Marvel Helps Out Retailers But Gives DC the Finger

[AfghanAnt]

MARVEL OFFERS RETAILERS COMICS FOR COMICS

In an effort to provide assistance to comic retailers in 2010, Marvel is offering retailers an opportunity to turn unsold comics into an extremely rare Siege #3 Deadpool Variant!

Retailers ? for every 50 stripped covers of the following comics sent to Marvel, you will qualify to receive one FREE Siege #3 Deadpool Variant.  The 50 stripped covers can be any combination of the comics listed below and all submissions need to be received at the Marvel office at the address below by Tuesday 2/16/2010.   Also included with the stripped covers must be your store contact information including Diamond Account # and email address.

Stripped Covers To Be Sent:
Adventure Comics #4
Booster Gold #26
Doom Patrol #4
Justice League Of America #39
Outsiders #24.
R.E.B.E.L.S #10

Address To Send Submission:
James Nausedas
Marvel Entertainment, LLC
417 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Information To Be Included With Submission:
Store Name
Store Address
Contact Person
Email Address
Phone Number
Diamond Account #
List of stripped covers being returned and their quantities

All the directions above must be adhered to in order to receive the free Siege #3 Deadpool Variants and the submissions must be received by Tuesday 2/16/2010 in order to qualify.

I know a lot of people are mad and saying this is tacky and unsold comics should go to troops or whatever but from a marketing perspective this is a very good way to show that the Diamond charts were inflated for DC (which they were based on how many unsold copies of these titles are currently at my local comic shop) and reward retailers with a variant that will easily go for $300 on Ebay.

[DrMike2000]

Thas kind of funny. I approve wholeheartedly.
As long as it doesnt bring REBELS or Doom Patrol's inevitabel cancellations any closer that is...

[Trelau]

I'm not sure i really understand what's happening here...Marvel is trading a valuable comics of there own for 50 old Dc comics with any retailer that wants, correct? so what's exactly the point of that? we don't have any "real" comic books shop where i live (eck i'm not even sure comics sell well enough in the country to get a shop at all) so i'm not familiar with the "Diamond Chart". So yeah, i'm confused

[AfghanAnt]

I'm not sure i really understand what's happening here...Marvel is trading a valuable comics of there own for 50 old Dc comics with any retailer that wants, correct? so what's exactly the point of that? we don't have any "real" comic books shop where i live (eck i'm not even sure comics sell well enough in the country to get a shop at all) so i'm not familiar with the "Diamond Chart". So yeah, i'm confused

Marvel is calling bs on the success of Blackest Night tie-ins. The only reason said comics were ordered was because of the rings (almost all of which I have) and now retailers are stuck with tons of these tie-in issues that no ones has interest in (though I did think Rebels was pretty good).

Making retailers tear the covers off is just a bit of mean spirited fun at a long time competitor.

So to answer your questions - for every 50 non-sold Blackest Night tie-in a retailer sends into Marvel, they'll receive an extremely rare variant cover of Siege #3 (which btw will most likely help them recoup said Blackest Night losses).

I know my local comic book guy is doing it, he's has stacks of those ring titles all over the store.  

[Trelau]

Wow that is so petty. But i guess it's a good deal for the retailers so yey for them.
Man i should have ordered the blackest night with rings online...wonder if the rings are/will be available on their own

[BentonGrey]

Ehh, if it helps the retailers out, good.  They are having a rough time these days.

[murs47]

I think Marvel is trying to gauge how financially successful DC's power ring promo was. With the intention of mimicking it, if it was.
Marvel is a business, like any other, they're in the interest of making money. There is no financial gain in spending money to call another company out.

[bat1987]

Not sure what to make of this really, DC got their money for the issues, but why would anyone give out 50 comics for one variant is beyond me. But it makes them look desperate in a way, doing this cheap gimmick in order to sell comics. Would like to know if DC has something to say about this.

[Podmark]

doing this cheap gimmick in order to sell comics.

But Marvel isn't actually selling any comics in this. The variant is given to retailers free if they send them the stripped covers.

Thanks to this thread I have a better idea what this was all about, but Marvel really seems like a jerk in this, I expect DC may already be planning something to get them back. I could see this getting kinda ugly. Also I'm still wondering if this can actually be legal.

[bat1987]

doing this cheap gimmick in order to sell comics.

But Marvel isn't actually selling any comics in this. The variant is given to retailers free if they send them the stripped covers.

My bad, but they do want to generate more interest in this Siege variant by doing this.

[Podmark]

doing this cheap gimmick in order to sell comics.

But Marvel isn't actually selling any comics in this. The variant is given to retailers free if they send them the stripped covers.

My bad, but they do want to generate more interest in this Siege variant by doing this.

True but I haven't heard yet if this variant is being sold at all. It could be that this whole stunt is being done at a loss to prove a point or learn something as Murs suggested.

[Xenolith]

Tearing off covers may not be just a mean spirited thing.  In the old days before comic shops, newstands had to tear the covers off comics and magazines they returned to the publisher.  I don't recall why, but that was a policy.  I don't know the reason for the policy.

I don't know if this is anything like the old days, but maybe it is.

[lugaru]

Tearing off covers may not be just a mean spirited thing.  In the old days before comic shops, newstands had to tear the covers off comics and magazines they returned to the publisher.  I don't recall why, but that was a policy.  I don't know the reason for the policy.

I don't know if this is anything like the old days, but maybe it is.

That is the only reason I'm not freaking out, I actually purchased many "torn cover" comics in Mexico for a nice discount.

Still they should send 'em to Prisons and the Army.

[RTTingle]

Helping shop owners... how?

Whats the chances of that one comic actually being sold?  They have a better chance of eventually selling those 50 comics over time more so than that one comic.

And a variant rare cover... ugh.  Will it be die cut, laser printed and tri-fold too?  Ugh... I hated those damn gimmicks.

Encouraging anybody to destroy merchandise that is not even theirs to begin with is not helping anyone for something that would most likely not sell anyways. 

As for why rip the covers off...  its called stripping a book.  Per wikipedia...

A "stripped book" is a mass market paperback that has been stripped of its cover in order to be pulped and recycled as a result of lack of sales. The covers are returned to the publisher as evidence that the books have been destroyed and the books are discarded or recycled into paper or cardboard products.

A photograph of the copyright page in a book. Note the Stripped book notice on the bottom of the page

However, many stripped books end up back on the marketplace, and are sold at places like flea markets. As a result, beginning in the 1980s, most publishers of mass market paperbacks insert a warning on the copyright page, often containing the note:

    If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."

Hardcovers are usually disposed of as remaindered books rather than stripped books. A few hardcover titles, such as Angus Oblong's Creepy Susie, carry the above warning, though hardcover books are generally returned whole, not just the cover itself.

---rt

[Podmark]

Whats the chances of that one comic actually being sold?  They have a better chance of eventually selling those 50 comics over time more so than that one comic.

The chances of that variant selling is probably 100% for many retailers, and those who retailers who don't usually sell variants well are hopefully smart enough not to go for this order.

At this point these BN tie-in issues are probably more likely to be sold on sale over the course of the future, which will be at a loss for retailers. The Siege variant would be sold at a high price as a collectible, an estimate I saw said it would likely go for $300 on eBay.


Robot6 has an article on this including comments by Tom Brevoort that explain Marvel's stance on the issue. You can see it here.

[lugaru]

Simply put:

DC tried to get people to buy a bunch of so-so books by packaging chunks of plastic with 'em.

MARVEL offers up a collectible item which is literally worth the same as one or two comics but artificially probably worth more than the whole 50 that are being ripped.

Meanwhile Image cant keep enough copies of Chew in print, no gimmicks.

[bat1987]

I liked Geoff Johns response

Blackest Night author and Earth 2 retailer Geoff Johns got in a little snark in response: "A Deadpool variant is anything but rare. Trust me. I own a store."

[RTTingle]

If this was really about helping comic book shop owners... then why can't Marvel simply make the same offer for their own Dark Reign books?

---RT

[Previsionary]

If this was really about helping comic book shop owners... then why can't Marvel simply make the same offer for their own Dark Reign books?

---RT

What? And show a complete lack of faith in their product that led into a "7 years in the making" event heralded by Bendis? Get it together, RT. You're not thinking straight.

[AfghanAnt]

Wow you can tell who is a DC fan and who is a Marvel fan by the responses in this thread.

For all the people saying how will destroying product help the retailers:
1) DC Comics forced retailers to purchase as many as 50 copies of Blackest Night tie-in comics to receive one bag of single color rings. In order to have a full set of rings, retailers had to purchase at least 250 of all the Blackest Night comics and pay $56 on top of that for the full set of plastic rings.

2) The copies of these Blackest Night tie-ins will become rare because of stripping. Retailers can jack up the resell value of the comics (which doesn't hurt DC because they already made their money off plastic rings) that normally would've been in the quarter bin by the end of this year.

3) The variant copy of Siege #3 will sell easily for $300 which is three times the value of 50 copies of any of the Blackest Night tie-ins (50 copies equals about 99.75 for retailers).

Retailers make profit, Marvel find out how successful cheap knick knacks were for DC, and DC is butt hurt because their 4th quarter Diamond sales are proven to be over inflated which by the way is probably what sparked this. Joe Q doesn't believe Blackest Night was as successful as people are saying and honestly I agree. My guy who is like the only guy in New Orleans still has ton of the Blackest Night titles (main series and tie-ins) and he's practically giving those rings away (I got two black lantern rings when I purchase issue one).

I really don't see how Marvel is being petty. Clever, yes. Petty, not really. At least they aren't forcing retailers to purchase product they can't sell.

Here's the details about the plastic ring non-sense which btw retailers should have realized was a bad idea.

Spoiler

Retailers may order the rings based on orders of BLACKEST NIGHT #5 and these November tie-in issues: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39, BOOSTER GOLD #26, DOOM PATROL #4, ADVENTURE COMICS #4, R.E.B.E.L.S #10 and OUTSIDERS #24.

Retailers may order Promotional Blackest Night Rings as follows:

* For every 25 copies of DOOM PATROL #4 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty YELLOW PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The YELLOW PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on November 4.

* For every 25 copies of BOOSTER GOLD #26 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty ORANGE PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The ORANGE PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on November 18.

* For every 50 copies of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty RED PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The RED PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on December 2.

* For every 50 copies of BLACKEST NIGHT #5 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty GREEN PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The GREEN PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on December 16.

* For every 50 copies of ADVENTURE COMICS #4 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty BLUE PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The BLUE PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on December 30.

* For every 25 copies of R.E.B.E.L.S #10 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty INDIGO PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The INDIGO PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on January 13.

* For every 25 copies of OUTSIDERS #24 ordered by the order increase cut-off date, retailers may order one bag of fifty VIOLET PROMOTIONAL RINGS at a net cost of $8.00 U.S. The VIOLET PROMOTIONAL RINGS are scheduled to arrive in stores on January 27.

[Tawodi Osdi]

As someone who is not a current comic buyer, maybe, my two cents worth isn't worth two cents, but it seems that if either of the big two really wanted to help out retailers they would produce comics that more people would actually want to read or do something to lower the costs to retailers and their financially strapped clientele.  Making retailers plunk down money for the Cracker Jack prizes or making deals on variant covers seems like a ludicrous plan all the way around.  If the stories were good enough, they wouldn't need gimmicks.

[Podmark]

If the stories were good enough, they wouldn't need gimmicks.

That's not necessarily true. Lots of quality things don't sell for various reasons. Comics in general currently don't reach beyond a certain amount of customers and there are no guaranteed ways to increase that customer base.

As for the price of comics, obviously if they were cheaper more people would be willing to pay for them. But I have no idea what the current costs of comics are, so I don't know how much cheaper they could make them.

[AfghanAnt]

If the stories were good enough, they wouldn't need gimmicks.

That's not necessarily true. Lots of quality things don't sell for various reasons. Comics in general currently don't reach beyond a certain amount of customers and there are no guaranteed ways to increase that customer base.

As for the price of comics, obviously if they were cheaper more people would be willing to pay for them. But I have no idea what the current costs of comics are, so I don't know how much cheaper they could make them.

Capt Britain was one of those titles (too bad I didn't read it when it was still being published...) !

[Previsionary]

If the stories were good enough, they wouldn't need gimmicks.

That's not necessarily true. Lots of quality things don't sell for various reasons. Comics in general currently don't reach beyond a certain amount of customers and there are no guaranteed ways to increase that customer base.

As for the price of comics, obviously if they were cheaper more people would be willing to pay for them. But I have no idea what the current costs of comics are, so I don't know how much cheaper they could make them.

Capt Britain was one of those titles (too bad I didn't read it when it was still being published...) !

What?! Even after all my shameless promoting of that title, you still didn't jump in until after it was canceled? I'M A FAILURE! *runs away*

[AfghanAnt]

If the stories were good enough, they wouldn't need gimmicks.

That's not necessarily true. Lots of quality things don't sell for various reasons. Comics in general currently don't reach beyond a certain amount of customers and there are no guaranteed ways to increase that customer base.

As for the price of comics, obviously if they were cheaper more people would be willing to pay for them. But I have no idea what the current costs of comics are, so I don't know how much cheaper they could make them.

Capt Britain was one of those titles (too bad I didn't read it when it was still being published...) !

What?! Even after all my shameless promoting of that title, you still didn't jump in until after it was canceled? I'M A FAILURE! *runs away*

I really should have listened to you. Same thing with Hercules - though I have all the Ares issues because I like Ares.

[lugaru]

HERC is a champ, I always liked the character but I could not believe how good that book was once the first few issues came out.