The Goosing Of Marvel NOW With Variants And Discount

[Blade X]

Meanwhile...

Interesting(?) item on the news yesterday about a start-up firm in Africa. There's apparently a huge problem with download piracy crippling the local music industry, so they've come up with an idea - scratch cards. Sell them cheap in local shops, newsagents, etc, etc, buy one and get the download code for a song on your phone.

What is happening, which they didn't expect, is that kids are swapping and collecting the cards, even after the code has been redeemed.

So, scratch cards for comic downloads.

Put the cover art for the issue on one side, a download code and some Pokemon style random character trivia on the other, then flog them in all kinds of outlets for $2.50 a pop.

And introduce rare variants/collectables if you want to...

Digital sales, with completist and speculator dressing.

Cheers

I suggested something some what similar a while ago on these forums. My suggestion was to put motion comics (or better yet, digital comics done exactly like the MARVEL INFINITY digital comics) on collectable flash drives with their own unique design and spld in comic book shops and other venues.

A possible better and more profitable solution for comic publishers,comic shops,and fans might be for the comic shops (as well as bookstores,supermarkets,and convenience stores) to have digital comic book vending machines (DCBVM for short) where they can either rent a comic app or individually buy digital comics (by downloading from the DCBVM) and sell them to their customers who would download them to individually desined collectable flash drives (which could also serve as a digital long box). These digital comics would be either silent motion comics (no voice actors) or done like the MARVEL INFINITY comics. These digital comics could be played in existing tablets,computers,laptops,video game systems,etc. There could also be a line of cheaply made and inexpensive very thin collectable tablets (with a cover like a notebook ,but minus a keyboard) that only plays content from flash drives. I'm no tech head, so I have no idea if my idea is possible or financially feasible.

[Blade X]

Ooops. Hey, it's DC, what do I care...

LOL. Why you gotta be a hater?

That's my point. If you're arguing a content change will save the day, you can't lump the other stuff in as part of that.

Cheers

But that still doesn't mean that those books couldn't become popular without with a lesser known abd/or less popular creative team.

[Imbeast]

I suggested something some what similar a while ago on these forums. My suggestion was to put motion comics (or better yet, digital comics done exactly like the MARVEL INFINITY digital comics) on collectable flash drives with their own unique design and spld in comic book shops and other venues.

A possible better and more profitable solution for comic publishers,comic shops,and fans might be for the comic shops (as well as bookstores,supermarkets,and convenience stores) to have digital comic book vending machines (DCBVM for short) where they can either rent a comic app or individually buy digital comics (by downloading from the DCBVM) and sell them to their customers who would download them to individually desined collectable flash drives (which could also serve as a digital long box). These digital comics would be either silent motion comics (no voice actors) or done like the MARVEL INFINITY comics. These digital comics could be played in existing tablets,computers,laptops,video game systems,etc. There could also be a line of cheaply made and inexpensive very thin collectable tablets (with a cover like a notebook ,but minus a keyboard) that only plays content from flash drives. I'm no tech head, so I have no idea if my idea is possible or financially feasible.

The thing about your idea is its actually not comics. They have other names for that stuff and there are people using programs to animate art like they do with South Park, to create videos on You Tube.

The big problem with the comics industry is the Big 2 have a strangle hold on the entire industry and basically force Shops to buy so much of their product that smaller publishers get screwed. The Big 2 are not entertainment based companies as they used to be. Now they are companies (especially Marvel) that look to gimmicks for knee jerk reaction sales.
They do not want to build readership through great products over a length of time, they want to create stunts that cause instant sales increases.
But when people buy those comics, though they may be eager to see Superman-Batman-Captain America die and return, the process isnt a fun read that makes fans want more. Its more like reading a tabloid just to read about a scandal. Once you know the details, you arent going to reread it. You read it out of curiosity. And thats the experience The Big 2 gives readers with their stunts/gimmicks/events.

Think Im wrong? Then ask yourself how many times youve reread Gimmick Comics or "Event" comics that span about a 100 comics just to tell one story?
Many think comics collapsed in the 90's due to the emergence of the net or pirated comics. But coincidentally after the sales of the "Death and Return Of Superman", major publishers looked to variant covers, restarting comics at #1 multiple times, reboots, new costumes, character changes and many other gimmicks just to get someone to buy a comic. But when people bought them, they were not satisfied.
If McDs tricked millions into buying a sandwich that looked good, sounded great but didnt taste good, then it would fail because no one would buy it again.
That is exactly what happened to comics and Marvel Now! is doing it again.
Marvel produces comics that do not deliver. They are not fun reads.
The best thing that could happen for the industry would be for Image-Dark Horse-Valiant-Dynamite to work together to get their better comics in stores and break Diamonds distribution monopoly. And if they actually recognized that an Entertainment company must entertain or die then they would be successful while Marvel would continue to publish forgettable garbage and finally lose its place in the industry.

[db8coach]

I, on the other hand, had only been reading DD from Marvel and all 52 from DC. I'm now reading Avengers, Captain America and Thunderbolts as well as DD. So for me, marvel now worked.

[DarthEwok]

I, on the other hand, had only been reading DD from Marvel and all 52 from DC. I'm now reading Avengers, Captain America and Thunderbolts as well as DD. So for me, marvel now worked.

Did you read Cap #2? How was it? I enjoyed #1, but I did not pick up #2 last week.

Picked up the Allred Fantastic Four - but I have not read it yet

[Cavemold]

I, on the other hand, had only been reading DD from Marvel and all 52 from DC. I'm now reading Avengers, Captain America and Thunderbolts as well as DD. So for me, marvel now worked.

I heard Thunderbolts sucked.did it?

For me Thor only maybe NA

[db8coach]

Did you read Cap #2? How was it? I enjoyed #1, but I did not pick up #2 last week.

Picked up the Allred Fantastic Four - but I have not read it yet

Two was ok, continued the "stranger in a strange land" type story. JrJr's art isn't as good as it was on Daredevil earlier and his monsters bite, but the book moves at a good pace.

[db8coach]

I heard Thunderbolts sucked.did it?

For me Thor only maybe NA

Have not read Thunderbolts two yet but the first issue didn't have a lot of meat to it. But I did like it.

Good, first issue, new fan friendly.

[Ian Coke]

I, on the other hand, had only been reading DD from Marvel and all 52 from DC. I'm now reading Avengers, Captain America and Thunderbolts as well as DD. So for me, marvel now worked.

Yeah I haven't been reading any Marvel titles regularly since Fear Itself, but so far I've enjoyed Thunderbolts and All New X-Men, so I may try some more.

[Comicsfan101]

I love how a long-winded spiel bumping a long-dead thread leads to people comparing notes on what they actually enjoyed. Dead serious. Damn shame we don't see more of it.