The DCNU - A dealers views

Happened to run into Martin 'Biff' Averre today (he was re-locating his Southend shop), and though we did't have long to chat, I did ask him how business was. He said he was generally pretty happy, and that overall he reckoned sales were up 'around' 7% on this time last year.

Surely, I said, not because of DCNU?

Certainly, says he. A LOT of new readers and a lot of hardcore Marvel fans joining. He did say that some sales were clearly at the expense of Marvel and indie titles, but overall sales were up anyway. He singled out Justice League, which he says was down to selling 3 (yes 3!) copies in his shop pre-52, and is now selling 40.

I'm not an expert but I suspect a lot of businesses here in the UK would love to see a 7% increase in sales at this point in the economic cycle.

3?!?! Yikes, that is dismal. I suppose if I were a shop owner I'd tend to look on the New 52 more fondly myself. The obvious question, though, is whether or not these kinds of sales can keep up. Are they making fans for life or merely perpetuating a fad? Only time will tell.

Well, Martin's effectively a year into the project now as he'll be ordering issue 13/14 of most titles this month. A year puts it beyond mere fadism, I'd think.

(As for regarding it fondly Martin said he viewed at least a third of the product as garbage personally, but he's honest enough to admit that that isn't his only concern. As I've always said myself, any comic that I was responsible for editing to my personal tates would sell considerably less than three copies a month.)

BluesShark wrote:Well, Martin's effectively a year into the project now as he'll be ordering issue 13/14 of most titles this month. A year puts it beyond mere fadism, I'd think.

I know a number of people wanted the sales numbers to be low, so DC would revert back to the pre-Flashpoint world, but they've never done that before, have they? I have been around since the early 70s, and I don't think they've reverted back since COIE. Sure, some stories go back to similar ideas, but they've never reverted from an event, IIRC. I think DC is going to either give people this, or something else entirely. I don't see them going back.

I agree that going back to pre-Flashpoint is pretty much impossible at this point, which I think is part of why so many people are mad about it. There are some bells you just can't un-ring, and taking into account what BluesShark has told us it's unlikely that DC will even WANT to un-ring it. What a bummer that is. I just got to an age and a place financially where I can pretty much buy as many comics as I want. . .and I barely want to buy any of them anymore.

Oh well. At least I still have my Batman. My makes-no-sense, doesn't fit into the New 52 Batman. . . .