Marvel vs. DC Comics

[PennLady]

Found this via Roger Ebert.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/08/the-great-marvel-comics-rip-off/

I don't buy comics anymore, but I might boycott Marvel if I did. Wow.

 

[Spacefender]

Damn, as a kid I was way more into Marvel than DC. The only DC property that was even vaguely interesting to me was Batman. But this? This is underhanded and disgusting.

I get that the comics industry is in hard times, but if this is what you think you need to resort to in order to survive, you might as well pack it in.

 

[jdnunyer]

Wow. That's pathetic.

I don't read as much comics as I used to, and when I do, it's mostly DC's Vertigo imprint anyway. So Marvel wasn't getting my money to begin with. Now I'm even happier that they're not.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Phase 1: Store owners choose whether or not to destroy fifty copies of DC comics and get free Marvel comic. Store owners are either no worse off, or better off; as rational business owners, they wouldn't choose to destroy the books if they didn't think they would be better off.

Phase 2: Store owners re-order destroyed DC comics. DC comics is better off; they are selling more comics than they would have if Marvel hadn't made the offer.

Phase 3: Larger profit for store owners and DC comics.

If anything, this seems to be a great deal for store owners and DC comics. This form of underpants gnome capitalism actually makes sense to me.

Perhaps I don't understand the comic book industry well enough? Is there something special about the comics they are destroying? I only got that they were the first comic of a series. Can't they just re-order them? If there's a glaring hole in my one-size-fits-all analysis, I'll take back what I said.

And in my humble and non-comic reader opinion, the DC cover is about fifty times better than the Marvel cover. Marvel might be better served by investing in better cover artists.

 

[PennLady]

Phase 1: Store owners choose whether or not to destroy fifty copies of DC comics and get free Marvel comic. Store owners are either no worse off, or better off; as rational business owners, they wouldn't choose to destroy the books if they didn't think they would be better off.

Phase 2: Store owners re-order destroyed DC comics. DC comics is better off; they are selling more comics than they would have if Marvel hadn't made the offer.

Phase 3: Larger profit for store owners and DC comics.

If anything, this seems to be a great deal for store owners and DC comics. This form of underpants gnome capitalism actually makes sense to me.

Perhaps I don't understand the comic book industry well enough? Is there something special about the comics they are destroying? I only got that they were the first comic of a series. Can't they just re-order them? If there's a glaring hole in my one-size-fits-all analysis, I'll take back what I said.

And in my humble and non-comic reader opinion, the DC cover is about fifty times better than the Marvel cover. Marvel might be better served by investing in better cover artists.

lovecraft can probably address this better. I agree with your point one, but I'm not sure it all follows through. For one thing, DC Comics has sold to the owners, but then the owners are not getting their money back on the DC comics. If DC does reprint -- and I imagine they can although I don't know the costs and time involved -- then the owners are now paying for twice the original order and only selling half the amount (presuming all copies sell).

I'm probably talking myself in circles. I have a minor in econ but it's really best forgotten by all parties.

If nothing else it is underhanded and strikes me as unethical. Yes, the owners can do this or not as they prefer.

I agree with jdunyer, though. I think I read more of DC's Vertigo imprint when I was buying them. I just stopped buying any comic books b/c the prices got too high. And I did buy Marvel -- I liked Uncanny X-Men and a few other titles (just found my Infinity Crusade comics a couple of weeks ago ). But this would put me off.

 

[jdnunyer]

I also agree with the first point. It's strictly voluntary, and if the store owners do it, they must think it's worth it. Fine.

But I'm not sure about it meaning larger profits for all involved. If that was true, why wouldn't Marvel ask the store owners to do that with their own comics? What would possess them to make demands that help their competitor?

I think PennLady has it right when she says the store owners are effectively going to have to pay twice for the same comics, or eat the price of the original order and make no money back.

I'm not saying Marvel has no right to make such an offer, or that store owners are bad people if they accept it. Just that it makes me, personally, less inclined to buy Marvel comics. I'd prefer to see companies competing on price or quality rather than trying to prevent consumers from having the choice of purchasing products their competitor produces.

 

[jdnunyer]

Of course, for all we know, DC has done the same thing before and will do so again soon.

 

[PennLady]

Of course, for all we know, DC has done the same thing before and will do so again soon.

But if they did, would we support their resistance, or lump them in with the Marvel overlords and hence have to start our own comic label?

 

[litfan10]

I believe it would be a loss to the comic dealers especially to reorder replacement copies.

Back in the day when I managed a Waldenbooks, we stripped the covers from comics, magazines and select publishers' mass market paperbacks. We had to process via paperwork the covers and send them back to the distributors or publishers for credit and then by contractual obligation see to it that the rest of the publications (sans cover) were thoroughly destroyed. (We couldn't just throw them out; we had to compact them and witness the compacting.) I always found this such a depressing and self-defeating part of the business.

I can't help but wonder if in some alternate reality (such a comic concept!) where Disney did not own Marvel, if this wouldn't be happening.

I have always preferred DC over Marvel especially with regards to the Vertigo Line. This only cements that feeling.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

lovecraft can probably address this better. I agree with your point one, but I'm not sure it all follows through. For one thing, DC Comics has sold to the owners, but then the owners are not getting their money back on the DC comics. If DC does reprint -- and I imagine they can although I don't know the costs and time involved -- then the owners are now paying for twice the original order and only selling half the amount (presuming all copies sell).

But no one is forcing the owners to do this. If they choose to participate, they are participating because it makes good financial sense. If someone offered me an item in return for destroying fifty $1 bills, and I believed I could earn more than $50 in profit from that item, it would make good economic sense for me to destroy the item. (Yes yes, I realize that's an illegal example). If I thought the item would earn less than $50 in profit, I wouldn't destroy the bills. How is this any different?

And DC sells the same comic to an owner twice. Presumably the sale of the comic book to the owner more than offsets the cost of the printing, and they make a profit. Since they are selling more comics with the re-order, they profit.

If nothing else it is underhanded and strikes me as unethical.

Ah, capitalism.

 

[jdnunyer]

Good question.

Maybe it's no different than the way restaurants either carry Pepsi products or Coke products, and you never have a choice.

I'm not terribly interested in superheroes anymore anyway, so until the day comes that Marvel launches a mature line of fantasy/sci-fi/horror to compete with Vertigo, it remains an easy choice for me anyway.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

I believe it would be a loss to the comic dealers especially to reorder replacement copies.

Back in the day when I managed a Waldenbooks, we stripped the covers from comics, magazines and select publishers' mass market paperbacks. We had to process via paperwork the covers and send them back to the distributors or publishers for credit and then by contractual obligation see to it that the rest of the publications (sans cover) were thoroughly destroyed. (We couldn't just throw them out; we had to compact them and witness the compacting.) I always found this such a depressing and self-defeating part of the business.

But that, presumably, was when they weren't selling, yes? That isn't the case here.

The destruction deal and the re-order are two separate events, both of which can be carried out at the owner's discretion.

 

[litfan10]

But that, presumably, was when they weren't selling, yes? That isn't the case here.

The destruction deal and the re-order are two separate events, both of which can be carried out at the owner's discretion.

Yes, sorry - I was trying to do two things at once (never a good idea for me!) My point was that it is in a way a very established, common practice but in order get the credit the covers had to go back to the seller.

It is not just any DC comic that can be destroyed and used, it has to be number ones of the new storyline. In the industry, number ones are usually pegged for collectors and sell more at the stand (dealer) as many people buy multiple copies as "investments."

So you are correct that the comic dealer has to make a judgement call on which is more profitable as once the dealer sends the covers to Marvel they cannot claim credit for them.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Here is what makes the campaign ridiculous though. Readers read what they want to read. Marvel bribing the retailers to do this won't sell them any more copies than normal. So the whole ordeal becomes pointless from the very beginning.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Here is what makes the campaign ridiculous though. Readers read what they want to read. Marvel bribing the retailers to do this won't sell them any more copies than normal. So the whole ordeal becomes pointless from the very beginning.

Unless (and this came to mind only after reading litfan's post) readers won't engage with a series unless they have a coveted, first edition printing of the first comic. After store owners destroy that first edition, the reprint will not satisfy customers, since it isn't a perfect substitute. Then DC loses readership and profits for an entire series, which can't be made up by profits from reprinting that first comic.

But seriously. LC can be such a pain in the ass sometimes () but he's MIA when you need him. Humph. How like a man.

 

[3113]

Talk about fucking yourself...

A quote from the article:

They would destroy a work of literature with the express intention of preventing another person from reading it. Anyone who does this is engaging in censorship, and Marvel Comics is agent provocateur.

I don't know that i'd call it literature and I think that might be going too far with this whole stupid thing--and really, it's more stupid than outrageous. Okay, here's the deal: the DC universe is rebooting the whole universe. Meaning, it is kinda, sorta, kinda...it's hard to explain, but it's "starting over." Meaning that it's starting at a point where Superman has only been flying around saving people as a hero for five years, and other heroes, who have been working clandestinely have also appeared. So it's like all those years and years of adventures and relationships never happened and it's all fresh. "New" (slightly altered) costumes for everyone and such. That is what has Marvel so, um, "scared"? But I really don't know why they'd go for this. I mean, those fifty comics have still been bought and the money still goes into DC's pockets. The only one who loses money is the retailers and they can't make the value of that one comic cover worth those fifty--not given that Flashpoint might sell a lot, and that one alternate cover Marvel is selling won't.

Now Marvel's deal is that they have an alternate universe with an alternate avengers--more gritty and real. And they've actually been getting more attention than Flashpoint...why? Well, because in this alternate universe, Spiderman was killed (that's not the big reason they've been getting attention)...and is being replaced by a new guy. And he's black. This is what that coveted #6 is about--I think.

And fans are going ballistic. "Spiderman can't be black!"

The racist comments on that topic have been, well, discouraging to say the least. Remember, this isn't even the "real" Spiderman still swinging around in his own book. This is an alternate universe Spiderman--but that alternate universe is pretty popular and there's all this brouhaha over him being black. This is getting more attention than the complete reboot of the DC universe. Why? Because DC reboots it's universe every ten to fifteen years. So it's just another reboot that will probably end in everything going back the way it was when fans complain about the changes.

All of which is probably more than you wanted to hear. In the end, yes, it's a dirty thing for Marvel to do, but it probably won't work this time, and they've got the edge with black Spiderman hogging all the attention (at least they did till they fucked themselves with this). They're getting negative attention now, and so there's the Karmic payback. Furthermore, if retailers DO do what Marvel wants them to do, Flashpoint will become valuable and the price will skyrocket. It will become a collectable. Heck, now I'm wondering if Marvel is really doing this or if it's DC? It sounds more like a win-win for DC than for Marvel. They get the money for those books the retailers ordered, they get attention for Flashpoint over black Spiderman, they get a valuable book.....But here is what you really have to remember, this is the publisher. The only people who really suffer for all this is the writers and artists and retailers who haven't anything to do with these stupid, desperate decisions. In the end, both publishers are fucking themselves and the industry by putting out so much product, at prices so high, that no one can afford to buy them all like they used to when comics were 25cents and there weren't that many of them. So, they're screwing their own pooches.

I feel bad for the writers, artists and retailers and those who love comics. But this isn't anything big or special or shocking to me. In the end, for Marvel and DC, Superheroes have moved to the big screen, and making money from movies and cartoons and games is the only thing keeping them afloat. That's the truth. It really doesn't matter what they or the retailers do. Actual comic books aren't making anyone money.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I believe it would be a loss to the comic dealers especially to reorder replacement copies.

Back in the day when I managed a Waldenbooks, we stripped the covers from comics, magazines and select publishers' mass market paperbacks. We had to process via paperwork the covers and send them back to the distributors or publishers for credit and then by contractual obligation see to it that the rest of the publications (sans cover) were thoroughly destroyed. (We couldn't just throw them out; we had to compact them and witness the compacting.) I always found this such a depressing and self-defeating part of the business.

I can't help but wonder if in some alternate reality (such a comic concept!) where Disney did not own Marvel, if this wouldn't be happening.

I have always preferred DC over Marvel especially with regards to the Vertigo Line. This only cements that feeling.

Hell, in Chicago there were book stores you could go into and by paperback, magazines and such without covers on them. It wasn't until later in life I found out that it was illegal for them to do that, I just knew I was getting a bargain.

 

[litfan10]

Hell, in Chicago there were book stores you could go into and by paperback, magazines and such without covers on them. It wasn't until later in life I found out that it was illegal for them to do that, I just knew I was getting a bargain.

The coverless book "industry" has always been fairly large everywhere. As I mentioned, technically, we through the Borders Group were contractually bound to destroy them. After removing the cover we were supposed to rip them in half and box the remains and witness them being compacted twice. The loss prevention department as well as district managers would make it a point to occasionally see that we were following through and destroying them completely.

Often, actual store personnel would be in on the illegal business or there were people who where paid to check the dumpsters by bookstores.

I always wanted to donate the coverless books to hospitals and nursing homes but the publishers had a hissy fit. No profit meant no book.

 

[3113]

Got the Lowdown on how this works!

It's not so nefarious as it seems. In fact, you can go back to reading Marvel comics with a clear conscience. They are neither so evil as you or Roger Ebert or GeekDad think. Just being a little naughty.

It works like this. Retailers buy more comics than they can sell, especially of certain issues of certain comics, like this particular Flashpoint. That is how comics retail works, after all, the retailers have to guess at how many they'll sell of a "hot" issue and order, months in advance, in anticipation of that. So they buy, say, 1000 comics to sell. But then, it turns out, interest wasn't that hot and they only sell 500. Now they've 500 comics that they haven't sold and aren't likely to sell. What do they do with them besides store them in a box or throw them out? Marvel says, "Send us fifty ripped covers off these comics you'd throw out anyway and we'll send you a premium comic of ours with a special cover that you CAN sell."

So the retailers send Marvel 50 covers from 50 comics that they were going to throw out anyway and get a comic that'll net them some money. Granted, they're covers from Marvel's rival, and granted, this makes sure those books can't be sold in the future, but from the retailer's p.o.v. they probably wouldn't sell anyway. So not such an evil plot by such an evil villain as you thought.

 

[Sugary_Comfort]

Eh, no matter how bad it is or whatever, Marvel and DC have just gone downhill. They're trying so damn hard to get readers by doing all these stunts but the outcome is still the same, the product sucks.

The big reason for this is that they keep hiring these big name writers to write the stories and the writers, for some odd reason, can't seem to write a comic book story to save their lives. Look at the Batman R.I.P arc. DC was so disgusted with the outcome (even though they let it go on) they brought in even more big name writers to try and fix it!

Both Marvel and DC are hiring these guys who, yeah may like comics, but aren't real big fans. They accept the job because it's money and might get some new readers to their books. The two companies refuse to hire actual new writers, ones who have been fans for most likely over a decade and so know what will sell because it's what they would want to see happen. And, because they're true fans, they'll make things interesting but keep stuff the way it should be so those buying the comics are left feeling satisfied and not angry at something incredibly stupid happening to their favorite hero.

If anyone has noticed, Dark Horse has been rising in the ranks pretty fast lately. A lot of their stuff is really good and fresh. I'm thinking it's because they allow anyone to send in their script to them. I looked at it a while back for a friend who's working on this awesome comic story. All you have to do is have the complete first arc for the story you created all done up in script format. You send it in and the artists at Dark Horse will look at it and their freelance artists will look at it, and if one of them likes it enough to draw it, you've been accepted. And their freelance artists are just like those writers. They send in their own art to get looked at and if they're liked they're allowed to view scripts for new stuff.

So I think if Marvel or DC really want to be able to stay in the market, they need to hire fresh meat and stop trying to sell stuff by hiring big name writers (of course I loved the 6 comics my favorite author did for Marvel about the new White Tiger, but then, my favorite author has a comic book loving husband and the woman is just awesome).

 

[lovecraft68]

Phase 1: Store owners choose whether or not to destroy fifty copies of DC comics and get free Marvel comic. Store owners are either no worse off, or better off; as rational business owners, they wouldn't choose to destroy the books if they didn't think they would be better off.

Phase 2: Store owners re-order destroyed DC comics. DC comics is better off; they are selling more comics than they would have if Marvel hadn't made the offer.

Phase 3: Larger profit for store owners and DC comics.

If anything, this seems to be a great deal for store owners and DC comics. This form of underpants gnome capitalism actually makes sense to me.

Perhaps I don't understand the comic book industry well enough? Is there something special about the comics they are destroying? I only got that they were the first comic of a series. Can't they just re-order them? If there's a glaring hole in my one-size-fits-all analysis, I'll take back what I said.

And in my humble and non-comic reader opinion, the DC cover is about fifty times better than the Marvel cover. Marvel might be better served by investing in better cover artists.

As a former comic retailer I can tell you that the profit margin is to slim to simply reorder the DC comics.

the way it works is a comic book store (as far as new comics goes anyway) lives and dies by subscribers.

Like the name implies these are regular weekly customers who "subscribe" to titles meaning that the owner will put them aside in their folder and they never have to worry about missing an issue. The additional benefit to subscribing is a discount usually 10% but no more than 20% as the best discount you can get with diamond is 54% (on a bitter note this is why people who do online subsription services out of their house put stores like mine out of business, no overhead means giving ridiculous 30%+ discounts)

No the advantage for the retailer is first off guaranteed sales, but also our ordering is based off of subscribers. any book not going to "subs" sits on the shelf for walk in customers, if you over order and eat to many copies it eats into the slim profit of what you sold.

So let's say I destroyed these 50 DC comics that cost me roughly $75 to buy. I obviously did not destroy the ones I gave to my subs, I destroyed the ones that may or may not have sold anyway, so why would I turn around and spend another $75?

So that is the dollar and cents aspect now onto Marvel.

This is not Marvel's first foray into being loathsome. It stems from the sleaze they pick to run the show. Back in the 80" Marvel took a beating for refusing to release old artwork to Jack Kirby (who was then dying) and many otehr artists. Marvel claimed it was lost and destroyed but when the heat came on suddenly found much of it.

Just several years ago Stan Lee, whom Marvel would be nothing with out (along with Kirby, Ditko and many others.) Had to sue for his proper share of the Spiderman royalties.

Joe Quesada (who may not ven be the editor anymore as since I dropped the store i refuse to even spit on a Marvel comic.) was the ultimate lowlife and brought Marvel to the point where their entire universe is Wolverine and the X-men and a bunch of endless retreads. he also once was caught bad mouthing the editor in chief of DC comics at a comic convention and looked like an ass when the guy stood up in the audience.

In the end this is Marvel's way of admitting that they are hurting (comic wise the movies are making a mint) and that DC is kicking their asses.

The sad thing is that at the end of the day they really did have the best characters.

Okay, done with that now. However for now that I have revisited the bitterness of my failed comic book business (although I still make $800-$1100 a month on e-bay with them)

I would like to have a moment of peace for Shadowland Comics

11/1/2003-3/30/2008 May it rest in peace.

And in tribute to the people who did their best to keep it afloat (and cause I just found this pic on my computer a week or so ago and posted it on the less Vampires thread) The owners and staff of Shadowland.

http://forum.literotica.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1085318&d=1312123735

Looking at this picture I'm starting to think I know why we went under.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon was the complaint department as you could usually get a better response from him than any of the others.

 

[3113]

(comic wise the movies are making a mint) and that DC is kicking their asses.

DC is kicking their asses? I don't think so, at least not at the movies. Marvel movies are selling like hotcakes. The three biggest movies of the summer were Thor, Captain America and X-Men First Class.

Meanwhile, DC lost big time with Green Lantern. DC will probably do well with the new Batman movie, but that's one against three hits. Maybe the two sides are even or sea-sawing, but I'd hardly say that DC is kicking anyone's ass.

And if we're going to crap on Marvel for badly treating Kirby, Lee (and Lee is one to talk given that he, back in the day, got all the money from artists and writers who were work for hire), etc. then we might as well dredge up their eternal and continuous abuse of Jerry Seigal and Joe Shuster and their families who are, even now, fighting in court for a little more money from Superman and all the Superman spin-offs that DC insists have nothing to do with Superman (like Supergirl, Superboy, etc.). Every time a teeshirt or cap is sold with a Superman logo, DC gets the money and the Seigal and Shuster families get zip.

And this has been going on for almost 75 years! I think calling Marvel bad for what they did to artists, writers, creators without equally condemning DC for their sins is far and beyond calling the kettle black.

 

[lovecraft68]

DC is kicking their asses? I don't think so, at least not at the movies. Marvel movies are selling like hotcakes. The three biggest movies of the summer were Thor, Captain America and X-Men First Class.

Meanwhile, DC lost big time with Green Lantern. DC will probably do well with the new Batman movie, but that's one against three hits. Maybe the two sides are even or sea-sawing, but I'd hardly say that DC is kicking anyone's ass.

And if we're going to crap on Marvel for badly treating Kirby, Lee (and Lee is one to talk given that he, back in the day, got all the money from artists and writers who were work for hire), etc. then we might as well dredge up their eternal and continuous abuse of Jerry Seigal and Joe Shuster and their families who are, even now, fighting in court for a little more money from Superman and all the Superman spin-offs that DC insists have nothing to do with Superman (like Supergirl, Superboy, etc.). Every time a teeshirt or cap is sold with a Superman logo, DC gets the money and the Seigal and Shuster families get zip.

And this has been going on for almost 75 years! I think calling Marvel bad for what they did to artists, writers, creators without equally condemning DC for their sins is far and beyond calling the kettle black.

What I am saying is that at the movies Marvel is making a mint. On the shelves and as far as quality goes DC is beating them on the comic front. The Lee/Kirby feud and the bitterness towards Lee is very simple;

Stan Lee, at several points during his time with Timely/Atlas and ultimately Marvel comics was the boss (as well as the nephew of the owner) he called the shots and had to do his uncle Marv Goodman's dirty work.

The thing with Lee was he promoted himself and was certainly never shy of press or media. Kirby and the rest worked hard and waited for recognition, Lee went out and got it for himself.

There are varying schools of though on lee throughout geekdom, but no one can deny he was a genius. The guy turned comics on their ear wit hFantastic Four number one and he just kept going. What Lee brought to comics was humor, he created heroes who got kicked out for not paying their rent as opposed to (at the time) DC's cardboard cut out heroes.

I mean as a former member of the Mighty Marvel Marching Society (okay i was a bit young my foster father got it for me.) and the winner of not one but three official Marvel no prizes. I am a Stan Lee fan.

But we are digressing what they did was sleazy, they have always been sleazy since the Day Marv Goodman decided to venture out of his Magazine and pulp publishing and get into comics, and they always will be. The funny thing is they are now owned by Disney.

 

[lovecraft68]

Eh, no matter how bad it is or whatever, Marvel and DC have just gone downhill. They're trying so damn hard to get readers by doing all these stunts but the outcome is still the same, the product sucks.

The big reason for this is that they keep hiring these big name writers to write the stories and the writers, for some odd reason, can't seem to write a comic book story to save their lives. Look at the Batman R.I.P arc. DC was so disgusted with the outcome (even though they let it go on) they brought in even more big name writers to try and fix it!

Both Marvel and DC are hiring these guys who, yeah may like comics, but aren't real big fans. They accept the job because it's money and might get some new readers to their books. The two companies refuse to hire actual new writers, ones who have been fans for most likely over a decade and so know what will sell because it's what they would want to see happen. And, because they're true fans, they'll make things interesting but keep stuff the way it should be so those buying the comics are left feeling satisfied and not angry at something incredibly stupid happening to their favorite hero.

If anyone has noticed, Dark Horse has been rising in the ranks pretty fast lately. A lot of their stuff is really good and fresh. I'm thinking it's because they allow anyone to send in their script to them. I looked at it a while back for a friend who's working on this awesome comic story. All you have to do is have the complete first arc for the story you created all done up in script format. You send it in and the artists at Dark Horse will look at it and their freelance artists will look at it, and if one of them likes it enough to draw it, you've been accepted. And their freelance artists are just like those writers. They send in their own art to get looked at and if they're liked they're allowed to view scripts for new stuff.

So I think if Marvel or DC really want to be able to stay in the market, they need to hire fresh meat and stop trying to sell stuff by hiring big name writers (of course I loved the 6 comics my favorite author did for Marvel about the new White Tiger, but then, my favorite author has a comic book loving husband and the woman is just awesome).

It is very simple as to why the writing kind of sucks and that there is never any new characters or ideas introduced in mainstream comics.

Years ago (see my otehr post) The artists /writers were used and abused. The ycreated this stuff and when they left the comic companies owned the rights. Well like anything else there is no happy medium and now the writers artists have control and rights to what they create.

marvel/Dc don't want their writers coming up with new characters because they in theory could leave, let's say Marvel, and take their character to DC, or Darkhorse or anyone else.

Another reason the writers can't write is they are locked into this stagnant environment and are just copying what has been done before.

One of my biggest pet peeves of all time is that hack Brian Michale Bendis Getting credit for how great Ultimate Spiderman series is. Oh really? This rip off artist took all the old original Lee/ditko/ Romita Spiderman issues and put modern "spins" on them. There is not an original thought in that clown's head. As witnessed byt he bombing of his independent stuff.

The best wirter in comics right now is Kirkman and trust me anyone he works for lets him do whatever the hell he wants. The guy is a throwback actually coming up with his own ideas.

 

[JayinCA]

A key point here is Marvel's deadline. The letter apparently went out in late July. The deadline to get the stripped covers in is Aug. 12 (so as we're discussing it, it's already happened). That's not a lot of time for the stores to sell copies. These are all #1 issues, and the careful retailer is going to want a full month to be able to sell through (and every first issue sold means a slightly smaller number of second issues, etc. sold, and declining with each issue after that, except in the rare instances where a comic takes off and starts increasing in sales--which means every first issue NOT sold, because the cover was stripped, is a first issue that will not lead to more sales down the line).

This deal, though, gives the retailers maybe a week or two to try to decide if the books are going to sell or not. I don't know when the offer was originally publicized, but if it was really late July, then retailers didn't know about it when they placed their original orders, so they couldn't pad them in anticipation. They might not even have time to place reorders and have them filled before having to send off the covers. They originally ordered the number of copies they thought they'd be able to sell, but now someone's waving a gold ring in front of them and saying, "see this? You'll be able to sell this for much more than you'll lose!" Which, of course, is pure speculation, may or may not happen, and could cost a bunch of retailers--who operate on slender margins, with no product returnability--a lot of money.

Sure, it's legal. It's slimy as hell... if Marvel can't compete by offering better stories and better comics, then they should work on improving their quality. Instead, they're trying to squash DC's business right before DC's major relaunch of the universe. I know the guys at Marvel, and I know the guys at DC, and the guys at DC are straight up. This is not a stunt they'd pull. It surprises me, from Marvel--but not that much.