Why publish so many comics?

March 28, 2016 1:51 PM

Why do the Big Two publish so many comics? Why not have a smaller amount of titles monthly?

I was looking at the DC reboot announcement and it just seems overwhelming. 39 titles, 17 of which are bi-monthly. I know they don't sell a lot and it doesn't make sense to me. I know I would buy a ton more comics if I wasn't confused about which particular Superman title to buy, or which quirky take on a classic character is gonna get canceled after 10 issues. As it is I don't buy any monthly issues, because its too daunting.

Has this been tried before and failed? Do they need to keep a stable of writer's/artists employed for other reasons? I know the comics don't make the majority of their profits, but I'd think they would sell more with less confusing mess at the comic store. Amy I wrong?

(I am not a Business Man)

posted by kittensofthenight to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Response by poster: (sorry about typos)
posted by kittensofthenight at 1:58 PM on March 28, 2016

I'm going to go with meeting demand that you're not considering or understanding.
posted by humboldt32 at 3:09 PM on March 28, 2016

Short answer, but my comic-book-store-owning companion says "It's to maintain rack presence that would otherwise get ceded to another publisher."

Basically, shops have a finite amount of space for new comics. One more "new" DC book means one less Marvel book on the rack. (Of course, shops aren't obligated to stock everything but "events" tend to get a huge buzz -- at least initially.)

How well this works out for the publishers (and shops!) really depends on who you ask.
posted by darksong at 3:12 PM on March 28, 2016

Best answer: Seconding darksong. Same reason Campbell's makes a lot of kinds of soup, and Heinz makes 57 varieties. Actually, by extension, it's also the same reason you can go into Starbucks and buy an infinite variety of coffees. If you happen to have a hankering for a Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot With Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended, One Sweet'N Low and One Nutrasweet, and Ice, they have it, and your Brand X corner coffee shop doesn't, so Starbucks is where you'll go.
posted by beagle at 4:39 PM on March 28, 2016

Also sometimes to retain the comic book rights to a character or concept. Marvel publishes a Defenders comic every so often in part so DC or some other publisher can't name a hero team the Defenders.
posted by vrakatar at 4:45 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

It is also a hit-driven product portfolio strategy, similar to music, movies and games. You place lots of varied bets on different products, different writers, different genres, etc., in the hopes that a few of them break through, become hits and pay for all the others and then some.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:48 PM on March 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: or which quirky take on a classic character is gonna get canceled after 10 issues

Don't you think DC wished it knew that? They've got to continually test the waters, or risk missing the next Gwenpool, or whatever.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Also, consider that the Big Two have pretty deep intellectual property libraries going several decades that they own outright. Despite the fact that many of these characters have never sustained a comic beyond a few years, name recognition alone keeps them resurgent. That name recognition means media tie-ins and licensing, which is where the real money is. Comics are a small market compared to other media and, as far as Marvel/DC are concerned, a starter culture for bigger things.
posted by Eikonaut at 10:40 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: DC and Marvel are owned by Warner Bros and Disney, and the monthly issue business is effectively an IP incubator that will eventually (they hope) lead to movies, TV shows, cartoons, bobbleheads, collectibles, clothing, video games, and other related moneymaking opportunities. Today's entertainment landscape is very niche-driven. By casting a wide net, these companies are able to basically take small risks on a lot of ideas and see which ones gain traction. Do you think that there would be a Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers version) film in development if not for the fiercely devoted fan following that the book had, even though it was never doing the numbers of something like Spiderman? So both companies are constantly launching and re-launching and rebooting and crossover-eventing in the hopes that the cream will rise and become the next billion-dollar blockbuster (or $300 million low-budget February hit, or whatever.)

Also, by spreading out, they have a better chance of expanding their audience. I got into (Marvel) comics after getting into the films, and the reason it stuck (like, with a monthly pull and a ton of merch and being on a first-name basis with the lady at the comic shop) is that there were well-written books out there that featured the kinds of characters I wanted to read about, which had not really been the case when I was younger. (Seriously, Marvel comics and Image should be paying Fraction and DeConnick some kind of finder's fee for me, because Hawkeye and Captain Marvel were my gateway drug and now my pull is kind of out of control.)
posted by oblique red at 2:52 PM on March 29, 2016