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Michael Connell
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Joined: 13 January 2006
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 6:17pm | IP Logged | 1
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Just to be fair with Joe Zhang's thread:
In it's seven-decade history (starting with the publication of Action Comics #1) what is the single biggest mistake the company has made in regards to its publishing business?
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Andrew Parker
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Joined: 11 May 2007
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 6:53pm | IP Logged | 2
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What the hell kind of question is this?
Edited by Andrew Parker on 20 May 2007 at 6:53pm
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Michael Hunt
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Joined: 10 April 2007
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 6:55pm | IP Logged | 3
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Robin - the boy wonder
'nuff said
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Matt Hawes
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 6:58pm | IP Logged | 4
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Staying exclusive to Diamond Comics (see my post about the distribution situation in the "Marvel's Single Biggest Mistake") thread.
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Thom Price
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L’Homme Diabolique
Joined: 29 April 2004
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 7:13pm | IP Logged | 5
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CRISIS
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Jason Czeskleba
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 7:15pm | IP Logged | 6
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In 1971 comics were 22 pages of story for 15 cents. Inflation was necessitating a price increase, and both DC and Marvel decided to try increasing their page count along with the price. In the summer of that year, they both increased their books to 38 pages of story for 25 cents. Supposedly they had a gentleman's agreement to stay at this price point, but after three months Marvel's publisher Martin Goodman abandoned it and went to 22 pages of story for 20 cents.
This was a brilliant move by Goodman, as it essentially made a price increase look like a price reduction (since the overall price was going down although the per page price was going up). DC continued with their 38-page 25-cent books for a year, and it was during that year that Marvel finally surpassed DC in sales for the first time and became the best-selling comic publisher. Although DC's books were cheaper by the page, buyers went with the cheaper overall price of the Marvel books. By the time DC finally went down to 22 pages for 20 cents too, Marvel was firmly established as the #1 seller. This is certainly one of the biggest mistakes DC made.
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Joe Zhang
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 7:22pm | IP Logged | 7
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Hard to say because they've been the underdog for so long. Almost everything they've done since the 70's has been in reaction to Marvel (or Marvel's nightmare-barstard, Image.) Maybe DC's greatest failure is in not finding a new direction, and instead playing perpetual catch-up with Marvel.
Edited by Joe Zhang on 20 May 2007 at 7:36pm
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Emery Calame
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 7:52pm | IP Logged | 8
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Using Vertigo to adultize certain of their mainline superhero books? Including Kid Eternity? KID FREAKIN' ETERNITY?
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Aaron Smith
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 9
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DC is not nearly as bad off as Marvel right now (in my opinion) but I guess they are guilty of some of the same mistakes, most notably catering to the "rock star creators" especially in the case of ASBR.
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Ted Pugliese
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 9:17pm | IP Logged | 10
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Dan DiDio
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Kurt Anderson
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 10:54pm | IP Logged | 11
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While the price increase of '71 may have been a financial fiasco, it also led to a treasure trove of golden age comics becoming available to the public for the first time in decades.
I'd put the mishandling of Crisis as the largest missed opportunity in DC's history.
I also think that (in the non-comics area) Warner missed the boat by not taking full advantage of the success of the first X-Men movie. That was a clear sign that the public was ready for superhero movies and merchandise. DC should've jumped on that train long before the release of Batman Begins.
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Simon Matthew Park
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| Posted: 20 May 2007 at 11:32pm | IP Logged | 12
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Yeah, I'd go with Crisis as well, if we're speaking about the creative side of things. I know eff-all about the business side, so I can't comment.
If, even as a kid, I could grasp the concept of Earth-2 and so on, why was there even a need for a 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'?
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Topic Closed)
