Reboot, new costumes, new writers and artists, new superhero teams HELL YES! I just finished pouring over this month’s Previews and I can’t wait for September! I think for whatever reason I am the only person excited by the DCnU (sweet Jesus what a crap moniker). I like when companies try to change themselves, whether it’s good or bad at least they try.
Marvel has been called “The House of Idea” ever since I worked there back in the late 90s. Sure they crank out a great movie here or there but the comics are kind of bleh as of late. I am reading more DC comics than Marvel but I don’t think it’s because DC is a trail blazer I mean it is DC the company who never really takes a risk, but I think because they have allowed a wider variety of writer to do their books.
Marvel has what 4 of them and they each right 3 books a piece? Yes I know I am exaggerating but really Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and Brian Michael Bendis all seem to be on every book. I don’t begrudge those guys I think they are decent writers (though Invincible Iron Man is a snooooze-fest as of late) Marvel always seemed to put all its writing eggs in one basket and has yet to learn from that mistake. DC however seems to give more newish writers a shot than Marvel does and I think it shows in the content they put out.
Now back to the DCnU. I think as geeks we aren’t truly happy unless we are bitching about something. So all the arguments I hear against DCnU sound like this: What about numbering? What about all those years of continuity? The costumes look stupid, the costumes are a throwback to the 90s etc. This just flies in the face of their core readership! Digital will kill the local shop owners! and it goes on and on. So let’s address these “major” complaints:
1. What about the numbering?
a. I’ve been collecting comics since I was eight I’ve seen comics titles renamed, rebooted and renumbered more times than I can actually remember hell Marvel just did it with Thor. Now it’s Journey into Mystery, the original title from 1962. Avengers is back to issue #17! Did anyone freak out? Nope, so who cares?
2. What about all those years of continuity?
a. I own Uncanny X-Men from issue 120 to present I can honestly say I DON’T CARE. They are ending Uncanny with issue 544 and relaunching TWO NEW X-TITLES. Where’s the outrage over all those years of history? Where’s the annoyance over all that lost continuity. “Oh but they aren’t going to forget all those years happened!” Really? I mean you really think they are going to mention all those years of history or are they pretty much going to start it all off as day one?
3. The design, look, colors of the costumes are stupid!
a. Um pssst, THIS ISN’T REAL! A dude with a giant “S” on his chest whose isn’t recognized by anyone because he wears glasses? No one notices the entire spandex suit with cape under his clothes, where the hell does he keep the red boots? All of this sounds like a great design idea? Really? Really?!
4. This just flies in the face of their core readership!
a. Ok this is one of my favorites, see if the core readers were enough to sustain the market then things would stay status quo, yes we geeks don’t like change but if they don’t you won’t have comics to read at all. See May’s best selling comic was Fear Itself selling 96,318 issues (Estimated Comics Sold to North American Comics Shops as Reported by DiamondComic Distributor) we sort of need more readers. And by just harping on the old stuff, stuff no one under the age of 35 remembers is probably not a good idea as a business model.
5. Lastly, digital will kill the local shop owners!
a. This one is classic and every small business owner cries foul with this same line about something else. For example the independent toy store owners cry that Wal-Mart is killing them and how can they compete with that? So the comic shop owners cry how can we compete with digital? The same answer applies to both businesses, OFFER SOMETHING MORE! Christ it’s a business and you need to WORK for it. So that means not being a douche bag when someone buys a comic you think is crap, or just give a straight forward answer instead of a grunt or an “I don’t know over there somewhere”. DO YOUR JOB and if you do people come back. Big Box stores win out because we as shoppers know they don’t care about us there so we don’t expect much, however a “Mom and Pop” shop implies you give damn so start acting like it!
Now the same day digital poses an interesting option. I don’t really have an interest in it for the same reason I don’t own a Kindle or a Nook, I like the prestige (and I mean geek cred) of owning the very first appearance of Sabretooth in Iron Fist #14 and being able to pull it out of the comic box and show some one. I like getting things signed by writers and artists all things you can’t do with a digital comic. On the flip side I am running out of space! I have about 19 large comic boxes, 16 in storage and 3 at home so the digital side of things makes sense I mean it’s why I stopped buying CDs; I just don’t have the space. So how can a comic shop compete with this? I will use the local shop I go to every Wednesday as an example of how:
1. Be Pleasant and Personable: Dean is what a small business owner should be, he’s nice and respectful treats the regulars like gold and when a new person comes in asks if he can help them. Talks to the newbie for a bit to get a feel for what it is they are looking for or might like and actually makes suggestions and shows them where they are.
2. Do Something for the Customers: He has gaming days on the weekends for Warhamer and other table top games. He also has fliers for and supports local events like marathons and conventions.
3. Keep Current: He might not like all books he sells, hell he might not even read comics anymore but I’ll be damned if he can’t talk about any of the ones on the shelf.
4. Be Willing to Get Product: Dean let’s you order anything out of the Diamond order form even if it means he needs to order a case when you only want 3 figures out of it. I know this because it happened with the Blackest Night Figures DC put out. I wanted 3 of a set of figures and he ordered the case rather than telling me no only if you buy the whole case.
5. Remember It’s a Business: Be professional, I’m not saying show up in a suit but keep the store clean, keep it organized, answer questions without being Comic Guy from the Simpsons.
Will those things save your business? I don’t know but I do know anytime someone asks me about comics or where they can get stuff for their kid, niece, nephew and its geek related I point them to Clockwork Comics.
See folks a redesign, a reboot, a renumbering, or digital versions, none of these things will kill comics. Sure people buy MP3s and digital copies of movies and magazines, news papers and video games, but there are still plenty of other people who want the actual physical copy of the items. They can all exist together as long as no one forgets the merits of both. So give the (God I really hate the name) DCnU a shot, maybe the characters aren’t what you want or dreamed them to be, maybe the costumes aren’t up to your high standards, and maybe the teams seem a bit off kilter but all those things might actually be great and help you remember why you bought comics to begin with. And maybe, just maybe all those things will get someone new to grab a comic for the first time with the same sense of wonder that you did when you got yours.
My first super-hero comic was Uncanny X-Men #212 Wolverine and Sabretooth Round 1. I got it at a 7-11 and kept on reading. I know you remember your first comic and I know no one but you thought it was as amazing.
