Some friends and online acquaintances wanted me to ask you if there were any numbers on how well Criminal vol.2 no. 1 has sold since its release.
I hope it's been selling well.
He just replied (like 10min ago), and...
We've been getting decent reorders, but it's still an uphill battle, sadly. Have to see what the orders are for the next few issues to really know how it's doing.
If I wasn't a starving grad student, I wouldn't think twice about it. Ideally, the book will still be around when I'm employed, and actually have money.
I recently dropped all of Brubaker's books. Not because I don't like them, but because I think they just read so much better in trades. It's hard to be patient and leave the monthly issues sitting on the stands, but in the long run, I'll get more enjoyment of these stories if I just wait.
Brian Ewing on
"Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck." - Joss Whedon
I recently dropped all of Brubaker's books. Not because I don't like them, but because I think they just read so much better in trades. It's hard to be patient and leave the monthly issues sitting on the stands, but in the long run, I'll get more enjoyment of these stories if I just wait.
That's assuming Criminal makes it to another trade.
If people trade-wait, it's not going to hurt Captain America or Daredevil, and in no way will it matter on Uncanny X-Men. But trade-waiting is going to kill this one. Marvel Icon isn't like Vertigo. It's a ruthless setup: The comics are creator-owned, but it also means pretty much every aspect except physically printing out and distributing the books is in the creators' hands. Hence Bru and Millar pimping the shit out of their respective books. They have financial stakes in the immediate sales of Criminal and Kick Ass.
BTW, I'll just take this opportunity to say that I hate everyone who reads the latter and not the former. Hate with the fury of a thousand suns.
I recently dropped all of Brubaker's books. Not because I don't like them, but because I think they just read so much better in trades. It's hard to be patient and leave the monthly issues sitting on the stands, but in the long run, I'll get more enjoyment of these stories if I just wait.
Okay, just letting you know that you doing this is not helping the title stay alive, and you will thus have fewer of these stories to enjoy if others do what you're doing. Bite the bullet and buy the singles, then buy the trade if it's that big a deal to you. The singles seriously are worth it just for the back material. I know more about noir fiction now than I ever would've known otherwise.
Also, welcome to the club Munch. Go ahead and buy series 2 in singles, since it's not totally required that you have read the first series to appreciate it.
Here's a question - since you're clearly part of the trade-waiting demographic, what do you think Brubaker could / should add to the monthly books that would get you to buy them? I'm genuinely curious.
I don't want him to change anything. I just think the way he paces stories doesn't work well with the monthly serial format. I don't want him to change that, because I really like reading six issues of material at a time with that kind of deliberate pacing. It's different than the books I read monthly, and I like having that variety.
Brian Ewing on
"Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck." - Joss Whedon
I'm fine with you choosing to wait for the trades, just understand that by doing so you're contributing to the economic situation that makes it hard or not possible for books like Criminal to continue. You're not going to have a book to buy if a lot of people do the same as you; if they don't hit a certain level of sell-through, Brubaker can't justify continuing the book. Nobody likes it, but you trade waiters hurt the viability of new and independent properties. If you really want to support the title, buying the singles is the best way to do it.
A book doesn't have to make money in the direct market to be viable. Books like The Walking Dead and Y: The Last Man never set the world on fire with their monthly issues, but they're powerhouses in the traditional book market. A lot more people read those books that way, and they'll continue to read them for years to come. Y is a book like Sandman or Preacher that will continue to make money for decades after the monthlies stopped being published.
If Criminal ever got cancelled, it would not be solely because the monthly singles didn't sell well. That would mean the trades weren't doing so hot either. The idea that trade-waiters are the problem is just unfounded.
Brian Ewing on
"Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck." - Joss Whedon
Or it could mean that the threshold for viability is different for every book. The artist/writer combo on the book, in addition to the self-financing aspect, means that Criminal can't just be some niche book that gets by on meager single sales with hopes of gangbuster sales on the trades. Even with Walking Dead and Invincible, by Kirkman's own admission the first year or so for them were slim margins and he nearly pulled the plug, and this was before he was a big name. Bru's said that he's making nothing on this comic and that all the money is going to the artists. If someone on the project is going unpaid, I tend to think that it's not hitting the numbers quite right.
Trade waiters are a problem because their support for books runs against the economic realities that determine the viability of those books. Monthly sales continue to be the barometer for success in the industry. Trade sales are beginning to be important as well, but for new properties, and independent/creator-owned properties in particular, robust single sales are extremely important because the economics hit the creators directly.
I don't want him to change anything. I just think the way he paces stories doesn't work well with the monthly serial format. I don't want him to change that, because I really like reading six issues of material at a time with that kind of deliberate pacing. It's different than the books I read monthly, and I like having that variety.
well criminal is one-shots for at least a couple months now, so that's not an excuse!
Punisher (MAX, natch) has been nothing but self-contained arc after arc. In fact, the first seven arcs were all six issues each (as opposed to Criminal's five), then a seven issue arc (Widowmaker), and then five issues (the last Barracuda arc), and now the last Ennis arc. But I don't see many people talking about how they trade-wait it or even about the pacing.
With regards to Criminal, it's going to be a magazine. That's the difference. The stories will be shorter than Gnarly's, with the rest (about a third of the individual floppies) being stuff that will never be in trades.
I guess I'm being overly cynical. I'm assured that they do order the niche books, but have the devil of a time getting their orders fulfilled - one of the joys of being UK-based, perhaps?
Hey, no problem - lately I've been turning to Ebay to complete my weekly purchases anyway. Speaking of which, I must look for Criminal on there next time.
I wonder if Bru and Phillips do overseas translations of the TPBs? I'm not too familiar with the overseas market, but I have to think the book would do a killing over there.
I wonder if Bru and Phillips do overseas translations of the TPBs? I'm not too familiar with the overseas market, but I have to think the book would do a killing over there.
Guaranteed pulls, I think 30-40% off cover is fairly standard, and you'd only be paying shipping on one package per month. That's the downside, though - waiting until the end of the month (I think they have more frequent options, though). But it might be a solution to the issues you're having.
I wonder if Bru and Phillips do overseas translations of the TPBs? I'm not too familiar with the overseas market, but I have to think the book would do a killing over there.
I could ask, but fron everything I've read I'm almost certain that the answer is no. I'm sure they see the potential too, but again... Icon makes big risks just that. Risks.
That sounds like a good option, though. Especially since the dollar sucks ass compared to the Pound Sterling (even more than usual).
It certainly could, actually, especially given the pound-dollar strength at the moment. I'd stick with the LCS for most titles, but picking up the more obscure ones from DCBS is tempting, thanks!
so the extremely hard-to-find noir blast of silence, which has on occasion been mentioned in the backmatter as a particularly brutal little noir (patton oswalt in particular likes it, if i remember correctly) is getting a very nice criterion release, complete with a sean phillips drawn little comic adaptation as an extra.
just thought i'd point it out to interested parties
Crimson, do you know if Bru has thought about putting those previews on Wowio? On one of the other boards I frequent, one of the main Wowio infastructure guys brought it up, and it seems like a good idea. Also, Wowio is turning out to be a decent revenue stream for lots of creators.
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He just replied (like 10min ago), and...
Crap.
Sold. Next time I order some books from Amazon I'll be sure to get this.
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That's assuming Criminal makes it to another trade.
If people trade-wait, it's not going to hurt Captain America or Daredevil, and in no way will it matter on Uncanny X-Men. But trade-waiting is going to kill this one. Marvel Icon isn't like Vertigo. It's a ruthless setup: The comics are creator-owned, but it also means pretty much every aspect except physically printing out and distributing the books is in the creators' hands. Hence Bru and Millar pimping the shit out of their respective books. They have financial stakes in the immediate sales of Criminal and Kick Ass.
BTW, I'll just take this opportunity to say that I hate everyone who reads the latter and not the former. Hate with the fury of a thousand suns.
Okay, just letting you know that you doing this is not helping the title stay alive, and you will thus have fewer of these stories to enjoy if others do what you're doing. Bite the bullet and buy the singles, then buy the trade if it's that big a deal to you. The singles seriously are worth it just for the back material. I know more about noir fiction now than I ever would've known otherwise.
Also, welcome to the club Munch. Go ahead and buy series 2 in singles, since it's not totally required that you have read the first series to appreciate it.
Here's a question - since you're clearly part of the trade-waiting demographic, what do you think Brubaker could / should add to the monthly books that would get you to buy them? I'm genuinely curious.
If Criminal ever got cancelled, it would not be solely because the monthly singles didn't sell well. That would mean the trades weren't doing so hot either. The idea that trade-waiters are the problem is just unfounded.
Trade waiters are a problem because their support for books runs against the economic realities that determine the viability of those books. Monthly sales continue to be the barometer for success in the industry. Trade sales are beginning to be important as well, but for new properties, and independent/creator-owned properties in particular, robust single sales are extremely important because the economics hit the creators directly.
well criminal is one-shots for at least a couple months now, so that's not an excuse!
Punisher (MAX, natch) has been nothing but self-contained arc after arc. In fact, the first seven arcs were all six issues each (as opposed to Criminal's five), then a seven issue arc (Widowmaker), and then five issues (the last Barracuda arc), and now the last Ennis arc. But I don't see many people talking about how they trade-wait it or even about the pacing.
With regards to Criminal, it's going to be a magazine. That's the difference. The stories will be shorter than Gnarly's, with the rest (about a third of the individual floppies) being stuff that will never be in trades.
widowmaker wasn't that great though
Destroy the LCS and its owners with fire. It's the only way to be sure you rid the Earth of such evil.
Have you tried http://www.dcbservice.com/ , Wildcat?
No, I haven't. Would there be much benefit for an international buyer?
I could ask, but fron everything I've read I'm almost certain that the answer is no. I'm sure they see the potential too, but again... Icon makes big risks just that. Risks.
That sounds like a good option, though. Especially since the dollar sucks ass compared to the Pound Sterling (even more than usual).
just thought i'd point it out to interested parties
Also, issue #2 might be coming out tomorrow. It's supposed to, but it's not on the list.
So maybe.