I’m genuinely not sure how long I’ll be able to justify paying for this service when it doesn’t include the best things that dc is publishing.
I spent a bit trying to figure out if/when/why Batman White Knight wasn’t in the catalog, only to find that its published under “DC Black label”. It’s not great, but I understand that logic as it applies to vertigo or other comic universes, but this is a Batman story that’s advertised in the very pages of the comics on this app. How is it ok to exclude the stories that you as a publisher are most excited by?
I’ll dig through the back catalog of elseworlds stories, and get caught up on the latest green lantern goings on, but if I have to choose my loyalties between paying for this service or picking up a Sean Murphy trade, Murphy will win every time.
Any other awesome creator/storylines Im missing that I should check out in these “not included imprints”?
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I think it’s perfectly reasonable not include EVERYTHING especially hot new books like WK. DC still wants and needs to sell trades. DC Universe has incredible value for the price. There’s more than enough comics to keep you busy for the foreseeable future, all for the price of (less than) two comics a month.
I also don’t think this app should be a substitution for buying new comics and trades. Fans still need to support DC’s publishing to keep the medium alive and healthy. The comics on this app are just a VERY substantial bonus. White Knight is barely a year old and it’s worth buying the trade for the art alone. I have the original issues and I just picked up the hardcover last week. No regrets.
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Wow. You must be crazy about Sean Murphy to prefer his content over the tens of thousands you get on this service. If that’s your loyalty, more power to you. It’s just not the decision I would make.
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If you really like Sean Murphy’s stuff just go buy the book you won’t be disappointed
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I will be buying the White Knight hardcover, but the reason I buy hardcover trades is so that I can share them with family and friends.
The idea that DC needs people out there buying comics is cute, but grossly out of date. Comic shops on the other hand need your business. If every person who though about “maybe buying” a comic a month were instead signed up for DC:U they would have a much larger and consistent cash flow and be able to provide niche content better than ever. That’s why they’ve made such large strides toward digitizing the back catalog and adding value to this service. Everyone wants to be the next Netflix of their field.
I’m not coming on to pile onto the negativity that seems to be growing from the Swamp Thing ending, so I apologize if what I’m saying coincides with that other negativity. I want to see this service grow, and I genuinely think that having cool stories of core DC characters walled off from this service only hurts the broad appeal, and success chances of the service.
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I don’t think buying comics is grossly out of date. Which one would you rather have…a key issue of ANY particular comic or a digital copy? for instance, I payed $40 for a Wolverine #10, Imagine the value of that comic when I get Chris Claremont’s signature on it with the picture of him and me holding said comic together? I buy comics for a good story as well as an investment.
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That behavior is precisely my point. The enthusiast collector market has no bearing on DCs success as a publisher. DC doesn’t gain anything from you paying another collector any amount. If they want to grow their business they need to appeal to new readers and convert fans of the movies, and convince them that this service is worth their Money and time.
As cynical as it may sound the best business practice for a company running a service, is to get tons of people signed up who forget they’re paying a monthly fee. Then when those people check back in they get just enough value to not consider canceling. As someone who’s only here for the comics, I feel like the video and movie stuff was thrown in for people to defend the services undeniable value. I’d be curious to see their actual engagement numbers, who’s reading, who’s watching, who’s idly doing neither and just paying.
It’s not pretty, and it doesn’t apply to anyone taking the time to comment here who is probably an enthusiast/ collector. Which is why I have learned that there’s no downside to telling a company what it is that YOU want from their service. In the most common / worst case they ignore you, but if they listen and address what you want from them, everyone wins.
Now, back to my original question, (both for my interest, and for any devs listening in) what are some other cool one-off comic stories that DC is putting out under other labels that you all are loving that I’d miss out on if I only read what’s in this app?
I for one like reading paper comics and buying them at my local shop because I just like the felling of holding an actual book rather than my tablet but I guess I’m old
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I believe that comics, printed ones, are the reason that DC even exists, also its the same reason that this streaming service is here. If it weren’t for printed comics DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image wouldn’t even exist. therefore this debate would never be happening. Think of the comic characters you like and the reasons you like them, then you can thank them for printed comics and not digital ones. DC has this service and they aren’t making anyone pay for this service, YOU voluntarily signed up for this service and can quit it at any time. That is the whole nut in its shell. Also, DC has more talent for making money with their company than we do. let that sink in.
I like the feel of holding a book in my hands, which is why I continue to buy trades for those books I enjoy. I used to buy physical copies at my local shop until a change in management and an illness that laid me out for a few weeks lead me to going digital. I do still get my trades at that shop when I’m able but there is no shop nearby where I’ve moved.
I like the comics library at DC Universe mainly for the back catalog of older material rather than newer issues. There’s a lot I haven’t read on here and also a lot I want to re-read since I’ve found that I can’t really read physical copies of the older material anymore. I’m allergic to the older type of paper they used to use for comics.
I was never getting physical copies of comics as some kind of monetary investment though. I merely enjoyed reading the stories and looking at the art. It was never about collecting or having a complete run in singles or any of that.
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This app and the future you’re describing are two different things. The future may be digital only comics that you subscribe to and you have access to everything, but the market isn’t there yet and that app will be much more expensive than what this app currently is. That’s why I’m saying it makes perfect sense for White Knight not to be on the current DCU. The app is a steal for the content it does have at the price it is.
This app is still a niche service too and wouldn’t support DC comics on its own. Comics in general are still very much supported by a collector market. The comics industry is going to have to dramatically change eventually but neither the industry or this app are there yet.
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Also… the comics of DCU were originally a very small and very limited aspect of the app. They’ve dramatically changed that and added almost everything at no extra cost. If anything, they’ve taken a big step in the direction you’re describing. I think it’s easier to get hung up on what comics they do have than what they don’t.
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