Is Disney going to give the ax to Marvel Comics

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Seems like a long shot, but here is an interesting article on the notion.


Disney Shutting Down Marvel Comics?

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And right along with that...


DC Comics reducing comics

[mothman]

In the end,they dont need COMICS,they just need the IP.

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The industry is not helping itself, either. The top two continue to say and do things that are simply not helpful.

From Mr. Quesada:

"Titled 'Marvel: From Comics To Screens,' the hour-long panel will look at how some of Marvel’s most iconic characters and storylines have contributed to the games, movies, and television series that are so renowned among popular culture. Everything starts with an idea – and Marvel Comics is the spark that lights the fire!" the press release states in part.

While he is correct (everything does start with an idea) that includes failures. What sticks around, what is successful, also has to demonstrate results...and it has been a long time since Marvel Comics demonstrated results. They have been in a state of decline for more than a decade now.

DiDio further went on to acknowledge there is unrest within the comic book industry right now, and he asked retailers not to share their complaints with their customers, but to keep it to themselves to show a higher standard.

Yes...because nothing says you are on the up-and-up like telling people not to share their thoughts about you with others because it might not reflect well on you. Apparently Mr. DiDio's "higher standard" includes lies of omission. Here is a thought, Dan: How about you actually listen to retailers and implement some changes they recommend? 

The industry leaders are still long on mouth and short on ears. 

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Mar 2, 2019 12:28:22 GMT mothman said:

In the end,they dont need COMICS,they just need the IP.

True enough. It is just amazing to me the folks in the industry do not recognize that. They seem to be going out of their way to highlight it. 

[mothman]

Becase they deluded themselves into thinking that some of that movie audience is going to trickle down to them.
IMO,this is a battle lost 20 years ago.All those kids they didnt bother with then would come in handy now.

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Mar 2, 2019 12:38:02 GMT mothman said:

Becase they deluded themselves into thinking that some of that movie audience is going to trickle down to them.
IMO,this is a battle lost 20 years ago.All those kids they didnt bother with then would come in handy now.

I would take that a step further and suggest they actually sowed the seeds of their own doom when they fell in love with the direct market. Kids not routinely having exposure to their product almost guaranteed they would eventually fail. 

[mothman]

Which is kinda true,but without the direct market we wouldnt have TMNT,Cerebus or anything thats not Batman or Spiderman.

Problem was/is what next?How do we sell comics NOW?And nobody is even bothering with that.

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Mar 2, 2019 12:52:57 GMT mothman said:

Which is kinda true,but without the direct market we wouldnt have TMNT,Cerebus or anything thats not Batman or Spiderman.

Problem was/is what next?How do we sell comics NOW?And nobody is even bothering with that.

My two cents? Reduce lines down to their core characters for a spell, bring back books like Marvel Team-Up and DC Comics Presents to allow for an exploration of other characters in those universes, and bite the bullet and reduce their presence in the direct market and go back to general distribution of their products so people start seeing comics in supermarkets again. Bite another bullet and spend some advertising dollars to market on TV and the internet. Bite a third bullet and fire DiDio and Quesada and hire  publishing professionals rather than a comic book enthusiast. Finally, get rid of the current editors and bring in some pros, people who actually edit the product and are not just glorified project managers.

[mothman]

Steamlining I agree with.
Second problem is- do supermarkets want comics?When it comes down to it,a rack of sunglasses brings more more money then a rack of comics.And magazine distributors dont like to deal with them.
But get something on the newstands.Get a sampler or an anthology out there.Wallmart specials from DC are a step in the right direction.

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Mar 2, 2019 14:03:37 GMT mothman said:

Steamlining I agree with.
Second problem is- do supermarkets want comics?When it comes down to it,a rack of sunglasses brings more more money then a rack of comics.And magazine distributors dont like to deal with them.
But get something on the newstands.Get a sampler or an anthology out there.Wallmart specials from DC are a step in the right direction.

Supermarkets still sell magazines, so I think they would sell comics, too. Drug stores used to have them, too. Certainly Walmarts and Targets and such would be a boon. 

Here are a couple of other things:

1. Go back to newsprint. It would reduce the cost of the books, which might help increase the number of people willing to buy them, particularly as impulse buys in regular venues. 

2. Start restructuring creator contracts and add some clauses about what they can and cannot do with regard to social media and their interaction with customers. That's right, I wrote customers. Too many people in the industry have forgotten the "fans" are customers. 

[SporkBot]

Mar 2, 2019 13:13:19 GMT @walt said:

Mar 2, 2019 12:52:57 GMT mothman said:

My two cents? Reduce lines down to their core characters for a spell, bring back books like Marvel Team-Up and DC Comics Presents to allow for an exploration of other characters in those universes, and bite the bullet and reduce their presence in the direct market and go back to general distribution of their products so people start seeing comics in supermarkets again. Bite another bullet and spend some advertising dollars to market on TV and the internet. Bite a third bullet and fire DiDio and Quesada and hire  publishing professionals rather than a comic book enthusiast. Finally, get rid of the current editors and bring in some pros, people who actually edit the product and are not just glorified project managers.

Both companies could benefit from advertising the actual comics on TV, YouTube, etc.. Something like, "Your favorite heroes; their adventures don't end at the theatres". But the only time I've seen that in two decades is for the New52 and Rebirth (nothing for Marvel). I've mentioned before at the Outhouse, that there used to be frequent ads on TV for DC comics, that closed with the mention of a local comic shop. In the days where quirky commercials are the norm, and people make highly-rendered fan art in their spare time, I don't think it'd break Warners' bank. As it is, it's not outlandish to say that the current heads of DC have cost their parent company more than smarter decisions would have.

Indeed, fire Didio, and send Lee with him, if not outright demote him. It might be best to get someone who's more than capable in the business element the position requires, but tempered by someone that actually cares about the characters, and not personal fan-fiction (whoever implemented pairing Superman and Wonder Woman, I'm looking at you). Create a kind of balance that can bring in steady money while avoiding any stupid shake-ups because someone thinks they know what "shifting the paradigm" or "subverting expectations" means when they clearly don't.

Reducing books would likely mean reducing writers and artists at the company, or at the very least, slashing their income. But that aside, it would be a good way to tell stories with certain characters. Lord knows I've got story ideas of my own, and I wouldn't mind it if they were only eight or ten pages as a back-up in "DC Comics Presents" or some other book. If, say, someone had a long term cohesive story told in back-up snippets (like the Jacobian in one of the Bat-titles years ago), they could then collect it as its own trade. If said trade does well, I imagine that'd spur them to consider an ongoing for character(s) in that back-up.

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Mar 2, 2019 14:45:12 GMT SporkBot said:

Mar 2, 2019 13:13:19 GMT @walt said:

My two cents? Reduce lines down to their core characters for a spell, bring back books like Marvel Team-Up and DC Comics Presents to allow for an exploration of other characters in those universes, and bite the bullet and reduce their presence in the direct market and go back to general distribution of their products so people start seeing comics in supermarkets again. Bite another bullet and spend some advertising dollars to market on TV and the internet. Bite a third bullet and fire DiDio and Quesada and hire  publishing professionals rather than a comic book enthusiast. Finally, get rid of the current editors and bring in some pros, people who actually edit the product and are not just glorified project managers.

Indeed, fire Didio, and send Lee with him, if not outright demote him. It might be best to get someone who's more than capable in the business element the position requires, but tempered by someone that actually cares about the characters, and not personal fan-fiction (whoever implemented pairing Superman and Wonder Woman, I'm looking at you). Create a kind of balance that can bring in steady money while avoiding any stupid shake-ups because someone thinks they know what "shifting the paradigm" or "subverting expectations" means when they clearly don't.

Although this would be unpopular with the creators, both companies could benefit from have an Editor-In-Chief like Jim Shooter...a firm hand at the wheel who makes sure creators do not take the companies' properties off the rails and concentrates on maintaining a strong continuity and viable overall longterm narrative.

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One other thought...both companies should swallow their pride, realize where the state of things are, and mutually agree to at least a five year plan where, once a year, they put out a company crossover story to generate reader interest. Not an "event" (read multiple issue fiasco.) Just a single issue each year where two of their properties meet and interact.

EDIT: Hell, maybe they even make those tabloid size again to catch people's eyes and impress upon folks the book is "a big deal." 

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Finally, at least for the moment :-), force writers to return these heroes to being heroic. There is a difference between "complex" and "depressing." Watching Peter Quill drink himself into oblivion is not what I am interested in when reading a Guardians of the Galaxy comic. And likewise, stop with all the swearing and extreme gory violence. Want to get more kids reading comics? Get them back to a state where more parents can convince themselves it is all right to buy them for their children. You can tell a complex story without having to have a foul mouthed character ripping someone's arm off.