came back into comics after a decade and was floored to see how much individual issues were costing.
I understand that publishers are not non-profit, but geez…$3 & $4 for 20 pages will weed out many. Why can’t they just print on newspaper again???
@Kmanifesto: The modern comic book audience is made up mostly of collectors and as such they demand a high quality product: that means paper, printing, color, art, writing. All of which cost money.
Then we suck. Seriously. It sounds as if the reason why this biz is dying is because we don’t want to it to grow.
Why doesn’t DC or Marvel just try to sell a $0.99 comic on newsprint or a $0.99 digital exclusive comic and see what happens.
@Conor, I totally understand why collectors would pay for a great product. Don’t get me wrong at all, I’m no avid collector, but I’m still paying for what I enjoy. It just sucks to see something like Detective #2 at 20 pages going for $2.99 online. I understand that paper, printing, etc. is going to cost money for great quality, but online is a different story. I hope that someday there will be a separation of collectors who will pay for the physical product at $2.99, and the online enthusiast who can pay less just to read a great story.
@Smasher: The companies have said that they could print all their books on newsprint and it wouldn’t change the price. Everything else is still expensive and they don’t sell enough copies to make up the difference.
@JimAdkins: Well, right now you can wait a month and buy that $2.99 book for $1.99 digitally. That’s a pretty good deal.
I actually prefer the paper Vertigo uses on a lot of its books compared to the standard glossy paper.
Vertigo probably does that because comparatively, they sell very few issues.
It has nothing to do with the printing process as they already are using the cheapest materials available in commercial printing ( newsprint costs more and requires more handholding). I think it really has to do with the fact that on any given 22 pg comic you have 5-8 people with creative credits. Extremely inefficient. If an illustrator told me i needed to hire 3 other people to complete his assignment I’d hire someone else.
Interesting article, after returning to comics with more than a decade off (thanks DC New 52!) and an owner of an iPad I am struggling to figure out how to read and where I get my comics. For now I get some free issues through comix and if I like them go and buy the next issues at a brick and motor. Also the ability to burn through Preacher in 2 months, years after it ended its run with the TBDs was awesome and has me second guessing purchases of single issues. In any case I am very happy to be back reading comics and the endless options of not only what to read but how to read it has made the dive back in all the more fascinating. One last thing, a huge thanks to iFanboy and its great community. I dont know if I could have gotten back in without you guys.
Exactly, now that I’m buying them digitally, I will only buy the ones I don’t want to wait a few months for, and even then I’m thinking of waiting a month now to get them at $1.99. Anything else that I haven’t gotten, if it catches on and gets rave reviews in a few months, then maybe I’ll catch up on it. Or if DC has a 99 cent sale on some titles, which they inevitably will at some point as Comixology has sales going all the time and eventually it’ll be DC’s turn to do a sale.
When I used to collect years ago, I would buy my books as they came out, but I would only read a few on the week of release. The rest would get stacked up until I had between 4-6 issues piled up, then read all in one sitting. Now that I’m back on the scene. I’ll probably go back to that methodology. The only difference is that I’ll only be buying digital releases.
It seems you spend to much time figuring out how to and why you read comics when coming up with these types of articles, time you should be using enjoying them instead. Not trying to be insulting and you usually make some valid points along the way but i find for the average reader thinking too much about these type of things ruins the overall experiance of something you enjoy otherwise. I just cant be bothered to be bothered by things sometimes just saying
And im aware this is part of your job making these articles of your thoughts, just half way through this article i felt depressed reading into these things that you may consider an issue when i could have spent that time reading a comic i enjoy
@Neeks First let me say I enjoy these type of articles. But I also probably spend way too much time analyzing when and in what format I should buy comics. That said, I appreciate your comments here. Reading comics is a way to escape from the normal day and unwind. Overthinking it all hinders the enjoyment of it and in the woest case turns it into a chore.
hi Neeks!
FWIW, I totally enjoy reading comics. My job here is to think about comics and comic book culture in different ways, and, hopefully write stuff that inspires some kind of conversation. I can promise you that I don’t lie awake worried about this stuff!
Fair enough Mike and like i said i wasnt trying to come off as insulting or say that this article or any others you have written are not good or dont make valid points. Im glad to hear that these type of things doesnt lower your enjoyment of comics, i guess i was just pointing over analyzing things to remind myself not to do it myself and to take a step back from some of the things youve pondered in this article. I appreciate the conversation that comes with it
Nice article, Mike.
Your DVR analogy is interesting but a little flawed. With the DVR customers have already paid a monthly charge to watch content and use the device to record it. Unless publishers choose to release all of their content for to users subscribe to on a monthly basis there’s little to compare here.
I do hope you are correct about digital eventually exiting the concept of the issue number away. In order for that to happen though the print version will need to be rendered a secondary product. Once publishers embrace digital publishing the notion of monthly release dates should go with it. I believe that they will and when they do we can also expect to see a dramatic change in the way stories are told. No longer will writers feel restricted to a 22 page format. We may to see 3-8 panel (1-2 pg) a day comics akin to the news strips or weeklies that deliver 4-10 pages of story at a time. In either case the print issue would be a physical copy of what readers have already read digitally.
Until then though the price has got to go down in order for this to succeed. How’s this math – I can go on iTunes and buy a single episode of Batman the Animated Series ($1.99) or the latest episode of the new Fox show Terra Nova ($2.99) for less than Action Comics #2 ($3.99). How much were the budgets for either of these shows compared to the budget to publish the digital version of Action Comics #2? Which item will take the least amount of time to consume?
To answer your question I did not pick up any of the #2 issues from this week and I probably will do the same for the rest of the month until the pricing goes down.
The prices are lower because of economies of scale. The audiences of a TV show are gigantic compared to a comic book, so the prices can be much lower to make a profit. People in TV also make a bungload more money than people comics, which further illustrates the point. It’s not a fair comparison. Comics are a boutique industry, and if people want to make a living doing it, they’re going to cost a lot, because there are about 17 readers in total. People need to get that through their heads.
But they don’t WANT it to be a boutique industry with a limited readership do they? They want it to be massmarket again. (Or DO THEY? I’m starting to wonder). It simply won’t happen unless some drastic things happen with pricing.
I know I’ve banged on about this in every single thread recently but I’ve dropped all Marvel books as I simply can’t afford them at $3.99. I’m 33, earn quite a bit more than the UK average, don’t have kids, am not in debt, and I literally can’t afford a couple of Marvel books a week. I can’t understand who they are targeting. They want to get kids reading? Don’t make me laugh. Posh and Becks’ kids maybe, I don’t know any families who can do this.
They can’t afford to. It might seem like a profitable business, but they’re part of the same company that produces movies that make real money. They have no idea how to make it into a larger industry. It’s probably not possible.
There are all sorts of things I want and can’t afford either. We all make those choices. There’s no inherent right to cheap comics.
All I’m doing is pointing out the disparity between what Marvel and DC are saying they want, and what their choices actually mean in the real world. Sounds an awful lot like comics are going to continue to become more expensive (and it’s not like they’ve just followed the pattern of inflation, they’re way above it) and to lose readers until it’s only Jonathan Ross who is able and willing to pay for them. We may as well all give up and go home if the death of mainstream comics is such a foregone conclusion.
It’s like how people say they want to lose weight. They do, but they work hard and have all the stresses of their lives, and only have the time and energy for so much. That’s comics and new readers. They do everything they can to produce the comics they already produce, and there are no resources left to bring in new readers, and they don’t know how to do it anyway. So you get stuff like the Point One books, which are dumb, but they can say they did something. Sort of like buying exercise equipment off the television, and never using it.
I should probably save this for a column. You might see it again!
I think Josh just figured out why so many comics readers are overweight…….
Nice point, John–I was thinking more about how I queue the shows up and enjoy them all at once and how I was thinking about doing this with comics once they go down in price… I wasn’t thinking about a subscription model–which is, actually, quite compelling, come to think about it. $50 a month for 35 books?
@Josh Fair enough comics are not television programs but money Is money. Before it gets through our heads it has to pass through our wallets.
Couple of other questions:
Why haven’t publishers announced a subscription plan for its digital comics?
What would be the fair price point for a digital copy of an issue of Checkmate, which is to say these publisher’s back file of content is tremendous. Why not sell them for cheap or bundle them with new issues of comics? $3.99 is a lot easier to manage when you get two comics for the price of one.
Get rid of the numbers.
I probably buy more books than I truely -love- because of the simple fact of my schedule. I work nightshifts and spend a good 5-7 hours a night with very little to do, alone. So, on Wednesdays, I go to the store before work, pick up my comics, and spend the night at work enjoying 8-16 comic books during my down time. I might would wait on some number of them and let them stack before reading except for that. Then again, I love the weekly experience of going through my books far too much to want to wait, especially when I hear what happens each week on the POTW Podcast. And there’s no WAY I’m going to work Monday night or on a walk Sunday night after work without listening to iFanboy. Comics and the podcast are almost the only thing I have to look forward to each week, so no way am I going to short change myself.
Is there anyone reading digitally that doesn’t do so on a tablet or phone? I’ve been thinking of switching to more digital books but only have my computer to read them on at the moment. I don’t mind this but it’s not ideal and I will probably ultimately get a tablet. Before the DC relaunch I’d been slowly dropping my monthlies, as arcs or titles came to an end and had cut down to 6 or 7 titles a month. 3 of these are books I love too much to stop but have definite endings in place so i’m happy to stick with them to their conclusions. The relaunch blew this out of the water. I bought 11 DC titles in September, dropping only 2 for now. My intention is to read the 1st arc of the other 9 then reassess. Switching to digital makes sense for me both financially and in terms of storage space but I just haven’t decided how & when yet. I guess i’m just curious to hear other peoples experiences of digital vs hard copies. I’d love to hear about the digital experiences of Josh, Conor, Ron & the other staff.
I prefer to read on my iPad, but I’ve lent that to someone in my family so until I get that back I’ve read digitally on my desktop for the most part. It works fine. Granted, that’s the Graphicly desktop app and not ComiXology. I have no idea how that one reads.
I don’t have an iPad (or equivalent) so I read my digital purchases on my computer (and occasionally phone).
For me the digital vs print argument comes down to nothing more than cost. Getting to my LCS on a Wednesday is no problem, but UK same-day prices are crippling. Using Comixology/Graphicaly works better with the $-to-£ conversion.
The one thing that makes me want to read books over digital is my sofa (couch). I enjoy relaxing with my comics and a tea rather than being sat in an office chair hunched over my iMac.
People bitch and whine about print vs digital. Why? Stop worrying about what other people are doing and read your stories in the way that you enjoy them the most. That’s all that matters, surely?
@Parri I wasn’t bitching, whining or worrying about what other people are doing. Just seeking other’s opinions and experiences. Like you I’m also from the UK and agree with everything you say but I only earn so much at the moment and cost of travel to my LCS is a factor as well as currency conversion and storage. This is why I’m leaning towards digital but also like you I don’t want to be hunched over a computer. Ipads and the like don’t come cheap and I can’t buy one at the drop of a hat so It will be a little while before I make that move. In the meantime I just sought opinion on the experience of reading digitally on a regular basis in order to help me decide if I should jump ship now or not. Surely it can’t hurt to get another point of view when making a decision? Fortunately I’ve just discovered my local library has a large graphic novel section that they are always getting new stuff in for so I might make this my go to place for anything superhero or event related and seek out more nuanced and genre books via my LCS & digital platforms. That way I can get a bit of both.
@A_RgeFirstMan
Sorry, mate. I wasn’t referring to you when I spoke of bitching and whining. Just the community in general.
Personally I like digital. Last week, work meant I couldn’t get to my LCS. I didn’t need to worry about anything selling out or having to hunt down copies elsewhere as I bought them all digitally. As long as I get to read my comics, that’s the main thing.
As for the experience, I read somewhere that some artists have said that the reproduction of their work in a digital format is how it was meant to be. I guess a lot of detail and colour work can be lost in the print process.
The library thing is a coup. Especially if they stock trades of classic ‘must reads’. 16 volumes of something like Fables at £12 a go will bankrupt the best of us.
I guess the main thing is, as long as YOU’RE happy with how you consume your comics nothing else really matters.
Many of these titles will probably revert back to their old numbering before they hit #25, let alone #50.
Wow, a lot of food for thought in this article/thread. If people wait to get the books cheaper and buy things in digital “trades”, how will the publishers know what to keep printing? Will a certain demographic of reader tend to wait for them to get cheaper, and thus will those books either have to capitalize for a longer time initially or just die off?
Do we know if digital readers follow a certain demographic or tend to buy some books more than others yet?
I have a kindle, but for my comics I prefer to read actualy paper comics because they are so visual and I belive you lose something when you look at visual mediums like comics in a digital format.
What do you lose?
I find the art and color to be MUCH more vibrant on screen than on paper.
@Walter
If anything, the digital version is more true to what the artist and colorist had in mind than what is on paper. I believe I remember an interview with JH Williams when he was working with Ruka and he was complaining that what he saw on his screen just wouldn’t translate correctly to paper.
Everyone will have their preferences. I am a creature that lives in a clutter free environment. I don’t worry about CD towers, long boxes, or storing dusty old books on a book shelf (Absolutes and Omni’s not included).
I don’t read comics digitally. I prefer to hold them in my hand. Feeling the paper is part of the experience.
Nonsense! It’s just what you’re used to. If digital had come first you’d be talking about how holding an ipad swiping the screen is part of the experience.
Call me crazy but the magic of comics is in the stories, not the paper itself.
Aren’t nerds supposed to look forwards and embrace the future? Can’t we even live up to good old stereotypes any more?
I don’t put my pull list in the website because I’ve already ordered this week’s comics 3 months ago and won’t read them until 10/31 or so.