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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Convergence, Most Recent at Top [Help]

Results 1 - 23 of 23

1. The Retailer’s View // Quite A Lot Of Variants

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 9/21/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: hip hop, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, convergence, Top News, The Retailer's View, Comics, Retailing & Marketing, Cancellations, Commentary, Add a tag

Today, I’m staring down the initial order deadline for titles releasing in November. The initial order deadline is something I neglect to realize is coming until a few days before they’re due – and while there’s always a lot of prep that is done ahead of time, going through the order book will still take […]

10 Comments on The Retailer’s View // Quite A Lot Of Variants, last added: 9/22/2015

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JRH said, on 9/21/2015 9:53:00 AM

>> “What’s more, it creates the appearance where Marvel, and the retailer, are attempting to unjustly profit from an appropriated culture.”

It’s amazing how much typing one can get done despite having one’s head wedged proudly up one’s own backside. Ignore a group? You are unjustly excluding them from participating. Feature a group? You are appropriating their culture for profit.

It’s almost as if the thought process were about moral preening rather than logic or principle.

SCARCE- Xavier Lancel said, on 9/21/2015 10:13:00 AM

Great column! I agree with so many things you said, but DC and Marvel do’t seem to give a s.it. Dc is not the only one lacking information on their products. My august marvel sales analysis will talk a little about how Marvel did not give a definite number of issues to people buying from the Previews.

Brandon Schatz said, on 9/21/2015 11:47:00 AM

To JRH: I appreciate your opinion on the matter. The point I was attempting to get across – and one that is actually made in the context of the article you pulled that from – is there is a difference between celebrating a culture, and holding that culture ransom using qualifiers that effectively limit the supply and manufacture demand – while ALSO ensuring there are unsold copies of the regular editions chocking out shelves and clogging up cash flow.

@zombieundergrnd said, on 9/21/2015 6:50:00 PM

Just stop ordering variants.
Tell your customers you can’t offer variants anymore unless they are a standard variant that doesn’t require you to order additional copies (essentially a 50/50 mix).
Your good core customers will certainly understand.
The speculators (if you have any) will just have to go elsewhere (they were not exactly good sustaining customers anyway — I gurantee those guys will chase a bigger discount given the opportunity).
If I walked into my local comic shop and they had zero variants, it wouldn’t bothrr me one bit. I READ comics for the content between the covers, not because of some spiffy looking image on the outside. If publishers want to sell a comic, put your best image on the cover. Don’t go trying to sell it with multiple images. Sell me on the ONE awesome image and even more phenomenal interior material.

Kevin Fisher said, on 9/21/2015 8:00:00 PM

Great article! As I see it, variants are a deadly thing. On the one hand, I admit loving a lot of them. On the other, I see how badly it can damage retailers and almost force them to take a gamble. I think Valiant is one of the few companies that does variants right, avoiding any wild and wacky things that need to be done, instead opting for simple 1:10, 1:25, etc.

JRH said, on 9/21/2015 8:07:00 PM

To Brandon: yeah, I went digital. But keep on defending the marginalized.

Brian Hibbs said, on 9/21/2015 10:10:00 PM

“The only reason to use older ordering models, is to placate the collector’s market, which is often volatile and always, always, always unsustainable.”

Pistols at dawn, dude.

I have 26 years of hard sales data that really really clearly shows that you will always sell more copies of the first issue of an ongoing series of a meaningful character than you will of a mini-series of the exact same thing. ASM #1 vs ASM #1.1 for a great nearly perfect “head to head” recent example — we gave the books to the same sub customers, and the ongoing not only did better in the short term (by about 15%), but went on to sell about another third more copies of the ongoing, after the “life” of the mini.

We also sold more copies of the collections of the “ongoing” v1 than we did of #1.1.

YES, the sales velocity of MOST periodical is measured in periods that span days (if not hours) — except when it isn’t. Then periodicals will sell and sell and sell if you let them.

I fundamentally and unreservedly revile your statement that this is about “collector’s markets” — we’re a readers store; always have been always will…. and readers are happy to enter into a periodical-driven comic months after release for a select group of titles.

I actually think that the very notion of “seasons” means there’s less of a reason to buy into a periodical, because there is less urgency to “Stay current” — and that “Wednesday Experience” is the engine that really drives a whole lot of this business.

“or rather, the market is supporting the weight of an immense amount of product with a third of the unique product as a base. This is not a sustainable model, but one that’s born out of the ever increasing pressure that the companies are under to keep profits and volume up.”

One thing that never gets brought up in these discussions is our friends at Diamond.

a 1:25 variant for a book that sells 50k copies yields a MAXIMUM circ of 2000 copies — that’s assuming all stores everywhere order exactly in increments of 25, which is patently not possible or true, or even WANTS the variant (some don’t!)

Diamond makes, we’ve always been led to believe, a limited single-digit percentage of cover price on at least Marvel and DC (the other three “premier” publishers are far less clear) — I think a comic like that might only be drawing a gross income of a few hundred dollars. Do you think that’s really paying for the costs of the infrastructure behind it?

I mean, six years ago DCD changed their minimum order threshold from small press to $2500, and one imagines their costs have risen since then — if we assume (and I suspect this is low, as an average) that Diamond is making 15% on a “small press” book (buying at 60% and selling at 45%), then it might be safe to assume that they’re looking for $375 per line item as being “worth it” to distribute. If they’re only making 6% on a DC/Marvel book… well you can do the math and see that handling *most* variants probably isn’t “worth it” for Diamond — especially since I bet you those are the comics most subject to petty complaints about condition and outright lying about receipt, and therefore that cost Diamond the MOST to handle.

It’s a bigger concern, I think, how much bandwidth and resources that Marvel just absolutely wastes for everyone else for just marginal gains that would be much more sustainable if they put that brainpower into different marketing fun — even not caring about Variants in the main store, it take me like 50% more time to do the Marvel order than any other publisher because it’s fiscally foolish to not run their weird math and see if huh, by buying 15 more copies of SAM WILSON CAPTAIN AMERICA #1, *they pay me* $1.42, and I have 15 more copies to try to sell… or liquidate for more profit….and it unlocks a 1:25 that also generally offers a better margin.

But that’s not something that is currently presented to us programatically, and it just consumes a lot of time and attention to do those maths… and it doesn’t inherently sell-through more copies. All for me, at least.

Like… if you’re going to have “order 150% of Y in order to unlock Z”, and you’re doing this on a multi-title plan like the Hip Hops, at least have Y *be a constant and not a variable*. If you make a path to order a product difficult, AND you make it difficult to understand, then you will invariably create friction and poor customer experience somewhere in the chain, and that’s the last thing you ever want to do. “I’d love to order you ‘every Hip Hop cover’ [Beloved Customer Name], but Marvel won’t actually let me do that unless I buy 200 comics I don’t believe I can sell” or “No, I know, [A Different Beloved Customer], that we are ‘”The” SANDMAN store’, but I am physically incapable of ordering you that awesome Jean James cover, ironically because I sell so many copies of SANDMAN!” are not conversations that I, oddly, enjoy having. Go figure!

-B

sc said, on 9/22/2015 2:13:00 AM

And somethig hasn’t been said also about this variant crazyness: it kills al of the fun of the back issue search. Before, you were able to identify a specific issue by its cover. You knew you had this specific issue because you remembered the cover. Now, you can’t search and buy back issue, relating on their covers, because you will see in back issues bin tons of covers you don’t know…of comics you already purchased.
It just kills the identity of a specific issue of a comics, which is never good in the long term.

SCARCE- Xavier Lancel said, on 9/22/2015 2:13:00 AM

that was me :p

chris said, on 9/22/2015 8:35:00 AM

Order the amount you think you’ll sell.

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2. DC Comics Month-to Month Sales: July 2015 – Life, the Universe, and Everything

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 8/26/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC You, month to month sales july 2015, DC, Retailing & Marketing, Sales Charts, convergence, Top News, david carter, Add a tag

Greetings, sales charts fans! It's time once again to look at DC's sales figures. (Warning: This month's column contains a higher amount of ranting than usual...) July was not a good month, sales-wise, for DC Entertainment. Compared to June, the average sales per title dropped by over 8K, and they sold 300K fewer total units in the NA direct market, despite offering nine more titles. Sales were down across the board, in many cases significantly, except for one title: Batgirl. Why did things drop so significantly? Three main reasons:

10 Comments on DC Comics Month-to Month Sales: July 2015 – Life, the Universe, and Everything, last added: 8/27/2015

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jsf said, on 8/26/2015 5:35:00 PM

I think the main problem is simply the saturation of the market Marvel has done with Star Wars and Secret Wars. They’ve SOAKED the market with those books, which are also priced pretty high. Fans simply can’t afford to buy everything at $4, $5, and $6 a pop — and something has to give. Unfortunately for DC, it’s their books — because no one wants to miss out on the “event that changes everything” for Marvel or their new “canonical” Star Wars series. A bit of a shame, since DC has put out some good books with their DCYou initiative — but no real surprise.

Al@ said, on 8/26/2015 5:52:00 PM

“(And yes, DC did all of those free eight page previews, but did anyone outside of the regular comics community even know that they existed?)”
Probably not. I’m on the margins of the regular comics community, and I only knew about the previews from reading their reviews on The Beat. So, I went to the site, and looked each and every one of them myself. And then I bought none of those comics. I’m not sure what kind of crap shoot strategy is going on at DC these days, but none of the newest stuff makes me want to buy.

Thom Boyer said, on 8/26/2015 6:33:00 PM

Agreed on all points about the failures of marketing and outreach, and DC’s burning readers and retailers alike repeatedly, not only with their waning annual non-events and seemingly neverending trudge of increasingly homogenized weeklies that don’t even tell bloody stories when they’re through, but with the utter disaster that was Convergence, effectively stopping stopping their line, among it several promising nascent titles, in its tracks for a full two months when the tepid Futures End month wasn’t even far back enough to be a distant memory. And I echo that it’s a shame, because there are legitimately good, interesting, and *fun* books on the stands. Check out Doctor Fate — Levitz is back in form, and Sonny Liew’s art is just to die for; there’s energy, a sense of danger, and an endearing uncertainty from the youthful lead, who I can’t wait to grow with from issue to issue! Fletcher and Wu’s Black Canary is just a crackling rock opera! And Prez is a roaring satire, blazing with invention and imagination! I honestly wish I had the cash to invest in some of these books from a creative standpoint myself, but I don’t. I’m just a reader, there’s a lot I want to read, and if DC decide that my money, attention, and good word of mouth that I’m trying to spread, not just to comics readers, but to people who might not be walking into a shop otherwise, aren’t worth my time, then that’s on them. I was excited, now as rumors fly about meat and potatoes, I’m wary; if they aren’t willing to see how this plays out in trade sales, I’ll happily leave too, because I’m obviously not the kind of reader they’d want.

Zach said, on 8/26/2015 7:45:00 PM

Although I should add that part of the reason Star Trek/GL is selling the GL books is that it’s a number one issue. Hard to compare issue one of a book and issue 43 of a book.

Evan said, on 8/26/2015 8:07:00 PM

Fables: Wolf Among Us is at least going to issue #16 as they’re soliciting 8 issues a trade and the Vol 2 trade was in the latest Edelweiss catalog. After that, I expect it to be done.

Aaron said, on 8/26/2015 8:12:00 PM

The most unfortunate thing, for me, is that DC continues to have no idea what to do with Superman. Why are Superman books selling in such lower numbers than they did a decade ago? Is he too old-hat? The elementary school kids I teach know who he is as well as they know Batman, Hulk, the Minions, the Ninja Turtles, Spongebob, etc… so he’s popular with kids. Of course, maybe two out of the thousand kids in my classes read comics. But the adult comic readers just aren’t into Superman comics, I guess?

AwesomeDude said, on 8/26/2015 8:36:00 PM

Convergence – an odd case of the PUSHER forcibly breaking the ADDICT of the habit by eliminating the supply.

After two months of being clean, some addicts decide they don’t want to go back to being a junkie.

Dave Carter said, on 8/27/2015 4:28:00 AM

@Aaron: Ten years ago the Superman titles were crossing over in the “Sacrifice” storyline (Max Lord mind controls Superman, is killed by Wonder Woman) as part of the lead-up to Infinite Crisis. It was a surprise hit, with 2nd printings selling an additional 13K each for both Superman & Action (and a whopping additional 39K for Wonder Woman.)

Ed Catto said, on 8/27/2015 7:26:00 AM

Quick note to AwesomeDude : good analogy!
And I know it’s beyond the scope of this analysis- but I’d love to know (1) what other comics lapsed-DC fans are spending their money on and (2) does the $3.99 price point deter sales? Seems crazy to me that Image can offer so many cheaper books. And does that price threshold work differently for Marvel than it does for DC? I wonder if part of what we’re seeing is the emergence of Marvel & Image as the new big two…?
I’d also agree with your initial idea that new marketing was/is needed to attract new readers, Dave.

Debaser said, on 8/27/2015 9:05:00 AM

These steep drops even for something as guaranteed as Johns’ Justice League/Snyder’s Batman highly suggests to me that there is something fishy going on at the retailer level. I know DC has made some questionable moves in terms of returnability for DC books and it really sounds like retailers are ordering light on DC books in retaliation.

What a god damn shame.

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3. Sales Charts: Marvel is tops in May sales, but Bravest Warriors and Night Nurse surprise

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 6/12/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sales Charts, convergence, Top News, bravest warriors, Secret Wars, May 2015, may 2015 sales, night nurse, Add a tag

Secret Wars thumped Convergence in May’s sales, according to numbers just released by Diamond. Secret Wars #1 was the top comic for the month, and overall Marvel achieved market share dominance of DC ~40% to ~25%. However Batman Earth One Vol. Two was the top graphic novel. Image was #3, breaking 10% of unit share again.

I’m a bit surprised by the #2 titles in both categories. Boom’s BRAVEST WARRIORS: TALES OF HOLO JOHN #1 was the #2 periodical overall beating out many issues of Secret Wars and Convergence—I’m told this was a Loot Crate comic, but Secret Wars dominated even Loot Crate.

The #2 graphic novel was even more surprising: NIGHT NURSE??? This was a one shot reprinting the cult 70s comic by Linda Fite and Win Mortimer, and it was more a big comic than a true GN, but still…I guess the Daredevil Netflix show had some influence here, as Rosario Dawson’s character was based on Night Nurse.

Sales remain robust for the year over 2014. (May is down against April as it was a five week month.) YTD sales are up 15% overall in units and 12% overall in dollars—perhaps this is evidence of the “Variant Era” sales?

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER	DOLLARSHARE	UNITSHARE
MARVEL COMICS	40.17%	41.11%
DC ENTERTAINMENT	25.43%	26.04%
IMAGE COMICS	8.89%	10.28%
IDW PUBLISHING	5.06%	3.82%
BOOM! STUDIOS	3.96%	7.16%
DARK HORSE COMICS	3.83%	3.43%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.22%	1.82%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD	1.16%	0.27%
VIZ MEDIA	1.01%	0.33%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC	0.85%	0.92%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	7.43%	4.81%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER	COMICS SHIPPED	GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED	MAGAZINES SHIPPED	TOTALSHIPPED
MARVEL COMICS	71	35	0	106
DC ENTERTAINMENT	74	25	0	99
IMAGE COMICS	58	10	0	68
IDW PUBLISHING	42	21	0	63
DARK HORSE COMICS	33	17	0	50
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT	28	6	0	34
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	26	2	0	28
EAGLEMOSS	0	0	27	27
VIZ MEDIA	0	19	0	19
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS	11	2	0	13
OTHER NON-TOP 10	93	91	17	201

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

	DOLLARS	UNITS
MAY 2015 VS. APRIL 2014
COMICS	-10.58%	-9.60%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	-21.11%	-19.41%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-13.81%	-10.38%
MAY 2015 VS. MAY 2014
COMICS	19.94%	19.53%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	-0.29%	9.90%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	13.49%	18.78%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2014
COMICS	16.48%	16.90%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	3.41%	-1.13%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	12.31%	15.35%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	SECRET WARS #1	$4.99	FEB150650-M	MAR
2	BRAVEST WARRIORS: TALES OF HOLO JOHN #1	$4.99	MAR151109-M	BOO
3	SECRET WARS #2	$4.99	MAR150618-M	MAR
4	STAR WARS #5	$3.99	MAR150683-M	MAR
5	DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS #1	$4.99	MAR150644-M	MAR
6	A-FORCE #1	$3.99	MAR150665-M	MAR
7	OLD MAN LOGAN #1	$4.99	MAR150656-M	MAR
8	DARTH VADER #5	$3.99	MAR150688-M	MAR
9	CONVERGENCE #5 [*]	$3.99	MAR150155-M	DC
10	CONVERGENCE #6 [*]	$3.99	MAR150159-M	DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	BATMAN: EARTH-ONE VOLUME 2 HC	$24.99	JAN150232	DC
2	NIGHT NURSE	$7.99	MAR150754	MAR
3	RAT QUEENS VOLUME 2: THE FAR REACHING TENTACLES OF N’RYGOTH TP (MR)	$14.99	SEP140647	IMA
4	SOUTHERN BASTARDS VOLUME 2: GRIDIRON TP (MR)	$9.99	FEB150542	IMA
5	CIVIL WAR TP	$24.99	JAN072436	MAR
6	SAGA VOLUME 4 TP (MR)	$14.99	OCT140644	IMA
7	LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST GN	$19.99	MAR151495	VIZ
8	DEADPOOL VOLUME 8: ALL GOOD THINGS TP	$24.99	MAR150804	MAR
9	THE VALIANT TP	$9.99	MAR151614	VAL
10	SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR)	$9.99	AUG120491	IMA

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	DRAGON AGE: THE WORLD OF THEDAS VOLUME 2 HC	$39.99	DEC140101	DAR
2	ATTACK ON TITAN: BEFORE THE FALL: KYKLO NOVEL	$14.95	MAR151665	RAN
3	ESSENTIAL EVANGELION CHRONICLE: SIDE A SC	$39.99	JAN151635	UDO
4	LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC	$34.99	SEP120055	DAR
5	THE WORLD OF THE WITCHER HC	$39.99	OCT140122	DAR
6	MARVEL: AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON POP-UP BOOK HC	$14.99	MAR151735	HAC
7	THE FANGIRL’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: A HANDBOOK FOR GIRL GEEKS HC	$15.95	MAR151759	RAN
8	TH ECOMPLETE GUIDE TO SELF PUBLISHING COMICS SC	$24.99	MAR151750	RAN
9	WOMEN OF WONDER: CELEBRATING WOMEN CREATORS OF FANTASTIC ART	$24.95	MAR151727	PUB
10	BRAVEST WARRIORS: THINGS TO DOODLE & DO SC	$12.99	MAR151492	VIZ

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	MARVEL NOW: DEADPOOL ARTFX+ STATUE	SEP142328	KOT
2	THE DARK KNIGHT: THE JOKER MAF EX FIGURE	APR148224	MED
3	DC COMICS: THE NEW 52: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE	DEC140434	DC
4	BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: BATMAN ACTION FIGURE	SEP140356	DC
5	BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE	SEP140357	DC
6	MARVEL: WOLVERINE DANGER ROOM SESSIONS STATUE	AUG142465	KOT
7	DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: MERA STATUE	NOV140352	DC
8	BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: SCARECROW ACTION FIGURE	SEP140358	DC
9	THE FLASH ACTION FIGURE	OCT140413	DC
10	DC COMICS: SUPERMAN & BATMAN BOOKENDS	NOV140347	DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	MARVEL HEROCLIX: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE BOOSTER BRICK	MAR152655	NEC
2	MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DRAGONS OF TARKIR BOOSTER PACKS	JAN158366	WIZ
3	YU-GI-OH! HEROCLIX SERIES THREE	SEP142619	NEC
4	HARLEY QUINN PUZZLE	MAR152470	NMR
5	THE WALKING DEAD: PRISON BOARD GAME	JUN142630	MEG
6	STAR WARS ARMADA: VICTORY CLASS STAR DESTROYER EXPANSION	JAN152641	FAN
7	MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DRAGONS OF TARKIR FAT PACK	JAN158368	WIZ
8	STAR WARS ARMADA: ASSAULT FRIGATE MARK II EXPANSION	JAN152634	FAN
9	MINECRAFT: OFFICIAL MOJANG COMBAT HANDBOOK HC	FEB142547	SCH
10	MINECRAFT: OFFICIAL MOJANG CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK HC	FEB142548	SCH

5 Comments on Sales Charts: Marvel is tops in May sales, but Bravest Warriors and Night Nurse surprise, last added: 6/12/2015

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4. DC’s Convergence-related material to be collected in nine volumes

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 6/10/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Summer of Relaunches, DC, convergence, Top News, Add a tag

Marquee_Convergence_5510ae9b1b06d7.71016622.jpg

DC’s Convergence event is over, the world is safe, DC is on the West Coast, and collected editions are coming in October. The entire run of the mini series and the two month events will be collected in nine hardcovers. Looking forward to seeing the cover treatment!

As with the various minis, the stories will by collected by the various eras of editorial continuity-tinkering that they represent: Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, Crisis and Flashpoint.

CONVERGENCE HC
Written by JEFF KING, SCOTT LOBDELL and DAN JURGENS Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER, CARLO PAGULAYAN, STEPHEN SEGOVIA, ANDY KUBERT, AARON LOPRESTI and others Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER On sale OCTOBER 7 ? 320 pg, FC, $29.99 US Where do worlds go when they die? The earthquakes felt round the Multiverse, Superman?s lost days after ?Doomed,? the world?s end?all these points will converge as the history of the DC Universe is spun from the perspective of a mad god and his arrogant child. The biggest story in DC history ties into literally every DC story ever told?and it all begins here. Kingdom Come, Red Son, Wild West Justice League, Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew?all the worlds of the DC Universe can still be found on Telos. This new mega-event from the issues #0-8 of the CONVERGENCE weekly series brings together heroes and villains from DC Comics? history.

CONVERGENCE: ZERO HOUR BOOK ONE TP
Written by JUSTIN GRAY, CHRISTY MARX, RON MARZ, FRANK TIERI and FABIAN NICIEZA Art by RON RANDALL, RAGS MORALES, CLAUDE ST-AUBIN, MIKE MANLEY, TOM MANDRAKE and KARL MOLINE Cover by BABS TARR On sale OCTOBER 7 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars Green Arrow, Superboy, Catwoman the Suicide Squad and many more, as they fight in a gladiator-style competition to see which worlds will live…and which will perish! This book also addresses dangling plot threads from the 1990s that involve Green Arrow, Connor Hawke and Justice League International. Collects CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1-2, CONVERGENCE: CATWOMAN #1-2, CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY #1-2, CONVERGENCE: GREEN ARROW #1-2 and CONVERGENCE: SUICIDE SQUAD #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: ZERO HOUR BOOK TWO TP
Written by LOUISE SIMONSON, LARRY HAMA, KEITH GIFFEN and TONY BEDARD Art by JUNE BRIGMAN, PHILIP TAN, TIMOTHY GREEN II, CLIFF RICHARDS, RON WAGNER and others Cover by STEVE LIEBER On sale OCTOBER 7 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and many more, and includes the miniseries SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL #1-2, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #1-2, SUPERGIRL: MATRIX #1-2, AQUAMAN #1-2 and GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: CRISIS BOOK ONE TP
Written by MARC ANDREYKO, MARV WOLFMAN, DAVID GALLAHER, JEFF PARKER and STUART MOORE Art by CARLOS D?ANDA, ROBERTO VIACAVA, STEVE ELLIS, TIM TRUMAN, GUS STORMS and others Cover by ANDY KUBERT This CONVERGENCE collection stars the Outsiders, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Hawkman and many more, as they fight in a gladiator-style competition to see which worlds will live…and which will perish! This book spells out the final fates of some of DC?s most popular heroes. Collects CONVERGENCE: BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #1-2, CONVERGENCE: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1-2, CONVERGENCE: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-2, CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-2 and CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: CRISIS BOOK TWO TP
Written by DAN ABNETT, LARRY HAMA, FABIAN NICIEZA, LEN WEIN and MARV WOLFMAN Art by JOSHUA MIDDLETON, CHRISCROSS, KELLEY JONES, NICOLA SCOTT and others Cover by NICOLA SCOTT On sale OCTOBER 14 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars The Flash, Wonder Woman, the JLA and many more, and includes the miniseries THE FLASH #1-2, WONDER WOMAN #1-2, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1-2, SWAMP THING #1-2 and THE NEW TEEN TITANS #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: FLASHPOINT BOOK ONE TP
Written by GREG RUCKA, DAN JURGENS, ALISA KWITNEY, GAIL SIMONE and FRANK TIERI Art by CULLY HAMNER, LEE WEEKS, RICK LEONARDI, JAN DUURSEMA, VICENTE CIFUENTES and others Cover by LEE WEEKS On sale OCTOBER 21 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars Batgirl, Nightwing, The Question and many more, as they fight in a gladiator-style competition to see which worlds will live…and which will perish! This book also addresses dangling plot threads from FLASHPOINT and more. Collects CONVERGENCE: SUPERMAN #1-2, CONVERGENCE: THE QUESTION #1-2, CONVERGENCE: BATGIRL #1-2, CONVERGENCE: NIGHTWING/ORACLE #1-2 and CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: FLASHPOINT BOOK TWO TP
Written by TOM PEYER, TONY BEDARD, FABIAN NICIEZA, RON MARZ and STEVE PUGH Art by STEVE YEOWELL, DENYS COWAN, KLAUS JANSON, PHIL WINSLADE and others Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND On sale OCTOBER 21 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars Harley Quinn, The Atom, the Titans and many more in the miniseries THE ATOM #1-2, SPEED FORCE #1-2, TITANS #1-2, BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-2 and HARLEY QUINN #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: INFINITE EARTHS BOOK ONE TP Written by DAN ABNETT, JERRY ORDWAY, LEN WEIN, PAUL LEVITZ and JUSTIN GRAY Art by TOM DERENICK, TREVOR SCOTT, BEN CALDWELL, DENYS COWAN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, JIM FERN, SHANNON WHEELER, CLAUDE ST-AUBIN and others Cover by DAN PANOSIAN On sale OCTOBER 28 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection stars the Justice Society of America, Infinity Inc., Batman and many more, as they fight in a gladiator-style competition to see which worlds will live…and which will perish! Collects CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1-2, CONVERGENCE: INFINITY INC. #1-2, CONVERGENCE: DETECTIVE COMICS #1-2, CONVERGENCE: WORLD?S FINEST COMICS #1-2 and CONVERGENCE: ACTION COMICS #1-2.

CONVERGENCE: INFINITE EARTHS BOOK TWO TP Written by JEFF PARKER, BRIAN BUCCELLATO, SCOTT LOBDELL, DAN JURGENS and SIMON OLIVER Art by PHIL WINSLADE, EVAN ?DOC? SHANER, YISHAN, JOHN McCREA and others Cover by EVAN ?DOC? SHANER On sale OCTOBER 28 ? 240 pg, FC, $19.99 US This CONVERGENCE collection includes the miniseries SHAZAM! #1-2, BLUE BEETLE #1-2, CRIME SYNDICATE #1-2, CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #1-2 and PLASTIC MAN AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1-2

4 Comments on DC’s Convergence-related material to be collected in nine volumes, last added: 6/12/2015

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5. April comics sales up behind Star Wars and Convergence

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 5/15/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: convergence, stars wars, Top News, sales charts april 2015, Sales Charts, Add a tag

DC scored with Convergence and Marvel scored with Star Wars in the April sales figures just released by Diamond Comic Distributors. Star Wars #4 was the biggest comic of the month, but all five of DC’s nü-DC kicking off Convergence mini made the top 10. This led the way to DC’s best performance in a while, but they still trailed Marvel in both dollars and units.

April was a five Wednesday month so direct comparisons were not useful—periodical sales were up a gaudy 40% in both dollars and units—however comics remain up in double digits for the year, up 12% in dollars and, perhaps more significantly, 14.47% in units, although that has to be laid at the feet of variants.

Image was #3 with a 10.23% dollar share and a 11.18% unit share, staying in double digits. This was perhaps buoyed by a new Walking Dead trade, the #1 GN of the month. Marvel’s Avengers: Rage of Ultron was #2, a pretty good showing for a movie sort of tie-in. The first collection of Lumberjanes comics also cracked the top ten.

Jeffrey Brown’s latest all-ages Star Wars book, Star Wars: Darth Vader & Friends, from Chronicle Books was April’s best-selling book.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER

DOLLAR

SHARE

UNIT

SHARE

MARVEL COMICS 34.15% 36.33% DC ENTERTAINMENT 30.91% 33.90% IMAGE COMICS 10.23% 11.18% IDW PUBLISHING 6.00% 4.78% DARK HORSE COMICS 3.65% 2.92% BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 2.17% 1.98% DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.05% 1.78% TITAN PUBLISHING 0.95% 0.90% AVATAR PRESS 0.94% 0.73% ONI PRESS 0.89% 0.54% OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.05% 4.97%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER

COMICS SHIPPED

GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED

MAGAZINES SHIPPED

TOTAL

SHIPPED

MARVEL COMICS 88 40 1 129 DC ENTERTAINMENT 88 33 1 122 IDW PUBLISHING 61 31 0 92 IMAGE COMICS 74 15 0 89 DARK HORSE COMICS 32 24 0 56 BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 39 11 0 50 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 35 4 0 39 AVATAR PRESS 12 2 1 15 TITAN PUBLISHING 7 3 4 14 ONI PRESS 8 5 0 13 OTHER NON-TOP 10 101 146 37 284

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

	DOLLARS	UNITS
APRIL 2015 VS. MARCH 2014
COMICS	32.70%	27.45%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	41.29%	41.25%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	35.22%	28.45%
APRIL 2015 VS. APRIL 2014
COMICS	19.75%	22.50%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	13.45%	10.03%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	17.75%	21.40%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2014
COMICS	15.58%	16.22%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	4.37%	-3.63%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	12.00%	14.47%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	STAR WARS #4	$3.99	FEB150684-M	MAR
2	CONVERGENCE #0 [*]	$4.99	JAN150218-M	DC
3	CONVERGENCE #1 [*]	$4.99	FEB150137-M	DC
4	BATMAN #40	$4.99	JAN150306-M	DC
5	DARTH VADER #4	$3.99	FEB150682-M	MAR
6	CONVERGENCE #2 [*]	$3.99	FEB150142-M	DC
7	CONVERGENCE #3 [*]	$3.99	FEB150146-M	DC
8	KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN #1	$3.99	FEB150675-M	MAR
9	CONVERGENCE #4 [*]	$3.99	FEB150150-M	DC
10	PRINCESS LEIA #3	$3.99	FEB150680-M	MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 23 TP	$14.99	FEB150545	IMA
2	AVENGERS: RAGE OF ULTRON HC	$24.99	DEC140948	MAR
3	FABLES VOLUME 21: HAPPILY EVER AFTER TP (MR)	$17.99	JAN150397	DC
4	BATMAN VOL. 5: ZERO YEAR: DARK CITY TP (N52)	$16.99	JAN150363	DC
5	SAGA VOLUME 4 TP (MR)	$14.99	OCT140644	IMA
6	JUPITER’S LEGACY VOLUME 1 TP (MR)	$9.99	FEB150526	IMA
7	HARLEY QUINN VOL. 1: HOT IN THE CITY TP (N52)	$16.99	JAN150369	DC
8	BATMAN VOLUME 6: THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT HC (N52)	$24.99	DEC140379	DC
9	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP	$14.99	NOV128157	IMA
10	LUMBERJANES VOLUME 1 TP	$14.99	FEB151172	BOO

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	STAR WARS: DARTH VADER & FRIENDS HC	$14.95	FEB151837	CHR
2	THE ART OF HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE HC	$39.99	DEC140098	DAR
3	WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS: FORSOOTH, THE PHANTOM MENACE HC	$14.95	FEB151839	RAN
4	JOHN ROMITA’S AMAZING SPIDER MAN ARTIFACT EDITION	$112.50	OCT140523	IDW
5	DC SUPER HEROES: MY FIRST BOOK OF GIRL POWER BOARD BOOK	$9.99	SEP148145	POC
6	STARLING: ASHLEY WOOD BOOK 1 HC	$17.99	OCT140520	IDW
7	NEIL GAIMAN’S CHU’S DAY AT BEACH HC	$17.99	FEB151829	HAR
8	THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 94 SC	$14.95	FEB151834	SAN
9	THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 95 SC	$14.95	MAR151764	SAN
10	GAME OF THRONES: HAND OF THE KING WAX SEAL KIT	$12.95	DEC141885	RUN

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	BATMAN ANIMATED: BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES: THE JOKER FIGURE	JUL140292	DC
2	STAR TREK: USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-A SHIP	AUG142285	DST
3	MARVEL: CAPTAIN AMERICA 8-INCH RETRO ACTION FIGURE SET	SEP142256	DST
4	DC COMICS: BATWOMAN BISHOUJO STATUE	SEP142327	KOT
5	BACK TO THE FUTURE: FLUX CAPACITOR UNLIMITED EDITION	OCT088076	DST
6	BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: BATMAN ACTION FIGURE	SEP140356	DC
7	AVENGERS INFINITE LEGENDS 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES	FEB152176	HAS
8	BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE	SEP140357	DC
9	ONE:12 COLLECTIVE: BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS FIGURE	AUG148295	MEZ
10	ARROW: ARROW ACTION FIGURE	OCT140411	DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	MARVEL HEROCLIX: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON FOIL PACKS	FEB152705	NEC
2	DC DICE MASTERS: JUSTICE LEAGUE FOIL PACKS	JAN152660	NEC
3	MARVEL HEROCLIX AVENGERS QUICK START KIT	SEP140018	NEC
4	THE WALKING DEAD PRISON BOARD GAME	JUN142630	MEG
5	STAR WARS: ARMADA BOARD GAME	DEC142545	FAN
6	MARVEL HEROCLIX: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON STARTER SET	FEB152706	NEC
7	JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK MONOPOLY	DEC142209	DIA
8	DC DICE MASTERS: JUSTICE LEAGUE STARTER SET	JAN152664	NEC
9	MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION	OCT128266	USA
10	DC HEROCLIX: JUSTICE LEAGUE TRINITY WAR BOOSTER BRICK	DEC142573	NEC

4 Comments on April comics sales up behind Star Wars and Convergence, last added: 5/15/2015

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6. Comics Illustrator of the Week :: Steve Rude

By: Andy Yates, on 5/14/2015
Blog: Illustration Friday Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: comic, artists, cover, Spider-Man, illustrationfriday, X-Men, Wonder Woman, Convergence, Steve Rude, weekly topics, comics illustrator of the week, comics tavern, pen/brush and ink, comics tavern variant of the week, Nexus comic, Add a tag

Comics artist Steve “The Dude” Rude(note: he was The Dude before Jeff Bridges’ infamous character was..) graduated from the Milwaukee School of Art and Design, before co-creating one of the 80’s most iconic independent sci-fi/fantasy comics Nexus. Rude drew most of the 100 or so issues of the Mike Baron written series, which spanned from 1981 to 2009. Rude has proven himself to be one of the modern masters of comics illustration and I hope to see his work in a future “indy” comic, although for what he can make drawing popular comic book characters, he doesn’t really need to do that.

Steve Rude has also worked for many of the major comics publishers including a Batman/Superman World’s Finest mini series in 1990 for DC and Spider-Man: Lifeline mini series for Marvel, just to name a couple.

Rude won the Russ Manning Outstanding Newcomer Award in 1984 and is a rare recipient of all 3 of the following awards: an Eisner, a Kirby, and a Harvey for Best Artist.

You can get the latest updates and see more of Steve Rude’s artwork on his website here.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com – Andy Yates

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7. Review: Convergence #3, This Cold War Starts to Warm Up

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 4/23/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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CONVERGENCE #3

Story: Jeff King

Art: Stephen Segovia

Colors: Aspen MLT

Inks: Jason Paz

Letters: Travis Lanham

Publisher: DC Comics

We’re about a quarter of the way through DC Comics event, Convergence. So far we’ve seen a lot of xenophobic worlds bent on destroying one another at the behest of Brianiac’s global caretaker Telos in all the satellite books. Seeing, literally, the exact same threatening words from Telos in multiple books is making that premise wear a bit thin. The event’s spine series has a little more going on than those titles, but we’re at a point where Convergence needs to punch it to fifth gear. So why is it starting to feel like it’s stuck in second?

After saving the mysterious Deimos in the last issue, the survivors of Earth-2 will follow him to the bowels of the planet in order to discover the key to stopping Telos evil multiversal Tijuana cockfight. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson and Thomas Wayne who, without spoiling events, are in for the fight of their lives against a small army of Bruce Wayne’s most formidable nemeses. It’s this part of the story that carries the tension and climax of this chapter to an ending that, while predictable, is so far the series biggest moment.

Sure there are a few problems with the pacing and dialogue in the issue. In fact, it feels like Convergence #3 is unintentionally a two-act book with it not introducing anything new. There’s a heavy sense of over explaining things in the front half of the book while the second half moves too quick to the dramatic finish. I can forgive most of these problems because Stephen Segovia’s art is lavish action. The fight scenes and scale of Convergence have been on point art wise for the series, but the plot needs to keep up or it runs the risk of becoming ineffectual.

Convergence began with surprising promise from its zero issue. It played on the powerful force of nostalgia to get readers in touch with parts of the DC universe they’ve sorely missed. While powerful, nostalgia alone can’t carry an event. Issue three moves the narrative along more than any chapter thus far, but for being this far in, with this many orbiting tie-in books; the stakes need to have more weight by better defining the threat of Telos. If it’s not an Earth 2: Society post Convergence prequel, it needs to start showing it by actually having the different Earths start doing something.

1 Comments on Review: Convergence #3, This Cold War Starts to Warm Up, last added: 4/24/2015

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8. The New 52 is now the Old 52: a look back

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 4/21/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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With Convergence, aka Atlas Moving Vans, now rolling out in the DCU and the New 24 about to launch, several websites have taken a look back at The New 52, which launched in September of 2011 and super-charged the comics industry. As I’ve written several times before, the pr for the New 52 immediately lifted the entire comics industry with more customers coming into stores and finding a lot of new comics to read. Call it the Millennial Rush. The debut of Saga #1 six months later hooked those who were just nibbling and he rest is history: record breaking sales.

While the New 52 was a commercial success, the books themselves were a mixed bag. The entire initiative was put together so quickly that a lot of books ended up being “beauty pageants” where several writers pitched at the same time, and some of them even thought they had the gig until the very last second. People were butthurt right from the gitgo. While the number of books — yes, 52 — remained steady for quite a while, the creative teams soon started resembling a game of beach blanket bingo, people came and went with revolving door frequency and sales generally stayed on a “general attrition” trajectory.

But there’s no denying that the New 52 was the most successful and audacious launch of the “modern” comics era…whatever you call that. (Definitions in the comments are welcome.) Or at least since the Ultimate line.

There were 68 titles; 20 of them lasted all 40 issues; 12 of them will make it past Convergence. (Titles with an asterisk are the ones moving on to the Nü DC:) Action Comics*, Aquaman*, Batgirl*, Batman*, Batman and Robin, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Catwoman*, Detective Comics*, The Flash*, Green Arrow*, Green Lantern*, Justice League*, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Lanterns, Suicide Squad, Supergirl, Superman,* Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman*.

As you can see the titles that made it are the titles you’d expect in the core DC line. Surely no one expected to see Red Hood and the Outlaws make it to the 52 finish line, but then the New 52 saw many strange things, like the resurgence of Scott Lobdell’s writing career, a brief resurgence for Rob Liefeld’s writing career, and scores of foreign artists with hard to spell names filling in all over the place.

A couple of sites have more in depth looks at the legacy. Steve Foxe at Paste magazine has a Talking Dead-style In Loving Memory: All 68 DC Comics That Have Come and Gone Within the New 52 slideshow with EVERY WRITER AND ARTIST that worked on the books. God bless.

The New 52, for all of its initial commercial success, has often had a rocky relationship with critics as well as longtime fans up in arms over changes to decades-old characters. Nearly four years after its debut, DC is using its cross-country corporate move to Burbank, California as an opportunity to officially end the New 52 banner and do another reshuffling, wrapping up all but 25 of its current ongoing titles and debuting 24 new series in June once the Convergence crossover wraps up.

Kelly Harrass at Panels on Pages has an even more in depth history in two parts, here and here with such bleak notations as the following:

In its 30 issue run, Suicide Squad had 4 writers and 16 artists.

Harass also notes:

In this climate, it’s hard to look at the fact that only 12 of the original 52 survived and say that there’s anything wrong with that number. It’s not like DC is a failure. Books just get cancelled more often now. I’d be interested to see how many Marvel series that were going when the New 52 started are still running. We’re just seeing shorter volumes these days.

Which is a good equalizer. The bottom line on the new 52 will be for history to judge, but it will be no surprise to say that the books that were the best has the most steady art teams—Batman and Wonder Woman most notably. There may have been laughable moments and questionable editorial decisions, but for many new comics readers, The New 52 will forever be what got them hooked. Its legacy will live on.

15 Comments on The New 52 is now the Old 52: a look back, last added: 4/22/2015

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John Jackson Miller said, on 4/21/2015 12:02:00 PM

Having tussled a lot while at CBG with the challenges of defining of eras based on creative content, at my own site I define the most recent era including as released in April 1997 or later, or during the Diamond Exclusive Era. That’s when Marvel shuttered Heroes World; beginning then, the numbers we see from Diamond are more or less representative of the Direct Market’s numbers as a whole. It’s sort of like going by the 162-game season in baseball; it’s a standardizing measure.

“Modern” I would actually reserve for the whole Direct Market era, though there is no clean start to it as there is with the Diamond era. This I would liken to the live-ball era in baseball, starting in 1920; when you compare stats before and after, you’re really dealing with a different game. So it is with the newsstand and direct market eras in comics.

Jason A. Quest said, on 4/21/2015 1:00:00 PM

If I were naming the ages of the hero-comics industry, I’d go with Platinum, Golden, Silver, Bronze, Chromium, and now entering Silicon. The Chromium Age refers to the rise of the Direct Market and its collectible covers (roughly the mid 1980s thru the noughties), with the advent of digital distribution as an important channel defining the Silicon Age.

(The obsessive in me would prefer to replace Bronze with Copper, because bronze is an alloy not an element, but Bronze is too well established.)

Heidi MacDonald said, on 4/21/2015 1:32:00 PM

As you may know, I like to call the Aughties the “Crisis Era.”

George said, on 4/21/2015 1:48:00 PM

“In its 30 issue run, Suicide Squad had 4 writers and 16 artists.”

Musical chairs was the norm in the ’70s, when writers and artists rarely lasted more than a few issues on most titles. The Black Widow feature in “Amazing Adventures” (1970-71) lasted only eight issues, but had four writers (Gary Friedrich, Mimi Gold, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway) and three artists (John Buscema, Gene Colan and Don Heck).

The longevity of Wolfman and Colan on “Tomb of Dracula” was a rarity in the ’70s. Maybe that sort of commitment is becoming rare again.

Here’s an interesting article: “Crisis Management: Why DC Comics is always changing everything.”

http://kotaku.com/crisis-management-why-dc-comics-is-always-changing-eve-1684714600

Kyle Pinion said, on 4/21/2015 1:53:00 PM

The only New 52 launch titles I really glommed onto were Batman, Wonder Woman, Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE (which I dearly miss), The Flash, and Batwoman.

I’ve shed them all, except Batman, only because their launch teams left. Now my DC pull is: Multiversity, Sandman: Overture (when it comes out, and yeah Vertigo, I know), Gotham Academy, Batgirl, and Batman.

I’m still undecided on what I’ll jump into post-Convergence. Black Canary for sure…unsure about the rest.

George said, on 4/21/2015 2:01:00 PM

One thing is clear from Steve Foxe’s slideshow: DC’s attempt to revive western, war, horror and sword & sorcery comics was a failure. The Big Two only know how to sell superheroes these days, and that’s all their core audience wants. Archie has a more interesting and diverse (and, oddly, more adult) lineup than DC or Marvel these days.

Danny said, on 4/21/2015 2:18:00 PM

The Original DC Characters are eagerly fascinating. The New 52 has rebooted since 2011, so the whole legend in the DC Universe stays the same through the ages.

Kate Willaert said, on 4/21/2015 3:55:00 PM

The problem with the Golden Age and Silver Age is that they were coined in reference to superhero comics specifically, and don’t make as much sense when trying to discuss comics as a whole. For example, it’d make more sense for the Silver Age to start with the creation of the Comics Code than with the introduction of a new Flash in Showcase.

But if we’re focusing just on superhero comics, then based on where the Golden and Silver Ages start, I’d break the rest down like this:

1938 – Golden Age Of Superhero Comics
Superman debuts, the first superhero.

1956 – Silver Age Of Superhero Comics
Flash is the first superhero to be modernized/reimagined for the times.

1970 – Bronze Age Of Superhero Comics
The series Green Lantern/Green Arrow introduces superheroes to social issues.

1985 – Dark Age Of Superhero Comics
Marvelman, Watchman, The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke reimagine and deconstruct superheroes in darker light, such as switching gears from tying up damsels to sexually assaulting or murdering them.

2000 – Modern Age Of Superhero Comics
Ultimate Spider-Man, Powers, and The Authority (and to a lesser extent Rising Stars and Sam & Twitch) usher in an era of writer-driven, decompressed, “widescreen” superhero comics written in distinct arcs. (The Authority crumbles in the era of post-9/11 superheroes.)

201? – ? Age Of Superhero Comics
Note that the average Superhero Age lasts around 15 years. We’re already closing in on a new era, experiencing the early growing pains related to greater diversity and social awareness. What books or heroes will define this period?

Jim Shelley said, on 4/21/2015 4:08:00 PM

Excellent post. It wasn’t all bad, but I’m glad to see the New 52 era give way to what will hopefully be a time when DC embraces the changing market demographics.

josh said, on 4/21/2015 5:12:00 PM

Don’t be surprise that Red Hood and The Outlaws lasted all the way. It was leaps and bounds the best series in the New 52.

Rubicon said, on 4/21/2015 6:49:00 PM

Merging the Wildstorm books into the main DC universe was far and away the biggest mistake of the New 52. Those characters lost all of their unique identity and are a shell of their former incarnations.

The second biggest mistake of the New 52 was undoing the original Crisis and separating the Earth 2 characters onto a different continuity. This reboot could have been a chance to finally cement those characters into the main DC universe legacy.

Sadly the very simple solution to both of these problems would have been to just have these 2 groups of characters swap places with the Earth 2 characters on the main New 52 Earth and the Wildstorm characters featured in 1-2 books with limited interaction with The New 52.

Jeff said, on 4/22/2015 5:30:00 AM

I had collected comics as a kid, then life happened (job, wife, kids, grad school) and my time and money waned. I always looked for a good jumping-on point, and when the New 52 was announced, I found my spot. In August 2011 I was right there getting the new #1s and have been a regular Wednesday comic shopper ever since. Since getting into the shops, I discovered many new comics I didn’t know existed, created (what feels like) relationships with authors and artists (Love Epting and Hitch, hate Quietly) and grown to have a ridiculous amount of comics I get weekly, with now only about half being DC/Marvel. So in that fashion, the New 52 worked for everyone. As actual comics, though, it was hit and miss.

I’ve always been a Green Lantern fan, but I have not enjoyed hardly anything they have done with GLs in the N52. They are either turning traitor, losing their powers, or turning on each other.

Seems like every other day someone was dying, coming out of the closet, getting a new costume, or devoting their book to a crossover event. Got tiring.

Loved Frankenstein’s book, though. More SHADE please.

Nimmy said, on 4/22/2015 6:40:00 AM

Birds of Prey did not last 40 issues.

RDaggle said, on 4/22/2015 7:41:00 AM

Call it the Ephemeral Age.

Publishers think it is a big deal to squeeze 40 issues out of a book. Writers and artists vanish from month to month. Customers buy and read ‘books’ they can’t actually hold. Collections are kept on the Cloud.

Jeff said, on 4/22/2015 7:43:00 AM

Continuing my previous post,

The N52 had many good things. Great art throughout, high quality physical books (paper, covers), lots of variants, and the return of many characters we love. What was continually frustrating was the endless crossovers which ended up meaning nothing—the status quo always ended up coming back at the end. Who cares about a 10 book event if things are the same as before once it ends? Most books felt like a stretched out version of a story—nothing more than an advertisement for next month’s book. Less and less happen only to end with a cliffhanger–all to keep you buying more books. Worked on me, week after week. Still does. Frustrating, though.

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9. The Stately Beat Manor Comics Pull: 4/22/15

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 4/17/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Comics, Breaking News, convergence, Top News, Top Comics, Comics Beat, The Stately Beat Manor Comics Pull, Add a tag

Comics, comics, and more comics — the Beat Staff is a little obsessed with their own supply. The only way in which to satiate our immense need for the written word and illustration is for our supply to grow…larger. A group of the Beat’s most favored (desperate) staff members banded together to make this list after finishing off every single graphic novel and floppy in the mansion, (it was the only way for the team to quench the thirst for knowledge!) While others call it unhealthy, we deem our staff picks as a public service announcement to gather the masses together and enjoy the wild world of comics.

Alex’s Picks: Convergence: Swamp Thing #1

Writer: Len Wein Artist: Kelley Jones Colorist: Michelle Madson

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The dome has cut off all the heroes from their powers – but what happens when Swamp Thing is cut off from his life source in The Green?

Author Len Wein is returning to one of his greatest creations Wolverine Swamp Thing! Joining him is classic horror artist Kelley Jones for one of the wackier Convergence tie-ins. After reading author Charles Soule’s ingenious take on the hero, we simply can’t get enough of Alec Holland’s mysterious monster-based alter ego.

Matt’s Picks: Kaptara #1

Writer: Chip Zdarsky Artist: Kagan McLeod

A space expedition goes horribly wrong because if it didn’t there would be no story! Reluctant explorer Keith Kanga and his crew crash land on KAPTARA, a world filled with danger and weird danger and dangerous weirdos! And if he can’t survive then earth, the place where YOU live, is doomed! Join CHIP ZDARSKY (Sex Criminals the Duck) and KAGAN McLEOD (Infinite Kung Fu) as they put the ‘fi’ back into ‘sci-fi’ and pretty much disregard the ‘sci’ part in this epic story of punching and love!

Yes, the first issue hasn’t come out yet. No, I don’t have an advance review copy. So how is this recommendation not premature? Because Chip Zdarzky’s solicitations and relationship with his local Applebee’s alone have me excited for Kaptara. Two issues of Howard the Duck further demonstrate that Chip is a helluva writer, and, as long as his scripting isn’t eating into his time drawing Sex Criminals, I am totally on board for Kaptara and anything else that comes out of his demented head.

0 Comments on The Stately Beat Manor Comics Pull: 4/22/15 as of 4/18/2015 1:35:00 AM

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10. Walking the Game Beat: Lego Crisis, New Daredevil Duds in Heroes, and the Future of Injustice?

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 4/13/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, Marvel, Video Games, Lego, injustice, DC Comics, convergence, Top News, Halo 5, Marvel Mighty Heroes, halo 5 guardians, hunt the truth, Lego Dimensions, Marvel heroes 2015, mighty marvel heroes, Add a tag

Happy Mortal Kombat Week everyone! No, it’s not 1993 but a brand new Mortal Kombat game is out this week and the early reviews are predominantly positive. We’ll have some totally irreverent impressions of the game this weekend. This week; Lego’s giving us their version of a crisis, Marvel’s updated several of their games, and last week’s Convergence #1 may have dropped some hints at the future of the Injustice universe.

Colorful toys used in video game platforms is a trend on the rise, what started with the success of Skylanders was quickly followed by both Disney and Nintendo. Now, Lego is set to jump into the fray. The company is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Traveller’s Tales, the publisher and studio responsible for most of the existing Lego games, to create a new series called Lego Dimensions.

A $99.99 “Starter Pack” will launch on September 27th in the US (September 29th in the UK) for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and Wii U. Much like Disney’s Infinity, Lego’s starter pack will include a copy of the game, a Lego “Toy Pad” and three special minifigures: Gandalf, Batman and Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie. So far the universes tapped for this game include Back to the Future, Lord of The Rings, Ninjago, and DC Comics. Future expansions are planned for this year and level expansions will come in 2016.

Because of its connection to so many loved franchises, Lego is a perfect company to jump into this latest gaming trend. Could this also be a place for DC and Marvel to crossover?

Last week’s Convergence #1 from DC Comics continued the momentum of its Battle Royal themed event where almost every part of the publisher’s multiverse is pitted against one another in a fight for their very survival. The issue also had a few tidbits about the Injustice universe created by Netherrealm (Mortal Kombat).

In the issue, dictator Superman’s powers were restored right before their Gotham is plucked into dome world as Batman and the rest of the remaining heroes from the battle fled right before destruction. It’s obvious the Injustice universe is going to be a big part of this war, right? Would DC really just use it as canon fodder even though fans seem to really love it? It begs the question, where could future sequels of the game go? Could Batman and Superman ever reconcile to face a threat greater than themselves?

With the release of Daredevil on Netflix, Marvel’s game division didn’t waste time on adding to the wave of popularity surrounding ol horn head. The MMO Marvel Heroes 2015 released a classic costume based on Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s classic The Man Without Fear. Fans of the Netflix show will also recognize his signature black mask covering the top of his head. All of the character’s regular skill trees and attributes remain. This new look is purely cosmetic, but definitely a cool throw back to Miller’s work.

Players can log in right now and pick up the new character skin.

The Infinity series continues over in the Marvel Mighty Heroes mobile game. This week players will defend the planet in the new chapter titled “Target : Earth” during an interview with developer DeNA‘s Bert-Jan De Weerd talked to Marvel about what players can expect:

After the battle in space the heroes back on Earth have to face of the unleashed hordes of the Mad Titan, Thanos! Black Panther has to defend his city of Wakanda, while Starbrand joins the fight using the powers bestowed upon him by the Builders against them. After suffering defeat at the hands of the Avengers last week, Ex Nihilo realizes he was fighting them for the wrong reasons. He joins the Avengers and as a new Avenger, Ex Nihilo joins the fight against his kin and against Thanos.

Marvel Mighty Heroes is available now for iOS and Android, plus it’s free to download.

A new audio portion of Halo 5’s “Hunt The Truth” campaign recently dropped on its Tumblr page.

It’s titled “Critical Condition,” and centers around the mystery of John 117 (Master Chief) and his home planet. The log explores a different side of the character through the testimony of retired military veterans. There’s been no word on if we’ll see more of the live action Nightfall series, but Microsoft is firmly committed to Halo 5: Guardians, October 27th release date.

Gaming/Comics Releasing 4-15-15:

Mega Man #48 (Archie Comics) $3.99

The epic conclusion to this Mega Man 3 game adaptation storyline, featuring new cover art from fan-favorite Brent McCarthy and a special Capcom art variant!

Art of the Uncharted Trilogy HC (Dark Horse Comics) $39.99

A detailed look at the art of one of the most exciting game series of this generation, with insightful commentary from the games’ creators!

Halo: Escalation TP Vol 2 (Dark Horse Comics) $19.99

The fall of New Phoenix, Master Chief’s return to action, and a dark plot by the Office of Naval Intelligence-all in this volume collecting Halo: Escalation issues #7-#12

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Two TP Vol 1 (DC Comics) $14.99

As Superman’s iron grip on the world tightens, at the edge of the galaxy another grave threat approaches. Collects INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US YEAR TWO #1-6.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Two HC Vol 2 (DC Comics) $22.99

The Corps has a fight on their hands that will surely shake them to the core. Collects issues #7-12 and ANNUAL #1 of the hit series!

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!

Do you think these Amibos and Infinity figures are this generation’s plastic guitars and drums? What do you think would make an awesome follow up to INJUSTICE? What are you going to do to avoid Age of Ultron spoilers?

1 Comments on Walking the Game Beat: Lego Crisis, New Daredevil Duds in Heroes, and the Future of Injustice?, last added: 4/14/2015

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11. Review: Convergence #0 is The Start of Something Big

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 4/1/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Top News, Dan Jurgens, Convergence #0, Reviews, Comics, DC, DC Comics, convergence, Add a tag

Convergence #0

Story: Jeff King, Dan Jurgens

Art: Ethan Van Sciver

Colors: Marcelo Maiolo

Letters: Travis Lanham

Publisher: DC Comics

Event comics are like vending machnies, sometimes you get nothing. That’s been true of more recent years stuff like AXIS, INFINITY, and Image United. The other side of that lost quarter are those books that make you glad these series exist. You’ll get a Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinity Gauntlet, or House of M where the event delivers a promise that was hyped just right. On rare occasions, comic fans can be pleasantly surprised by something going in we believe to be overhyped. That right there is the beauty of DC Comics latest event Convergence.

This zero issue gives readers an idea of what Convergence is about without really putting the gears in motion too much. Television producer Jeff King pairs with veteran comics writer Dan Jurgens to pen a prologue that answers questions you might have after reading Superman: Doomed a few months ago. Convergence #0 answers the mystery of what happened during Superman’s disappearance in the Doomed event. Readers will get a Brainiac unlike any you’ve seen before and all the Brainiacs you’ve seen before. In a way, that’s what Convergence is, everything old is new and everything new is grandiose. King and Jurgens are playing off a lot of nostalgia connected to the heart of a DC fan while trying to incorporate this new ultra Brainiac to the DCU. Seeing all the moments Superman died across all those universes is like an Easter egg hunt. Issue zero is where we get a road map of the event through New 52 Superman’s journey among the plane of domed cities. This tale is a good set up in driving home the point of what the Convergence spine series will be about and how it could potentially matter post Convergence.

Whether you love his work or not, Ethan Van Sciver was the perfect choice for Convergence. His hyper realistic style works to subtlety unify the different versions of characters we’ll see. It’s like threading popcorn through a string, each kernel will look different but ultimately you know they’re on the same line. There so many great illustrators in comics, but so few can handle the necessary scope event books need. Ethan is an artist who knows how to dial it to 11 when he needs to. Looking at these pages, the sheer level of details hidden in the panels will blow your mind. Particularly with the Daily Planets. Marcelo Maiolo’s colors are a loving compliment to all the gorgeous line work. The story has so much visual shifting that it could have been detrimental to the book, but the color work brings it all together smoothly.

Being someone who suffers from event fatigue, Convergence #0 was a pleasant surprise. It’s the history of DCU used brilliantly as a story device and it’s one of the most visually impressive looking event books since the original Crisis. But we can’t whole heartedly recommend it without a bit of warning. The biggest reason being a zero issue should never cost $4.99. Usually these been the least expensive issues of events, sometimes even FCBD issues. This one has 28 pages of story and a 10 page guide explaining each of the universes we’ll see during the event. It’s an addition which could have easily been published online, or as a free marketing pamphlet for stores to giveaway, instead of adding to the page count. Even if this isn’t solely the reason for the price point, it certainly couldn’t have hurt their wallets to eliminate it from the printing. If you are a reader that’s been on board from the day Convergence was announced, you won’t be disappointed when you pick up the book. As for the rest of us, if you don’t mind the price point, Convergence is good… really good.

Dave and all his multiverse counter parts can be seen every morning grabbing a donut and coffee on the way to the office because we all got together and killed the one version who didn’t like that stuff, or on twitter @bouncingsoul217

7 Comments on Review: Convergence #0 is The Start of Something Big, last added: 4/3/2015

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Steve Here said, on 4/1/2015 10:50:00 PM

Why would anyone be down on Ethan Van Sciver? For years I’ve heard reservations about his art but for the life of me, I can’t tell why. It’s fantastic.

Scottie said, on 4/2/2015 12:58:00 AM

“You’ll get a Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinity Gauntlet, or House of M where the event delivers a promise that was hyped just right.”

You got two out of three.

def said, on 4/2/2015 5:48:00 AM

I honestly prefer Noah to Evan. Evan is a bit sterile. But then again, DC has worked hard to become a sterile company (the past six months of creative shifts notwithstanding, they are the new exception to the old rule).

Silly but True said, on 4/2/2015 6:59:00 AM

I call BS. If one had said Thanos Quest, a 2-issue deluxe bookshelf standalone series, then you’d have something.

The series is not the “event.” All of the “good” “events” cited — Infinity Gauntlet & Crisis (Nevermind House of M) were panned as bloated examples of meaningless drivel. Crisis single-handedly created its own “red skies” trope for such events — meaningless tie-ins that do nothing for the event save for inclusion of a red sky to pander to the dollar.

When one speaks fondly of the Infinity Gauntlet event, we have to presume that you really just mean the 6 issues of the eponymous miniseries and not the totality of the event’s some 47 different comic issues that stretched the event into everything from Cloak & Dagger to Quasar to Sleepwalker, Spider-Man, and Warlock and the Infinity Watch. Maybe one just limited their event reading to just the 22 — nearly 2 years worth — related Silver Surfer issues.

I agree that the 6 issue mini series was good, but the “event” is inclusive — with all the good and bad — of all those cover blurbs, cover event numberings, cover corner messages, and other related tie-ins. In totality, all of these examples are godawfully bloated.

Silly but True

MBunge said, on 4/2/2015 9:38:00 AM

In Convergence #0, I spent 5 bucks for what I essentially got in the first 5 pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which cost 75 cents.

Mike

Arch Stanton said, on 4/2/2015 11:18:00 AM

Regardless of the hype, the premise of this series is exactly the same as Countdown: Arena, only with better production values. It’s a combination of nostalgia and videogame slugfest. The whole deal stinks of desperation.

Around the Tubes | Graphic Policy said, on 4/3/2015 6:00:00 AM

[…] The Beat – Convergence #0 […]

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12. ECCC’15: DC Converges the Weeklies on Seattle

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 3/28/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: ECCC'15, DC, Conventions, DC Comics, convergence, Top News, Add a tag

DC Comics brings its upcoming event to Emerald City with their DC Entertainment: All Access Weeklies and Convergence panel.

Among the panelists for this fan sales pitch are Dan Jurgens, James Tyion IV, Ray Fawkes, Maruerite Bennett, Stuart Moore and the writer of the manin series Jeff King.

After the introductions were made the group started out by showing clips from DC All Access and Dan DiDio’s video that was suppose to hype and explain Convergence. At least now it’s a better sales pitch than ” Hey this is what we’re doing while we move boxes around.” The cover for issue 0 was shown and Dan Jurgens talked about the issue coming out of next week’s Futures End finale.

Convergence 0 will have a monster 6 page scene, if you’re willing to buy three copies of the book to piece together the spreads that make it up. Jeff King talked about “balancing the epic” as far as his experience coming from the world of television. The end of Convergence will tie up Morrisson’s Multiversity.

Stuart Moore talked about the Legion Convergence story. They’ll be battling the Atomic Knights in a “contrast between hope and despair.” The story will be Superboy centric in a point where he’s in the transition to becoming Superman.

Batman Eternal was up next.

Tynion, talked about the journey it was to do a weekly comic. Issue 52 has Fawkes and Seeley draw pages in the book as well as write. Julia Pennyworth, was brought back as an idea by Fawkes. Tynion and Snyder came up with the notion of having Selena Kyle be the new kingpin of crime. Tynion’s also bursting about the upcoming events in June with Batman’s new direction.

Jurgens talked about Futures End and it being the place which introduced the radically different Brainiac. Next week’s conclusion also leads into June’s Batman Beyond. May will see an 8-page preview of Batman Beyond. Jurgens also talked about artist Bernard Chang doing the best work of his career.

Bennett talked about World’s End. Writing these characters on a different world gave her more freedom. The cover of issue 26 with Darkseid holding Earth 2 Batman was shown. It’s intense! There’s two people on this panel that have killed Superman.

Audience Q&A was up next:

Favorite contribution?

Tynion’s favorite, Eternal’s turning point in 21 with the reveal of Hush. Bennett’s was the relationship between Batman and Huntress when Thomas Wayne dawned the cape and cowl.

When asked about why we should buy Convergence, King admitted his history with the DCU was limited and spent days at a time going back through the key moments and all the Elseworld books.

Convergence 0 answers a question the missing hours of Superman’s life from Action Comics #35.

Oh look Gail Simone just showed up.

Stephanie Brown?

Tynion answered, “she’ll be appearing in a few other places and have stories with Harper Row.”

Simone talked about the Nightwing and Oracle Convergence story. According to Simone, Dick and Barbara are the only ones trying to not simply survive the dome. It’s the Nightwing/Oracle story she’s always wanted to tell.

Marguerite Bennett’s next book will be in August and it’s going to be announced soon.

The panel came to an end. Convergence begins next week with the finale of Futures End and Convergence 0.

2 Comments on ECCC’15: DC Converges the Weeklies on Seattle, last added: 3/29/2015

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13. nuDC: Batman is a robot, Wonder Woman is Captain Wolverine and Superman put on jeans

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 3/12/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, convergence, 10 Days that Shook The World, harleyquinn, Add a tag

This week DC has been revealing new looks for its core characters, including some startling fashion changes. The new looks have been revealed in various places We’ve cobbled it all up for you below but here’s the shorter version:

• Batman is now a robot or something. Scott Snyder calls it “the boldest, weirdest, biggest thing we’ve ever tried on the book.” Maybe the suit is an eco skeleton or something…his ears are now antenna-thingies that have distant echoes of a cross between Doom PAtrol Cliff, Batman Beyond and Ultron.

• Superman now looks like..Channing Tatum. After he trashed his tights the other day he’s put on some comfy jeans that give him mobility and a sporty vibe. This look debuted in the Morrison/Quitely Action Comics, but Superman has a shorter, more contemporary haircut. And no capes because Edna Mode.

• Wonder Woman has gotten a VERY thorough update that also seems to include body armor as well as big wrist spikes (ala Wolverine) and a logo treatment that…well, it resembles Captain Marvel just a weeeeeeee bit. I don’t really like loincloths, but whatever floats your boat.

• Also Harley Quinn has kneeepads…dont’ know how long that has been going on but NOT GOING THERE.

While I don’t expect to see any of these looks on toasters or immersion blenders any time soon, a shake up is good, and I’m sure all the stories behind these changes will be exciting (The Batman robot one looks promising). In the meantime here’ amore of DC’s new June look:

Here’s the lineup:

BATMAN #41
Written by SCOTT SNYDER Art by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
THE JOKER Variant cover by SEAN MURPHY
On sale JUNE 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The all-new Batman makes his debut! Who is he, and what happens next? Find out here as a new era begins in Gotham City!

ACTION COMICS #41
Written by GREG PAK and AARON KUDER / Art and cover by AARON KUDER THE JOKER Variant cover by DARWYN COOKE On sale JUNE 3 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The epic new storyline “TRUTH” begins! For Superman, there’s no more holding back!

HARLEY QUINN #17 Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI / Art by CHAD HARDIN Cover by AMANDA CONNER / THE JOKER Variant cover by EDUARDO RISSO On sale JUNE 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
They’re here – the Gang of Harleys has arrived! Because the world demanded more Harley Quinn, Harley has answered the call – will a dozen more Harleys do the trick? Meet Carli Quinn, Harley Queen, HanukQuinn, and many, many, MANY more in a story that will have your sides splitting!

SINESTRO #12 Written by CULLEN BUNN / Art by BRAD WALKER and ANDREW HENNESSY Cover by MARTIN COCCOLO / THE JOKER Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON On sale JUNE 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

There’s a traitor in the Sinestro Corps who has set New Korugar on a path to certain destruction! The smart move would be to evacuate the Korugarian refugees from the planet, but Sinestro knows finding the identity of the traitor is more crucial, which leads to an unexpected betrayal from someone you would never expect, and a punishment from Sinestro that will alter someone’s life irrevocably!

GRAYSON #9 Written by TOM KING and TIM SEELEY / Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN THE JOKER Variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON On sale JUNE 24 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Everything changes as Helena takes over SPYRAL! Plus: Grayson gets a new partner!

WONDER WOMAN #41 Written by MEREDITH FINCH Art and cover by DAVID FINCH and  JONATHAN GLAPION THE JOKER Variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND On sale JUNE 17 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. A daring new direction begins with the arrival of a brand-new villain! But while he may be new to us, he’s not new to the world he seeks to tame. And speaking of villains, Donna Troy’s quest to destroy Wonder Woman ratchets up another gear (if that’s even possible!), while the games of the Gods bring dark portents to the ultimate Amazon!

gl_cv41

GREEN LANTERN #41
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by BILLY TAN and MARK IRWIN
Cover by BILLY TAN
THE JOKER Variant cover by BEN OLIVER
On sale JUNE 3 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
“Renegade!” Beginning a new chapter in Hal Jordan’s life as he becomes the universe’s most wanted outlaw! And wait till you meet Hal’s new partner, Darlene. She’s definitely not what you’re expecting!

DETECTIVE COMICS #41
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and
BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
THE JOKER Variant cover by PATRICK GLEASON
On sale JUNE 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Following the events of “Endgame,” get ready to ride with the GCPD in a whole new city! Harvey Bullock is leading a Bat task force, but what are his duties, and can he be trusted? And what kind of welcome awaits his new partner, Renee Montoya?

SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #18
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and others
Cover by PAULO SIQUEIRA
THE JOKER Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale JUNE 17 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The epic new storyline “TRUTH” continues! As the pressure mounts, a relationship is tested!

Also here’s a look at the Batman/Superman #21 cover where you can see the robotic bats in all its glory.

20 Comments on nuDC: Batman is a robot, Wonder Woman is Captain Wolverine and Superman put on jeans, last added: 3/13/2015

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Torsten Adair said, on 3/12/2015 4:24:00 PM

BAT-SPOON!

Kate said, on 3/12/2015 4:31:00 PM

Heidi, all of these books look horrible.

Remco said, on 3/12/2015 4:36:00 PM

I have no feeling for these characters at all anymore – I am officially out of the loop.

Superman with bloodied, dripping fists – replace the S with a skull and you’ve got Frank Castle.
Batman – Briareos from Appleseed wants his suit back.
Wonder Woman – A fussy costume, it will not become iconic. All those metal bits must dig and chafe when moving. I hope she never has an itch on her nose – she’ll have her eyes out with those things if she scratches.

Joe S. Walker said, on 3/12/2015 4:54:00 PM

As usual an “update” seems to mean that the old look wasn’t ugly enough.

Steve B said, on 3/12/2015 5:41:00 PM

People complained every time Wonder Woman had any skin showing. Now she’s not, so stop complaining. I repeat there is no cleavage, you can find something new to be offended by.

Jer said, on 3/12/2015 6:19:00 PM

Wonder Woman’s new costume has far too much crap on it. Why would she need arm spikes? What’s up with the gold neckbrace? And did she get Superman’s stupid high collar when he gave it up?

So much stupid shoved into a single costume. It’s like someone said “how dumb can we make this costume – let’s double that”.

Jer said, on 3/12/2015 6:20:00 PM

Oh and the worst offender – shoulderpads. Why shoulderpads? So stupid.

Bub said, on 3/12/2015 6:36:00 PM

I think the red on Superman’s hand are supposed to be his ripped up cape, not blood. You can see that the red is completely obscuring his fingers and there’s a bit of red that is pointing up.

Chuck Marcinko said, on 3/12/2015 6:56:00 PM

In this group is 5 of the 7 DC titles I collect. Grayson looks to be the best one of the bunch since I have been a Grayson/Robin/Nightwing fan since I started reading comics. Superman looks stupid like a neanderthal thug/street punk. Batman looks like he is now wearing Space Marine armor from Warhammer 40K. Green Lantern looks like he did when he became Parallax years ago, not really interested in that repeat. Finally to Wonder Woman, while I like the new look, I don’t care for the spikes.

Put Superman and Batman back the way they have been for 70+ years. Take this crap and trash it NOW!

Ken said, on 3/12/2015 6:58:00 PM

The only one I like is Wonder Woman’s costume. Except for the spikes, they make no sense. Superman seems to be trying too hard to look like Connor’s old look and Batman looks horrible. Harley Quinn’s costume isn’t too bad and I’d have to see a full picture of Hal Jordan to make a decision on it.

Chris said, on 3/12/2015 7:29:00 PM

Looks like somebody never got over not getting a Helfer/Baker Shadow #20!

They return to every idea eventually…

OptivioN said, on 3/12/2015 7:58:00 PM

Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;
But wonder on, till truth make all things plain.
~Shakespeare

Carnius said, on 3/12/2015 8:19:00 PM

In my honest consumerish opinion, if I were in charge of these properties…I’d fire whomever was working on them at this point. And blacklist whomever suggested the changes.

RoboCop-Batman? What…is Gotham in Detroit now or something?

Modern near-metrosexual Superman? Does our new superman also enjoy jogging in the park, and doing other non-iconic and casual things? Will he casually save the day now? Pfft, capes…who needs capes, fuck capes…amirite DC?

Wonderman…sorry, Wonder Woman is meh. I have no real opinon on her since I never grew up with her comics really. Same for the rest I suppose. I might look into borrowing a copy of the new RoboCop…sorry, RoboBat– agh, I’m so sorry, The ALL NEW ROBO-BATMAN.. (did I get it right this time?) just to see what the new look is all about. For an issue really. I’d never spend any real money on a series that looks as bad as this, lol.

Larry S Miller said, on 3/12/2015 9:39:00 PM

Not at all impressed with the look of any of these. it may put me off reading any of these comics after about sixty years. Who’s idea was this?

The Eye said, on 3/12/2015 9:56:00 PM

Wow, they really screwed the pooch with these properties. I guess there are no new good ideas, so let’s just screw them all up royally and equally, right?

I_am_Eliel said, on 3/12/2015 10:10:00 PM

I think DC has been taken over by Marvel undercover agents and spies… They are trashing the whole DC universe!!!! Look at what they have done to comic book’s trinity!!! They are being defaced and no ones stopping them!!!! SAVE THEM

Bob said, on 3/12/2015 10:22:00 PM

This is the ABSOLUTE worse-case that I have ever seen of batman in nearly 40 years of collecting. I went to my first comic con here in Cleveland in February and had a ball. I met and talked with Neil Adams… The best! I am seriously thinking of giving up on comics, especially Batman, my favorite, if they keep this mess, this monstrosity! This is actually worse than AzBats!! Fire the whole lot of artist/writers who thought of this and the editors who went with it!!! I’m in my forties and I SPENT over $1500.00 in Batman merchandise…WE ARE THE ONES WHO PAY YOUR SALARIES…THINK ABOUT THAT!! This is not what we want. nuff said!!

Yakov Lowtown said, on 3/12/2015 10:25:00 PM

I like the Wonder Woman costume, if you don’t know what the spikes are for think about it for a minute. Superman is ok, but every time I look at it I wonder if he showered today? Batman is just a no, he has a gun? Since when does Batman use a gun? Batman should be hardboiled noir combined with a good kung fu movie not dark and gritty Ironman.

Dave said, on 3/12/2015 10:42:00 PM

I beleave that in Sterankos history of comics,published back in 1970-1972,One of DC’s most powerful men Mort Weiseinger said about supes, that the character was invincible,in the aspect that no matter how crappy a story was that seen print, it NEVER caused any great harm to the books sales.In any case,back in the day they knew to make any story that crossed the line to greatly, an imaginary one,out of continuity.They wanted the characters to be easy to learn about and follow.I quit buying any dc product but silver and golden age reprints, about ten years ago.They are NOT going to get back their base readership,nor gain a new one.

Jonathan said, on 3/12/2015 10:57:00 PM

WHY THE FUCK DOES BATMAN HAVE A GUN?

I could bring up the many, many other things that are wrong with these horrible designs, but that jumped right to the front of the line.

New 52 has sucked from the get go and this is just another horrible step down. Way to destroy a legacy guys.

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14. Convergence to Bring in The INJUSTICE Universe

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 1/14/2015
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Comics, DC, Video Games, injustice, DC Comics, convergence, EW, Top News, Add a tag

by Davey Nieves

Today Entertainment Weekly revealed the solicits for the first four issues of the nine part Convergence event from DC Comics. The event will bring together the pre-52 universe with just about every part of the DC Comics multi-verse. Perhaps the most interesting part of the solicit was the inclusion of the popular INJUSTICE universe. A universe that was created in part with the 2013 award winning fighting game Injustice: Gods Among US. It’s a world where Superman was driven mad by the Joker resulting in the death of his city and family, causing him to take over the world, only for Batman and a team of rebel heroes to rise up against him. The DC Digital series that came with the game is among the publisher’s boldest stories and month in and month out feels like just about anything can happen. It’s looking like every part of the DC Multi-verse could be part of the event. The possibilities could also include the Arkham game universe, Batman 66, maybe even make the daring choice to play with film and television characters.

The Injustice universe will be one of the worlds at stake, along with the likes of Crisis, Zero Hour, Elseworlds, and the pre-New 52 DCU. This nine part mini-series sees the villain Braniac bottle the cities of forgotten worlds and Vince McMahon them into battling each other in his own personal dimensional elimination chamber. Here’s the solicit for issue 1-4

CONVERGENCE #1

Written by JEFF KING and SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Foldout cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES
1:25 Variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND
1:100 BATMAN sketch variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
Blank variant cover
On sale APRIL 8 • 40 pg, FC, 1 of 8, $4.99 US • RATED T
This is it! The entire DC Universe, from the dawn of time through The New 52, must fight to survive against a threat that bends the Multiverse to its will. Your favorite characters from every era and every forgotten series are all here! But are you going to say hello again just to say goodbye forever? The stakes have never been higher as the heroes of Crisis, Zero Hour, Elseworlds, and more are brought together for Convergence!
In the first issue of this weekly series, Brainiac has collected cities of doomed and forgotten worlds, who must battle each other—and the losers will be destroyed! But why is he forcing this conflict? Join the refugees from Earth-2 as they unlock the truth behind this world that exists outside time and space and is very much alive! Is Brainiac really in control—or is this planet named Telos an unparalleled force of evil?
This extra-sized issue is packed with twists and turns and appearances you NEVER thought you’d see—including the heroes from the hit series INJUSTICE!

CONVERGENCE #2
Written by JEFF KING
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES
1:25 Variant cover by JAE LEE
1:100 WONDER WOMAN sketch variant cover by DAVID FINCH
On sale APRIL 15 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 8, $3.99 US • RATED T
As Telos, the Planet Incarnate, easily defeats the survivors of Earth-2, Thomas Wayne and Dick Grayson set off to find help in the pre-Flashpoint Gotham City. The emotional implication of these worlds colliding comes crashing down when Thomas Wayne confronts this world’s Batman, as father meets son!
Plus, Alan Scott’s attempts to connect with The Green yield unexpected results, setting our team on a quest to escape the planet. And the cyborgs of Futures End engage in a battle to the death against the reimagined heroes of the Just Imagine Universe, while the city of Superman Red and Blue takes on the opposing forces from GENERATIONS!

CONVERGENCE #3
Written by JEFF KING
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and JASON PAZ
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES
1:25 Variant cover by DAVE McKEAN
1:100 AQUAMAN sketch variant cover by JIM LEE
On sale APRIL 22 • 32 pg, FC, 3 of 8, $3.99 US • RATED T
Death comes calling as an injured Telos takes out his rage on the people of Kandor, while the Earth-2 team endures another brutal casualty. And major plans are set in motion as Green Lantern and the others follow Deimos into the lost city of Skartaris to find Rip Hunter and the missing Time Masters, who could be their only hope of escape from this apocalypse for Infinite Earths!

CONVERGENCE #4
Written by JEFF KING
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and JASON PAZ
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES
1:25 Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:100 GREEN LANTERN sketch variant cover by JIM LEE
On sale APRIL 29 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 8, $3.99 US • RATED T
Inside Skartaris, the heroes of Earth-2 must face the only man who can stop them from finding the missing Time Travelers—but why would Travis Morgan, aka The Warlord, want to kill them?
Meanwhile, Telos takes the captive Dick Grayson to several of the battling cities to prove the futility of challenging him. And whatever you do, do not miss the final page, as the surprising return of an unexpected villain could crush all hope for salvation and seal the doom of everyone on the planet!

2 Comments on Convergence to Bring in The INJUSTICE Universe, last added: 1/15/2015

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15. The Retailer’s View // Top Sellers and Bottom Dwellers

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 12/22/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, Marvel, Commentary, Retailing & Marketing, Star Wars, convergence, Top News, Top Comics, The Retailer's View, Add a tag

A couple of news bits and a personal announcement to tackle this week, so let’s get right to it.

MILLION AIRS

About a week ago, Marvel started to make a big deal over Star Wars #1 eclipsing 1,000,000 pre-orders from various retail outlets. While the company hinted at some of this quantity coming from less traditional sources, the number is still quite impressive, boasting the best direct market numbers for a single printing of a single issue in over twenty years. Despite all of the headache inducing rabble that I’m about to detail, that’s a number everyone involved with the creation, sales and marketing of the series should be proud of.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pound my head against my keyboard while I detail the variant structure of this particular release.

STAR WARS CHRISTOPHER PARTY var1 676x1028 The Retailers View // Top Sellers and Bottom Dwellers

Check it out, it’s Bucky O’Hare you guys. Shut up, it is too.

As you’ve probably heard by now, there are an impressive amount of variant covers being produced for this comic. To start, Marvel tossed a grand total of 13 wide-market variants on top of the regular comic for all retailers to order and obtain. These 13 books had qualifiers that ranged from “1 for every 15 copies ordered” to “1 for every 500 copies ordered”. Four of them required retailers to exceed 200% of their Original Sin #8 numbers in order to get any books in – which is probably the clearest indication of where Marvel wanted the book to be in terms of sales. Original Sin #8 clocked in at an estimated 90,478 copies sold, which means they were probably aiming at the 200,000 as a “worst case scenario”.

These alone wouldn’t have brought Star Wars #1 even close to the 1,000,000 mark – so where does all that extra push come from? Many are pointing in the vague direction of alternative distribution and awaiting news on what nerd box corporation sprung for a few hundred thousand copies – and while that’s probably part of the answer, a good chunk is also coming from the retailer exclusive variants Marvel offered retailers.

In one of their missives to the retail community, Marvel let it be known that any retailer or retail group could have their own variants produced. These variants would be completely unique and would potentially utilize some big name talent to create a unique image that would appear on a cover exclusive to that retailer. The catch? You had to order at least 3,000 copies and order 200% more of the regular cover than you did for Original Sin #8. It appears quite a few retailers have taken them up on this offer, as the total of variants floating out are currently sitting at 57. Now, some of these are black and white “sketch” variants of the retail exclusive variants, which you could seemingly produce as little as 1,500 copies of, but the point remains: Marvel went full variant crazy when pushing this book. Will it work for them? In the short term, of course. They’re going to have one of their biggest January’s in a long time thanks to Star Wars alone, probably, and there will almost assuredly be enough product on the shelves to meet whatever demand might arise. In the long term? When a company digs this deep into variants and qualifiers, I always worry about the long lingering after effects. The practice of asking retailers to potentially overextend themselves to chase rare items almost always ends with product chocking out storage space and back issue bins. It manipulates the regulatory curve of supply and demand, and takes cash on hand and turns it into dead weight that’s harder to turn over, both of which can and will result in various levels of hardships. Too much of this and a store, a company, or an industry breaks. And wouldn’t that be fun.

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

Last week, the DC solicitations for March revealed a culling for the company, and the internet had some words about it. Because of course it did. The company is heading into their big move across the country with quite a few stagnant books and a line-wide crossover eating up their publishing schedule. In short, it was the right call to dust a large portion of their books in order to arrive back in June with a refocused creative direction. That said, the sheer volume of titles on the chopping block still makes this feel like a defeat of some kind.

What DC needs here is for their PR department to pick up the copious amount of slack that’s roped on the floor. I know they’re already having a hard time convincing people that Convergence is going to be a big, important thing with the structure they chose, but they really shouldn’t be spending too much time and effort on that. Convergence is a crossover series, and it’s been designed as a two-month respite from The New 52 universe. Each and every one of their 40 two part minis seem to nudge the reader in the ribs and say, “Hey, remember when this was happening?” – and it’s going to do very little in the way of drawing a wide audience. June, on the other hand, stands a chance to be spectacular, and the company should be teasing it now. As it stands, DC looks like it’s flailing as a large chunk of their newly launched books limp to an end, and others that were a bit long in the tooth drop along side them. They need to come out and say this is all in service of something, or else people are going to run with a less positive narrative. It’s all about perception, and right now, DC is losing the battle. Here’s hoping they win the war.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

As of December 31st, I will no longer be the manager of a comic shop. After spending a little over 8 years at Wizard’s Comics, I’m moving on to a different role within this great industry. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what that is yet – but I thought it would be pertinent to let you all know of this change, as it will clearly effect what I write for this site. A hint regarding the future: while I won’t be a store manager, I will still be writing similar articles about the industry for Comics Beat, and they will start on January 12th. You might be surprised. You probably won’t be.

Until then, you’ll probably see me contribute the odd news post or opinion piece here or there, but otherwise, I will be busy putting together the next phase of my life – so if we don’t talk until then, have a fantastic holiday season!

10 Comments on The Retailer’s View // Top Sellers and Bottom Dwellers, last added: 12/25/2014

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chris said, on 12/22/2014 9:13:00 AM

” The practice of asking retailers to potentially overextend themselves to chase rare items almost always ends with product chocking out storage space and back issue bins”
===
This has nothing to do with Marvel or any other company that offers the option. Retailers can simply NOT buy them. No one forces a retailer or a customer to buy any variant. Marvel is filling a need in the marketplace here; you may not like it, but it’s there. Some people enjoy their comics in this manner.

Charlie Ryan said, on 12/22/2014 10:03:00 AM

It’s true that no retailer *has* to buy them. The danger to the market, as I see it, is that retailers have finite resources and if they choose to follow a variant frenzy like this, they’ll cut loose smaller circulation/smaller press comics that month to pay for them. If they’re stuck with a pile of unsold copies: less revenue that month, less cash flow for the following month’s orders, and so on. I wish Marvel would sell a million of them — all with the same cover. *That* would be a healthy thing for the market.

chris said, on 12/22/2014 10:11:00 AM

You bring up a good point; the sheer volume of comics today tends to push out some of the smaller ones. The numbers don’t lie; people like Batman and Spider-Man. With so many titles out from these characters, only so many dollars are left for your average Wednesday Warrior for the B, C and D level characters, let alone indie titles.

So, in that respect, it *is* the fault of Marvel. Their huge Star Wars push sort of takes away from their ‘lesser’ titles.

rob e said, on 12/22/2014 11:41:00 AM

Personally, I don’t blame DC for doing what it did, even though 3/4ths of the axed titles are on my pull list. Hey, low sales are low sales any way you cut it. I tried word of mouth to get people to buy books like Star Spangled War Stories and Infinity Man & Forever People. I really can’t help it if they couldn’t find room for them amidst the 37 Bat books they’re buying every month. Of course, DC throwing those books out there cold with ZERO PROMOTION AND MARKETING certainly didn’t help matters.

Convergence and the 40 minis? Nah, think I’ll pass on this one. In my opinion, it’s nothing but a simple money grab promoted by DC as something so Earth-shattering, anyone who doesn’t buy the whole shebang will end up in a state of deep depression for life. Yeah, right. Reality is, it’ll be two months of a few semi-interesting books and mostly throwaway garbage to get the fanboys talking until the New 52 returns in June.

And what will this, ahem, “return” actually be? Seems like more of the same. DC’ll replace the dearly departed books with its usual assortment of new Bat books (promoted to the stars and beyond), revivals of a few titles, including no doubt, a couple books cancelled less than a year ago. Maybe a couple titles featuring characters who’s had chance after chance after chance after cha…..well, you get the idea. Oh, just to say they’re being “creative”, they’ll throw a book or two out there that features a new or long-lost character and give them zero promotion. And scratch their collective heads when those books flop from the start. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Just remember, DC (and other publishers as well): A “jumping-on” point also serves as an excellent “jumping-off” point as well.

Bram said, on 12/22/2014 8:16:00 PM

Best of luck, Brandon, enjoyed your articles.

I hope we still manage to get the retailer’s perspective here on the Beat.

Tim said, on 12/23/2014 10:55:00 AM

Variants for retailers and Loot Crate for publishers. Pretty soon the entire industry will be so celebrated and comics so self-congratulatory it might be able to finally move on from readers.

If we try hard enough, we can get that two separate economies thing going like Wall Street and Main Street.

James Van Hise said, on 12/23/2014 6:50:00 PM

That six foot tall green rabbit is from a storyline which began back in 1977 in Marvel’s Star Wars #7. George Lucas disliked it so much that he told Marvel to change the creative team on the book so Roy Thomas was out and Archie Goodwin was in. Lucasfilm even issued a press release announcing that the comic had a new creative team and indicating that they felt the title was now on the right track. Roy Thomas complained at the time that Lucas had made no suggestions as to what to do in the story following the movie adaptation which ended in issue #6 and was thus annoyed that after offering him no guidance, Lucas just ordered him replaced with another writer. Lucas paid more attention to the comics in those days, so much so that when Marvel’s adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back (with the big reveal about Darth Vader being Luke’s father) was published weeks before the film was released (which Marvel had promised not to do) Lucas personally called the head of Marvel Comics to complain–at his home.

Charlie Ryan said, on 12/24/2014 10:45:00 AM

Ahhhhh, the frustrating dichotomy of George Lucas — the creator of some of the most memorable characters in fantasy history, and some of the worst. George gave a thumbs down to Jaxon, but a little over 20 years later, he came up with Jar Jar Binks? And was George out of the room when someone okayed the Star Wars Holiday Special with Chewbacca’s family that included Itchy and Lumpy?

Charlie Ryan said, on 12/24/2014 5:48:00 PM

Oh — and nice way to throw Roy Thomas under the bus back then, George. He *only* championed doing a Star Wars adaptation at Marvel Comics when it was an unknown quantity and, in fact, was considered a very questionable commercial venture. This was in the days before a movie was given a huge publicity machine that started months, or even years, in advance of its’ release. Back in 1977 there was only Starlog magazine and a couple of other fanzines that offered tidbits of what was to come. Roy really went to bat for that movie when it was far from a sure thing.

Roy eventually won that battle. He wrote and edited the comic book adaptation (drawn by Howard Chaykin) that started to hit newsstands three months before the movie arrived at theaters. I think it did a lot to raise awareness for the film before it came out. I know it whetted my appetite! I knew what was coming and was waiting in line at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood that first weekend.

(The rest, as they say, is history. After the movie was released, that adaptation became Marvel’s biggest selling comic of the decade.)

Bully said, on 12/24/2014 10:05:00 PM

GIANT GREEN STAR WARS RABBIT!

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16. DC Slaughters Over 10 Titles

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 12/15/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: convergence, Slaughter, Top News, Top Comics, Comics, DC, Breaking News, Publishers, Add a tag

Text By: Alexander Jones – Image By: Jeff Stahler

All hell broke loose today as DC Comics quickly tried to sweep a host of cancellations under the rug. The upcoming Convergence event taking place in April and May seems to be pulling some big change in the house of Batman and Superman. The news came from CBR, who announced the solicitations for March 2015. However, it’s hard not to miss some of these books, especially when realizing that some of the titles have been with the publisher since the launch of the New 52 in 2011, including Swamp Thing, Batwoman, Green Lantern: New Guardians and Red Lanterns. It also seems likely that Batman Eternal was planned to end at #52 this week, seeing as how that is now the magic number for DC Comics.

Here are the titles on the chopping block:

Aquaman and the Others #11

Arkham Manor #6

Batman Eternal #52

Batwoman #40

Green Lantern: New Guardians #40

Infinity Man and the Forever People #9

Injustice: Gods Among Us – Year Three #12

Klarion #6

Red Lanterns #40

Secret Origins #11

Star-Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie #8

Swamp Thing #40

Trinity of Sin #6

World’s Finest #32

Some of these books are downright shocking when considering new these launches are, ongoings like Trinity of Sin, Star-Spangled War Stories Featuring G.I. Zombie, Klarion and Arkam Manner barely got a chance to launch before being outright cancelled. Perhaps DC has something else in store?

Rumors have been flying around the internet, hinting at a possible relaunch for the company in June. With so much of their superhero line in limbo, this now seems like it is a must for DC.

15 Comments on DC Slaughters Over 10 Titles, last added: 12/16/2014

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Oliver Townshend said, on 12/16/2014 1:28:00 AM

I hope we aren’t many tmeanto care. I now have no DC comics on my pull list, and I don’t plan to change it. I struggle a little when I see Grant Morrison, but otherwise it had been simple.

Skottie said, on 12/16/2014 2:51:00 AM

Wow, Oliver, you must be so proud of yourself for all the things you’re not buying. Thanks for informing the world.

HsssH said, on 12/16/2014 3:16:00 AM

Someone should start a forum where we all will be able to post about things that we don’t buy.

Skottie said, on 12/16/2014 3:32:00 AM

You know what I’m not buying? Oliver’s claim of nerdspite. I bet he’s still buying DC books.

Oliver 1000 said, on 12/16/2014 3:55:00 AM

“when considering new these launches are”

What?

Colin McMahon said, on 12/16/2014 4:00:00 AM

Slaughtered? Wow! A little over dramatic are we? Let’s see. Swamp Thing & Arkham Manor are both written by people who announced they were Marvel exclusive. Swamp Thing will get relaunched after Convergence and Arkham Manor was too new to bother with a new team and direction. Batman Eternal has been talked about as getting a volume 2 by Snyder. Canceling 3/5 of the Green Lantern line tells me they are going for a reshuffling of the franchise. Something dramatic that leads to no Corps or New Guardian team. It would be like Marvel canceling all the extra X-books. You know they’ll be back. And some had poor sales. Trinity of Sin, Klarion. Infinity Man & Star Spangled only existed to preserve the trademarks on the titles. I’m betting we’ll see Injustice Year Four. Worlds Finest (an Earth 2 book) ends with the end of Worlds End. Not a shocker.
So the surprise is Aquaman & the Others? Did anyone really think we needed 2 Aquaman books? Batwoman has been struggling since the original team left. Surprised it lasted this long.

Skottie said, on 12/16/2014 4:04:00 AM

“Trinity of Sin, Klarion. Infinity Man & Star Spangled only existed to preserve the trademarks on the titles.”

Oh yes, it’s been so long since DC published another book with “Trinity of Sin” in the title.

And all the companies are surely vying to get their hands on “Star Spangled War Stories.”

Your theory is 120% sound.

Matt said, on 12/16/2014 4:53:00 AM

A move like this really doesn’t surprise me. Marvel, thanks to their shrewd decisions, has practically become a household name. DC, while they have been killing it in television and otherwise, needs to do something in order to be considered ‘competition’ for Marvel. While killing off this many titles seems a bit drastic, DC has always had a long row to hoe.

Colin McMahon said, on 12/16/2014 5:17:00 AM

Periods are hard Skottie. I said Klarion & Trinity of Sin were cancelled for low sales. The next sentence said Star Spangled War Stories Featuring GI Zombie and Infinity Man & the Forever People were to protect trademarks on those 4 titles.
It’s not a case of others vying for them, but why let it happen? Publishers do it all the time. It’s why there was a Deadly Hands of Kung Fu mini from Marvel.

chris said, on 12/16/2014 5:20:00 AM

Sorry to see Batwoman go, despite not being all that great the past few issues.
I also was reading GI Zombie, which was a really fun title. Too bad almost no one else was reading it!

Something big is coming after Convergence, what with 25 shipped titles ending in March (Future’s End, World’s End and Batman Eternal all ship once a week).

comicsatemybrain said, on 12/16/2014 5:32:00 AM

Klarion, Trinity of Sin, and especially Infinity Man opened to abysmally low numbers. If you don’t believe me, look at the numbers yourself:
http://comicsbeat.com/dc-comics-month-to-month-sales-october-2014-the-sweet-smell-of-success/
Does anybody believe that a two month break during Convergence will be anything but a sales drag on those titles? DC came to logical conclusions on those books, I think.

World’s Finest, Swamp Thing, Injustice, Aquaman & The Others, and Batwoman all were selling below the levels of Klarion and Trinity of Sin. Star Spangled War Stories is selling less than Infinity Man. Again, would a two month break be anything but bad news for these titles? These cancellations shouldn’t surprise anybody.

In fact, it is surprising that additional titles with sales in that neighborhood weren’t also cancelled. But for all we know they might have been “stealth cancelled” and the words “final issue” simply weren’t placed in the solicitation info.

As for the rest of the announced cancellations:
I agree that it wouldn’t be surprising to see a relaunch of the GL family of titles after Convergence. Not necessarily new #1 issues for the parent GL title, but certainly a fresh start for the ancillary books. We’ll know soon enough if that supposition is correct.
Gerry Duggan, the writer for Arkham Manor, is now exclusive to Marvel. So DC may have decided to punt on that title.
Batman Eternal wasn’t meant to go forever. #52 is apparently the natural conclusion for volume 1 of the title. We always knew that the current weekly series had some sort of finite ending in mind.
Secret Origins was selling only a little bit more than Trinity of Sin. So sales numbers may be a sufficient explanation there.

Glenn Simpson said, on 12/16/2014 5:34:00 AM

Trinity of Sin is not an example, but I agree that DC sometimes publishes things that are surely not based on fan demand, but rather to satisfy some sort of requirement. Why not just “G.I. Zombie”? Why do “Men of War” after “G.I. Combat” did so badly (or the other way around, whatever it was)? Why “All-Star Western” instead of “Jonah Hex”. Why publish “Steel” and “Shazam!” one-shots a few years ago? I don’t know specifically what it is, but I feel confident there is some sort of trademarky thing going on. I feel confident we’ll see a new Warlord series some time soon – because we haven’t had one in a while…

As for stuff like Arkham Manor and Gotham Academy, I think they may be back later on, but in the short term they were just fillers. They needed some books that they could run for six months until the big changes next year.

I believe the article suggests “we all thought they were ongoings” – I think DC is changing how these things are set up. They may know how long they intend to run something, but they aren’t labeling them “mini-series” any more because that makes a lot of people not purchase them.

I’m anticipating a GL weekly out of this.

royd_9 said, on 12/16/2014 5:54:00 AM

If I’m counting right, this leaves 32 ongoing DCU titles. To get back to 52, DC would need to launch 20 new monthlies.

Now I know the 52 titles number has not been respected for some time now, but 32 is way below any count since the New 52 launch. So I’m guessing come June, at least 10 new ongoings, with maybe a weekly. Wonder if they’ll be ready to launch Batman Eternal volume 2 in June, but my guess is they will keep it for later, since they don’t need the hype of a “mini-relaunch” for that title to be successful.

Charlie Ryan said, on 12/16/2014 6:44:00 AM

I think this news is pretty exciting. House cleaning is always a good thing. I hope DC runs with the opportunity and offers at least a few new books with fresh voices and styles. And if that doesn’t happen, please offer Darwyn Cooke a large pile of money to write and draw a Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman book!

And comicsatemybrain —- you take the prize for best line of these posts:
Batman Eternal wasn’t meant to go forever.

Christopher said, on 12/16/2014 6:45:00 AM

DC sure did a great job capitalizing on Batwoman’s initial popularity, huh?

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17. DC explains how Convergence fits into Future’s End

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 12/9/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, convergence, blood moon, Top News, Earth 2, futures end, erth 12: world's end, Add a tag

Sort of. Via an EXTREMELY RARE press release from DC, it was suggested you can watch some All Access videos, buy the The New 52: Future’s End Vol. 1 collection and read the three weekly series currently running—Future’s End, Earth 2, and splitting the difference, Earth 2: World’s End. It all culminates in Convergence and comics drawn by Tom Grummett, Phil Winslade and other industry veterans.

I can tell you that a lot of retailers are very concerned about Convergence. Putting the entire DC line on hold for two months while editors move coasts seems like a compassionate move while staffers figure out how to drive, negotiate with the terrorists at Time Warner Cable, and find the location of the nearest Zankou Chicken. But for readers who were maybe a little less than excited about the current New 52 offerings, it’s also an amazing jumping OFF point if you don’t like Tom Grummett and Phil Winslade.

The PR also mentions Blood Moon, which I’m told WAS the official title of the mini-series at some point, until it was changed, mostly likely at the behest of co-publisher Dan DiDio. Persoally, Convergence is a much better title, because Blood Moon sounds like werewolves at best.

Futures End? Blood Moon? Brother Eye? Convergence?

Yes, it all connects. Read below or head over to DCComics.com for more.

Being told in the weekly comic book series set five years in the future, the events of THE NEW 52: FUTURES END play directly into CONVERGENCE—DC Comics’ massive 2 month event taking place in April and May of 2015.

Thirty-Five years from now, Brother Eye, the all-seeing artificial intelligence designed to protect and serve humanity, has turned on its makers. Nearly all life on Earth has been eradicated, leaving only the cybernetically enslaved superheroes Brother Eye has converted into its unstoppable executioners. Led by the Batman—the man who helped create Brother Eye—a small team of heroes fights on. Their last-ditch plan: send a hero back to the past to prevent Brother Eye from ever being created.

They failed.

Terry McGinnis (aka Batman Beyond) only made it thirty years back during his timestream jump. The technological apocalypse was already in motion and the Earth has become home to millions of refugees from Earth 2.

Now’s the perfect time to catch up and see what’s going on with Batman Beyond, Frankenstein, Fifty-Sue, and a sprawling cast of heroes, rogues, gods and monsters from across the DC Universe—all trying to end the future before it ends them.

We’ve got a couple of ways for you to join in on the action and see for yourself how the threads of time and space are converging:

1) THE NEW 52: FUTURES END VOL. 1 is available everywhere books are sold today. Inside, you’ve got 416 pages (we know you’re not doing anything this weekend!) collecting issues #0 – #17 and it’s loaded with bonus content–Ryan Sook’s character designs, cover sketches, and more!

2) Click here, here, and here for 16 minutes of DC ALL ACCESS’ fantastic cover-to-cover video coverage of the event so far. Who was the Masked Superman? Who killed Green Arrow? What is the Blood Moon?

And stay tuned for more! Other series that lead directly into CONVERGENCE are the weekly series EARTH 2: WORLD’S END and the monthly series EARTH 2.

This is a future you won’t want to miss!

9 Comments on DC explains how Convergence fits into Future’s End, last added: 12/12/2014

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Carl said, on 12/9/2014 11:01:00 AM

Seems like an attempt to convince a few more committed DC readers that they need to be reading Futures End to be ready for the next big event. Recent sales charts show that series tanking compared to other weeklies Batman Eternal and the recently launched Earth 2: World’s End.

Any word yet on whether the individual two-issue Convergence tie-in series will be relatively self-contained and comprehensible to a casual reader? I’ve no interest in the Convergence event as a whole, but I could well pick up two issues of Parker/Shaner Capt. Marvel, Hama/Middleton Wonder Woman, or Rucka/Hamner Question if I stand a chance of finding an essentially complete story therein.

(I imagine this is an issue for worried retailers, too, as I can’t believe too many customers will be “all in” for the whole event.)

Hufnagel0 said, on 12/9/2014 2:28:00 PM

@Carl – I’m right there with ya. I if I knew that the few minis I’m interested in were self-contained, I’d buy them for sure. DC is so concerned with getting me to buy a billion titles over two months that they’re neglecting to sell me on what I’d actually be interested in.

Wolflmg said, on 12/9/2014 5:54:00 PM

Dc comics needs to established a DC unlimited for their digital comics with a plan like marvel unlimited.

CagedLeo730 said, on 12/9/2014 9:23:00 PM

@Hufnagel0 DC has hardly begun to divulge info about the books. Hell, they’re starting way too early. There will be more in depth interviews and more concrete solicits as the months approach. Initial orders are still about 2 months out. Give it time.

SCARCE- Xavier Lancel said, on 12/10/2014 7:41:00 AM

Dc explain what they shouldn’t have to explain….

Torsten Adair said, on 12/10/2014 9:09:00 AM

Well, I read everything DC produces each month (a bit behind in my reading).

Future’s End… it’s really slow storytelling. The only big bit of story: Firestorm.
Terry Batman doesn’t seem to be changing much of the story yet, but Brother Batman is on its way, so who can tell?

Of course, from a meta (HAH!) viewpoint, how does DC keep the successful characters ongoing? That’s why you have events: to launch new characters and series. Blue Beetle, Booster Gold…
Marvel’s got Spider-Gwen. How do you save Fifty Sue and Firestorm 2.0?

Zach said, on 12/10/2014 12:29:00 PM

Torsten – you read everything DC does? But you’re really smart. Who did this to you?

Torsten Adair said, on 12/11/2014 2:37:00 PM

@Zach
I receive comp issues once a month. It’s an obligation I’ve accepted, and also, it allows me to better understand what’s working and what isn’t at DC.

I don’t review, since I don’t feel I do that sort of thing very well.

There are some bright spots, especially in the Digital First output. Could I create a “Years Best” selection? I don’t know…

Hufnagel0 said, on 12/12/2014 12:15:00 PM

@CagedLeo730 – Yeah, I getcha; they’re just getting the hype train a-rolling. I just can’t help but get my hopes up for some of the two-shots, and I’d hate to have them dashed by learning they won’t make sense without the main series. I’d guess DC is gonna try to maximize potential profits, so they’ll probably make them all accessible. Relying on die-hards picking up most of the titles for two months isn’t their plan, right? RIGHT?!?

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18. DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre-Crisis characters

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 12/2/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Top Comics, pre-crisis, Events, DC, convergence, 10 Days that Shook The World, Add a tag

And the final week of Convergence mini-series has been announced, with characters from the ancient Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths world, with a little oddball stuff like the Crime Syndicate. Announcements were made at EW and Newsarama. The previous weeks of COnvergence—the two issue moving fill-in event that will help ease DC’s staff into their new West Coast home—focused on different eras. Week one was pre New 52; week 2 was the 90s, and week three was the 80s. And now we’ve gone back to the protean slurry.

Notable creators this time…well I like the Jeff Parker-Evan Shaner team and it’s always nice to see Len Wein, Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz working together.

PRE-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, Earth 2

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artists: Tom Derenick and Trevor Scott
Colorist: Monica Kubina
Older and in full retirement under the dome, members of the Justice Society get the chance to regain their youths to stave off forces from the Qward Universe. But the promise of youth comes with a deadly price.

INFINITY INC.
Writer: Jerry Ordway
Artist: Ben Caldwell
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
The young heroes of Infinity Inc. must choose between the path set for them by their parents or the one they’ve set for themselves as they face post-apocalyptic Jonah Hex.

DETECTIVE COMICS
Writer: Len Wein
Artists: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Felix Serrano
Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson fight side by side in memory of Bruce Wayne as they decide who will become the next Batman.

ACTION COMICS
Writer: Justin Gray
Artists: Claude St-Aubin and Sean Parsons
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Superman teams up with Power Girl, but can they stop a nuclear strike from Lex Luthor and Stalin of Red Son Moscow?

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Jim Fern and Joe Rubinstein with cartoons by Shannon Wheeler
Colorist: Paul Mounts
The Seven Soldiers of Victory regroup to defend their city against the Qward invasion, while cartoonist Scribbly Jibbet transcribes their adventures.

PRE-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Earth 3
CRIME SYNDICATE
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Artist: Phil Winslade
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
The Crime Syndicate’s absolute control of their city is challenged when the dome comes down and changes everything. Now, Superwoman is on death row while the rest of the team fights One Million Universe’s Batman and Superman!

BLUE BEETLE DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre Crisis characters

PRE-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, EARTH 4
BLUE BEETLE
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Yishan Li
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Hub City is on the brink of collapse and anarchy! But its heroes—Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and Question—find inspiration and strength from the most unlikely source.

SHAZAM DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre Crisis characters

PRE-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, EARTH S
SHAZAM
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Evan “Doc” Shaner
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
It’s Shazam versus Steampunk, as the world of Gotham By Gaslight takes on the Captain Marvel family and friends.

PLASTIC MAN DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre Crisis characters

PRE-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, EARTH X
PLASTIC MAN AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS
Writer: Simon Oliver
Artist: John McCrea
Colorist: John Kalisz
Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters are on the gallows in a New York taken over by Nazis, when robot super-heroes attack from Futures End and enemies become allies.

BOOSTER GOLD DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre Crisis characters

MULTIPLE EARTHS
BOOSTER GOLD
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Trapped with Rip Hunter and other time travelers, Booster and his future self must work together to get out of prison and off the planet.

5 Comments on DC Announces final week of Convergence with pre-Crisis characters, last added: 12/3/2014

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19. 10 more Convergence titles with Wolfman on Titans, Wein on Swamp Thing, etc.

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 11/25/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, convergence, 10 Days that Shook The World, Top News, Add a tag

The combination fan wish fulfillment and classic writer comeback that is Convergence—DC’s two month fill in event slated for next March and April while the company moves—have been announced, via The Nerdist and IGN. Once again it’s old home week with Marv Wolfman writing the Teen titans, Len Wein writing Swamp Thing, and artists including Tim Truman back at DC for one last go round.

This was originally going to be an event that featured a lot of younger creators, and there is one—EGOs artist Gus Storms is drawing the Legion.

BTW this event has gotten less and less attention as the weeks go on. Of course, the timing what with world news, is unfortunate. Also, holiday.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artists: Roberto Viacava and Andy Owens
Colorist: Sotocolor
Superman and Supergirl try to escape the city through the Phantom Zone, but they enter a portion they’ve never seen before and learn that Supergirl is destined to die if they return to their proper time and dimension. True story

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artist: Carlos D’Anda
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
After a year under the dome, the Outsiders have gone their separate ways, but when OMAC attacks, Batman must find out if they have what it takes to still be a team.

THE FLASH
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Federico Dallocchio
Colorist: Veronica Gandini
Trapped in Gotham, Barry Allen has nowhere to run. He fights on, seeking justice as well as a way to save the city. But he faces a Tangent Universe foe that thinks faster than the Flash could ever move.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS

Writer: David Gallaher

Artists: Steve Ellis and Ande Parks

Colorist: Hi-Fi
Say the Oath, save the world! If only being the Green Lantern Corps was that easy. Hal has resigned, John is busy, and Guy is pissed. Together for the first time—they’ll save Gotham or die trying.

HAWKMAN

Writer: Jeff Parker

Artists: Tim Truman and Enrique Alcatena

Colorist: John Kalisz
Hawkman and Hawkgirl put their Shadow War on hold as they face the anthropomorphic might of rat-men and bat-men in the deadly land of Kamandi!

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: ChrisCross
Colorist: Snakebite Cortez
With their heavy hitters sidelined, Elongated Man must lead the much-maligned “Detroit Justice League” against the overwhelming power of the heroes from the Tangent Universe!

NEW TEEN TITANS
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artists: Nicola Scott and Marc Deering
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Titans Together! Fighting against the might of the Tangent Universe’s Doom Patrol, we are reminded why this is the greatest Titans team of all.

Convergence Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes 668x1024 10 more Convergence titles with Wolfman on Titans, Wein on Swamp Thing, etc.

SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES

Writer: Stuart Moore

Artists: Gus Storms and Mark Farmer

Colorist: John Rauch
While Brainiac 5 struggles to break through the dome, Superboy tries to keep the Legion of Super-Heroes spirits up—but then the Atomic Knights ride into town.

SWAMP THING
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Kelley Jones
Colorist: Michelle Madsen
Swamp Thing struggles to survive when the dome cuts off his contact with the Green.

WONDER WOMAN
Writer: Larry Hama
Art and Color: Josh Middleton
White-jumpsuit-clad Diana Prince is in the grips of a Domesday cult when her lover Steve Trevor leaps into the fray to save Etta Candy from vampires of Red Rain.

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20. DC announces the first 10 Convergence minis

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 11/11/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: DC, convergence, Top News, Add a tag

CBR and io9 get the reveal on the first 10 miniseries. As explaiend by CBR, we’ll see now retconned to oblivion characters like “Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, Donna Troy, Wally West (married to Linda Park with kids), Jesse Quick, Barbara Gordon as Oracle, Dick Grayson as Nightwing and Renee Montoya as The Question. ” There’s also something called “The Dome”—a terrifying structure which forces inhabitants to watch the slow-paced CBS series of the same name reminds you of Battleworld.

While the original intent of this event was to “cast the net wide” these first minis feature such up and comers as Denys Cowan, Klaus Janson and Gail Simone. Just kidding. On a more serious note, it is good to see some of these folks working at DC again. Phil Winslade on Harley Quinn? Tell me more!

Final snark: these all sound completely totally new reader friendly.

SUPERMAN
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist Lee Weeks and Dan Jurgens/Norm Rapmund
Superman and Lois deal with the impending birth of their child as he is called in to protect the city.

THE ATOM
Writer: Tom Peyer
Artist: Steve Yeowell / Andy Owens
Ray Palmer finds that Ryan Choi is still alive. Together, they meet and confront Deathstroke, the man responsible for “killing” Choi, before fighting the invading Extremists.

BATGIRL
Writer: Alisa Kwitney
Artist: Rick Leonardi and Mark Pennington
After a year in the dome, Stephanie Brown is not sure she wants to be Batgirl again. But when Flashpoint Catman attacks, Red Robin and Black Bat call her back into service.

NIGHTWING/ORACLE
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons
Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon reevaluate their relationship under the dome (wedding!), but Flashpoint Hawkman & Hawkwoman attack, and everything changes.

SPEED FORCE
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artist: Tom Grummett and Sean Parsons
Wally West and his kids are separated from Linda, which was bad enough, but when the dome falls, Flashpoint Wonder Woman comes for them.

TITANS
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Ron Wagner and Jose Marzan
Starfire and Donna Troy come to get Roy Harper who has gone into seclusion since the death of his child and loss of his arm, but then Arsenal has to choose between his team and resurrecting his dead daughter.

JUSTICE LEAGUE
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artist: Vicente Cifuentes
When Supergirl, Zatanna, and Jade went to Jessie Quick’s baby shower, they didn’t expect to be taken to another planet for a year, or to be attacked by Flashpoint Aquaman.

QUESTION
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Cully Hamner
Two-Face is fighting another world’s Harvey Dent, and it’s up to Renee Montoya as the Question to help him beat the odds.

BATMAN & ROBIN
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Denys Cowan and Klaus Janson
Bruce Wayne and Damian have friction with Red Hood before the Extremists attack.

HARLEY QUINN
Writer: Steve Pugh
Artist: Phil Winslade and John Dell
Harley Quinn is enjoying her normal life under the dome until Catwoman and Poison Ivy draft her to fight Captain Carrot.

7 Comments on DC announces the first 10 Convergence minis, last added: 11/12/2014

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21. The Retailer’s View: A Confluence of Events (Part One)

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 11/10/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Comics, Retailing & Marketing, Commentary, convergence, Top News, Top Comics, The Retailer's View, Add a tag

2014 is swiftly drawing to a close. In the midst of making sure my shelves will weather the upcoming Christmas season, I’ll be placing my final orders for the last dribs and drabs of product that will grace the new comic book shelves through to the end of this year. Most of the year’s events have drawn to a close, save Spider-Verse and Axis which sees Marvel through this quarter of the year. Two weeks ago, I made the mistake of thinking that I would have time to relax before having to stress about the next incoming ordering monstrosity.

I should really know better at this point.

ConvergencePromo 1200 545ac8e14697f7.11375445 1000x540 The Retailers View: A Confluence of Events (Part One)

Oh, honeycomb, won’t you be my baby, well, honeycomb, be my own.

Acknowledging that moving cross country and restaffing an editorial department might be distracting for its staff, DC officially announced it’s two month fill-in event today, CONVERGENCE. The event will replace the New 52 line-up for two months, April and May of 2015, with a framing 9-issue mini-series, starting with a zero issue, and spinning into 40 two part mini series.

--from The Beat’s coverage of Convergence.

Which is to say, at some point over the past year, DC decided to marry the twin hells of ordering weekly comics and scuttling their entire regularly scheduled ongoings for a month or two in a bid to drive me to an early grave. Or they took a look at what their production schedule would look like with an upcoming move across country and thought they might want to alleviate the stress on their staff. I honestly prefer the version where it’s somehow all about me, because I write diatribes on the internet and I am very hard done by.

Elsewhere, Marvel had been releasing several teaser images displaying interesting takes on previously ran stories, all with the promise of something big in the summer of 2015. As we found out on Friday, this was all in service of their upcoming return to Secret Wars. While details are still pretty vague on the Marvel front, they seem to be pushing an angle that would see their line drastically altered while all of this plays out, promising sweeping crossovers not only in their comic book line, but various forms of other media. What this means has yet to be seen, but in my nightmares, I picture a world burning as I try to punch in numbers for several reality-shifted titles for several months.

Admittedly, these are early days, and what we know about both events amounts to very little. While DC has been very specific about formats, they’re playing fast and loose with concepts. Marvel, on the other hand, has provided a bunch of concepts, but no shape or format. Attempting to parse a plan of attack for either at this point would be something akin to a group of blind men trying to figure out what an elephant looks like, so I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to go over some best case scenarios and build the shape that I’d like the events to take from a retail standpoint over the span of two articles (because you guys – there’s a lot to talk about). Some of this might be a little dry (and ultimately pointless in the face of decisions that have already been made), but providing a guide to what retailers are looking for in events such as these can’t hurt.

CONVERGENCE

Of the two, Convergence is being built as a necessity, more than something extravagant. Even if the concept was born out of creative decisions, the execution is all business, marrying the need for DC to pump out enough books to fill out their budgets while simultaneously alleviating editorial and creative pressures during the big move. As such, it’s already on the back foot, appearing as though it’s a fill-in event, something that is decidedly not their main line of books in any way, shape or form. If they don’t tackle this perception in the marketing, April and May might be a couple of DC’s worst months as many opt out of the two months of content.

One of the things the company should have done right off the bat, is get a name to help out with the main series. While I’m sure the new-to-comics writer Jeff King is a remarkable talent, if I walk up to my customers and tell them who is operating at the core of this event, I will inevitably be met with a “who?” from most parties. The inclusion of Dan Jurgens and Scott Lobdell as event consultants does offer a bit of name recognition, but not the kind that’s going to sell books. Again, talented as they may be, I haven’t been able to get those writers to move the dial up on any books that I’m selling, and when you are building two months worth of content, you need to be able to attach an element of interest to the creative, even if the creator in question is only consulting and helps bang out plot points.

An illustration of this point can be found in the sales of DC’s three weekly titles. Batman: Eternal is scripted by a rotating team of solid writers with superstar Batman writer Scott Snyder providing some plot work, sharing the workload with James Tynion IV. That book sells like gangbusters. Meanwhile, New 52: Future’s End launched with a free first issue, and a cracker jack creative team attached, but nobody who pushes into the stratosphere. The weekly Earth Two book is operating under similar conditions, and was sold as a sister title to the main Earth Two book. There is almost no reason for someone who isn’t already following Earth Two to follow the weekly, and my sales are definitely reflecting that. Had their been a more recognizable writer at the core, and had the marketing been something a bit deeper than do you like Earth Two, things would be quite different.

Jeff King should be paired with someone like… say, Warren Ellis. Or Grant Morrison. Or – dipping into the impossible for a second – Alan Moore. If this event has really been long in the planning, hiring a “get” to even just sit quietly in the corner of one or two Skype meetings in order to give more of a push would do wonders for the core – and if the core is strong, the books spinning outward will be all the better for it.

Going out from there, the announced slate of 40 two-part minis can and should be entirely self sustaining. DC should take great pains to let people know that there is zero knowledge required to check out both the main Convergence series and the minis that surround it. That’s how I’m going to sell things. While I know that Convergence is spinning out from the events of Superman: Doomed, Future’s End and Earth Two: World’s End, I’d never place that baggage on the event, unless it is earned. If DC puts out a product that pulls to heavily on prior knowledge, I might as well gather up almost every copy I’ve ordered of Convergence and set fire to it to keep warm. Nobody likes feeling like they don’t know what’s going on, and while it’s easy to wave a hand dismissively and say “they can catch up”, that’s a sure fire way to nab some pretty anemic sales. With so many entertainment options out there, both within the industry and without, “complication” is not a selling point, it’s a reason to jump ship. The less connective tissue the better.

As for the content of the two-part minis, DC should definitely be using the two months as an opportunity to truly get creative. If I had my druthers, about 25% of the books would feature regular creative teams being let loose. Let folks like Scott Snyder and Brian Azzarello and Jeff Lemire and Gail Simone loose on your multiverse with a license to say or do anything. The other books? Run completely wild with surprising concepts and creators. Run it like Marvel’s recent Edge of Spider-Verse mini-series, handing out a framework and stepping back to see what unfurls. Becky Cloonan, Brandon Fletcher and Camerson Stewart have already proven they can spark some interest, let them all punch through two issues of something unique. Dig around near and far, and grab from all walks. Would Los Bros Hernadez be interested in something? How about folks like Rick Spears or Ales Kot? What about Bryan Lee O’Malley? Turn off the house style, and really make the month interesting. Get new readers coming to your line, instead of producing the same old, same old. Business as usual combined with a glorified fill-in event will only lead to disinterest, and I can guarantee the company isn’t expecting much from this line of books, so my not take a few massive risks? Who in their right mind would blame you given the fact that you’re moving across country while it’s happening?

Now, launching out from there, regardless of what the company attempts in the two months, the line should look quite different. Keep what’s been working, and otherwise, shake up the line. If this is done in tandem with an interest line-up of books during Convergance, the company will be able to drum up some vague interest, and capitalize on it completely when they double down and per some of the strange infiltrate their line.

Whatever happens, I can guarantee sales will give a fairly accurate representation for the amount of hustle the company is putting into producing the line. It will all be about perception, as retailers are going to be naturally wary of a line that doesn’t include Batman, the book by which all sales are literally measured.

TO BE CONTINUED…

On Wednesday, I’ll tackle what is known about Secret Wars, and how Marvel could potentially structure it to get the biggest bang for their buck. Until then, please comment with your thoughts below. I’m contemplating running this as a three parter, ending with your input on Friday, but that’s really up to you folks.

[Brandon Schatz has been working behind the comic book counter for eight years. He's spent the past four as the manager of Wizard's Comics and Collectibles in Edmonton, Alberta. In his spare time, he writes about the comics he likes over at Comics! The Blog. You can find him on twitter @soupytoasterson. The opinions expressed are those of Schatz and do not necessarily reflect those of The Beat.]

4 Comments on The Retailer’s View: A Confluence of Events (Part One), last added: 11/11/2014

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Tim said, on 11/10/2014 9:38:00 AM

From a lapsed DC reader’s perspective this looks exactly like what you caution against. At first I was intrigued by the prospect of getting to spend some time with some characters who’ve been relegated to the dust bin or versions of characters that seem likely to never be used again.

However, the linkage or story ramifications to books I don’t follow is troubling. Like you say, it makes this 2 month experiment that much easier to not engage with.

Also the talent committed to this isn’t all that compelling. I’ve slowly eliminated DC from my reading list due to some of the talent they have. Scott Lobdell and Dan Jurgens are not going to get it done for me. And without knowing anything about Jeff King, there is very little here to send me off searching for Jeff King’s resume/past works.

All of this and what amounts to an 89-issue commitment if these 2-parters don’t end up being self-contained. It’s a lot to ask for such little design toward attracting me as a reader.

But perhaps this is just for those who already have strong brand loyalty. In which case, I wish them the best.

chris said, on 11/10/2014 10:18:00 AM

What I don’t get is why do they need two months to move and put their books on hiatus??? What other compnany in the real world does this sort of thing???

Jason A. Quest said, on 11/10/2014 6:51:00 PM

Chris, DC isn’t simply moving to a new office. Half* of the staff are going to be new employees who don’t really even know how to do their jobs yet or even who most of their co-workers are, and the other half* are going to be people moving to a new city across the country with their families, not knowing how to find the supply closet, the nearest bar with lunch hours, the grocery store, or even their house without a map. It’s gonna be kinda disorienting and disruptive, and DC should be given credit for recognizing that and giving their people – half* of which are making (and asking of their families) substantial personal sacrifices for the sake of the company’s rather callous decision to move – a bit of slack. So to answer your question: it’s a company that’s actually engaged with the real world.

*Loosely. I don’t know what the percentage is. DC management probably isn’t sure of the exact number yet either.

Glenn Simpson said, on 11/11/2014 5:45:00 AM

I suppose another difference here is that DC isn’t producing the exact same thing every month. A company that makes widgets can go two months without upper management having to do anything drastic because they can just keep making the same identical widgets they make all the time. DC is making a new product every month.

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22. The Multiverse is back in DC’s moving event: Convergence

By: Heidi MacDonald, on 11/3/2014
Blog: PW -The Beat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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dc comics convergence large The Multiverse is back in DCs moving event: Convergence
Acknowledging that moving cross country and restaffing an editorial department might be distracting for its staff, DC officially announced it’s two month fill-in event today, CONVERGENCE. The event will replace the New 52 line-up for two months, April and May of 2015, with a framing 9-issue mini-series, starting with a zero issue, and spinning into 40 two part mini series. Promo art by Carlos Paguayan and Jose Marzan Jr.

The event has been rumored for quite a while, and I’m told it was hatched back in the spring as a way to ease the transition as DC personnel make the move from NYC to Burbank in April 2015. The event was originally run by Tom DeFalco but he moved on and was replaced by ex-Marvel/Teshkeel editor Marie Javins, who worked closely with Dan Didio on the event.

The event was announced this morning in USA Today. The whole event is being overseen by TV’s Jeff King, (White Collar, Continuum, Stargate SG-1) with Carlo Pagulayan and Stephen Segovia on art on the framing mini, and Dan Jurgens and Scott Lobdell helping oversee things. The 40 two-issues minis will feature a wide variety of writers and artists.

The story itself will not feature the NEW 52 characters, but spins out of two weekly series which both end in April, Earth 2: World’s End and The New 52: Futures End. These both involved Braniac messing with various realities, and new villain, Telos will create more mischief. Just like Pandora did and we all know how well that worked out.

The series will probably deal with all the messy extra earths that DC has floating around that got papered over by the New 52, with characters such as as
Donna Troy, Blue Beetle and the Justice Society of America possibly reemerging.

“What we’re really addressing is they all exist and have existed and exist within the framework of the New 52,” Jim Lee told USA Today. “Convergence is in many ways the most meta epic event we’ve done.”

“It captures the full essence and scope of DC’s incredible history and storytelling, ” Dan DiDio said.”There is a story and a character for every generation of DC Comics fan. But then in a shocking turn, he added that Jeff King was brought on to have “a fresh set of eyes to look at it and make sure that it’s as open and accessible to all fans. Not just the people who have been reading DC throughout the years.”

According to DC’s own piece about Convergence,

If you’ve been reading THE NEW 52: FUTURES END and EARTH 2: WORLD’S END, now is the moment you’ve been waiting for. All things converge as readers get to experience the DC multiverse like never before—hundreds of heroes, hundreds of villains, numerous worlds, and universe altering events all in one place, one time.

Taking place outside of time and space—on the question mark, just below Earth 29 and above Chaos, on the Map of the Multiverse—and introducing the new villain—Telos, this massive event will be published throughout April and May.

Hm with Marvel bringing back Secret Wars and DC going multiversal on us again it’s going to be one busy summer.

As for what happens AFTER Convergence?

That…is still developing.

15 Comments on The Multiverse is back in DC’s moving event: Convergence, last added: 11/3/2014

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Brian Jacoby from Secret Headquarters in Tallahass said, on 11/3/2014 9:32:00 AM

Oy.

Carter said, on 11/3/2014 9:49:00 AM

This is going to be a great success for DC and a terrible disaster for retailers who have no idea how to order this crap but go bigger than normal “just to be safe”.

Jason said, on 11/3/2014 9:54:00 AM

And with that I am done with DC Comics.

Glenn Simpson said, on 11/3/2014 9:59:00 AM

@Jer – it will not be, for two reasons.

In-story, because what Convergence is presenting is past timelines that were wiped out (but where Brainiac saved bits of them) – that is disconnected to the Multiverse.

Out-of-story, because Morrison wrote all of Mulitversity a long time ago and they are just adjusting it a bit as needed to work with what little they’ve established about the post-relaunch Multiverse.

At the end of the day, I don’t think either project is going to have a major influence on DC’s comics moving forward.

Glenn Simpson said, on 11/3/2014 10:00:00 AM

@Jason – why? Why not just take a couple of months off if this is not your cup of tea?

chris said, on 11/3/2014 10:10:00 AM

Probably won’t get the main series, or any story written by the longtime DC writers. That still probably leaves a decent chunk of room for new talent and a few surprises to pop up and enjoy them.

Brandon Schatz said, on 11/3/2014 10:34:00 AM

Oh boy. Whelp, looks like I have a second Retailer’s View to write for this week – but briefly: there IS a way DC could turn this into a huge win. I just… don’t trust them to do it, starting from the announcement of the main series writer who – while probably talented – should really be a “get”. But more on all that later.

CagedLeo730 said, on 11/3/2014 10:48:00 AM

@Al@: Why are you assuming that the books will be $4. DC has more $3 books than anybody else.
Hopefullly the books are made returnable so the burden is lifted from the retailers. Then again, I don’t know how helpful returnability really is.

Al@ said, on 11/3/2014 10:53:00 AM

@CagedLeo730, good point, the comics might have $3 price points. Which would total $240. As always, I like to look at the product before I buy, and that puts me at risk of not getting to see some of the issues. I’m just not a Big Event kind of person, but this 2 issue multi-tital detour could find success among collectors.

Jer said, on 11/3/2014 11:01:00 AM

But that’s exactly my point – Multiversity is basically done and should be incorporated into something like this. It sounds like they’re at least acknowledging the map of the multiverse that they developed for/alongside Multiversity at least.

At the end of the day, I don’t think either project is going to have a major influence on DC’s comics moving forward.

I suspect you’re right about Multiversity – because it always takes about 5 years for DC to catch up to what Morrison writes and realize that in every book he writes he seeds a hundred ideas that he doesn’t intend to use but just leave there for other people to work with.

Convergence – who knows? It probably depends on the fan reaction to it.

But I imagine the biggest impact in coming years will mostly be the multiverse map.

chris said, on 11/3/2014 11:02:00 AM

Why do you have to buy the entire thing, or nothing at all? There’s any number of ways you could approach this, but the all or nothing one seems to be the least efficient in terms of enjoyment.

Dave Miller-lad said, on 11/3/2014 11:56:00 AM

It would have really been cool if when the new 52 started up, each hero got their own Earth to play in all by themselves, and when they came together to form the Justice League it would be a Crisis on 52 Earths.

Vernon Wiley said, on 11/3/2014 1:49:00 PM

Wow, as a retailer I cannot express properly how excited I am about losing sales on every DC comic that won’t be published for two months. If Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Oni and the rest don’t jump on this I will be amazed at the lost opportunity to take market share from DC.

I for one, don’t look forward to telling DC fans their favorite books won’t be around for TWO WHOLE MONTHS! Maybe the books will be readable. But with the sales on Septembers Future Past fresh on retailers minds, they better put together a fantastic list of writers and artists to get people to pick these up. If DC wants us to take a risky chance on these, they’d best offer returnability.

Silly but True said, on 11/3/2014 2:12:00 PM

So DC is doing to Morrison’s Multiversity what Morrison’s Final Crisis did to Death of the New Gods?

It’s not that difficult to not screw things up so much.

silly but True

Corey Poole said, on 11/3/2014 3:53:00 PM

I’ll be waiting to see the actual creative teams before I decide on which books I’m going to buy. Not crazy about the concept though.

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23. 'It's On With Alexa Chung' & The 'New' Convergence

By: Anastasia Goodstein, on 6/16/2009
Blog: Ypulse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: facebook, MTV, twitter, current tv, alexa chung show, alexa chung, G4, attack of the show, convergence, it's on, TV, Add a tag

I feel like I need to begin this post with a disclaimer — I didn't watch yesterday's premiere of "It's On With Alexa Chung" though I did go to the site and watch a highlight. I also read Sunday's preview in the New York Times, reg. required,... Read the rest of this post

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