DC offering creators ownership/equity in Dark Matter books
Aug 8, 2017 11:12:47 GMT -5
shaxper, Dizzy D, and 1 more like this
Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 11:12:47 GMT -5
Looks like DC is trying to incetivize the creation of new characters again...
You can read the article at BC It seems like a step in the right direction for DC, but there might be a few caveats. That was the same kind of deal Alan Moore got with Watchmen that they then (in his opinion) screwed him over on and it was the same kind of dela they used to offer with Vertigo before the higher ups altered the Vertigo deals retroactively which led to Berger quitting and many creators to flee Vertigo for Image and other places that didn't use deceptive language and shady tactics to undermine creator ownership and equity participation. Not saying this is smoke & mirrors by DC, on the surface it looks good and it could very well be good, DC could be turning over a new leaf in an effort to revive flagging sales, but their track record on such should be a red flag for creators to at least do their due diligence. But several big names are lined up on these Dark Matter books and some creators who left DC to pursue more creator-owned projects have come back to work on these, so it looks like it could be a major step in the right direction for DC.
Now the question is will retailers order these books and will end customer buy them in sufficient numbers to sustain retailer ordering on the books to make this type of move work in the long term?
I've been out of the loop, I haven't seen any of the announcements for these books and have no idea what they are about, but I will have to look into it. It's the kind of move I am inclined to support as long as there are quality books coming out of it. I am more inclined though to check out and possibly support the new books coming from the Berger books imprint simply based on past track record of the people involved in publishing the books.
-M
Dark Matter is a huge influx in new characters into the DCU. What we did is we brought top talent on board. We have Jim (Lee). Andy Kubert, John Romita Jr. and a lot of key creators are coming on board to help really elevate and draw attention to these new characters, because it’s so hard to get recognized in a crowded marketplace, so you really need the talent to help draw that attention (see “Jeff Lemire Returns to DC to Write ‘The Terrifics'”).
All these talents are participating in the books, whether that’s creator-owned, or taking equity positions. They have vested value in participating and helping creating this. If these books win, we all win, which is, I think, the fairest way to approach anything.
It’s an exciting moment for us because I feel honestly, since I’ve been at DC (and you can look back almost to the start of Image), this is probably the largest creation of new ideas, new books on the super hero level coming from a major company.
-Dan Didio
All these talents are participating in the books, whether that’s creator-owned, or taking equity positions. They have vested value in participating and helping creating this. If these books win, we all win, which is, I think, the fairest way to approach anything.
It’s an exciting moment for us because I feel honestly, since I’ve been at DC (and you can look back almost to the start of Image), this is probably the largest creation of new ideas, new books on the super hero level coming from a major company.
-Dan Didio
You can read the article at BC It seems like a step in the right direction for DC, but there might be a few caveats. That was the same kind of deal Alan Moore got with Watchmen that they then (in his opinion) screwed him over on and it was the same kind of dela they used to offer with Vertigo before the higher ups altered the Vertigo deals retroactively which led to Berger quitting and many creators to flee Vertigo for Image and other places that didn't use deceptive language and shady tactics to undermine creator ownership and equity participation. Not saying this is smoke & mirrors by DC, on the surface it looks good and it could very well be good, DC could be turning over a new leaf in an effort to revive flagging sales, but their track record on such should be a red flag for creators to at least do their due diligence. But several big names are lined up on these Dark Matter books and some creators who left DC to pursue more creator-owned projects have come back to work on these, so it looks like it could be a major step in the right direction for DC.
Now the question is will retailers order these books and will end customer buy them in sufficient numbers to sustain retailer ordering on the books to make this type of move work in the long term?
I've been out of the loop, I haven't seen any of the announcements for these books and have no idea what they are about, but I will have to look into it. It's the kind of move I am inclined to support as long as there are quality books coming out of it. I am more inclined though to check out and possibly support the new books coming from the Berger books imprint simply based on past track record of the people involved in publishing the books.
-M
