Editor’s note: DC Comics President Paul Levitz returns for his second post here on Blog@Newsarama to answer some of the questions he received last week.
There’s no way to answer everybody’s questions and still do my day job, and I trust the collective web will understand if I skip the questions that ask us to plead guilty before we can answer, as well as ones that touch on relationships with specific creators in ways that I can’t possibly answer fully in a public forum. (And thanks to all of you who offered up kind personal remarks in your posts.) Given that I was writing about graphic novels, I tried to cull the related questions to follow up:
* Many of you raised questions about why specific series are or aren’t available in collections: Alexander asked after Mike Grell’s Green Arrow run, wondering if the more “mature” material was the issue…bjooks wondered why we changed our mind about the DeMatteis/Giffen/McGuire Justice League…Brian Davison wondered why ‘80s series are being overlooked and asked if trade take too long after the hardcovers…Sroman asked about Amethyst…and Laura G seems to have summed it up with “What is DC’s policy on collecting currently ongoing series?”
There’s no one size fits all answer to this, but I’ll try to give you a sense of how it works. Way out in advance (I think we’re in Spring 2009 now) we rough out how many titles we think we can publish in a season, divided by the different formats and imprints or major characters. It’s a guess of what the market will be willing to absorb, how much staff time we’ll have available to do them, and other, fuzzier factors. Some of the spots are pretty obvious (next volumes of successful series, launch volumes of new series we have high hopes for, etc.), and then we look at a list of suggestions for the remaining spots in each category. Obviously as the graphic novel business has gotten better we’ve been able to try more projects and more formats (hence Marc and Keith’s JL) but we still can’t do everything. We’re able to do most everything from Vertigo now, and most of the major current DCU titles (WildStorm works similarly, but Jim guides that process). Some runs have passionate advocates but don’t make the cut, others, probably equally worthy, just slip through the cracks. If you want your voice heard on this, post on our boards, which the guys check regularly.
On the trades following hardcovers question, we used to simply wait until the hardcover sold out or we thought its potential sale had run out. That doesn’t work as we’ve needed to match the systems of the bookstore distribution channel, so now we have to pick a specific date long before publication, usually 6 months to a year later. You’ll be able to predict better, but the odds of our running out (or having extra hardcovers to burn) go up.
* Greg Thompson asked: “Why does Vertigo print on such crappy paper? The comics would look 50 times better on paper a step above what I line my birdcage with.” And more warmly, Michael vanGriethuysen inquired, “How is it decided on what type of paper to use in a hardcover collection?” And Luke H wanted to know my personal paper preference.
The biggest factor in paper choices is always cost, of course, especially at a time like this when paper prices are literally going up every month or so. There’s no easy way to know if readers would be happy paying more for a better paper on a given book, so we guess—looking at the paper used for the original periodical, the style of the art and coloring, and the economics of the volume. There was a particularly loud debate on this on the Kirby Fourth World Omnibus series, where we felt the work was best served by a better modern equivalent of the newsprint Jack prepared the art for originally.
My personal preference over the years was Baxter or Rebax 45#, a nice matte white paper with no show through. I’ve never been a big fan of glossy paper for comics, except ones with painted art or super-saturated color palettes. The best thing about paper lately is that VP-Manufacturing (and paper wizard) Allison Gill found us a recycled paper we could use for some titles, and we launched with Jack of Fables #19.
* Dirk Deppy asked which do you think will be selling better five years from now: Jeff Smith’s Bone, or Jeff Smith’s Shazam?
I thought Jeff did the best take on Shazam! of anyone in years, but Bone is a work of art and passion in a uniquely personal voice. I think it’ll be a classic of the field for a generation.
* John Smith and Con ask if the high price is turning off new readers.
Certainly not for graphic novels, where we’re getting new readers at a very fast pace and research indicates the price range (generally) feels appropriate for the customers. Harder to tell for the periodicals, since the way they’re created and sold means that we ask a new reader to commit to a lot very early on—weekly visits to a comic shop, multiple titles of characters and crossovers, and the like—but those factors are also part of what makes the experience of comics so exciting.
* Scott and Lightning and chemicals wanted thoughts on the Humanoids deal and the market for European material in American comic and book stores.
I wish it had worked better, and hope Marvel does better with the Soleil deal. There’s so much great European material that I wish would succeed more here. I’ve loved Asterix since I was in high school, and never could figure out why it couldn’t do 1/10 as well here as it does in Europe. (But then I love puns enough that I count Murphy Anderson as a dear friend…)
* Johnny Blaze asked how do sales (both single issues and TPB) contribute to determining which books stay and which go (i.e. Exterminators).
We try to look at the combine profitability. Transmetropolitan was the first periodical that we were losing money on where the profits from a successful trade paperback series made the difference in keeping the periodical going some years ago, and now that’s not an unusual pattern, at least for Vertigo. Over on the DCU side, for the most part our successful collected editions are almost always collections of reasonably successful periodicals.
* Rob S wanted to know about the revamp of the Archives series.
I think the details have all been announced in various places, but the essence is that in recent years the Archives sales have slowed down as we’ve gotten most of the key issues in print, and fans interested in older material have been overwhelmed by the choice of good stuff available. It’s been almost 20 years since the Archives began, and the world has changed. When I was in fandom, I could fit all the books about or reprinting classic comic books on a single bookshelf and have room left over. Now, happily, you can fill a room with them.
So we’re taking a few steps to revitalize and change the program: increasing the discount available to retailers who buy them on a non-returnable basis, offering up some of our existing inventory as promotional copies. narrowing the number of new volumes per year, and taking advantage of the changes in scanning technology to go to versions of the original pages that are more direct scans rather than reconstructed ones that were intended to recreate the original color process (think the material in our Chronicle Plastic Man history rather than in Plastic Man Archives).
Filling in the gap, we’re adding more high end hardcovers of classic DC material, but selected for significant runs or stories rather than with the completeness of the Archives. The Len & Berni Swamp Thing hardcover that Bill requested will be coming as part of this line.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Nice first Q&A sir, thank you.
Long Live the Levitz!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Thanks so much!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Dammit.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:16 am
“There was a particularly loud debate on this on the Kirby Fourth World Omnibus series, where we felt the work was best served by a better modern equivalent of the newsprint Jack prepared the art for originally.”
…And while there’s a few whining trolls out there who disagree, the majority of us Kirby fans not only understood the decision, we actually *welcomed* it, Paul. It was as if we were reading those New Gods issues right off the newsstand as we did when we were kids. Sure, the colors were gone, but I truly believe Jack would have approved.
…While I’ve got your attention, I’ve a question: how much would we Legion fans have to collect to bribe you into returning to that title and restoring its former glory after Johns and Perez are through with their mini? The time will be ripe for such a move, and with Johns being busy with other things afterwards, and Mark Wade safely exiled to BOOM! where he cant frack things up again with another useless, unnecessary reboot, I honestly don’t think we’ll trust anyone to handle the book except you. Maybe DnA, but they’re over at Marvel making their Cosmic Heros worth a s’hit for the first time since before Joey the Hutt took over.
I’m serious about this question, Paul. What would it take to get you to take up this one, very important writing gig once again?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
Thanks for taking time from your busy day to answer some of our questions Mr. Levitz. I especially enjoyed the insight into the scheduling of collected editions.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:19 am
Nice job avoiding any serious questions.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am
I’ll second the thank you from Martin. Thanks Paul!
Since you didn’t answer one of my questions in particular that might’ve been a good fit here (no offense taken), I’ll ask again: Why is DC collecting some stories in multiple volumes when perhaps just one would suffice (and be a lot less expensive on the whole) — such as “JUSTICE” or “Superman: For Tomorrow”? The Supes story split into two volumes seems particularly sketchy, since those two books are incredibly thin. I’m simply not going to buy them at the asking prices, when it could easily be one book.
On a more positive note, and I forgot to say this the first time around, THANK YOU for putting “The Man Who Laughs” back in print! I missed it the first time around, and by the time I learned of it, it was already out of print and the prices for used copies were insane. I happily bought the new hardcover, and it was worth every penny, since both TMWL and the bonus story are great!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Dear Mr. Levitz,
Please disregard the “birdcage liner” sort of commenters. We regulars appreciate your engaging with the forum this way.
Can you please address the potential of DC wading further into the elctronic comics arena for back catalog material? Should would be cheaper than printing Archives.
Zuda is great and all, but I think you might be surprised how many folks would purcahse recognizable characters from the 30s through 80s, on CD or online. I don’t access illegal downloads out of ethical concerns, but darn it if it isn’t tempting sometimes!
Best,
Primate
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
One thing I notice that Paul Levitz didn’t mention was DC’s little know reprint fee policy. I think Bob Greenberger and others have touch upon in it occasionally.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
Mr. Levitz: Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. Has DC made a decision on when, or if, the Showcase collections that were pulled late last year (Jonah Hex v.2, Suicide Squad, etc.) will be published? And is it true that the sticking point is with the residual payments to the creators involved? Thank you for your time.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
Thank you for the frank words about publishing policies. I’d love to see the Crisis On Multiple Earths #5 TPB that was announced and then never appeared. Here’s hoping more people vote for it! (You could have another campaign, like when you were reprinting the Millenium issues.)
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
You can always count on OM for a meltdown/rant of a post, taking digs at creators he doesn’t like.
Can’t you make a point w/o all the dramatics?!? Sheesh, get a grip and stop taking things so seriously…
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Mr. Levitz, I already bought the Death and Return of Superman Omnibus, but maybe for the 20th Anniversary of the event, could you release it again, with better paper-quality?
I already paid $60 for the Omnibus, but I don’t mind paying $100 more for better paper-quality and the complete Funeral for a Friend.
Maybe you could release it as four Deluxe Edition hardcovers: Death, Funeral, Reign, and Return.
Just something to think about for the next couple of years.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Oh, and I wholeheartedly second the call to collect Mike Grell’s run on Green Arrow.
While Batman will always be my favorite character, Grell’s GA was my favorite comic in the 90s (along with The Question, another series that deserves to be collected if it hasn’t already). I hope this will happen!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:41 am
I’d just like to register a vote in favor of matte paper for reprints — or ongoing series, for that matter. I really hate trying to read a comic book and having to move it around to all different angles, trying to get rid of the glare from the room lighting. I love the fact that most Vertigo titles (and the Fourth World Omnibi) are printed on matte paper and hope that this will become more popular.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
The talk of TPB scheduling was nice, but I still wish you talked about why trades can’t come out immediately after their stories end.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Thank-you so much for answering my question. Additionally, thank-you for the upcoming Camelot 3000 HC!!! Now, about Alan Moore Swamp Thing…..: )
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
monolith trade please….lol. pretty please?
LOL
a fan.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi:
I have been trying to reach you with a petition for a TPB. So, I’m using this way to do so. This is a copy of an e-mail letter that I have been sending to people in the medium that I thought could tell me how to reach you. Mr. Roy Thomas suggested traditional mail (and I will do so) and Mr. Erik Larsen told me it was hopeless. Anyway, here it goes:
“Jack Kirby’s Forth World Omnibus final book is going to be published later this month. I think that, besides the HUNGER DOGS Graphic Novel, everything else is still in continuity. But there were several stories starting the New Gods that were published between Kirby´s departure from the New Gods’ family of books and the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Those stories are out of continuty as far as I know. Those stories are what I call The Fourth World Apocrypha.
Still, the FWApocrypha are not shortage of talent. As far as I know (or “my list goes”) those stories were written by top talent: Gerry Conway (most of it), Steve Gerber and Steve Englehart (both on Mister Miracle), and Bob Haney (on the Batman/Mister Miracle team-ups).
On the art they had Mike Vosburg (First Issue Special 13); Don Newton (New Gods 12-19, Adventure 459-460); Marshall Rogers and Michael Golden (Mister Miracle 19-25); Arvell Jones (Super Team Family 15); Rich Buckler (DC Comics Presents 12); Dick Dillin and George Perez (Justice League of America 183-185); and Jim Aparo (The Brave and the Bold 112, 128, 138).
Don Newton, Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden and jim Aparo were high regarded Batman artist. Dick Dillin had a long classical run on JLoA until his death… that was followed by, now living legend, George Perez.
What do these comics, attached to classical superhero big names, need to get a Hard Cover published???? ”
Another suggestions (favorites of mine) are:
SHOWCASE of “I,,,, Vampire”
House of Mystery (1981-83): #290-291, 293, 295, 297, 299, 302-319, 321
SHOWCASES of MIKE GRELL’S run on WARLORD
SHOWCASE of STANLEY AND HIS MONSTER
SHOWCASE of FOX AND CROW
HUNTRESS (Helena Wayne)
including BRAVE AND THE BOLD 197, DC SUPER-STARS 17 and ADVENTURE COMICS 462
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
i want shade, the changing man.
and
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Wow, just read Francisco’s comment above - very good suggestion, and I also love the idea of Warlord and some of DC humour titles in a SHOWCASE format.
Also curious about that Jonah Hex vol. 2 and Great Disaster Showcases.
thanks
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions.
Any chance of seeing the original Captain Marvel Monster Society of Evil in hardcover anytime in the near future?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
To me, you can put whatever paper you want on the New Gods Omnibus. I don’t care.
What I DO care is that you charge A LOT for that! I mean, the thick softcover collections like the recent Doomsday one cost less than HALF of that! Why that discrepancy? Because of the hardcover? Then drop it, Kirby wasn’t originally published on a hardcover either…
Newsprint Omnibus? No problem. Charging top dollar for newsprint? No way!
Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Mr. Paul Levitz,
Will Final Crisis ship on time and without any fill-in artists??
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Is “Fecal Yeti” anything like “Anal Surprise”?
That question was not intended for ‘Rama regulars and not Paul, but if he wants to chime in that’ll be fine.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
EDIT: “…intended FOR Rama regulars and not Paul…”
Crap. No pun intended.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Whooo whoo..
My question was the first one mentioned
Now for a follow up!
Any chance of getting Mike Grell to do One(and only ONE!) Arc for Green Arrow/Black Canary?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Is there any chance in the world that DC Comics will one day come to the 21st century in regards to storytelling, art, and concepts, instead of going on and on in circles? With the exception of Vertigo and Wildstorm of course. Seriously, why is everything that comes out of DC’s main universe completely dead, old, last century? You have Superman and Batman, yet, you do nothing with those characters. You now have three Robin characters for no good reason. You treat each major line, the batman or superman lines with such disregard for a thinking mature fan base. It’s almost as if your company policy is to do the worst ideas, worst stories, and worst concepts as punishment to all of your fans. “Here. Take that! This is the worst we had to come up with.” You should look a few blocks down times square at marvel and take a long hard lesson from people who actually seem to care about the concepts, story, art, and being creators.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Paul,
What are the three things you are proudest of during your career in DC’s management?
What major decisions during your career in DC’s management would you have done differently with hindsight?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I’d like to toss in another ‘yay’ for the paper choice on the Kirby Fourth World Omnibus Collections. I adore the paper choice and wish that Marvel would use it (or similar stock) for their collections of comics from the same era.
Gerald -
the original Monster Society of Evil is coming in hardcover in 2009:
http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2008/03/21/comicspro-meeting-dc-reprint-updates/
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Since Batman and the Outsiders are being collected as part of the Showcase series, does that mean the original Infinity, Inc. will get the same treatment?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Let me run this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes (that IS how corporate executives talk, right?
). Anybody else want to buy a collection of all of Alan Brennert’s DC stories? The “Batman: Holy Terror” Elseworlds, the 4 Brave and Bold team-ups (”The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne,” “Interlude on Earth 2″, etc.), the Black Canary story from Secret Origins #50, the wonderful post-COIE Christmas story in which a despairing Deadman meets somebody named Kara (!) … maybe even the two-part Wonder Woman story with dialogue by Martin Pasko…
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hello Mr Levitz, I was wondering why the third and final (?) volume of Batman Black and White was not the same size as the 2 previous ones, looks a bit odd on the shelves…
Also, is the future good for older uncolected Vertigo titles such as:
-The Crusades
-Wasteland (1987)
-Shade The Chanhing Man
Would it not be better for future Vertigo titles to be 12 or 24 issues from the start with room for more instead of having ongoing series canceled such as The Exterminators, American Virgin and all the other ones ?
Knowing that from the start would help readers to jump on a title instead of expecting it to be canceled later on…
I am very warry of ordering new titles (I only buy TPB or HC) because of that, I dont think I will try a new one before I see 3-4 collections on the shelves, and I might forget about that title by that time…
Thank you, Eric
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I wanted to know if there is any movement on reprints of bronze-age material, some of which was solicited and cancelled because DC realized it had unfavorable reprint terms with the writers and artists.
I was particularly looking forward to the Showcase reprint of the 80s Suicide Squad series, and was royally disappointed when it was cancelled (I was upset the recent series didn’t sell all that well either…).
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Whom do I contact at DC with suggestions for possible trade paperback collections? Thanks.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Whom do I contact at DC with suggestions for possible trade paperback collections? Thanks.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Any chance for a tpb of the 80’s series THRILLER, or better yet, a new mini, one shot, or ongoing ?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Do you like movies about gladiators?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
If DC never publishes anything else, please finish the last five Archives for Carmine Infantino’s original run on THE FLASH from the 1960s!
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Any chance of a ted kord blue beetle archive or collection of some sort? probably not, but i thought i’d ask…
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Josephcast, all of the Ditko Ted Kord stuff was included in Action Heroes Archives v.2. I doubt there’ll be a hardcover of the Wein/Cullins series anytime soon, though.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Being a comic fan, did you or do you still ever read any of the competitions work. If so, what stands out as your favorites?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Alexander, as another fan of the Mike Grell run of Green Arrow I agree that I’d love to see Grell write for GA/BC. My question to you: Why only one arc? Having Grell write for Ollie again, replacing Judd Winnick, would be a great upgrade.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Mr. Levitz,
The news of collections scanned from printed pages is interesting. Perhaps something like this could be used to bring Sheldon Mayer’s Scibley or Sugar and Spike back into print. I think there would be a market for that material in today’s market. It would fit in well with the classic comic strip reprints that have been brought out in the last few years.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Mr. Levitz
Thanks for addressing the Archive question. Since I own a majority, it’s good to see that you will still be putting out some new volumes, even at a slower pace.
1 - Mad Archives - It was good to see volume 2 come out, enough that I ended up buying 1 & 2 at the same time. Is DC going to be putting out Vols 3 and 4. They’d look nice on a shelf with the rest of the EC Archives.
2 - Creator question - Word on the street is that Norm Breyfogle has been blackballed at DC. Any chances of seeing some sort of reconciliation and more work from Norm in the near future?
Thanks again.
Greg
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Could you give us your opinion on the future of print vs digital comics? What’s the general outlook on this growing market from DC, and could you see DC putting their archives on a digital platform in the same way that Marvel just did this year? Do you think that this is more in line with what the future of the industry will look like in the coming years, monthly titles coming out in a web based form, or, do you think that there will always be a demand for comics as they are now?
Thank you,
Please publish me someday.
Chris Miskiewicz
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
It seems a sad waste to overwhelm an opportunity to ask one of the biggest names in the comics industry an endless series of “When will this/why won’t this be out in a trade book” questions, when it’s the sort of question that’s only really answered when DC announces their official publication plans or attends a major convention. C’mon, folks, Paul either won’t or can’t answer questions like this, and their narrow specificity means the answers are of interest only to a small few.
Let me try to ask Paul a question: “Paul, are there any major business changes that you foresee the industry underground in the next ten years? How do you see DC preparing for the 2010s?”
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
To Chris: Someone in need of a nap, maybe? What a rude posting! You didn’t really ask any questions of substance or provide any info to support your claims. So DC does NOTHING with Batman or Superman? What are those those books I see that say “Batman” and “Superman” across the top?
Now I’m not always a fan of the books myself: Morrison’s run on Batman has been underwhelming, for instance, yet his Superman is loads better than the in-continuity stuff right now. Both of the “Confidential” titles have been a drag, (aside from the current Wrath arc in Bats: Confidential).
Likewise, the current arc in Superman/Batman is the first one I’ve liked since, well… Forever! But you aren’t exactly giving Mr Levitz anything intelligent to respond to. You’re also discounting the excellent work being done on Detective, Batman & The Outsiders, and All-Star Superman right now.
And please, Chris, enlighten me as to what Marvel’s doing that’s showing so much more TLC… How about that steaming pile called “One More Day”? Yeah, that was a beaut! The jury’s still out Secret Invasion, but a lot of people (like me) are getting really burned out on these annual mega-crossover events.
Paul doesn’t have to come here and take the time answer people’s questions… Have your opinions, but show a little respect in presenting them.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Why does DC wait so long (compared to Marvel) to collect the periodicals into hardbacks and trades? I often find myself interested in a title that I may have missed the two or three issues of, and think, “I will go ahead and grab that in trade.” By the time the trade comes out, I have lost interest in the title, or forgotten about it all together.
What determines how quickly a trade follows the end of a mini or an arc? Why does DC take more time in between periodicals and trade than Marvel? Has there been any discussion about shortening the time between the single issues and their collection in trade?
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I’d LIKE to see some of the older Showcase stories in collected form, maybe in the current B&W SHOWCASE PRESENTS format. Many of those older comics cost in the hundreds thousands of dollars.
Also, some of the earlier Brave and Bold issues.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Jedifish (#45) - Norm Breyfogle… I’m not trying to start a fight here. I’m just curious. What do you find appealing about his artwork? You’re not the first person I’ve heard say that, but I remember his work on Detective and I always HATED it.
It was (IMO) blocky, lacked depth & detail, and it seemed he had no sense of how to properly draw the human form. I actually quit buying it for awhile in the 90’s (I forget when, around the time of the “Mud Pack” storyline?) just because I hated his work so much, and I came back after he left.
So what is it about Breyfogle’s work that I didn’t “get”? What else did he draw besides ‘Tec?
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Young Justice trades would make me a very happy man. Very, very happy. Just sayin’.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Thank you for your answers. Can we direct the discussion to Digital Comics? I’d like to re-ask some of my previous questions, if you don’t mind. You mentioned that the price of paper was increasing nearly every month. Given the rising cost of paper, oil, and just about everything, is digital distribution getting any serious discussion as an additional product line? Digital will never replace paper but could be a great and inexpensive entertainment alternative. When DC starts digital distribution I will buy.
If the current environment isn’t right, what do you think is needed for digital distribution to make sense? In other words, what are the general market conditions needed to make digital distribution a success? Also, what plan does DC have for dccomics.com? I am of the opinion that it could be a much better site and should be the one-stop-site for everything DC Comics related. What do you think of on-line letter columns? I don’t want any space in my comics taken up by letters but on-line would be fun.
I hope my questions are general enough. If not please just discuss the internet and how it relates to comics in both business and affecting the artform, generally discuss digital comics, and please talk about general plans for dccomics.com.
Thanks for doing this blog. I love DC Comics and have really enjoyed the past 5 years of stories. I think DC puts out some of the best and most diverse comics on the market.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Why is the Showcase featuring the Secret Society of Super Villains being delayed, and will there be a third installment of Showcase Teen Titans?
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I realize there will always be complainers, and that’s unavoidable, but I just wanted to say I thought this was a fairly frank, very readable, and largely excellent feature. Thanks to Paul and to Newsarama for the great read. Looking forward to more.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I so want to apologize for fan behavior here but I can’t get past calling a handful of people “douchebags”, so I’ll decline.
viva la difference
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hi Paul, Another vote in favor of the matte paper on the Kirby Fourth World. It felt like good old fashioned comics.
Neal Adams. Neal Adams. Neal Adams. Thank you for the great reprints of Deadman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and Batman. All were dreams of mine. Final Neal Adams dream is a hardcover reprinting all of Neal’s DC covers. The work Neal did on Tomohawk, HOM, HOS, Phantom Stranger, as well as the Superman and Batman Family titles was monumental and needs reprinting. Whatever the sales figures were on Neal’s Deadman hardcover I’m sure will be met with volume of Neal’s covers. Please. Please. Please.
Sincerely,
Richard Martines
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Why was Dan Didio allowed to basically destroy the Captain Mar…oh excuse me…SHAZAM mythos?
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Thanks for takling the time to interact with DC fans. My comment is regarding creative teams in your company books, by now I think it is pretty clear that successful books are the ones who keep the creative team long enough for people to notice (Geoff Johns, Kurt Busiek, Grant Morrison, Ivan Reis, Tony Daniel, Carlos Pacheco, and so many other great creative teams).
Mr. DiDio argues that keeping a creative team in a series for just a year or so will “force” them to bring their A game and deliver one unforgetable story (just as an example, the current Nightwing creative team -Morales and Tomasi- are doing wonders and I would like to see them stay with the book for an extended run). In my opinion, that is similar to limiting the creative process itself, as I believe writers get better ideas and artists draw better pages over time as both get comfortable with the characters/storylines. Is DC considering using creative teams in longer runs other than the core titles?
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Why does DC wait so long (compared to Marvel) to collect the periodicals into hardbacks and trades? I often find myself interested in a title that I may have missed the two or three issues of, and think, “I will go ahead and grab that in trade.” By the time the trade comes out, I have lost interest in the title, or forgotten about it all together.
What determines how quickly a trade follows the end of a mini or an arc? Why does DC take more time in between periodicals and trade than Marvel? Has there been any discussion about shortening the time between the single issues and their collection in trade?
__________________
i second, third, fourth, fifth and infinity-ith these questions.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Paul,
I’m a big fan of Absolute Editions.
For one thing they save me needing to go to a gym!
As such, I’m wondering what is next on the release schedule (personally I’m hoping for Preacher and 52.)
Thanks
Andrew
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Dear Mr.Levitz
The Original Legion has returned,will they take their title back from the imposters as the fans demand,the title has not been worth reading since the first Crisis destroyed their history with Kal-El and thus their history all together,restore the Legion never re-boot it again!
PS. Keep Kieth Giffen away from Val Armor.
Long Live The True Legion, and thanks for the stories.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Hello Mr. Levitz,
A few weeks ago I called Warner Bros’ Human Resources inquiring about an internship with DC. I spoke to Nancy Ly, who said a new internship program was in the works and it would be up and running for summer semester students. Would you happen to know more? Thanks.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Thanks for the news about the upcoming SWAMP THING hardcover collection, Paul!
Some other series that came to mind since then that I would like to see collected are the original runs for BAT LASH and ANGEL AND THE APE. Probably wouldn’t sell a lot of copies, but I know I’d pick ‘em up.
Also, I’m a big fan of the SHOWCASE volumes DC has been publishing. I’ve really enjoyed the more diverse war and mystery offerings that have come out, as these were comics I didn’t follow in my early days as a comics fan. Maybe by next Valentine’s Day, you’ll collect some of the romance titles in this format. Anyway, keep ‘em all coming - they’re great!
Thanks for listening,
Bill
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Mr. Levitz,
First of all, let me say that I appreciate the way you represent the industry. Many of us commend what you’ve done to help bring this industry closer to the mainstream media and have helped to further expand the realm of offerings with Vertigo, Wildstorm, CMX, and Minx.
Comparing the original Crisis on Infinite Earths series and the currently running sequel, how will the end result be different this time around ? What ground rules have been established to make this version of the DCU better than the last (current) version ?
Thanks
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hi, Paul,
Thanks for the tidbit about the Swamp Thing hardcover. I’d be very interested in hearing more about this. I’m sure many will be excited by the news, and I suspeect a lot of fans would also enjoy having material that has not already been collected. The Wein/Wrightson stories are already available in trade paperback, whereas the Michelinie and Conway tales that finished out the first series have never been collected in any form. What can you tell us about this project? What will be reprinted, and when will it come out?
Sincerely,
Rich Handley
Roots of the Swamp Thing
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Good ones, Mr. Levitz,
although some of the answers up there are not thorough or such, but it’s okay.
Now, could you give Dan DiDio more freedom to select writers and be creative? The last quarter of 2007 and first quarter of 2008 saw that the writing chores of DC Comics have gone better (at least I can feel some improvements here and there). Now if you could hire some good writers (and editors) from outside of superhero comic communities (perhaps from Zuda’s stable?) and put them to work on some of the books, I am sure DC will go better.
And please do some more promotionals for The Blue Beetle. The Jaime Reyes and his entourage deserves some more recognitions. Why, the latest 25 books are good movie materials, If I may dare!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Greetings Paul,
Please bring back HAWKMAN, I LOVE him!
Could you please bring back The Wonder Twins with Gleek perhaps in a Mini Series, One shot, Retro/Modern anything will do, I LOVE them very much.
Could you please start up a monthly Hanna-Barbera comic, I LOVE all of their characters/cartoons from 1950’s to current day.
Thanks, Gazoo.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:07 am
when is all-star wonder woman coming?
April 4th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Hi Paul,
I read an article in Amazing Heroes that the original Kent Nelson Doctor Fate was your favourite JSAer. How about bringing him back?
cheers,
Andrew
April 4th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I was reading halfway through the comments when I decided that this question is safe to ask and not be redundant.
In regards to Swamp Thing, why just concentrate on Bernie Wrightson’s run? The story isnt even finished if you just concentrate on that, Nestor Redondo is no slouch. As cool as a deluxe hardcover is why not also consider a Showcase Presents: version of the entire run of the original series along with the feature in House of Secrets # 92?
Also a Showcase Presents: Plop! please?
April 4th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Mr. Levitz - first of all, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to answer questions - it’s very generous of you.
I’ll keep it to 2 subjects:
1) I’m very intrigued by the new “Classic Library” line. “Monster Society” and Swamp Thing are excellent choices to start, but would you also consider things like Skeates/Aparo “Quest for Mera” or the O’Neil/Swanderson “Sand-creature” saga? How about Golden Age Simon/Kirby material?
2) Although the archives are being scaled back, how do you view the recent experiment with the “JSA All-Stars” collection? I really enjoyed the variety of this “faux anthology”, and wonder if you’d consider similar variations like a “Quality All-Stars” (Uncle Sam, Doll Man, the Ray, etc.) or even dip into genres with “Western All-Stars” (Johnny Thunder, Bat Lash, Jonah Hex, etc.) or “Sci-Fi All-Stars” (Atomic Knights, Tommy Tomorrow, Captain Comet, etc.)? I just think it’s a neat way of presenting some quality DC history for characters that may not be able to support their own high-end collections.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Welcome President Levitz!
I prefer to purchase graphic novels in hardcover. Does DC follow ANSI Z39.48 (Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries) when printing hardcover editions?
While I know that special editions take longer to produce, I would greatly appreciate at least a notice that DC intends to issue an Absolute or deluxe edition when a trade paperback is issued. Otherwise, your customers are required to purchase a title twice, which creates dissatisfaction.
(How about a deluxe omnibus of The World of Superman, collecting the three trades (Krypton, Smallville, Metropolis) along with the Man of Steel? These four stories serve as the introduction to the “new” Superman, and also reflect the lighter tone of the 1970s Superman.
Also… I’m looking at your Summer 2008 catalog. When listing collections, would DC please include the issues collected in the volume? I’m drooling over the Starman Omnibus, but wonder what’s collected.
Thanks for opportunity, and please give some props to your staff, especially Bob Wayne!
April 4th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
How serious do you take the Girl Wonder/Spoiler stuff? Like “omg, totally seriously” or more like “hey we should look into this sometime like never.” And how lame is that Blue Beetle comic? I know, right? Totally Lame. I bet you wish you weren’t publishing it, or it was being printed on a fruit roll up or something, like right? Right? Right? Right? Right? All Star Batman & Robin?
April 4th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
“Many of those older comics cost in the hundreds thousands of dollars.”
Oops. Meant to say “hundreds TO thousands”.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Bully asked:
“Paul, are there any major business changes that you foresee the industry underground in the next ten years? How do you see DC preparing for the 2010s?”
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I think he meant ‘undergoing’, not ‘underground’.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Deon Johnson asked;
“Why was Dan Didio allowed to basically destroy the Captain Mar…oh excuse me…SHAZAM mythos?”
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Dan DiDio addressed this. The book wouldn’t sell well in its previous incarnation, so they tried something new.
Judgment of same left to the individual reader, of course.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
SUGAR AND SPIKE
Sugar and Spike needs to be collected. I think the best format for this is something along the lines of the type of book that Scholastic does for schools. Other than a few hundred rabid fans, most comic book readers wouldn’t even give this a try.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Showcase Presents Firestorm…want that so bad…Showcase Presents Warlord…same…Showcase Presents Infinity Inc. and Showcase Presents All-Star Squadren…I would also like to know what’s up with the Showcases that were announced and were pulled. I also want somehow to see the post-Kirby New Gods stuff collected…the First Issue Special, the revitalized New Gods and Mister Miracle series from the 70’s…great stuff.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Here’s a second for SUGAR AND SPIKE. Talk about something with widespread appeal if marketed correctly!
Also (he says, whispering) THRILLER? A trade collection a la the (happy to see them) DIANA PRINCE-WONDER WOMAN books, reprinting the first eight issues, would be great and would perhaps give modern readers a chance to check out that ahead-of-its-time series.
Levitz IS reading these comments, right?
April 4th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Why isn’t Joe Staton drawing Scooby Doo or any of the DC books anymore? His work has been top-notch on so many other DC books, including your own Huntress and JSA.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Paul,
Hi. First, thanks for having a blog at Newsarama!
With the retooling of the Archives, can we at least continue to see The New Teen Titans Archives being released? Pretty please!!! I personally want to have a hard copy edition of the Wolfman and Perez series. How about releasing the Archive–or maybe Archives–with Terra and Titans Contract around the same time the Titans animated DVD/Blu-ray gets released?
April 5th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Paul, thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to answer questions. I really appreciate that. I’ve got a couple of questions.
1. Is Final Crisis an attempt to alter status quo at some level (as all the previous Crisis series)?
2. How could a foreign writer (interested in writing comic books) get in touch with DC?
April 5th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Mr Levitz can you make a absolute edition of Preacher putting all the issues together in one giant hardcover book?
April 5th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Paul, you’re still the best example of how a comics pro should present himself online - a nice balance between warm and casual and knowledgeable and professional. Thanks.
That said, you know my request: get more Shelly Mayer work into print. Sugar & Spike, Scribbly & the Red Tornado, Rudolph, whatever you can! The kids’ll love it!
Jim!
April 5th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hey Kooster, New Teen Titans Archives #4 will be out this Fall.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Speaking of digital comics: Marvel licensed a company to sell the DVD collections of their titles, giving fans the chance to have entire runs of FF, Spider-Man, Hulk, etc. all on a single disk (and rumor is that Marvel’s own digital online efforts aren’t doing so well and they’re in negotiations to renew the license with the DVD publisher). Marvel’s Masterwork and other hardcopy reprints didn’t seem to suffer from these–the faithful still want these books on their shelves (I know I do, so does everyone else I know), but the digital collections are a nice secondary collection, something to bring along on the long commute to read on my laptop. Any chance of seeing DC’s library on DVD anytime soon? Thanks, Paul!
April 7th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Paul,
In your last column, you said graphic novels, including manga, accounted for approximately $800 million dollars in sales.
How much of that $800 million dollars represents sales from manga? (I don’t want Publishers’ Weekly numbers, I want numbers from the same source Levitz is reporting.) What percentage of graphic novel sales at bookstores is represented by DC product?
April 7th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
We’re pretty excited about the Swamp Thing HB, too, Paul. That’s great news.
I think that one of the three things you should be proud of getting on your list of management accomplishments is making good for the pre-speculation creators, both in money and in credit.
And thanks for sending Len’s 40th anniversary present. We both got a kick out of it.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
We’re pretty excited about the Swamp Thing HB, too, Paul. That’s great news.
I think that one of the three things you should be proud of getting on your list of management accomplishments is making good for the pre-speculation creators, both in money and in credit.
And thanks for sending Len’s 40th anniversary present. We both got a kick out of it.
Welcome to the blogverse. It’s another timesink.
April 7th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
With all the success of the character Static from Milestone/DC, was the possibility of incorporating him in the regular DCU ever seriously considered? I always thought he was an engaging character and would have been excellent in the Teen Titans.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Dear Mr. Levitz,
I’m an italian DC fan. Unfortunately, Italy has always been unlucky with its DC licensee publishers. Right now the situation is critical. The actual licensee, Planeta/DeAgostini, is constantly putting out books with badly scanned pages, huge translation errors and lettering mistakes. I work in a big comic shop and I reached the point where I’m ashamed of suggesting my customers almost every DC title! Even cause Planeta/DeAgostini’s prices are usually higher that competion’s, so those problems feel even heavier on customers choices.
So, my questions are:
1) Does DC follow its licensees work? I think that it’s in the interest of the company not to lose international readers’ respect out of poor local editions;
2) I read that DC is going to relaunch the archive program by puttin out books with scanned pages. With Planeta/DeAgostini I see books like that all the time, and believe me, their aestehical quality is just BAD.
I think that readers that buy products like the archives aren’t just interested in reading those stories in one way or another. If so, I think they’d just download scanlations from the internet.
For example, I’ve seen many complaints about books like IDW’s “Terry and the Pirates” reprint, which suffered from a lack of pictures’ resolution. I bought the first volume and, believe me, I’m stopping there.
Comics are a visual art, so the way they look is VERY important. Please don’t understimate that.
Thank you in advance for your time,
FABIO
April 9th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
thanks alot Paul Levitz for all of the work you do for us fans of DC comics-you truly are the “keeper of the flame”
Us DC fans would be out in the cold without you -DC has the perfect person at the helm-one of us fans !
thanks for steering the ship Of DC comics the right way -even in times of storms such as economic crises!
April 9th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
thanks alot Paul Levitz for all of the work you do for us fans of DC comics-you truly are the “keeper of the flame”
Us DC fans would be out in the cold without you -DC has the perfect person at the helm-one of us fans !
thanks for steering the ship Of DC comics the right way -even in times of storms such as economic crises!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Mr. Levitz,
Are there any plans for the Ditko incarnation of Shade, The Changing Man to be appearing in the DCU anytime soon?
Michael McDermott
April 11th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Is there any way, we could see a Hardcovers or Absolutes of Morrison’s Doom Patrol, Moore’s Swamp Thing, Preacher, TRANSMETROPOLITAN,the Invisibles, Animal Man, DMZ, 100 Bullets, Johns’ JSA, Johns’ Flash, Justice, and Y The Last Man as well as an Absolute of Infinite Crisis ( two volumes: one featuring the build in mini-series, the second featuring the series itself also a final crisis absolute to fill out my absolute crisis set would be great) and 52. I just feel that a lot of these book are adult titles and should be available in a more adult format. Thanks for your time.
July 7th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hey I think with all of the new superhero movies coming out everyone has forgot about the superhero Flash. With the history that Flash has you can probably make 3 to 4 movies just off of all the characters. And with all the technology out there keeping up with flash shouldn’t be a problem. Well that was just a thought that popped up in my mind, Thanks for listening.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
http://tech39.net/wb/
Nobody cares!
e-mail is a waste of my time, the vermin spammers have won!