Thursday, June 2, 2011

DC reboots its entire line: Fool's Gambit or Marketing Genius?

In September, following the current Flashpoint event miniseries, DC Comics plans to restart each of their 52 titles at #1. There are two schools of thought.

On one hand, the idea from a marketing standpoint is to ensure that today's generation of fans can say that they have a copy of, say for example, Batman #1. The original first issue of Batman, published 71 years ago, is worth thousands of dollars, and has been reprinted a few times over the years.

Superman & Wonder Woman went through this renumbering process back in 1987. In the case of the Man of Steel, DC decided to keep the original series' numbering by retitling the book, Adventures of Superman. Action Comics, the longest running continuous title active today, completed the trilogy of titles. Superman, volume 2, ended a few years ago, and Adventures of Superman reverted to its original title, now over 700 issues strong. Wonder Woman's issue numbering was restored last year when it hit a grand total of 600 issues. Rebooting these series to #1 in September gives both heroes their 3rd #1's. Green Lantern has them beaten rather easily. The series was relaunched in 1960 during the Silver Age, and has been rebooted at least twice since then.

Which brings us to the other side of the coin. The flood of new 1st issues will doubtlessly bring out a new generation of speculators, collectors who will buy up multiple copies of 1st issues, thinking that there will be some profit in the long term. 20 years ago, there was a feeding frenzy in the comics industry, but a lot of those extra copies ultimately would end up in the bargain bins once the well ran dry and speculators had realized the folly of their overestimations. Not every 1st issue is destined to lead to long-term value. For every 1st issue of a book tied to an established franchise, like for example Spider-Man or the X-Men at Marvel, there will be a dozen or two lesser books that have no such pedigree to fall back on. Still, the lure of a 1st issue is what drives the less-experienced speculators to make calculated risks that don't always pay off.

So, that brings us back to the question at hand. Is DC taking a chance on alienating long-time readers with this marketing gambit? Of course. It all comes down to the execution and presentation of the product at the end of the day. Marvel has done its share of renumbering over the last few years, operating under the premise that the magic number (1) will still mean extra sales. In the short term, yes, it will. Long term, because of the volume of copies printed, it won't reach the levels achieved in generations past.

My advice is this:

1. Check the solicitations. Later this month, you'll see the solicitations for September releases either online via sites like Newsarama or Comic Book Resources, or in the pages of the monthly Previews catalogue. You'll have an idea of who the creative teams will be on the books, which will be released not all at once, by the way, but in groups over a period of a few months.

2. Read the news. Those same sites I mentioned will also have the latest information as release dates draw closer, including interviews with creative personnel.

3. Be selective, and don't be afraid to experiment. You have your favorite titles that you collect every month from DC, be it Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League of America, or even a non-superhero book like Jonah Hex. If you've got room to try out an extra book or three, then discretion---and your budget---come into play. In other words, I invoke the words of the frontier hero Davy Crockett, who was said to have coined the phrase, "Be sure you are right, then go ahead." Be your own judge.

DC is already having to deal with current books that are suffering from deadline disorders. In their case, they need to make sure everything is on course by the time September rolls around.

As a retired collector, am I tempted to step back in? A little, but not as much as you'd think. Patience has its own rewards. If I do decide to end my retirement, I invoke another phrase, this one associated with Off Track Betting back in the 70's, that applies to investing in this venture:

"Bet with your head, not over it."

Starting in September, we'll all know if DC is making the right move.

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