Red Hood

That's exactly my point. If DC had sent this book to every retailer it would have been fine, but the fact that they kept it secret and no one knew after they got it and were told that only retailers that ordered 50 copies qualified for it doesn't make sense at all. Like I said on my previous post, when Image and Marvel do their secret variants, every retailer gets them. DC fucked up once again, almost a year after the whole Punchline debacle in which they did something similarly stupid.

The Valeyard

^ I know for a fact that not every retailer received some of the Image or Marvel secret variants. One store I frequent in Studio City was pissed after ordering heavy on Hickman's X-Men and couldn't find a single secret variant in his batch while a nearby store received at least one after under ordering that title. I know a few other stores across CA with the same story with some of these variants.

stingermck

So the small store that didn't sell much of Joker 1, is then going to pay for 50 issues of #2 to get the variant? And then sit on 40 issues?

Red Hood

That must have been an error on Diamond's part, not on Marvel. Every retailer was supposed to receive the secret variant no matter what.


Maybe not in that case, but a store that sold 40 issues may have bumped the order by 10 copies to get the variant. Or the store that sold 90 may have bumped the order by 10 instead of cutting back. Or a customer knows that this incentive exist so he'll buy it for $200-300 an cover for the cost of getting the extra copies Joker.

Usually, it is recommended that stores order half for the second issue of what they order for issue #1. Statistically, a second issue of any series will drop in half as people will get the first issue out of curiosity but not pick the rest of the series. For that reason, many retailers cut back on issue #2 of the Joker, but if they knew there was a 1:50 incentive, they may have bumped the orders. Having that option not given to them is what made this a mess. Again, what we are talking about is an incentive variant. If retailers were not told about this incentive existing, why was it done that way? Where's does DC benefit on this?

At my store, I had a customer that would get all DC books, including incentive variants. He would pay a premium for those books. I remember that for the 1:100 Wonder Woman #38 Finch variant, we sold it to him for $100 and the 1:50 for $50. That covered for us ordering 100 copies of that book and we still made a nice profit. Without this customer, we would probably have ordered no more than 25 copies, but because of those incentives and having an active customer willing to pay for them, we did the order that way.

The Valeyard

Several errors. Across several stores from Los Angeles to San Bernardino. Repeatedly for each secret variant. Not just once. Several times.

Red Hood

This is one of the many reasons why Diamond lost their two biggest accounts in a span of a year.

Red Hood

And this is when I put all the blame directly on the shoulders of all retailers. Batman/Fortnite Zero Point #1 was released today and it's sold out everywhere because every fucking retailer is so out of touch with popular culture outside of comic books that they underordered heavily on what could have been the biggest selling book of the year. Every single store fucked up on this book because:

1- They thought it was just another boring video game book
2- Don't understand/dismiss the appeal of Fortnite
3- Didn't read the description of the book stating that it would include a code for DC base skins for the game.
4- Underestimated how popular the Marvel Fortnite variants were when those books were released
5- Gatekeeping. Hey Fortnite kids, go stand in that corner and don't get into my comic books mentality.

This is the shit in which I wish that there were other outlets for these types of books other than LCS.

majorjoe23

Shit. I almost never play Fortnite, but if there were DC skins I might give it another try.

Red Hood

There are and you get an additional Dark Knight skin with the purchase of all 6 issues

fujishig

I thought you were joking (about the six issues thing) but you're not. Each issue also comes with outfits, with the first having a Rebirth Harley outfit. No wonder it sold out. When they solicited them for orders, did they already know they'd have the codes?

Seems like the codes also come with digital copies, so at least they're available.

Oh, interesting, they're throwing a bone to DC Universe Infinite subscribers (though I don't understand, it's still going to be delayed on that service, right?)

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2021/0...ite-zero-point

Quote:

Where are the Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point comics available?

Red Hood

This was the listing put on Lunar for issue #1. I know DC used to have a director of sales that would send email to retailers to remind them of stuff like this, but that position was eliminated. Still, the description of the codes and the book is all in the solicitations at Lunar.

BATMAN FORTNITE ZERO POINT #1 (OF 6) CVR A MIKEL JANÌN

(W) Christos Gage, Donald Mustard (A) Reilly Brown (CA) Mikel Janín
A crack splits the sky above Gotham City... a tear in reality itself. This rift pulls the Dark Knight into a bizarre and unfamiliar world, with no memory of who he is or where he came from...Batman has been drawn into Fortnite! As our hero fights to recall his past and escape an endless loop of chaos and struggle, he'll come face-to-face with the likes of Renegade Raider, Fishstick, Bandolier, and more. While the world's greatest detective strives to make sense of this strange new world, he'll uncover the shocking truth about the Island, what lies beyond the Loop, and how everything is connected to the mysterious Zero Point. Uncover secrets never before revealed in game or anywhere else! Every fan of Batman, Fortnite, stunning art and edge-of-your-seat excitement won't want to miss the Caped Crusader facing off against Fortnite champions on the Island, in a desperate attempt to save not only himself, but other familiar faces from the DCU...and perhaps the Multiverse itself! This will be a bi-weekly miniseries. Each print issue of Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point will include a redeemable code for bonus DC-themed Fortnite digital items, inspired by the events in the comic, starting with the new Rebirth Harley Quinn Outfit. Fans who redeem all six codes will also unlock a new Armored Batman Zero Outfit for their Fortnite character. Retail: $4.99 Initial Due Date: 03/07/2021 FOC Date: 03/14/2021 In-Store Date: 04/20/2021 UPC: 76194136879500111 Product Code: 0221DC801

Red Hood

From Bleeding Cool

Comic Shops Heavily Underestimated Demand For Batman/Fortnite Comic

Posted on April 20, 2021by Rich JohnstonToday's Batman/Fortnite #1 comic saw Batman head to Fortnite Island to do battle amongst its occupants. Catwoman, Deathstroke, Harley Quinn and Snake Eyes are accompanying him on the journey. And each print copy comes with a code that enables the reader to download a Harley Quinn Rebirth skin, as designed by Amanda Conner, in the game itself.

DC Comics made the comic book returnable, so that retailers could order as many copies as they want and return the unsold copies. They provided retailers with advance copies of the comic book. They delayed FOC orders so that retailers could order more. And retailers… didn't. Oh, they ordered lots, certainly, just not the BRZRKR-level numbers that were needed.

So today, when Epic Games put the Batman/Fortnite comic on the Fortnite game home screen, tweeted it out to fans and advertised that this was available in comic book shops but not with the digital comics, every Fortnite player started trying to find their local comic shop and get a copy of the comic – or just the code inside the comic.

I got mine, from a small store in South West London and was lucky to do so.
Comic Shops Heavily Underestimated Demand For Batman/Fortnite ComicAs of now, people are paying $40 on eBay just for the code, free in the $4 comic book. Firstly, the code is available to people who are paid subscribers to the DC Universe app – only available in North America. For the rest of us, it is worth noting that a second print is coming on the 4th of May. Orders for that were settled weeks ago too, but it is likely that DC Comics may overprint. And also that a third printing will most likely be rushed through. If so, it is likely that orders on the third printing will exceed the first printing.

As for issue 2, that is likely to be even harder to find, orders have also been set. I think Bleeding Cool can exclusively reveal that there will also be a second printing for Batman/Fortnite #2 out on the 25th of May, orders for which have not been set.

Also the Harley Quinn Rebirth skin from #1 will be available in the Item Shop in a few months anyway. And the items in subsequent issues #2-#6 will be available through the Item Shop on the same day as the comic is published. However the Armored Batman Zero Outfit for those who collect all six codes, that may be harder to come by any other way.

Ryan Higgins of the http://comicsconspiracy.biz in Sunnyvale, California, what many comic book retailers have been saying privately to me,
"Comics Conspiracy, the Batman/Fortnite comic is out tomorrow, but we're almost sold out already–please hold." "Comics Conspiracy, the Batman/Fortnite comic is out tomorrow, but we're almost sold out already–please hold." "Comics Conspiracy, the Batman/Fortnite comic is out t

"Seriously, it's the biggest blunder I've ever made. I literally had 1000 copies in my FOC cart and changed my mind last-minute. The retailer forums were, to put it mildly, a f-cking disaster. It's embarrassing. DC gave us full .pdf copies, made it returnable, and put it back on FOC."
Doug O'Loughlin ofhttps://comic-cave-pdx.myshopify.com/ in Kenton, Portland, People are freaking out on their LCS's re:Batman Fortnite crossover. Keep in mind this was slipped into the order at the last minute & many shops don't do much digital x-over business. I opted out because nobody was asking for it (thankful for my customers who are about reading). Either it's cool because of a code you can already buy on the DC website, or it's 'cuz an app said so (usually low print run, which doesn't necessarily mean a good product). Still, don't take it out on your comic shop if you didn't pre-order 3 wks ago.
You will get a second and third chance with multiple prints, however.

Red Hood

The tweet from Doug O'Loughlin from Comic Cave shows exactly everything that is wrong with today's LCS. Gatekeeping with the comment "thankful for my customers who are about reading", the stupid dig that at low print run, and all the excuses as to why they didn't stock on the item. At no point there's an understanding that this type of book will bring kids and teens, who are outsiders to the business. They don't know what a pull list is. They don't know that a comic book can be pre-ordered. Worst of all, the comic was returnable for full credit. Instead of using this as an opportunity to bring new blood into a business that is now for 30+ year old customers, they not only fucked up, but are using every single excuse as to why they didn't stock the book.

Red Hood

Red Hood

Red Hood

stingermck

Time to drop a book. No interest in Jon as Superman

Josh-da-man

I can sort of sympathize with the comic shops.

They don't necessarily have any way to know how well the book would sell. It seems like a risk to order heavily because it's probably something that is going to have minimal interest from regular Batman readers, and "mainstream" audiences are kind of fickle in that you don't really if they're going to turn up in droves or not until the very last minute. (This happened with the "Death of Superman" thirty years ago. Most comic book readers just kind of shrugged it off as another cheap sales stunt, but then it hit the mainstream news and people who hadn't even though about comic books in decades were lining up to get a copy.)

Yeah, I agree with this. The LCS is more of a hobby shop, and I don't think they're set up to handle things like this. The Direct Market is very generally very good at getting comic books into the hands of the people who read and collect them regularly; it's a niche hobby. But I also don't they think they are equipped or capitalized to handle large mainstream events like this.

I don't know what the actual sales or demand on this Batman/Fortnite project were, but if it was high, like it would account for more than 50% of the sales for that week, I can understand the LCSes being skittish about taking a risk on it and ending up tying up capital and having crates of comics they need to return if it turned out to be a bust.

If DC and Fortnite knew what a big deal this would be, then they probably should have partnered with major chains like Barnes & Noble or Target or Gamestop (and we know that the LCSes would bleat like stuck pigs because they were left out), or fully subsidized the event for LCSes (ie, absorbed all of the risk).

Like, DC, Warner, and Epic Games would let comic shops sign up for the Fortnite event, give them advertising kits, store signage, displays, and lots of comic books at their own financial risk. And a partnership like this would also allow Fortnite to let their players know which shops to go to. Then every comic store could have a big cardboard display of the comic books ready for the throngs of Fortnite fans storming into their store. That way, nobody leaves disappointed, DC and Fortnite sell tons of comic books, comic shops sell tons of comics, and everybody is happy.

Red Hood

AT&T has cut budgets across the board, specially in the marketing departments. DC is one of the divisions that has suffered the effects the most about these dumbheaded decisions. Even the weekly DC Connect, that was sent to retailers for free, has been eliminated on print, and now only released as a PDF on the Lunar site. While Marvel makes weekly videos of their upcoming books, trailers and other stuff and post it all over social media, DC has basically nothing. Really, this is another case of bean counters fucking up their properties because they don't see the value of it. For these reasons, there's no promotion for the Batman/Fortnite book by DC. Most of the promotion is viral because gamers in social media new about the codes and once again, DC doesn't have anyone on staff to check the pulse of what's going on in the streets or social media.

Still, retailers who have a pulse on the street and social media should have known better. The comments on the retailers forums are what lead me to the post above. These retailers were acting as gatekeepers, not wanting "these idiots with their stupid game" to invade the safe space at the comic shop. Many of these retailers are so out of touch with the new generation that I wonder who do they think is going to keep this business afloat once Gen X dies off.

Red Hood

In other news, this was announced today as being digital first.

PhantomStranger

I don't mind the idea of Jon playing Superman awhile, I think we all knew this was his ultimate destination all along when he was introduced. DC gets its both ways with Clark still hanging around and Jon being their "hip youth" take on Superman. Still not happy with how they aged Jon up so quickly. The process should have been handled over a decade in real time.

Some speculate DC is already preparing for the next decade when some elements of Superman start going public domain. Apparently Warner doesn't have several Senators in its backpocket like Disney.

Red Hood

Disney is having the same issue with Mickey Mouse going on public domain soon unless things change.

stingermck

My problem is Clark not having a book called Superman. Why can't we have Superman and Superman son of Kal El? Marvel does it all the time with the Spidey books.
​​​​​

Red Hood

The other problem with the aging on Jon is that DC has been quietly aging Damian too. Just look at this coming next week.

stingermck

If Jon pushed Damian off that building, I would buy his book then.