The in-store intercept interviews at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles have stirred yet another controversy related to the New 52 (see “New 52 Controversies”), this one via comedian and comic writer Patton Oswalt. Oswalt encountered an employee of Nielsen NRG, the research firm employed by DC to measure reactions to the New 52, at Meltdown and took to Twitter, telling his nearly 500,000 followers, “Don’t go to @MeltdownComics today unless you like getting buttonholed into douch-ey, stultifying ‘New 52’ surveys.” Oswalt’s reaction was harsh. “I… bought my last DC comics, EVER, today,” he tweeted. Retweets and blog posts ensued, giving the survey some (perhaps) unwelcome publicity. 

The program Oswalt’s objecting to has the potential to have broad benefits for the comics business. DC has hired Nielsen to assemble data from an online survey, surveys distributed by retailers, and surveys of retailers, as well as from the in-store intercept interviews. DC is ensuring retailers’ cooperation by offering a 5% additional discount on backlist orders in November for any retailer whose store is identified as a consumer’s favorite store in a survey. Retailers who complete a retailer survey will receive a 5% additional discount on backlist orders in December.

Results of the survey will be presented at the ComicsPro Meeting and DC Summit in early 2012.