DC is Hitting the reset button. You in?

[Gaumer]

Is the thrill gone?

Number 1's are done. What hit? What missed? What surprised? What disappointed?

Action was my favorite of what i read followed closely by Batman and The Flash.

WW missed completely for me as did Batman & Robin. Just wasn't what I wanted from the book and what I got didn't make up for it.

Aquaman surprised me but I think I fell in love with the JL: Dark book.

Legion disappointed me. I really want to be a fan of the Legion but I just can't approach it. Not blaming the book here.

[Navarre]

None of it drew me back to reading DC.

As I didn't read them, I am perhaps not a good benchmark for their success. On the other hand, if the goal was to draw in readers then perhaps I am exactly that sort of benchmark.

If I had heard better things about the Legion titles I would have definitely hit that.

[Gaumer]

None of it drew me back to reading DC.

As I didn't read them, I am perhaps not a good benchmark for their success. On the other hand, if the goal was to draw in readers then perhaps I am exactly that sort of benchmark.

If I had heard better things about the Legion titles I would have definitely hit that.

You know, its funny. After reading the DC books that I read, I don't believe DC was looking to get people into or back into comics at all.

I think it is, was, and continues to be nothing more than a marketing ploy against Marvel in an attempt to push migration (for lack of a better term).

Have they done that? Yes. I'm living proof. I now plan on investing in at least 6 DC titles a month when prior to the reboot I wasn't getting a single one.

Is that going to balance out those who promised to leave and actually left DC because of the reboot? IDK.


I think a bigger question is: Did DC miss an opportunity to really grab new readership and bring back old readers? IDK. A lot of the book I read were unapproachable to new readers.

[Navarre]

If it was a true reset, shouldn't they have just said "Forget anything you ever read before. We're starting over."?

It seemed like they said that...then didn't.

[SpiderLover]

What will I continue to read from DC...Nightwing, JLA, and that's all. So out of 52 titles I'm keeping 2, I was going to stay with Legion but eh it was horrid. Legion Lost they presumingly killed Gates, so I don't want to read it.

[greyman24]

Here's the thing. I wasn't reading ANY DC book regularly.

But all of a sudden, I'm excited about monthly versions of Batwoman, Firestorm, Action Comics and Blue Beetle--most of those being books I wouldn't even considered buying just a few months ago.

Hey, has anyone checked out "The New 52" Wikipedia page?

It's VERY interesting in what it says and the way it's laid out.

Organized the way they organized it, you start to see an integrated marketing strategy, segmenting potential readership by pseudo-imprints in a very organized way, and it ties in with the way they laid out their free preview piece.

from Wikipedia
Justice League
These are billed as The New Justice...
...
Batman
Much of Batman's history and timeline remains intact. He has been already operating in secret several years before Superman's public debut. All the Robins have been accounted for, and Barbara Gordon has spent time as Oracle, recently returning as Batgirl. The stories build on recent developments, and Bruce Wayne is again the only Batman...
...
Superman
These titles are billed as History Happens Now. His marriage with Lois Lane has never happened, he is a bachelor, and his adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent have died. Storylines will emphasize his alien nature and how it isolates him from humanity...
...
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern line is not undergoing a reboot. The new storyline instead builds on the aftermath of "War of the Green Lanterns". Sinestro again becomes a Green Lantern taking Hal Jordan's ring, Abin Sur's connection to the Indigo Tribe will be explained, and Kyle Rayner will headline a new team whose members represent each of the emotional spectrum...
...
Young Justice
These titles are billed as The Next Generation of Justice...
...
The Edge
These are primarily war, science fiction, western, or crime comics, including titles formerly belonging to the WildStorm imprint...
...
The Dark
This is the billing given to the more supernatural comics, an area that in recent years had been covered more by the Vertigo imprint...

First off, if you notice, "The Edge" seems to specifically pander to "big guns, big muscles" kind of stories (Grifter, Stormwatch, Deathstroke, etc.).  The Dark is, as it says, Vertigo-ish stories.

But if you look at this from a marketing perspective, it's a very smooth move. Marketers talk about "customer life-cycle" a lot, and it means different things in different circumstances. But the idea is that you segment your offerings into different categories dependent upon your customer's familiarity with your product and interest.

This sets up introductory products (particularly for adolescents interested in the "Young Justice" category)  and allows for easy cross-sell within the categories.

Just think. If they limit cross-over continuity to only those within these categories (think what Rodrigo said about Dwayne McDuffie's idea for crossovers), you have far less event fatigue. It's more like Sinestro Corps. and less like Blackest Night/Brightest Day/etc.

You can also easily set up your editorial staff along these lines, allowing for a more organized vision/message.

[SpiderLover]

Mmm limiting crossovers aren't why I read comics nor is market research. I read comics for characters I find interesting. Though I am glad you found something cool about the new 52! I hope that everyone finds a book or two they want to read from this relaunch. It will send a message to companies that they should try to change things up.

Still at the end of the day it's about what I like to read.

[Gaumer]

It is an interesting way to categorize such a thing. I'm assuming from the term "billed as" that this is a DC thing and they, the publisher, has pigeonholed these titles?

To be honest, it makes me feel that DC just did in a single month what Marvel took a few years to do: lump each of their properties into groups and expand those groups. Over the past 6 years or so we've been given 4 Avengers books; 8 or so X-books; 5 books stamped with the Spidey persona; and FF looks to be going that way soon, surely to follow FF and Fantastic Four with some sort of Inhumans title or a Franklin Richards solo title.

DC now has, from their own accounting if this "billed as" deally is right; 11 JL books; 11 Batman books; 4 Supe books, and so on?

STOP!! I'm ruining it for me

[Gaumer]

Mmm limiting crossovers aren't why I read comics nor is market research. I read comics for characters I find interesting. Though I am glad you found something cool about the new 52! I hope that everyone finds a book or two they want to read from this relaunch. It will send a message to companies that they should try to change things up.

Still at the end of the day it's about what I like to read.

I wish you had found more you liked, dude. Did you read Aquaman or The Flash?

I've only read

Action
Detective
Stormwatch
B&R
GL
Legion: Lost
Batman
WW
Aquaman
TDK
Flash
JL:D
Hawkman
Supes
TT

But only keeping a few. Well, 6.

Weren't you stoked for Hawkman?

[SpiderLover]

I was stoked for hawkman and Aqua man and they may be comics that I pick up but won't put on my pull list. I think that a part of me is being a little harsh as well. It's one issue and its not like all of the ones I read were bad, but I need to start trimming down with the holiday season coming on as it it.

I'll probably still buy those two others, but I don't like them enough to replace the books I am already reading. I guess is what I am trying to say, they aren't good enough to warrant paying more a month and they won't replace what I already like.

[CatHalo]

I've bought quite a few #1s, and will be keeping most of them for at least one more month. I reckon by #6 or so I'll have dropped a few more. Making it more financially viable
The issues I'll be getting again: JL, JLI, Action, Detective, G Arrow, R&R, G Lantern, Legion Lost, R Lanters, Res Man, S Boy, Batman, DCU Presents, GL Corps, Legion Of S, Nightwing, S Girl, Aqua, Bat DK, Flash, FStorm, GL New Gardians, S Man, T Titans, JL Dark, Western
Issues on the bubble, which may not make it past #2: Red Lanterns, the Legion books, G Arrow, Western.
The books I loved, and won't be dropping any time soon: Aqua, Flash, DCU Presents, JL, Res Man, NWing, Action, Batman, GL Corps, T Titans.

[greyman24]

I was stoked for hawkman and Aqua man and they may be comics that I pick up but won't put on my pull list. I think that a part of me is being a little harsh as well. It's one issue and its not like all of the ones I read were bad, but I need to start trimming down with the holiday season coming on as it it.

I'll probably still buy those two others, but I don't like them enough to replace the books I am already reading. I guess is what I am trying to say, they aren't good enough to warrant paying more a month and they won't replace what I already like.

Yeah, I think the idea of cutting back is completely valid. You think you'll pick it back up after the new year?

[SpiderLover]

Probably after the first I'll pick up the ones that are still good. More than likely I'll pick up Hawkman and Aquaman as they are just not the normal type of hero.

[Gaumer]

What I've had to do is to look at me list and make decisions. I still need to add a couple and take a couple off as things move ahead, especially with the happening over in the X-verse and the shenanigans with FF, but here's what I got for a month right now.

1. Action Comics
2. Amazing Spider-Man, The 
3. Aquaman 
4. Batman
5. Batman: The Dark Knight
6. Chew
7. Detective Comics
8. Fantastic Four
9. FF
10. Flash 
11. G.I. Joe
12. G.I. Joe Cobra
13. G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes
14. Justice League
15. Justice League Dark
16. Morning Glories
17. S.H.I.E.L.D.
18. Skullkickers
19. Superman
20. Teen Titans
21. Uncanny X-Force
22. Uncanny X-Men
23. Wolverine
24. X-Factor
25. X-Men
26. X-Men Legacy

That's a bunch of books. But I'm in!

[Navarre]

But can you put that list in descending order of preference instead of alphabetical?