Good morning, my friend,
On Monday, Discovery announced it finalized its merger with Warner Bros. for 43 billion dollars. When the merger was initially announced, the executives in charge of the deal positioned the new entity as a meeting of the entertainment minds, but since the finalization of the merger, it feels a lot more like Discovery has taken over WB. Lock, stock, and barrel.
There’s too much information and history to parse through here, so I’ll focus on what matters most to our readers - Comics. How will this merger affect DC Comics, and will that change affect the Comics Industry as a whole? In short, it depends.
It depends because DC Comic’s greatest obstacle to success, the obstacle sabotaging every initiative for the last several years, has been itself. In particular, DC’s greatest problem area is its publishing and editorial team.
The editors and publishers dictate the strategy and decisions around comics. They determine which pitches get made or not. They determine which writers and artists get hired or not. And to be blunt, that decision-making skill set is woefully broken. If the new entity is focused on making the comics division as profitable and successful as possible, nearly the entire publishing and editorial layer will need to be wiped out, retooled, and revamped, both the people and the processes.
There’s no way around it. You can’t rebuild on a shaky foundation. The current DC comics foundation is as shaky as a sandcastle during an earthquake.
However, the new entity could choose to say “we have enough characters, ideas, and stories to last a century. Stop wasting money and shut it down.” This is the least likely scenario, but it is possible. Larger entities have been shut down over less.
The third option would be to shut-down in-house production and farm out the characters to another publisher. As DC seems deadset on repeating Marvel’s past mistakes, this could be a repeat of Marvel’s bankruptcy years where they sold several characters to stay afloat. This also seems unlikely, but you never know.
If I read the tea leaves correctly, DC Comics will survive. Of the three options, a rebuild seems likeliest, but to do it right, a lot of people will need to be let go and the comics line will go through a rough patch that makes their current woes look like a walk in the park.
I want DC Comics to succeed and become the producer of great comics as it once was and can be again. To get there, hard choices need to be made. I sympathize with anyone whose job will be impacted. I sympathize with the readers who will have to endure many more months (years?) of awful comics. But ultimately, DC’s long-term success is too important to leave to whither away. There’s been too much of that already.
But, what do you think? Did I get it right, or is there a better way forward for DC Comics? Let me know by dropping a comment below.
Who knows? I may even feature one or two of the better responses in the next newsletter.
Now, let’s get on with the show.
This Week’s [Deals of the Day]
[DotD]Mandalorian Death Watch Airborne Trooper 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
[DotD]Demon Slayer: Zenitsu Thunderclap/Flash FiguartsZERO Statue
[DotD] Marvel Legends Moon Knight 6-Inch Action Figure
[DotD] ThunderCats Ultimates Lynx-O 7-Inch Action Figure
[DotD] Nightwing + Red Hood Gotham Knights Action Set
ALL GUTS, NO GLORY #3 – Review
IMMORTAL RED SONJA #1 – Review
BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #2 – Review
EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #5- Review
SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE (VOL. 2) #5 – Review
VANITY #1 – Review
SHADOWMAN #8 – Review
DOWNLOAD #4 – Review
FICTIONAUTS #3 – Review
BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR CHRONICLES #1 – Review
ID-10T ERROR – Indie Review
ZOMBIE DATE NIGHT #1 – Indie Review
Speed Republic #3 (Mad Cave Studios)
Grimm Tales of Terror: Sea of Souls (Zenescope Entertainment)
Grimm Universe Presents: Dracula's Daughter (Zenescope Entertainment)
John Carter of Mars #1 (Dynamite Comics)
Jennifer Blood (Vol. 2) #7 (Dynamite Comics)
Hell Sonja #4 (Dynamite Comics)
Armorclads #2 (Valiant Entertainment)
Blade Runner Origins #11 (Titan Comics)
David Byrne's Canceled (Scout Comics)
Blood, Skulls, and Chrome #3 (Second Sight Publishing)
Steampunk Snow White (Second Sight Publishing)
Blowtorch #4 (Second Sight Publishing)
Evermore #1 (Indie Submission)
The River of Blood (Indie Submission)
That’s the shortlist. We’ll add more as time and resources allow.
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Have a great day!