---

Well, there's a big fail right there...DC's trying way too hard to placate the comic shops, while gimping the digital route at the same time. I don't see this succeeding unless they chop the digital price down to $0.99.

Van Scriver is a man who should be funny all the time, and political never. I've interacted with him on the old Facebook and he has an inflammatory streak a mile wide, but little substance to back it up. Pretty typical of the ilk, and it's unfortunate he decides to follow those lines.

Yuck!

Word from the LCS (and this is filtered thru my own sensibilities, I grant you) is that a lot of people who have been reading comics for a lot of years are viewing this stunt as a jumping OFF point.

Since the current physical shape of the marketplace has made it almost impossible to actually bring in new readers, I wonder how suicidal this will ultimately prove to be?

Hmmm.. three claws from the wrist..never seen that before.  It's Hawkerine!

WTF is up with DC.  Jumping off point for reals. 

But only handful of super-collectors pull every number 1; and with 52,
I will probably only have time/money to focus on a handful.

So it seems counter-productive, except if the real reason is to fully go
digital, and they fiigure they have to start with issue 1 for a new digital
product and they also need to do a stunt so CNN carries an article to
increase exposure/interests into markets outside of the LCS.

If that's their goal, it might have worked if they offered issue 1 digitally
for a reduced rate rather than an increased rate.

I've already decided to cancel all my DC subscriptions.  It's not a continuity issue for me... it's mainly two major things:  One, three of my favorite characters look to just be gone - Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne.  Second, the principal of the matter.  Onslaught and Heroes Reborn drove me out of comics in the 90s and I'm just not even going down this road again.

So I'll probably go back to Spider-Man.  I'm not crazy about a tri-monthly title (I dropped ASM when they went 3 per month), but Slott is doing a pretty good job.  And also, not to pander, but I did thumb through Next Men at the LCS last week and I am confused (*intrigued is a better word) enough to want to look into it.  So this is the perfect opportunity for me to branch out.  I sub eight DC books, so just think of the eight new books I can open myself up to! 

"When God closes a door, he opens a dress." - Roger Sterling