Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Batman, comic store in your future, Comics, entertainment

Comic Store in Your Future: Making Batman's Secret Identity Returnable?

Rod Lamberti of Rodman Comics writes weekly for Bleeding Cool. Find previous columns here.

I went over the store numbers for the second quarter sales tax filing. Had a solid month, a weak month, and a decent month.

I did catch a break with DC announcing that they will make Batman #50 returnable. Here at my store some people not happy with the spoiling of the issue, and some decided to drop Batman over it. Then there were those who bought the issue and were disappointed by it. I, along with some of our customers, felt it had too many pin-up pages, making it feel more like an old DC Gallery one-shot with pin-ups than an actual story.

At times, I am surprised that Tom King was in the CIA due to his Batman run seemingly being all about not being secretive. Batman and Catwoman beat up a villain and announce when and where they are going to get married right in front of the person they are fighting. It would not be a Tom King Batman if Batman was not talking on his radio and name-dropping people in his civilian identity as he punches one of the villains he fights. Heck, in Batman #51, Dick drops his own name while swinging into Killer Croc.

All these people they fight go to the same Asylum and they don't bring any of this up?

Croc: "Yeah, it was weird, Batman kicked me while he was talking to someone and said 'this is Dick'."

Mad Hatter: "While I was getting punched in the face Batman said 'this is Bruce'."

Poison Ivy: "While I was trying to seduce Batman he was telling someone named Alfred to pick up his kid, Damian."

Kite Man: "He told Catwoman they should get married right on the rooftop that they were beating me up."

Two-Face: "We were fighting in Crime Alley and Robin asked Batman if he was going to be alright since it was the alley that his parents died in."

Mr. Freeze: "If only we had more clues! We could figure out Batman's secret identity!"

I sold the last copy of the Batman Prelude to the Wedding one-shots we had last Sunday, which were not made returnable. That brought a slight smile to my face.

Catwoman #1 sold out for us the week it came out.

Did every store do terrible with Batman #50? No. Some sold out, while some did not. Some made money on it while others lost money.

I took a big swing at it thinking they were going to get married. Superman and Lois are married again, right? Why not Batman and Catwoman, I was thinking. There were clues that it was not going to happen. Reading Previews for upcoming issues at the time the lack of a honeymoon in the issues afterwards was telling.

I felt it was a cash grab to have various preludes to a wedding that was not going to happen. I feel for the retailers who had their store have a Batman #50 exclusive store wedding variant cover. At one point, before the issue came out I was wishing my store had planned one. I was thinking how cool an Ed Benes cover could have been.

Batman #51, as of my typing this up, does look to have had a drop in readership for us.

After over seven years in business, I am amazed at how often the comic industry still surprises me with its craziness.

I am glad DC is making Batman #50 returnable. The move does save me money. For that, I am thankful.

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