Well, this is very weird:
A number of DC subscribers have contacted Bleeding Cool rather annoyed that DC Comics have told them that they can no longer get their favourite books in this fashion, and they will be cancelled with issue 10.
Which means Justice League International readers will miss the final two issues of that comic, and unless they object, will receive issues of Superman instead. And subscribers to Aquaman will be switched to Justice League (and pocket the difference in price) and Justice League Dark subscribers will, bizarrely, be switched to Batman: The Dark Knight.
Swamp Thing also turns out to be included in the seemingly inexplicable sub cancellation. It’s obviously not that the books are being cancelled because even though both Justice League titles may be in danger – well, JLI is already ending with #12 – there’s no way that either Swamp Thing or Aquaman are facing their end anytime soon bar a disastrous event at DC. So what’s going on, exactly? Is Warners/DC trying to limit subscriptions to what it considers “core” titles (Justice League, Superman, Batman: The Dark Knight and Batman are the named replacements that we know about so far) in order to strengthen branding, or is this something else? And if so, what…?
May 17th, 2012 at 8:18 am
Apparently is costs to maintain a title for subscription.
(Who’d have thought?)
Seems these did not pull their weight.
Nothing to do with how well they do in the LCS market.
May 17th, 2012 at 8:32 am
“Well, this is very weird”
It shouldn’t be. You’ve covered this before, when DC removed the books from the subscription website a few months ago.
Most of the books dropped were only added to the subscription list back in September, so chances are DC didn’t get enough new customers to make sufficient profit.
May 17th, 2012 at 9:05 am
superboy is of the list as well with issue 10
May 17th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Not weird at all. There’s a base cost to retaining a fulfillment house to handle subscriptions. If the profit on the subs you sell fails to cover that cost, you stop offering the subscriptions. No big mystery, and as Jane says, no reflection on how well they do in the direct market. It’s a completely different distribution model and, I suspect, a completely different purchasing base.
May 17th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
This is an upsetting practice, as I would be very much upset if Justice League Dark, a fine comic, was replaced with the dreck that so often is Batman: the Dark Knight. Don’t get me wrong. It’s been good before. Swamp Thing is explicable because there are strong rumblings regarding its storyline and the art is consistently in demand. The cost/benefit ratio is set by demand. So some people are left out. But to subscribers, I would imagine, this is a sad confusing mess. Fail.
May 19th, 2012 at 5:46 am
well they give u the option to call them and have the relacement title be left up to you.
May 19th, 2012 at 8:42 am
Yep subs don’t mean anything. What I’m really wondering about is why they decided to cancel JLI when it was still selling 30k. Is this the new cut off for sales? Just about half the books on the roster fit this criteria from the April sales estimates. New 26 Wave 3?
May 21st, 2012 at 6:03 pm
This should be a much bigger deal than anyone is making of it. I just did a little research and the monthly top selling comic book titles is not information that is easy to find. I made a home subscription deal with DC. They cancelled a signed contract with me in which I paid in advance for 30% off retail. They decided to stop delivering “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing.” Both titles are doing very well. The money that they refunded me doesn’t add up to the contract that I agreed to.
May 24th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Most of the books dropped were only added to the subscription list back in September, so chances are DC didn’t get enough new customers to make sufficient profit.
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