Re-Posted by request with links
New to DC Universe – 10/23- 11/05:
Batman: The Long Halloween
www.dcuniverse.com/collections/batman-long-halloween-row
Last Chance – Expires 10/29:
The New Teen Titans Vol. 5
The New Teen Titans Vol. 6
www.dcuniverse.com/collections/last-chance-to-read
Many of you have asked why we rotate comics. That question is being deeply considered internally, and we hope to answer it to great satisfaction in the near future.
I hope these internal discussions come to the same obvious conclusion the fans cane to, that rotating comics is a bad idea because it makes what should be a pleasurable on-demand pastime a stressful chore.
The problem isn’t so much rotation as it is the limited amount of time some titles go up for. If something goes up, it should go up for a MINIMUM of one month, if not longer.
Letting people know when comics are being rotated out is a lot more work than just not rotating them out at all.
Any word on when The new teen titans vol.7 is coming?
I’m just kidding here, but I’m picturing a whole bunch of people in a boardroom saying, “Uh, I don’t know, that’s just what they said to do.”
Mae said it best
Instant, unlimited access to every comic DC has ever made would be nice but realistically I understand that this is a business that needs to be profitable. I don’t mind the rotation but its way too fast to enjoyably read what’s available (unless maybe for limited series that can be read in a single sitting).
More frustrating though is when you put up an event like Death of Superman that is missing key issues and never address it whether the comments come through these forums or your help form (I know because I tried both). The missing issue problem extends to other series in the regular library as well with no apparent reason. Why are there 3 issues of the first arc of Batwing missing for example?
It’s not that unrealistic when you consider the other succeeding platforms that do it.
It’s gotten to a point where I don’t even know if I should even START a storyline. There are some some books that look interesting - but if I suspect that I won’t be able to finish it in time I won’t even bother. An unintended (I hope!) consequence of this rotation policy.
The book club selections with Matt seem protected.
The safe bet is to read whatever is part of the book club and then catch whatever else I can as I can.
The good thing about the rotation is that it allows you to direct what you want to read but like Ron said…I’m really hesitant to start anything that’s more than 4 to 6 issues long because I don’t want it to disappear while I’m in the middle of it. It’s also hampering my ability to enjoy all the awesome new stuff DC is releasing because I have to make a choice between staying current or enjoying the limited time stuff here. I missed out on Titans in large part because the new Sandman, Vertigo and Superman family books have been so good (to day nothing of Hawkman, Harley Quinn, or Justice League Dark).
It doesn’t really allow me to direct what I want to read. It hangs a deadline over my head and essentially makes me put aside whatever I was reading at the time. I want to read these storylines but at my own pace. I don’t appreciate being rushed to do anything especially when I’m paying for the privilege to do so.
Part of the problem with an unlimited service is that it will kill their trade sales to have something like All-Star Superman or Dark Knight Returns up here indefinitely for what this service costs per month. That’s probably one of the reasons it took DC so long to jump on this bandwagon to begin with: trade sales are much more a part of their business than they are Marvel’s. I worked in a bookstore for ten years and for the most part the only Marvel trades that sold were the ones with movies in the theater but we were constantly selling copies of the DC trades. If you subscribed for a year this service costs you less than the cover price of two regular DC titles a month. If it had unlimited access to everything with no restrictions there would be no incentive to buy anything else and the company would lose money. Also keep in mind that Marvel doesn’t have video streaming or original content on their service which gives added value to DC Universe.
But I think the majority of people still prefer physical books, even hardcover collections.
Yeah, for me that wouldn’t really stop me from buying physical trades, though it might make focus on the books I really like. That’s what I do with Marvel Unlimited.
Like, just because I read though a whole bunch of Wolvman/Perez Teen Titans, doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want the physical collection on my shelf.
The only time I even consider buying Marvel comics is when I let my unlimited subscription lapse, if I meet a creator I like at a show and that’s literally the only thing they have for sale or when I stumble across something in the dollar bin that I have an emotional attachment to. I’m more of a DC guy so I would probably still buy a fair amount of DC stuff at cons but it would cut into what I spend on new stuff that’s supporting the retailers who are the backbone of the industry.
I am so confused when they say New Teen Titans Vol 5 and 6. I look at the comic menu and see 1980 and 1984. Are these based off of trade paperback numbers? If so that doesn’t make sense as the comics are in normal numerical order and not numbered by TPB.
Thank you for reconsidering the comic rotation. If it continues, the rotation needs to be for much longer periods. Additionally, the comics section of the app should more logically and transparently group comics so that it is clear what is coming and going and when - not just posted on the comments board, but make it a part of the comic selection interface. If it continues, explain why it is necessary. Many subscribers have tried to carry water for DC by explaining that it is about rights, or about concerns about trade sales. Is it? What metric are we going by? To judge from marvel comics sales, the app doesn’t seem to have much impact, but Marvel doesn’t publish its data, so we don’t really have much to go on. It seems to me it cuts into illegal downloading much more than it cuts into shop sales, everybody wins. Finally, well, I hope the rotation does in fact go away and you guys get serious about the comics selection. I really hoped to get back into DC comics with this app but it just isn’t going to happen like this.
