Picks of the Week – October 3, 2012

It’s the first week of October, and it’s Wednesday.  It’s time for some new comics.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD:

Picks of the Week – August 1, 2012

 

It’s a new month, and a new Wednesday, it’s time for some new comics.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks Of The Week – July 4, 2012

It’s the 4th of July.  Hopefully you had a safe and fun holiday.

And if you were like me and had to work, at least it’s new comic day.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks of the Week – June 6, 2012

A new month and a new week for new comic releases.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks Of The Week – April 4, 2012

With Easter right around the corner, it’s time to look at the picks for this week.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks of the Week – March 7, 2012

First Wednesday of the month, and a lot of changes.  The biggest is that DC has started to use their new logo on their books.  I do have to admit that I was not a fan of the new logo when it was unveiled.  I found it mundane at best, and certainly not one that made me think Comics, or anything to that effect.  Now, with this week, I have now seen the new logo on DC’s books.

I still hate it.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks of the Week – January 4, 2012

New month, new year, and a new batch of comics to check out.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Picks of the Week – October 5, 2011

DC Comics New 52 moves into month 2 as they begin to expand on their line up.

WARNING: FIRST ISSUE SPOILERS AHEAD

The New 52 – A Reader’s Assessment: Part 2

Image via Wikipedia

With the wrap up of the New 52 roll-out, there are a number of good (and bad) books out there.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

If I Were In Charge of the DC Comics “Restart”

As many comic book fans know, DC is planning a major change in September, relaunching 52 titles with issue 1.  In addition to this “restart,” DC plans on implementing a same day digital distribution system, meaning that when the comic titles are released in comic shops, so are the digital versions online.  Needless to say, a lot has been said about this daring idea, both good and bad.  The whole idea would be the revolution that DC needs to revitalize sales, or it could blow up in their faces badly.

As much as has been said, there have not been many who even suggested what they would do in this situation.  So, it I were in charge of the DC restart, this is what I would do.

First things first, I would not renumber Action Comics or Detective Comics.  Both titles have been around since the early days of comics, and their numbers reflect it.  And considering how much was made about Action hitting 900, it seems wrong to celebrate that major milestone, then restart the title back at 1.  The same goes for Detective, which, as of this posting, is currently at 879.  It seems wrong to deprive both of the next major milestones.

That said, I would actually tweak the concept of each of these books.  Instead of being strictly Superman or Batman titles, I would make Action and Detective anthology books.  Granted, I would leave Superman and Batman the headliners of each title, but there would also be two or three “undercard” stories.  These stories would be a combination of shorter series and one shots featuring members of the headliners’ “families.”  I would also plan on doing the same for Green Lantern Corps, with its undercard featuring other members of the Corps.

I would also plan on limiting the “family” books, specifically Batman.  Currently, there are solicitations for 11 Batman related books.  Add them to the 4 Superman family books, and the 4 Green Lantern books, it represents a sizeable chunk of titles tied into these properties (roughly 36.5%).  This does not even include appearances in Justice League titles, either.  I would cut down on these titles (especially the Batman titles), rolling the characters into the anthology titles mentioned above.

I would also look to explore other “times” within the new DC Universe.  DC has a gigantic wealth of characters to draw from, from many different times.  All-Star Western explores the Old West, while Legion of Superheroes Explores another.  There are still so many more eras (World War 2, World War 1, Revolutionary War, Medieval Times) that can be explored, either through one shots, quarterlies, or even ongoing series.

Naturally, any publishing company will be looking at the sales figures of the books they released.  DC Comics, however, has a new curve ball to consider with the same day digital releases.  It would be necessary to look at sales figures not just in issues of a title sold, but in the medium they have been sold in.  It is possible that there is one book that will do poorly on the shelves of the comic stores, but sells like mad online.  New policies of dealing with sales would have to be adopted, like considering a half-cancellation, where the newstand title is concluded, but the online version continues.

Lastly, I would look into the technology that would create a digital reader for comics, basically following the Kindle/Amazon and Nook/Barnes & Noble concept.  the device should be color should be affordable, and available through comic shops.  Much like how the Nook offers in-store deals and options, similar deals can be set up with comic retailers that would help push businesses into the comic shops that now represent the backbone of sales.  Such a device, I admit, would be highly ambitious, but the payoff could be great for everyone involved.

None of these ideas even touch on what I would do to the characters to revitalize them in light of the restart.  Maybe that will be the subject of another post.