Go a little deeper and we find that the cost to retailers is 30 cents a copy based on blocks of 75 issues. Figure something like 1,800 comic shops, give or take, so we’re looking at an average order of 360 issues per store at an outlay of around $110; much less if you account for "major orders" from the likes of New Dimension Comics, Third Eye Comics, Bedrock City Comics, Collector's Paradise, Borderlands Comics and Games, DCBS and Atomic Empire.
If you only have to sell one in 6 copies at the $1.99 promotional cover price to break even, you can still put the rest in the dollar bins and probably come out ahead in the long run. Still too risky? Stir in some additional promotional considerations to get retailers to goose the order numbers, as some have suggested.
This all reminds me a bit of the old joke about the company that loses money on every transaction, but hopes to make it up in volume. Except here, Bad Idea is buying itself and the whole rest of the comics industry a massive story, especially when credulously reported by a trade publication like Deadline, who had the exclusive on the announcement and zero curiosity about the "too good to be true" details.
For Bad Idea, whose unseen means of financial support apparently have deep pockets and a sense of humor, the juice seems to be worth the rather vigorous squeeze. Fans get to enjoy what really is a solid, well-drawn book with long-term potential, retailers get a low-risk opportunity to bring in new readers, and the world gets to hear about a business success in the printed comics market, where good news is not exactly common. Bad Idea? You tell me.
A Good Universe is Hard to Find. Sure, standalone series from non-Big Two publishers can be breakout hits: just look at Something is Killing the Children or last decade's Saga. But what really gets the fans and retailers excited is a universe with lots of lore, potential backstories, spinoffs, and continuity.
Problem is, it's hard to build one from scratch. Mignola did it with Hellboy, Willingham did it with Fables, and Kirkman with The Walking Dead. But for every success, there's a graveyard full of failures. So what's a second-tier publisher to do?
Well, there's licensing an existing universe. There are plenty around with fan appeal, and licensed books are killing it right now. But that involves dealing with the licensor on both a commercial and creative level. Once the license is up, all the creative equity that a publisher has built up can go down the toilet and a competitor gets to take their own shot.
But what about public domain? The generous 95-year blanket of protection afforded in the U.S. is finally pulling back to expose some universe-worthy IP, with more on the way as we get into the 1930s. These are properties that not only have well-developed characters and worlds that can be taken in new directions, but in some cases, active fan bases.
Consider the magical land of Oz, setting for the recent big screen hit Wicked and a perennial favorite with a dedicated following. Despite its family-friendly veneer and longtime camp appeal, it actually does contain some dark corners and mysteries, and it has stood the test of time.
Alonso also showed off some pages from the upcoming FCBD Oz teaser, featuring art by Mike Deodato, Jr., a stalwart of the slick turn-of-the-century Marvel aesthetic that Alonso championed during his years there. Whether Oz is truly the next great universe, and whether this storytelling approach is the right way to bring in direct market readers hungry for continuity and action, remains to be seen. But as a business strategy for a company in AWA’s tranche of the market, you can see why it makes sense.
Or what about the recent Captain America film, suggesting the President of the United States himself could transform into a mindless monster wreaking havoc on the country and its cherished institutions? Thank goodness we still have incorruptible heroes ready to stand up to this kind of nonsense, even at risk of their reputations and lives.
Frankly, current events have exposed the inadequacy of fantasy to come up with threats that feel high stakes enough to evoke a suspension of disbelief. The idea of villains in high office just doesn't cut it anymore, especially when the fictional villains display greater strategic acumen and more logical character arcs than their real-world counterparts.
I don’t know where stories based on a shared understanding of who the heroes are and who the villains are go from here, but I am starting to think that we need to rethink this kind of storytelling to reflect our age of siloed realities.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
Rob Salkowitz (@robsalk) is the author of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture and a two-time Eisner Award nominee.
