DC Cancels Its Longest Running Series, Hellblazer, And Replaces It With New 52 Title, Constantine

[Mike H.]

Does anyone know how well Hellblazer trades sell compared to Fables or 100 Bullets? I'm genuinely curious.

Obviously they wanted Constantine to have a presence in the New 52 and thought (probably rightly) that the Vertigo series would cannibalize its sales to an extent. But, if the Vertigo Hellblazer was a Top 50 book or whatever, that probably never would have happened.

At least two trades, Original Sins and Dangerous Habits, have constantly been in print for the better part of two decades. Most of the others have gone through multiple printings as well, with only a few that were printed just once for some reason and then have sold on average for between $40 to $60 on eBay and elsewhere. A new push to reprint the entire series began a few years ago but I'm not sure how successful it's been. One of the odd decisions DC made was to replace Dave McKean's painted cover artwork for Original Sins with a new piece illustrated by Jim Lee. It wasn't a bad illustration, but it also wasn't wholly indicative of the tone of the issues within, either.

Of what will soon be all 300 issues, better than 2/3rds of it was reprinted in TPB form, maybe more if you count the spin-off minis such as Lady Constantine, Papa Midnight, Chas and City of Demons that have also been collected. The only long run that I don't think was collected at all were the issues in the mid-1990s written by Paul Jenkins, which I find somewhat understandable because it's my least favorite take on the character and almost caused me to drop the book for good. But it's also something of a shame because that stretch also had same really nice Sean Phillips art.

I'm not sure how well the trades have sold in comparison to Fables or 100 Bullets, but I'm also not sure if that's the fairest comparison, either. Both of those series can be viewed as "one giant story" with one main writer at the helm.

[Stefan Offenberg]

Only found this

ICv2 - Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual--February 2012

12 Rank HELLBLAZER PHANTOM PAINS TP (MR) $14.99 Sold 2,238

So not that many though no idea what (MR) means - also I think that is direct market and does not include amazon

Mature Readers.

[SAMURAI36]

a) Walking Dead HC vol 8 moved 5,221 units in September. Obviously A+X will never top that...

But keep trying, I'm sure you'll figure out how to get order numbers right eventually

As per usual, we are not talking about the same things.

This is what I'm talking about:

The Walking Dead: Compendium One: Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Tony Moore: 9781607060765: Amazon.com: Books

I'm not sure WTF you are talking about "volume 8", because this only has 2 volumes.

Unlike Amazon, we are selling this at full price. And we've gotten 4 separate shipments, of 15 to 20 each time since the first volume was released. We don't have a single copy in our store, and last I checked, there are about 7 or 8 people on our special orders list for it.

So yeah, how's about you "keep trying".

b) Show me where I claimed that.

Cheers

I could challenge you to show me where I have said anything that fits your accusation that I'm some insensitive DC justifier that doesn't give a fuck that the books that people like get cancelled, but we both know you are not gonna do that.

So let's just leave the challenges where they are, shall we?

You're right, when he said "fertile creative ground" he couldn't have meant fertile creative ground.

Geez Luise guy

Pretty much this

Once again, you clearly didn't read the article, let alone the part I posted. You honed in on what you wanted to hear, what you thought proved your point, and ignored the rest of it. Good luck with that.

[Peter J Poole]

As per usual, we are not talking about the same things.

This is what I'm talking about:

The Walking Dead: Compendium One: Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Tony Moore: 9781607060765: Amazon.com: Books

I'm not sure WTF you are talking about "volume 8", because this only has 2 volumes.

Unlike Amazon, we are selling this at full price. And we've gotten 4 separate shipments, of 15 to 20 each time since the first volume was released. We don't have a single copy in our store, and last I checked, there are about 7 or 8 people on our special orders list for it.

So yeah, how's about you "keep trying".

And talking about a prestige tie in to a major TV show is the same thing as a regular trade collection of something like Hellblazer or JLD?

I could challenge you to show me where I have said anything that fits your accusation that I'm some insensitive DC justifier that doesn't give a fuck that the books that people like get cancelled, but we both know you are not gonna do that.

So let's just leave the challenges where they are, shall we?

Sammy, I could pick any of your posts at random and have a pretty good chance of finding you worshipping DC like a rabid zealot...

You can't find one of me doing something you chose to berate me for. Because it didn't happen.

Again, you seem determined to pretend the audience here is as dumb/crazy as you seem to be at times. And again, still not working...

Cheers

[DarthEwok]

Once again, you clearly didn't read the article, let alone the part I posted. You honed in on what you wanted to hear, what you thought proved your point, and ignored the rest of it. Good luck with that.

I read the whole thing and commented on the specif bit about fertile ground. You chose to rebut me on that specific point - even weirdly claiming that that meant higher sales. I'm sorry you're trying to make this about the whole article, and trying to ignore the exact, specific part that I commented on in the first place. But let's call it a wash - because I'm beginning to feel like that guy in the Einstein quote about 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results'

[QCCBob]

Really, folks, when the guy is so divorced from reality that HE reposts 'furtile creative ground' and claims YOU didn't read the interview, walk away slowly... In Sam's world, 'furtile creative ground' has NOTHING to do with being creative. If he's happy there, leave him be.

And bearing in mind I had to tell him DC publishes non-superhero books, is anyone even slightly surprised that he's apparently unaware that Walking Dead is reprinted in multiple formats? Unless they rack them in the DC 52 section, I'm sure he never even sees them...

[Mike H.]

Petey, actually, what I find you doing quite often, is talking out of the left side of your ass, making all sorts of asanine comments, like you're the expert on some shit that you're not.

And here's one prime example:




Perfect example.

I never once compared WD to JLD or HB. I compared WD to A+X. You know, ones a popular TV series, and the other is currently riding the coat tails of a hit movie? And you know what? You fucking did too. So now you are trying to change horses in the middle of the race, pretending like that wasn't our original convo.

You're not proving anyone wrong here; all's you end up doing is making yourself look more like the drugged-out retard that I know you to be, because you admitted to being as much.

So why don't you try policing yourself, rather than playing BC's makeshift moderator. There are more than enough village idiots on here, that think they are saying something more important than it really is.

Oh look, here comes one of them now....



Dude, seriously... PU KCUF EHT TUHS. Maybe saying it backwards will help it get thru to you.

You've told me no such fucking thing, which makes you a damn liar. As if MEN OF WAR and ALL-STAR WESTERN (one of which I currently buy and read) are super hero books. Unless the Unknown Soldier and Jonah Hex are "superheroes"?

And what the fuck does WD being in different formats, have to do with what the fuck I said? I specifically talked about a high-ticket item, which Poole mentioned. Your inability to keep up in the discussion reveals your flaws, worse than it does him.

If you can't think of anything intelligent to say, how's about sewing your pie-hole shut?? And stop trying to piggyback off of everyone else's responses here, when you don't even know WTF they are talking about?

Better yet, how's about spending more productive time making sure your out-house of a comic book shop doesn't slip any further into the abyss than it already is...




I didn't make any such claim. My claim here and now, is exactly the same as my claim before. But you haven't really been responding to my statements based on what I've said.

Also, I didn't have to make it about the whole article. The whole article (or at least, the part I posted) made it about the whole article. You chose to take 3 words from it, and craft an entire argument based on it. That's your failing, not mine.

I don't believe you can even tell me what the point of the entire article is even about. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so focused on that, for the sake of the rest of it. Doing what you did, takes that one statement you focus on totally out of context, and therefore meaningless.

Unlike you, I didn't ignore your point about the creative ground. It's just that, given the context of what they were talking about overall, I understood to mean something different than you did. I posted the article exerpt for a reason, but that reason was clearly lost on you.

So, let me know when you've actually read the article (either as a whole, or just the part I posted) in its entirety. Then we can actually have a discussion about it. Until then, you're clearly not equipped.

Sam, you need to check your tone and your language. What the heck, man?

[Blackfist]

Sam, you need to check your tone and your language. What the heck, man?

yeah Sam, your being awfully confrontational lately but it's getting a little aggressive now

[_OM_]

NNNNNoooooo, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

...It's rare I do this, but since you're using *my* big icon:

QFT

[_OM_]

Really, folks, when the guy is so divorced from reality.

...Aw, give the kid a break, Q-Bob. Not only is he as pissed about this as I was after the first year of the Bierbaum's raping and impregnating the Legion with their bullshit APA fanfic crap(*), he's probably off his meds due to the Veteran's Day weekend.

And besides, it's not Sam who's the one getting the divorce from reality. Just look at what DC is doing to Constantine's marital status...

(*) Redundant, yes I know. Deal with it