Elon and Trump will fix Comics
Comic Reviews for week ending 11/20/2022
Good morning, my friend,
These are exciting times. The winds of change are in the air and with change comes opportunity.
As I’m writing this newsletter, Elon Musk completed a Twitter poll asking the people if Donald Trump’s account should be reinstated. The poll ended with a consensus of “Yes.”
However, this newsletter isn’t about Elon Musk or Donald Trump. It’s about the clever marketing tactic used to bring those figures to the forefront of the news cycle and how Comics Publishers can reproduce the results.
Before we get to the meat of the matter, two things.
First, have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my family, friends, and you, too. ComicalOpinions.com wouldn’t exist without your support, so thank you.
Second, based on your feedback, we’re experimenting with YouTube shorts highlighting the BEST comics we encounter. Give our first test a look (it’s less than 40 seconds), and please like, share, sub, and leave a comment. Every little bit helps to encourage the YT algorithm.
Back to the topic…
Regardless of your opinion about Musk or Trump, Musk’s poll is chock full of brilliant tactics that a Comics Publisher would be foolish to ignore.
First, Musk posts a charged question that immediately stokes a passionate response.
Second, that high-volume super-fast response shows potential advertisers and sponsors that high engagement is possible, providing a live demonstration of the platform’s revenue potential.
Third, there’s bound to be a significant amount of bot activity on the poll, so Twitter’s engineers now have a very large data sample to tune their screening and security measures.
It’s a proverbial 1-2-3 punch of success with a 4-word poll. Brilliant!
What does this have to do with Comics Publishers? Everything!
Why? How? It’s no secret that the Big 2’s marketing efforts in recent years are five-day-old dog poo. There’s no energy, no, spark, no hype, and no buzz.
Let’s use Musk’s poll as an example of how to fix that.
First, figure out what comic readers are passionate about within your stable of comics. For example, there are a LOT of Twitter opinions and energy about Jon Kent. DC Comics could submit a simple question like…
“What should we de-age Jon Kent?”
The reaction would likely be swift and vocal, getting people to pay attention to DC as a brand and Jon Kent as a property.
Second, use the results to inspire one or more storylines that immediately have some buy-in from the target audience. This isn’t quite the same thing as letting folks decide whether Robin lives or dies with a 1-900 number. Think of it as a very large focus group.
Third, follow up the tweet with a mailing list application where would-be readers receive notification about the title, limited series, or one-shot that’s produced as a result of the findings. That gives DC a ready-made mailing list of people who are invested in both DC Comics and Jon Kent, and that list filters out the noise in favor of buying readers for the comics and potential Jon Kent merchandise.
The semantics are different, but the methodology Musk used in his Twitter poll about Donald Trump is the same.
Incite a passionate reaction to a topic
Use the reactions to make profitable business decisions
Filter the reactions to hone in on your target audience
Rinse and repeat
In fairness, this is a simplified approach to marketing, so some serious thought and work are needed to execute the model properly. However, the pieces are there.
What do you think? What passionate topics could Marvel and DC Comics cast out into the world to give their marketing efforts a kickstart? Post your suggestions in the Comments, and we’ll cast your ideas out to the world to show the Big 2 how it’s done.
Now, let’s read some reviews…
A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE #2 – Review
VAN HELSING: RITES OF SHADOWS – Review
THE ATONEMENT BELL #1 – Review
BELLE ANNUAL: DEPTHS OF TARTARUS – Review
BLITZ (VOL. 1) – Review
ZOMBIE MAKEOUT CLUB (VOL. 1): DEATHWISH – Review
COVER THE DEAD WITH LIME #3 – Review
SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE (VOL. 2) #10 – Review
VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #3 – Review
IMMORTAL RED SONJA #8 – Review
THE NINJETTES (VOL. 2) #3 – Review
HOME FREE: INTO THE WOODS – Indie Review
SHED – Indie Review
The Breaker (Vol. 4) Omnibus (Ablaze Publishing)
The Tiger's Tongue #5 (Mad Cave Studios)
Kamen Rider Zero-One #1 (Titan Comics)
Robyn Hood: Last Stop (Zenescope Entertainment)
Bloodshot: Unleashed #3 (Valiant Entertainment)
Lovecraft: Unknown Kadath #3 (Ablaze Publishing)
Born of Blood #3 (Indie Submission)
Bloodborne: Lady of the Lanterns #3 (Titan Comics)
Sirens Gate #2 (Dynamite Comics)
Lady Hel #3 (Dynamite Comics)
Vampirella Strikes #7 (Dynamite Comics)
Heaven's Rejects #3 (Source Point Press)
Mysterium #1 (Source Point Press)
Postmasters #2 (Source Point Press)
That’s the shortlist for now. We’ll add more titles and adjust as time and resources allow.
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Have a great day!