David Carter's analysis of DC Comics sales figures for February 2014 is up over at the Comics Beat. Go check it out, then we'll talk.
. . . all set?
Okay, so what really caught my attention was not so much anything that Carter said, but this comment, posted by someone named Corey:
It's as if Corey lives in my brain, because I feel exactly the same way. Way back when, when Crisis on Infinite Earths came out, I was pretty vocal at my local comics shop about how I felt the company had made a bad move. Instead of amalgamating all of the multiverse into one reality, I said at the time, DC should have left all the Earths out there as places to occasionally visit and just shifted focus to a new Earth. That is in essence what DC did with the New 52, but . . . well, it didn't do it very well. No, not very well at all. And, like Corey, I am now buying fewer DC comics as a percentage of my overall monthly purchase than at any point since the early 1980s.
For February, I pre-ordered just 18 DC Comics -- Sandman Overture #2 failing to be published until this past week, while Forever Evil #6 and Trillium #7 remain on the still-to-come list. So, 15 issues. This compares with 11 Marvels, two Image Comics and one from Dark Horse.
For the record, the books, by company, were:
DC: Aquaman #28, Astro City #9, Batman #28, Batman: Black and White #6, Batman: Joker's Daughter #1, Earth-2 #20, The Flash #28, Forever Evil #6, Green Arrow #28, Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28, Justice League #28, Justice League 3000 #3, Justice League Dark #28, Larfleeze #8, The Royals: Masters of War #1, The Sandman: Overture #2, Superman: Lois Lane #1, and Trillium #7.
Marvel: All-New Invaders #2, All-New X-Men #22, Daredevil #36, Fantastic Four #1, Ms Marvel #1, Miricleman #3, Thor: God of Thunder #19, Superior Spider-Man #27-28, Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1.
Image: Manifest Destiny #4, Rocket Girl #5.
Dark Horse: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2.
So, now that we know what I bought, and what I didn't, here are my thoughts on each title in the DC line-up, with its overall sales rank among all books sold by Diamond Distributers, the title and issue number, cover price, estimated issue sales, and change in sales from the first issue:
1. Batman #28, $3.99 — 115,891 (-48.1% from #1)
This was actually my last issue of this title. I dropped it because I was getting just plain worn out from the never-ending storylines, endless crossovers and frequent extra-sized (and extra-priced) issues. Plus, I would rather read current stories, not ones that try to map out how everything I used to know fits on the new gameboard. The whole Year Zero thing bugged me because, while I was willing to give this new universe a try, the new universe timeline doesn't really work. It just feels like pounding square pegs into round holes, especially with everyone and his brother now seemingly part of Batman's origin. In order to come back, I really need more done-in-one tales, or short-arcs, that focus on telling a story rather than trying to establish a mythology. However, that does not appear to be in DC's plans, given their strategy of trying to milk dollars from a dwindling supply of readers by giving them more and more of what they already buy.
2. Forever Evil #5 of 7, $3.99 — 92,014 (-37.4%)
I'm actually enjoying this book quite a bit, and don't feel as if I'm missing too much from skipping all the ancillary titles. The lateness, though, is an issue. The JLA Trinity War felt rushed to conclusion to accommodate this, and now these titles feel as though they are stretching for time with no clear end game in sight.
5. Justice League #28, $3.99 — 80,901 (-70.2%)
I like the Metal Men, but doubt they can carry a modern DC book. I don't know why DC doesn't do a deal with Scholastic, as these characters seem perfect for teaching chemistry et. al. This book is an example of a title that seems to be dragging a bit as the overall crossover slogs on, but it is one I expect to stay with for a while.
11. Harley Quinn #3, $2.99 — 63,967 (-45.2%)
I bought the zero issue, although I never got around to actually reading it. But I did not otherwise bother with the title, if only because my perception of the New 52 Harley, based on nothing more than the Suicide Squad covers and solicitations, is that she's a grim 'n' gritty version of the character. I got my fill on that kind of thing back in the '90s.
13. Batman/Superman #8, $3.99 — 59,138 (-60.8%)
I dropped this after the third issue, with Villains Month making a convenient jumping off point. There just was not enough story in any one issue to justify shelling out $4 (the books read in about six minutes), while I found the general lack of backgrounds and establishing shots to be off-putting.
14. Detective Comics #28, $3.99 — 56,619 (-64.1%)
I dropped this title back when it went to $3.99. For what it's worth, I dropped Batman at the same time, but came back a few months later when the Death in the Family storyline looked like it was going to be interesting. It started strong, but fizzled fast, IMHO.
15. Justice League of America #12, $3.99 — 56,259 (-82.8%)
I dropped this one last issue. I'm just not a fan of Matt Kindt, I guess. Plus, the ongoing adventures of J'Onn J'Onzz and Stargirl got kind of annoying. When The Key sent the JLA into limbo back in Justice League of American #150, they were out of commission for six panels, not six months.
22. Batman: Joker's Daughter #1 of 1, $4.99 — 51,066 (n/a)
I thought I'd give it a try, just to see what all the buzz was about and because, as a fan of the 1970s Teen Titans, I have a soft spot for the Joker's Daughter. Boy, this sure ain't her. Stories about psychopaths aren't my thing, especially not ones that essentially say the same thing throughout the entire issue. Blah. I will definitely skip this if it goes to series.
25. Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28, $2.99 — 49,200 (+0.8% GL/ +101.0% RL)
I got this simply to support the value pricing. While the GL side of the book was decent enough, maybe even enough to entice me to buy back into the series if there's ever a story arc that doesn't tie into 12 other titles, the Red Lantern half actually put me off my feed for that title, which also means not bothering with any Lantern story, since Green will undoubtedly cross over with Red.
31. Superman/Wonder Woman, $3.99 — 44,847 (-52.7%)
I never bothered with this book, primarily based on my poor experience with Batman/Superman and Superman Unchained, both of which I felt gave too little reading value for the cover price. I presumed this would be more of the same.
32. Batman and . . . #28, $2.99 — 43,380 (-62.6%)
The only issue of this title I purchased was the one in which Damian died, because I hate, Hate, HATE Damian. That said, while there are WAY too many Bat-titles on the stands at present, I could support a team-up book on the order of the old, much-loved, Brave and the Bold. This ain't it, though.
44. Nightwing #28, $2.99 — 36,940 (-57.8%)
I've just never clicked with Dick in long pants . . . which, um, reads a lot differently that what I meant. I just don't know why the character exists. DC really dubbed up trying to retain its characters and copyrights in the relaunch because, really, it makes no sense for Dick Grayson to be on a peer level with Batman, just because he was around too long by 1978 to still be called "the boy wonder." He should have been rebooted as the one and only Robin. Robin means something. Nightwing is just another character. As it is, I don't particularly care if Dick gets killed off in Forever Evil. He's completely expendable. There's absolutely nothing compelling about the character other than, "used to be Batman's partner."
47. Earth-2 #20, $2.99 — 35,732 (-65.1%)
Although the plotting has been glacial at best, this book is MUCH improved post-Robinson. I was on the verge of dropping it, but can now see myself sticking it out for the long haul.
48. Forever Evil : Arkham War #5 of 6 — 35,564 (-31.6%)
Skipped this one. My comics buying budget is $100 per month, exactly what it's been for the past 25 years. That bought me a LOT of comic books back in 1989, not so much now. I simply can't afford to buy everything and when this came out there wasn't anything I wanted to cut from my pull-list bad enough to make room for it.
49. Batman: The Dark Knight #28 — 35,455 (-72.4)
Unlike the original Legends of the Dark Knight series, which told mostly out-of-continuity tales by top creators in short arcs, this book seemed to have nothing to make it distinct. It seemed completely superfluous, and so I skipped it entirely when it first came out.
51. Action Comics #28, $3.99 — 35,305 (-82.4)
I was on board with this at first, although, for my money, Morrison's run sure ended in a hot mess. I'm not sure what could bring me back to this title. Maybe if it became a Super-anthology for $4.99, with at least one story always complete in that issue? I dunno.
52. Aquaman #28, $2.99 — 34,939 (-67.8%)
Surviving Geoff Johns quite nicely. In fact, I'd have to say this is still my favorite current DC title. Love Paul Pelletier's art!
53. Batgirl #28, $2.99 — 34,567 (-67.7%)
I tried the first issue and immediately dropped it. It gave Babs a new status quo and worked hard (a little too hard, maybe) to establish a stereotypically quirky supporting cast, but it gave no indication why the character exists (other than because she's an established Bat-character) or why I should care about her adventures. I've seen no solicitation since that's given me any reason to jump back on board.
54. Superman #28, $2.99 — 34,296 (-77.2%)
I LOVED this title when it first launched. George Perez did everything practically perfect, I thought. But then TPTB chased him off the title and I left right along with him. Interesting sidenote: I overheard one young fan, maybe in his early- to mid-20s, complaining about the book under Perez, saying that it "has too many words." I think we must face facts that what ails the comic book industry these days has as much to do with comic book fans (or what's left of them) as it does with the publishers. Anyway, I'll try the Johns/Kubert version set to launch in a few months, but I sure do wish DC would add an inker having some facility with a brush. Kubert's art just seems so damn flat to me. There needs to be more variety of line weight and better spotting of blacks. Maybe Kubert/Ordway would work?
55. The Flash #28, $2.99 — 33,853 (-77.1%)
This title has been tredding water for me of late. I actually dropped it a few months back, simply because I was getting bored with it, then came back on board for this issue. I'll give the new creative team a few issues before I decide what to do next, although I fully anticipate being outraged at whatever they do with Wally West, even though I have absolutely no idea what that may be at this point.
57. Justice League 3000 #3, $2.99 — 33,308 (-42.3%)
Speaking of outrage, I only bought into this book so I could vent on fan websites about the "Justice Legion." Thankfully, this did not end up being what was feared. It actually turned out to be quite good. In fact, even though the online buzz is that this title will be lucky to last 12-15 issues, it's comfortably in my Top 5 favorite DC titles at the moment.
61. Wonder Woman #28, $2.99 — 31,464 (-67.2%)
I dropped this after the third issue simply because it read too fast. For $3, a comic should take longer than six minutes to read, in my humble opinion. I hear good things about it and flip through an issue from time to tome. Still, I have not bought back into the title. My complaint is the opposite of that fan who bitched about Perez' Superman — too few words.
66. Justice League Dark #28, $3.99 — 30,519 (-62.8%)
This was my last issue. I skipped this title as first, then got suckered into adding it for the Trinity War. I stuck around afterward thinking SOMETHING was going to happen, and because I like the way Mikel Janin draws Zatanna. But she's stuck in limbo, the title is spinning its wheels, and the scripts have been largely nonsensical. So, I dumped it.
69. Green Lantern Corps #28, $2.99 — 29,142 (-69.3%)
The original three-issue limited series excepted, I've just never been able to get into the Corps. For one thing, they suffer the Silver Age Superman problem — the rings make them just too damn omnipotent to be interesting. I suppose if the rings were less wearable dues ex machinas, and if the title was written more like Hill Street Blues in space, I might be interested, but as it is, blah.
71. Green Lantern: New Guardians #28, $2.99 — 27,212 (-71.8%)
Kyle Raynor and the replacement heroes of his ilk should get a multiverse Earth where they ARE the Justice League heroes. Then we could visit him from time to time. But, as it is, he has no reason to exist in the New 52 and only serves to muck up the timeline. Also, this title, by its title alone, reminds me of that awful New Guardians series that spun out of the Millennium cross-over event. To tell you the truth, that's why I don't buy it.
74. The Wake #6 of 10, $2.99 — 26,843 (-46.5%)
A mini-series has to be pretty bad for me to drop it mid run. Luckily, the erratic publishing schedule helped make that decision easier. This wasn't a bad book, it just was taking too damn long to get anywhere. The storytelling was way, WAY too decompressed. Really, this could just as easily have been a four issue series as 10, and might even have worked better still as a 12-page tale in a revived Strange Adventures anthology. As it was, there wasn't enough there, there for me to care.
75. Batman Black & White #6 of 6, $4.99 — 26,744 (-58.9%)
This series was really a collection of thoughts, ideas, scenes and incidents. There were precious few actual stories between the covers. I doubt I'll go for this a third time.
76. Teen Titans #28, $2.99 — 26,732 (-70.0%) [Canceled with #30]
The absolute definition of a hot mess. This book just makes me sad. Saddest of all is that the New 52 should have been an opportunity to reboot all of the kid sidekicks and start with something absolutely fresh. Instead . . . oh, hell, I don't even know. It just makes me sad.
77. Green Arrow #28, $2.99 — 26,725 (63.1%)
With all due respect to Dan Jurgens, a favorite creator of mine, this book launched as just another generic super-hero title and I dropped it after three issues. Under the current creative team, however, the title, and the character, has truly found a voice. It doesn't hurt, I guess, that this voice is sounding more an more like the CW television series all the time. Eventually, I expect the comic book Ollie & Co. to be as positively transformed by the TV show as Superman was by his adventures on the radio.
85. Worlds' Fnest #20, $2.99 — 25,585 (-63.2%)
I dropped this title at #17. I just finally had to admit I was only buying it because of latent love for these characters left over from the 1970s, as well as my Legion-fueled respect for Paul Levitz. But, just like his last run on the Legion of Super-Heroes, Levitz was simply sucking ass here. It's as if he forgot everything he ever learned about writing a comic book story while his brain atrophied in the upper-echelons of DC administration. I could blow though an issue of this title in about five minutes, it took forever for anything to actually happen, and when something did happen, it was always with the presumed assumption that I have a photographic memory for issues I'd read months earlier.
87. Catwoman #28, $2.99 — 23,974 (-68.3%)
Never bought this version as the solicitations made it seem a grim 'n' gritty take. See also: Harley Quinn.
88: Forever Evil: Rogues' Rebellion #5 of 6, $2.99 — 23,725 (-35.1%)
Can't afford everything. See Also: Forever Evil : Arkham War.
90. Supergirl #28, $2.99 — 23,567 (-68.2%)
Supergirl has always been more of a curiosity to me than a compelling character. Just nothing there for me to identify with. So, she was always going to be a tough sell. But when I read the first issue in less than five minutes, I dropped it immediately and never looked back.
91. Red Hood and the Outlaws #28, $2.99 — 23,236 (-66.9%)
A title that seemed to exist for no other reason than copyright protection. My reaction when it launched was a total, "Huh? Why?!" I mean, you can't expect Jason Todd to stay as dead as Bucky when even Bucky isn't as dead as Bucky anymore, but even still, space seems about the least appropriate place for Roy Harper. I'm hoping he turns out to be a clone so we can kill him off and get a real CW-ish Roy in Green Arrow. Still, I have to admit, this title has lasted 20 issues longer than I thought it would.
95. Suicide Squad #28, $2.99 — 22,882 (63.0%) [Canceled with #30]
Never even tried it. See also: Harley Quinn.
93. Injustice: Year Two #2, $2.99 — 22,703 (-8.1%)
Having absolutely no familiarity with the video game, this isn't for me.
96. Superman: Lois Lane #1 of 1, $4.99 — 21,550 (n/a)
Lois Lane was always going to be a hard sell. I'm not sure who thought a $5 Lois Lane would fly off the stands. I did buy this issue. I have not got around to reading it yet.
100. Batwoman #28, $2.99 — 20,672 (-76.5%)
Let's be honest, this book was always about the art. However, I left around issue 15 after a few fill-in issues, when I had trouble figuring out what was going on with the story.
101. Constantine #11, $2.99 — 20,385 (-45.7%)
All I can think off anymore when I see this character is Keanu Reeves, and that always makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Passed.
105. Batman '66 #8, $3.99 — 19,795 (-60.7%)
This is an example of a book I actually wanted to try, but just couldn't find enough to cut from my pull-list the month it first came out. There's also the stigma of it being a digital first title. I don't know why that should matter, but it does, even though it's not really a "reprint" as such, and I've never read the online version. I probably will find a way to buy the upcoming Green Hornet crossover, however.
107. Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #5 of 6, $2.99 — 19,157 (-40.4%)
Can't afford everything. See Also: Forever Evil : Arkham War. Also, I hate hot, skinny Waller.
108. Swamp Thing #28, $2.99 — 19,146 (-74.0%)
Never tried it. I was into Swamp Thing for about five seconds in the '80s, but otherwise have never found much affinity for the character. I always come away from any issue I do happen to read thinking, "Yes, it's important to protect the earth, now would you please STFU about it already!"
109. Trillium #6 of 8, $2.99 — 18,819 (-38.7%)
Like The Wake, this could just as easily have been three or four issues as eight. It's mostly been folks running around being confused. There hasn't been a sh!t-ton of anything that's actually happened beyond that. Also like The Wake, the best use of this plot might have been a short story in an anthology title. Then it might have been memorable, not just tiring. Still, unlike The Wake, this book does have some spice of originality to it. It doesn't read like it comes straight out of central scripting at any rate, and that's kept me from dropping it.
110. DC Universe vs. Masters of the Universe #5 of 6, $2.99 — 18,769 (-46.8%)
I was never going to buy this. I was too old for kiddy cartoons when the Masters of the Universe cartoon first came out, so there is no nostalgia factor there for me. Now, if this was DC Universe vs. the Krofft Super-Stars . . .
112. Birds of Prey #28, $2.99 — 18,092 (-72.8%)
Just not a book I've ever got into under any incarnation, primarily based on "can't afford everything" logic. There's no real reason why. Black Canary never really survived the original Crisis in my mind, and so I never found reason enough to drop another title to add this in its place.
122. Trinity of Sin: Pandora #8, $2.99 — 17,703 (-57.5%)
I have never read this book. I have never so much as cracked its cover whilst browsing at the comics shop. Still, if there is one comic that screams, "This . . . THIS is everything I hate about the New 52 and current DC editorial policy," this is it. I think there's a saying that goes, A Pandora is a horse, created by committee.
116. Animal Man #28, $2.99 — 17,559 (-73.1%)
Like Swamp Thing, Animal Man is a title I was interested in for about five seconds in the 1980s. I tried the first issue. I'm not into it anymore, I guess.
120. Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #16, $2.99 — 17,012 (-56.5%)
I tried the first couple of issues, back before someone had the really, really bad idea of tying the Phantom Stranger into this half-baked Trinity of Sin idea. I'll give Dan Didio this, he writes decent fan fiction. (Actually, I thought his OMAC was pretty good.)
122. Superboy #28, $2.99 — 16,448 (-76.3%)
Not since Damian have I more wanted a comic book character to just go away and die . . . and I voted to kill Jason Todd. I read and more or less hated the first issue, gave the second a try based on leftover good will for the Grummet/Kesel version, then dropped it. I tried a recent issue (#26, I think) based on a last-panel Legion cameo and brother, it was AWFUL! Like Levitz, Marv Wolfman seems to have completely forgotten how to write a comic book. I half wonder if they are doing it on purpose, out of disdain for what the industry has become, just to see how badly they can write and still get paid.
124. DC Comics Presents : Harley Quinn #1, $7.99 — 15,587 (n/a)
I don't even remember this being solicited.
128. Talon #16, $2.99 — 14,691 (-75.4%) [Canceled with #17]
This had promise at first. I dropped it around #12 when the lead character died. Not because I have anything against zombie super-heroes, but just because the writing got really, really bad. There could not have been a better example of how modern comics books are indecipherable to casual readers. Seriously, I've been reading comics for 40+ years and even I had trouble figuring out what was going on.
135. Batman Beyond Universe #7, $3.99 — 14,435 (-38.2%)
I've never seen the cartoon, so I wasn't going to have much interest. Less so as a digital first title at $3.99.
138. Astro City #9, $3.99 — 14,289 (-48.4%) [Vertigo]
How this isn't in the Top 10 of all comics sales is beyond me. It remains one of my favorite titles, period. Maybe if some of the house ads could be replaced with ones that actually generate revenue, this could be dropped to $2.99. Maybe that would help? Maybe an Honor Guard/Justice League crossover in the style of the old JLA/JSA events would boost interest? Oh, well. You don't know what you're missing.
134. Fables #138, $2.99 — 14,109 (-35.9%) [Vertigo]
What can I say, this was a title on which I simply missed the boat, way back when.
137. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #10, $2.99 — 13,816 (-45.3%)
See: DC Universe vs. . . .
138. Larfleeze #8, $2.99 — 13,338 (-63.6%) [Canceled with #12]
It's actually been getting better, but still continues to pound a single joke. Larfleeze was never leading-man material anyway. This was always really Pulsar Stargrave's title. Maybe he'll get a spin-off? Okay, maybe not.
147. All-Star Western #28, $3.99 — 12,782 (-75.9%)
A title I want to succeed. Still, even I bailed after the first half-dozen issues, primarily because I was not loving the art. When the setting is as much the star as the star, your artist needs to be something truly special. at the very least, the art should not look like it was inked with a magic marker.
148. Royals: Masters of War #1 of 6, $2.99 — 14,031 (n/a) [Vertigo]
Interesting concept if unspectacular execution, although I have to admit it lacks primarily from not being Arrowsmith. I'd probably drop it though if it was an ongoing series. Even so, I wonder if this will last the full six issues? Surely, it will drop out of the Top 300 in sales by then.
151. Fairest #23, $2.99 — 12,350 (-61.1%) [Vertigo]
See: Fables.
155. Batwing #28, $2.99 — 11,786 (-78.1%)
My working theory is that DC is just too scared of the political flak that might fly if it cancels the only title it has starring a black character. I have no other explanation for why this series is still on the schedule. I didn't buy it just because it did not seem to exist for any reason other than to BE "black Batman," and knowing Judd Winick's liberal predilections, I was afraid of being preached at. Call me crazy, but I care about the content of my super-hero's character, not the color of his (or her) skin. I mean, the culture someone comes from is important — I've enjoyed Blue Beetle, Ms Marvel, and would like to get Black Lighting back to inner city where he belongs — but (right or wrong, true or not) this stank of liberal angst.
164. Adventures of Superman #10, $3.99 — 11,075 (-64.3%)
Digital first, $3.99, market over-saturated with Superman titles already. Passed. I wasn't going to buy this even before the gay thing.
165. Smallville Season 11: Alien #3 — 11,061 (-15.0%)
I suppose I'd be interested in this title more if I had liked the Smallville tv show more. I kind of tuned out on it after the first season. As far as the comic goes, I did buy the issues of the previous Season 11 series to guest-star the Legion. I thought they were pretty bad, overall. Bad enough that I may even have missed the last issue, and I LOVE me my Legion.
171. Coffin Hill #5, $2.99 — 10,435 (-53.1%) [Vertigo]
Sometimes a preview works against a title. A couple pages of this was spotlighted in the Previews catalog. I wasn't impressed.
174. Batman: L'il Gotham #11, $2.99 — 10,030 (-63.6%)
After missing the first issue, I picked up #2 based on good buzz. It was pretty good. After that though the series was hit-and-miss for me and I eventually dropped it at #6.
178. Dead Boy Detectives #3, 2.99 — 9,889 (-42.8%) [Vertigo]
Can't buy everything and this is one of those things where I feel like I'd be coming in already having missed too much.
199. Teen Titans GO! #2, $2.99 — 9,038 (-32.8%)
I was a HUGE fan of the Teen Titans cartoon, less so the newer Baby Titans version this book is based on. Pass.
190. Hinterkind #5, $2.99 — 8,948 (-61.9%) [Vertigo]
Similarly hobbled by a "meh" Previews preview.
211. The Unwritten v.2: Apocalypse #2, $2.99 — 8,291 (-30.8%) [Vertigo]
I remember buying the first issue of the first Unwritten volume just because I had missed the boat on so many Vertigo series. I remember being all, "WTF is this?!"
201. Stormwatch #28, $2.99 — 8,207 (-85.7%) [Canceled with #30]
Seems a book crippled by having absolutely no idea what it wants to be or why, other than the need to throw former Wildstorm titles into the New 52.
215. 100 Bullets: Brother Lono #8 of 8, $2.99 — 7,357 (-57.9%) [Vertigo]
No idea what this is.
219. Scribblenauts Unmasked: Crisis of Imagination #2 — 7,101 (-38.6%)
Absolutely no idea what this is.
254. Beware the Batman #5, $2.99 — 6,494 (-67.3%)
Never seen the cartoon. Hence, no interest.
257. The Movement #9, $2.99 — 6,417 (-77.3%) [Canceled with #12]
Frankly, I thought the Green Team was the better of these two titles, at least in terms of concept, although it suffered mightily in execution, especially in the latter issues. This, by contrast, just seemed the comic book equivalent of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it's done. Hint: It wasn't. I dropped this title after #2.
266. The Vampire Diaries #2, $3.99 — 6,132 (-43.5%)
Is this based on a TV show? I have no idea what this is.
310. Scooby-Doo, Where are You? #42, $2.99 — 4,540 (-24.8%)
In the comments for the article linked above, one poster claimed this title sells 35,000 in the U.K. That could be, which would indicate to me that the problem in America is not with the product so much as with getting it front of the buying public.
368. Looney Tunes #217, $2.99 — 2,784 (-??)
Another title that probably lives on overseas reprints rather than newsstand sales. It can't even be breaking even on sales to comics shops. I'm surprised DC does not sell combo-packs of this title at bookstores, department stores and toy stores.
So, if you read through this far, you may be thinking, "Jesus, Duke, is there anything you like?" Well, yes. Here is my preliminary list of DC Comics being released in June which I'll be ordering at the end of April, ranked from favorite to most likely to be cut if I have to stay under budget.
. . . all set?
Okay, so what really caught my attention was not so much anything that Carter said, but this comment, posted by someone named Corey:
"I’m a lifelong DC fan, and I’m down to my lowest amount of DC titles ever. I was all for giving the New 52 a chance, but DC is producing so much crap right now. I love the characters, but I can’t bear to read most of them."
It's as if Corey lives in my brain, because I feel exactly the same way. Way back when, when Crisis on Infinite Earths came out, I was pretty vocal at my local comics shop about how I felt the company had made a bad move. Instead of amalgamating all of the multiverse into one reality, I said at the time, DC should have left all the Earths out there as places to occasionally visit and just shifted focus to a new Earth. That is in essence what DC did with the New 52, but . . . well, it didn't do it very well. No, not very well at all. And, like Corey, I am now buying fewer DC comics as a percentage of my overall monthly purchase than at any point since the early 1980s.
For February, I pre-ordered just 18 DC Comics -- Sandman Overture #2 failing to be published until this past week, while Forever Evil #6 and Trillium #7 remain on the still-to-come list. So, 15 issues. This compares with 11 Marvels, two Image Comics and one from Dark Horse.
For the record, the books, by company, were:
DC: Aquaman #28, Astro City #9, Batman #28, Batman: Black and White #6, Batman: Joker's Daughter #1, Earth-2 #20, The Flash #28, Forever Evil #6, Green Arrow #28, Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28, Justice League #28, Justice League 3000 #3, Justice League Dark #28, Larfleeze #8, The Royals: Masters of War #1, The Sandman: Overture #2, Superman: Lois Lane #1, and Trillium #7.
Marvel: All-New Invaders #2, All-New X-Men #22, Daredevil #36, Fantastic Four #1, Ms Marvel #1, Miricleman #3, Thor: God of Thunder #19, Superior Spider-Man #27-28, Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1.
Image: Manifest Destiny #4, Rocket Girl #5.
Dark Horse: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2.
So, now that we know what I bought, and what I didn't, here are my thoughts on each title in the DC line-up, with its overall sales rank among all books sold by Diamond Distributers, the title and issue number, cover price, estimated issue sales, and change in sales from the first issue:
1. Batman #28, $3.99 — 115,891 (-48.1% from #1)
This was actually my last issue of this title. I dropped it because I was getting just plain worn out from the never-ending storylines, endless crossovers and frequent extra-sized (and extra-priced) issues. Plus, I would rather read current stories, not ones that try to map out how everything I used to know fits on the new gameboard. The whole Year Zero thing bugged me because, while I was willing to give this new universe a try, the new universe timeline doesn't really work. It just feels like pounding square pegs into round holes, especially with everyone and his brother now seemingly part of Batman's origin. In order to come back, I really need more done-in-one tales, or short-arcs, that focus on telling a story rather than trying to establish a mythology. However, that does not appear to be in DC's plans, given their strategy of trying to milk dollars from a dwindling supply of readers by giving them more and more of what they already buy.2. Forever Evil #5 of 7, $3.99 — 92,014 (-37.4%)
I'm actually enjoying this book quite a bit, and don't feel as if I'm missing too much from skipping all the ancillary titles. The lateness, though, is an issue. The JLA Trinity War felt rushed to conclusion to accommodate this, and now these titles feel as though they are stretching for time with no clear end game in sight.
5. Justice League #28, $3.99 — 80,901 (-70.2%)
I like the Metal Men, but doubt they can carry a modern DC book. I don't know why DC doesn't do a deal with Scholastic, as these characters seem perfect for teaching chemistry et. al. This book is an example of a title that seems to be dragging a bit as the overall crossover slogs on, but it is one I expect to stay with for a while.
11. Harley Quinn #3, $2.99 — 63,967 (-45.2%)
I bought the zero issue, although I never got around to actually reading it. But I did not otherwise bother with the title, if only because my perception of the New 52 Harley, based on nothing more than the Suicide Squad covers and solicitations, is that she's a grim 'n' gritty version of the character. I got my fill on that kind of thing back in the '90s.
13. Batman/Superman #8, $3.99 — 59,138 (-60.8%)
I dropped this after the third issue, with Villains Month making a convenient jumping off point. There just was not enough story in any one issue to justify shelling out $4 (the books read in about six minutes), while I found the general lack of backgrounds and establishing shots to be off-putting.
14. Detective Comics #28, $3.99 — 56,619 (-64.1%)
I dropped this title back when it went to $3.99. For what it's worth, I dropped Batman at the same time, but came back a few months later when the Death in the Family storyline looked like it was going to be interesting. It started strong, but fizzled fast, IMHO.
15. Justice League of America #12, $3.99 — 56,259 (-82.8%)
I dropped this one last issue. I'm just not a fan of Matt Kindt, I guess. Plus, the ongoing adventures of J'Onn J'Onzz and Stargirl got kind of annoying. When The Key sent the JLA into limbo back in Justice League of American #150, they were out of commission for six panels, not six months.
22. Batman: Joker's Daughter #1 of 1, $4.99 — 51,066 (n/a)
I thought I'd give it a try, just to see what all the buzz was about and because, as a fan of the 1970s Teen Titans, I have a soft spot for the Joker's Daughter. Boy, this sure ain't her. Stories about psychopaths aren't my thing, especially not ones that essentially say the same thing throughout the entire issue. Blah. I will definitely skip this if it goes to series.
25. Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28, $2.99 — 49,200 (+0.8% GL/ +101.0% RL)
I got this simply to support the value pricing. While the GL side of the book was decent enough, maybe even enough to entice me to buy back into the series if there's ever a story arc that doesn't tie into 12 other titles, the Red Lantern half actually put me off my feed for that title, which also means not bothering with any Lantern story, since Green will undoubtedly cross over with Red.
31. Superman/Wonder Woman, $3.99 — 44,847 (-52.7%)
I never bothered with this book, primarily based on my poor experience with Batman/Superman and Superman Unchained, both of which I felt gave too little reading value for the cover price. I presumed this would be more of the same.
32. Batman and . . . #28, $2.99 — 43,380 (-62.6%)
The only issue of this title I purchased was the one in which Damian died, because I hate, Hate, HATE Damian. That said, while there are WAY too many Bat-titles on the stands at present, I could support a team-up book on the order of the old, much-loved, Brave and the Bold. This ain't it, though.
44. Nightwing #28, $2.99 — 36,940 (-57.8%)
I've just never clicked with Dick in long pants . . . which, um, reads a lot differently that what I meant. I just don't know why the character exists. DC really dubbed up trying to retain its characters and copyrights in the relaunch because, really, it makes no sense for Dick Grayson to be on a peer level with Batman, just because he was around too long by 1978 to still be called "the boy wonder." He should have been rebooted as the one and only Robin. Robin means something. Nightwing is just another character. As it is, I don't particularly care if Dick gets killed off in Forever Evil. He's completely expendable. There's absolutely nothing compelling about the character other than, "used to be Batman's partner."
47. Earth-2 #20, $2.99 — 35,732 (-65.1%)
Although the plotting has been glacial at best, this book is MUCH improved post-Robinson. I was on the verge of dropping it, but can now see myself sticking it out for the long haul.
48. Forever Evil : Arkham War #5 of 6 — 35,564 (-31.6%)
Skipped this one. My comics buying budget is $100 per month, exactly what it's been for the past 25 years. That bought me a LOT of comic books back in 1989, not so much now. I simply can't afford to buy everything and when this came out there wasn't anything I wanted to cut from my pull-list bad enough to make room for it.
49. Batman: The Dark Knight #28 — 35,455 (-72.4)
Unlike the original Legends of the Dark Knight series, which told mostly out-of-continuity tales by top creators in short arcs, this book seemed to have nothing to make it distinct. It seemed completely superfluous, and so I skipped it entirely when it first came out.
51. Action Comics #28, $3.99 — 35,305 (-82.4)
I was on board with this at first, although, for my money, Morrison's run sure ended in a hot mess. I'm not sure what could bring me back to this title. Maybe if it became a Super-anthology for $4.99, with at least one story always complete in that issue? I dunno.
52. Aquaman #28, $2.99 — 34,939 (-67.8%)
Surviving Geoff Johns quite nicely. In fact, I'd have to say this is still my favorite current DC title. Love Paul Pelletier's art!
53. Batgirl #28, $2.99 — 34,567 (-67.7%)
I tried the first issue and immediately dropped it. It gave Babs a new status quo and worked hard (a little too hard, maybe) to establish a stereotypically quirky supporting cast, but it gave no indication why the character exists (other than because she's an established Bat-character) or why I should care about her adventures. I've seen no solicitation since that's given me any reason to jump back on board.
54. Superman #28, $2.99 — 34,296 (-77.2%)
I LOVED this title when it first launched. George Perez did everything practically perfect, I thought. But then TPTB chased him off the title and I left right along with him. Interesting sidenote: I overheard one young fan, maybe in his early- to mid-20s, complaining about the book under Perez, saying that it "has too many words." I think we must face facts that what ails the comic book industry these days has as much to do with comic book fans (or what's left of them) as it does with the publishers. Anyway, I'll try the Johns/Kubert version set to launch in a few months, but I sure do wish DC would add an inker having some facility with a brush. Kubert's art just seems so damn flat to me. There needs to be more variety of line weight and better spotting of blacks. Maybe Kubert/Ordway would work?
55. The Flash #28, $2.99 — 33,853 (-77.1%)
This title has been tredding water for me of late. I actually dropped it a few months back, simply because I was getting bored with it, then came back on board for this issue. I'll give the new creative team a few issues before I decide what to do next, although I fully anticipate being outraged at whatever they do with Wally West, even though I have absolutely no idea what that may be at this point.
57. Justice League 3000 #3, $2.99 — 33,308 (-42.3%)
Speaking of outrage, I only bought into this book so I could vent on fan websites about the "Justice Legion." Thankfully, this did not end up being what was feared. It actually turned out to be quite good. In fact, even though the online buzz is that this title will be lucky to last 12-15 issues, it's comfortably in my Top 5 favorite DC titles at the moment.
61. Wonder Woman #28, $2.99 — 31,464 (-67.2%)
I dropped this after the third issue simply because it read too fast. For $3, a comic should take longer than six minutes to read, in my humble opinion. I hear good things about it and flip through an issue from time to tome. Still, I have not bought back into the title. My complaint is the opposite of that fan who bitched about Perez' Superman — too few words.
66. Justice League Dark #28, $3.99 — 30,519 (-62.8%)
This was my last issue. I skipped this title as first, then got suckered into adding it for the Trinity War. I stuck around afterward thinking SOMETHING was going to happen, and because I like the way Mikel Janin draws Zatanna. But she's stuck in limbo, the title is spinning its wheels, and the scripts have been largely nonsensical. So, I dumped it.
69. Green Lantern Corps #28, $2.99 — 29,142 (-69.3%)
The original three-issue limited series excepted, I've just never been able to get into the Corps. For one thing, they suffer the Silver Age Superman problem — the rings make them just too damn omnipotent to be interesting. I suppose if the rings were less wearable dues ex machinas, and if the title was written more like Hill Street Blues in space, I might be interested, but as it is, blah.
71. Green Lantern: New Guardians #28, $2.99 — 27,212 (-71.8%)
Kyle Raynor and the replacement heroes of his ilk should get a multiverse Earth where they ARE the Justice League heroes. Then we could visit him from time to time. But, as it is, he has no reason to exist in the New 52 and only serves to muck up the timeline. Also, this title, by its title alone, reminds me of that awful New Guardians series that spun out of the Millennium cross-over event. To tell you the truth, that's why I don't buy it.
74. The Wake #6 of 10, $2.99 — 26,843 (-46.5%)
A mini-series has to be pretty bad for me to drop it mid run. Luckily, the erratic publishing schedule helped make that decision easier. This wasn't a bad book, it just was taking too damn long to get anywhere. The storytelling was way, WAY too decompressed. Really, this could just as easily have been a four issue series as 10, and might even have worked better still as a 12-page tale in a revived Strange Adventures anthology. As it was, there wasn't enough there, there for me to care.
75. Batman Black & White #6 of 6, $4.99 — 26,744 (-58.9%)
This series was really a collection of thoughts, ideas, scenes and incidents. There were precious few actual stories between the covers. I doubt I'll go for this a third time.
76. Teen Titans #28, $2.99 — 26,732 (-70.0%) [Canceled with #30]
The absolute definition of a hot mess. This book just makes me sad. Saddest of all is that the New 52 should have been an opportunity to reboot all of the kid sidekicks and start with something absolutely fresh. Instead . . . oh, hell, I don't even know. It just makes me sad.
77. Green Arrow #28, $2.99 — 26,725 (63.1%)
With all due respect to Dan Jurgens, a favorite creator of mine, this book launched as just another generic super-hero title and I dropped it after three issues. Under the current creative team, however, the title, and the character, has truly found a voice. It doesn't hurt, I guess, that this voice is sounding more an more like the CW television series all the time. Eventually, I expect the comic book Ollie & Co. to be as positively transformed by the TV show as Superman was by his adventures on the radio.
85. Worlds' Fnest #20, $2.99 — 25,585 (-63.2%)
I dropped this title at #17. I just finally had to admit I was only buying it because of latent love for these characters left over from the 1970s, as well as my Legion-fueled respect for Paul Levitz. But, just like his last run on the Legion of Super-Heroes, Levitz was simply sucking ass here. It's as if he forgot everything he ever learned about writing a comic book story while his brain atrophied in the upper-echelons of DC administration. I could blow though an issue of this title in about five minutes, it took forever for anything to actually happen, and when something did happen, it was always with the presumed assumption that I have a photographic memory for issues I'd read months earlier.
87. Catwoman #28, $2.99 — 23,974 (-68.3%)
Never bought this version as the solicitations made it seem a grim 'n' gritty take. See also: Harley Quinn.
88: Forever Evil: Rogues' Rebellion #5 of 6, $2.99 — 23,725 (-35.1%)
Can't afford everything. See Also: Forever Evil : Arkham War.
90. Supergirl #28, $2.99 — 23,567 (-68.2%)
Supergirl has always been more of a curiosity to me than a compelling character. Just nothing there for me to identify with. So, she was always going to be a tough sell. But when I read the first issue in less than five minutes, I dropped it immediately and never looked back.
91. Red Hood and the Outlaws #28, $2.99 — 23,236 (-66.9%)
A title that seemed to exist for no other reason than copyright protection. My reaction when it launched was a total, "Huh? Why?!" I mean, you can't expect Jason Todd to stay as dead as Bucky when even Bucky isn't as dead as Bucky anymore, but even still, space seems about the least appropriate place for Roy Harper. I'm hoping he turns out to be a clone so we can kill him off and get a real CW-ish Roy in Green Arrow. Still, I have to admit, this title has lasted 20 issues longer than I thought it would.
95. Suicide Squad #28, $2.99 — 22,882 (63.0%) [Canceled with #30]
Never even tried it. See also: Harley Quinn.
93. Injustice: Year Two #2, $2.99 — 22,703 (-8.1%)
Having absolutely no familiarity with the video game, this isn't for me.
96. Superman: Lois Lane #1 of 1, $4.99 — 21,550 (n/a)
Lois Lane was always going to be a hard sell. I'm not sure who thought a $5 Lois Lane would fly off the stands. I did buy this issue. I have not got around to reading it yet.
100. Batwoman #28, $2.99 — 20,672 (-76.5%)
Let's be honest, this book was always about the art. However, I left around issue 15 after a few fill-in issues, when I had trouble figuring out what was going on with the story.
101. Constantine #11, $2.99 — 20,385 (-45.7%)
All I can think off anymore when I see this character is Keanu Reeves, and that always makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Passed.
105. Batman '66 #8, $3.99 — 19,795 (-60.7%)
This is an example of a book I actually wanted to try, but just couldn't find enough to cut from my pull-list the month it first came out. There's also the stigma of it being a digital first title. I don't know why that should matter, but it does, even though it's not really a "reprint" as such, and I've never read the online version. I probably will find a way to buy the upcoming Green Hornet crossover, however.
107. Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #5 of 6, $2.99 — 19,157 (-40.4%)
Can't afford everything. See Also: Forever Evil : Arkham War. Also, I hate hot, skinny Waller.
108. Swamp Thing #28, $2.99 — 19,146 (-74.0%)
Never tried it. I was into Swamp Thing for about five seconds in the '80s, but otherwise have never found much affinity for the character. I always come away from any issue I do happen to read thinking, "Yes, it's important to protect the earth, now would you please STFU about it already!"
109. Trillium #6 of 8, $2.99 — 18,819 (-38.7%)
Like The Wake, this could just as easily have been three or four issues as eight. It's mostly been folks running around being confused. There hasn't been a sh!t-ton of anything that's actually happened beyond that. Also like The Wake, the best use of this plot might have been a short story in an anthology title. Then it might have been memorable, not just tiring. Still, unlike The Wake, this book does have some spice of originality to it. It doesn't read like it comes straight out of central scripting at any rate, and that's kept me from dropping it.
110. DC Universe vs. Masters of the Universe #5 of 6, $2.99 — 18,769 (-46.8%)
I was never going to buy this. I was too old for kiddy cartoons when the Masters of the Universe cartoon first came out, so there is no nostalgia factor there for me. Now, if this was DC Universe vs. the Krofft Super-Stars . . .
112. Birds of Prey #28, $2.99 — 18,092 (-72.8%)
Just not a book I've ever got into under any incarnation, primarily based on "can't afford everything" logic. There's no real reason why. Black Canary never really survived the original Crisis in my mind, and so I never found reason enough to drop another title to add this in its place.
122. Trinity of Sin: Pandora #8, $2.99 — 17,703 (-57.5%)
I have never read this book. I have never so much as cracked its cover whilst browsing at the comics shop. Still, if there is one comic that screams, "This . . . THIS is everything I hate about the New 52 and current DC editorial policy," this is it. I think there's a saying that goes, A Pandora is a horse, created by committee.
116. Animal Man #28, $2.99 — 17,559 (-73.1%)
Like Swamp Thing, Animal Man is a title I was interested in for about five seconds in the 1980s. I tried the first issue. I'm not into it anymore, I guess.
120. Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #16, $2.99 — 17,012 (-56.5%)
I tried the first couple of issues, back before someone had the really, really bad idea of tying the Phantom Stranger into this half-baked Trinity of Sin idea. I'll give Dan Didio this, he writes decent fan fiction. (Actually, I thought his OMAC was pretty good.)
122. Superboy #28, $2.99 — 16,448 (-76.3%)
Not since Damian have I more wanted a comic book character to just go away and die . . . and I voted to kill Jason Todd. I read and more or less hated the first issue, gave the second a try based on leftover good will for the Grummet/Kesel version, then dropped it. I tried a recent issue (#26, I think) based on a last-panel Legion cameo and brother, it was AWFUL! Like Levitz, Marv Wolfman seems to have completely forgotten how to write a comic book. I half wonder if they are doing it on purpose, out of disdain for what the industry has become, just to see how badly they can write and still get paid.
124. DC Comics Presents : Harley Quinn #1, $7.99 — 15,587 (n/a)
I don't even remember this being solicited.
128. Talon #16, $2.99 — 14,691 (-75.4%) [Canceled with #17]
This had promise at first. I dropped it around #12 when the lead character died. Not because I have anything against zombie super-heroes, but just because the writing got really, really bad. There could not have been a better example of how modern comics books are indecipherable to casual readers. Seriously, I've been reading comics for 40+ years and even I had trouble figuring out what was going on.
135. Batman Beyond Universe #7, $3.99 — 14,435 (-38.2%)
I've never seen the cartoon, so I wasn't going to have much interest. Less so as a digital first title at $3.99.
138. Astro City #9, $3.99 — 14,289 (-48.4%) [Vertigo]
How this isn't in the Top 10 of all comics sales is beyond me. It remains one of my favorite titles, period. Maybe if some of the house ads could be replaced with ones that actually generate revenue, this could be dropped to $2.99. Maybe that would help? Maybe an Honor Guard/Justice League crossover in the style of the old JLA/JSA events would boost interest? Oh, well. You don't know what you're missing.
134. Fables #138, $2.99 — 14,109 (-35.9%) [Vertigo]
What can I say, this was a title on which I simply missed the boat, way back when.
137. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #10, $2.99 — 13,816 (-45.3%)
See: DC Universe vs. . . .
138. Larfleeze #8, $2.99 — 13,338 (-63.6%) [Canceled with #12]
It's actually been getting better, but still continues to pound a single joke. Larfleeze was never leading-man material anyway. This was always really Pulsar Stargrave's title. Maybe he'll get a spin-off? Okay, maybe not.
147. All-Star Western #28, $3.99 — 12,782 (-75.9%)
A title I want to succeed. Still, even I bailed after the first half-dozen issues, primarily because I was not loving the art. When the setting is as much the star as the star, your artist needs to be something truly special. at the very least, the art should not look like it was inked with a magic marker.
148. Royals: Masters of War #1 of 6, $2.99 — 14,031 (n/a) [Vertigo]
Interesting concept if unspectacular execution, although I have to admit it lacks primarily from not being Arrowsmith. I'd probably drop it though if it was an ongoing series. Even so, I wonder if this will last the full six issues? Surely, it will drop out of the Top 300 in sales by then.
151. Fairest #23, $2.99 — 12,350 (-61.1%) [Vertigo]
See: Fables.
155. Batwing #28, $2.99 — 11,786 (-78.1%)
My working theory is that DC is just too scared of the political flak that might fly if it cancels the only title it has starring a black character. I have no other explanation for why this series is still on the schedule. I didn't buy it just because it did not seem to exist for any reason other than to BE "black Batman," and knowing Judd Winick's liberal predilections, I was afraid of being preached at. Call me crazy, but I care about the content of my super-hero's character, not the color of his (or her) skin. I mean, the culture someone comes from is important — I've enjoyed Blue Beetle, Ms Marvel, and would like to get Black Lighting back to inner city where he belongs — but (right or wrong, true or not) this stank of liberal angst.
164. Adventures of Superman #10, $3.99 — 11,075 (-64.3%)
Digital first, $3.99, market over-saturated with Superman titles already. Passed. I wasn't going to buy this even before the gay thing.
165. Smallville Season 11: Alien #3 — 11,061 (-15.0%)
I suppose I'd be interested in this title more if I had liked the Smallville tv show more. I kind of tuned out on it after the first season. As far as the comic goes, I did buy the issues of the previous Season 11 series to guest-star the Legion. I thought they were pretty bad, overall. Bad enough that I may even have missed the last issue, and I LOVE me my Legion.
171. Coffin Hill #5, $2.99 — 10,435 (-53.1%) [Vertigo]
Sometimes a preview works against a title. A couple pages of this was spotlighted in the Previews catalog. I wasn't impressed.
174. Batman: L'il Gotham #11, $2.99 — 10,030 (-63.6%)
After missing the first issue, I picked up #2 based on good buzz. It was pretty good. After that though the series was hit-and-miss for me and I eventually dropped it at #6.
178. Dead Boy Detectives #3, 2.99 — 9,889 (-42.8%) [Vertigo]
Can't buy everything and this is one of those things where I feel like I'd be coming in already having missed too much.
199. Teen Titans GO! #2, $2.99 — 9,038 (-32.8%)
I was a HUGE fan of the Teen Titans cartoon, less so the newer Baby Titans version this book is based on. Pass.
190. Hinterkind #5, $2.99 — 8,948 (-61.9%) [Vertigo]
Similarly hobbled by a "meh" Previews preview.
211. The Unwritten v.2: Apocalypse #2, $2.99 — 8,291 (-30.8%) [Vertigo]
I remember buying the first issue of the first Unwritten volume just because I had missed the boat on so many Vertigo series. I remember being all, "WTF is this?!"
201. Stormwatch #28, $2.99 — 8,207 (-85.7%) [Canceled with #30]
Seems a book crippled by having absolutely no idea what it wants to be or why, other than the need to throw former Wildstorm titles into the New 52.
215. 100 Bullets: Brother Lono #8 of 8, $2.99 — 7,357 (-57.9%) [Vertigo]
No idea what this is.
219. Scribblenauts Unmasked: Crisis of Imagination #2 — 7,101 (-38.6%)
Absolutely no idea what this is.
254. Beware the Batman #5, $2.99 — 6,494 (-67.3%)
Never seen the cartoon. Hence, no interest.
257. The Movement #9, $2.99 — 6,417 (-77.3%) [Canceled with #12]
Frankly, I thought the Green Team was the better of these two titles, at least in terms of concept, although it suffered mightily in execution, especially in the latter issues. This, by contrast, just seemed the comic book equivalent of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it's done. Hint: It wasn't. I dropped this title after #2.
266. The Vampire Diaries #2, $3.99 — 6,132 (-43.5%)
Is this based on a TV show? I have no idea what this is.
310. Scooby-Doo, Where are You? #42, $2.99 — 4,540 (-24.8%)
In the comments for the article linked above, one poster claimed this title sells 35,000 in the U.K. That could be, which would indicate to me that the problem in America is not with the product so much as with getting it front of the buying public.
368. Looney Tunes #217, $2.99 — 2,784 (-??)
Another title that probably lives on overseas reprints rather than newsstand sales. It can't even be breaking even on sales to comics shops. I'm surprised DC does not sell combo-packs of this title at bookstores, department stores and toy stores.
So, if you read through this far, you may be thinking, "Jesus, Duke, is there anything you like?" Well, yes. Here is my preliminary list of DC Comics being released in June which I'll be ordering at the end of April, ranked from favorite to most likely to be cut if I have to stay under budget.
- Aquaman #32
- Astro City #13
- Justice League 3000 #7
- Justice League #32
- Batman '66 Meets Green Hornet #1 of 6 (new addition)
- Green Arrow #32
- Earth-2 #24
- Infinity Man and the Forever People #1 (new addition)
- Superman #32 (new addition)
- Aquaman and The Others #3
- The Flash #32
- The Royals: Masters of War #5 of 6
- Justice League United #2
- Larfleeze #12
Down to just 14 DC books for the month! For many years, my pull list was virtually ALL DC Comics! Now, to contrast the above list, here's the preliminary pull-list for other product, just to give you an idea of what I prefer to the DC titles I have snubbed.
MARVEL (also listed fav to least fav)
- Thor: God of Thunder #23
- Daredevil #4
- Silver Surfer #4
- Amazing Spider-Man #3
- All-New X-Men #28
- Savage Hulk #1 (new addition)
- Fantastic Four #6
- Ms Marvel #5
- Amazing Spider-Man #1.2
- All-New Invaders #6
- Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #5 of 5
OTHER
- Real Heroes #4 (Image)
- The Goon: One For the Road #nn (Dark Horse) (new addition)
- Stray Bullets: Killers #4 (Image)
- Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6 of 6 (Dark Horse)
- Angry Birds Comics #1 (IDW) (new addition)
- Vampirella #1 (Dynamite) (new addition)
- Captain Midnight #12 (Dark Horse) (1st cut)
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