Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, contract, dc, dc comics, entertainment

That DC Comics Contract Issue, Expanded

Published Fri, 04 Jul 2014 09:00:18 -0500

Last updated Fri, 04 Jul 2014 09:53:52 -0500

RT @bleedingcool Why The New DC Comics Royalty Deal Is A Bum One For Many Creators http://t.co/5vx8YHsz4t

— Jimmy Palmiotti (@jpalmiotti) July 3, 2014

Chew on this awhile… RT @bleedingcool: Why The New DC Comics Royalty Deal Is A Bum One For Many Creators http://t.co/WccUISxFby

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) July 3, 2014

So that was our biggest story yesterday. A look at the figures behind DC Comics' new creator deal. Statistics beat Henry Cavill's face.

Anyway, we much prefer digital comics guru Todd Allen's face, currently kickstarting The Economics Of Digital Comics, looked at the figures for Bleeding Cool and was a little more optimistic.

If you factor in some UK sales and digital at around 15% each, you're probably looking at the royalty cutoff line being at around 40K-45K in the U.S. Direct Market estimates, depending on newsstand sales and subscription. Is it going to be quite as bad as everything selling below Harley Quinn not making royalties? No. Is it going to take a few books out of the royalty zone? That looks likely unless one of the non-DM channels is bigger than conventional wisdom suggests.

But even using Todd's more optimistic estimates, below Harley Quinn, that would only add Green Lantern, Superman/Wonder Woman, Batman/Superman and Detective Comics into the royalty mix that we previously excluded. Everything Sinestro and Earth 2 down is out.

But yes, as Todd Allen says, if their digital sales do start to boom, that may make all the difference. However most reports I've had indicate that, with notable exceptions, digital sales have plateaued somewhat.

Expect this to be quite the discussion point in the Omni hotel bar come San Diego…

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