Posted on 11/21/2020 3:06:30 PM PST by Bratch
At the beginning of this year, and going into 2021, several comic creators working for DC Comics had planned on long runs for their current assignments, but in the wake of the coronavirus and DC’s ongoing and rolling layoffs, many talented DC staff members now have no idea how the publishing world is going to look in 2021 as it appears that AT&T and DC are going to continue to do layoffs and cut even more of their titles.
Some of our readers may not be aware that DC Comics is in chaos. Lots of creators are refreshing their portfolios and starting to jump ship, looking for other things to work on such as novels, screenplays, and even crowdfunding their own ideas. More and more people at the beleaguered comics publisher are convinced that DC is either pulling out of the direct market altogether, or drastically cutting back on their periodicals so much that it is effectively the same thing. And it’s not just DC. My sources tell me that Marvel Comics is also going to be facing a lot of layoffs and cutbacks towards the end of 2020 as well.
Cosmic Book News previously cited the following commentary by artist Ethan Van Sciver on what fate awaits DC’s publishing:
“In case you haven’t figured it out yet. DC Comics is closing down their publishing division. Now don’t worry everyone. That doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be Batman, Superman, maybe Wonder Woman and stuff,” said Van Sciver in his latest video posted to his ComicArtistPro Secrets YouTube channel. “What I think is happening going forward is DC Comics is going to pair down in the immediate future to a handful of comic books, maybe 12 comic books per month, maybe 12, maybe fewer than that, and these comics are going to be Justice League, Superman, and Batman, and that’s it. There might be back up stories in these books. Maybe there will be a Justice League super-sized book and you will be able to get a Green Lantern short story or a Flash or a Hawkman.”
Van Sciver continues: “But they are not taking any more chances. Publishing is being paired down. Only the best creative teams are going to be allowed to work on them, but they are going to be working for subsistence-level pay.”
It’s just business, folks, but is it all COVID-19’s fault?
As comic prices kept increasing, events and stunts began to replace any sort of deep storytelling. The comic creators and editors still doubled down on the #woke, and a lot of creators loved nothing better than to pick fights with fans online. Many fans were often told ‘if you don’t like it, don’t buy it’ so many did exactly that. I have a lot of sympathy for the comic book store owners. Without DC and Marvel to pull people in, how many can survive just selling the indy titles or back issues?
If only there were some reasonable explanation for why DC Comics would cancel Aquaman written by Kelly Sue DeConnick?!? pic.twitter.com/PO2sWiJXmQ
— Bleeding Fool (@BleedingFool) August 15, 2020
I try to avoid gambling whenever I can, but I strongly suspect 2021 will see the demise of DC Comics as we know it. A year ago, I might have thought differently. Avi Green was telling us this over a year ago, and so was former DC artist Ethan Van Sciver. But at that time, it was doubtful to me that AT&T would sell off or kill DC Comics anytime soon. DC’s comic and book sales don’t significantly boost WarnerMedia’s revenue, but its comic book IP’s and storylines can still provide valuable fodder for future TV and film projects at WarnerMedia. Unfortunately, AT&T hasn’t a clue about publishing. Warners Media recognizes the value of those comics’ IPs, but AT&T’s usual response to losing profits is “slash & burn”.
And AT&T went heavily into debt to buy Time Warner (which itself owned CNN). They are now one hundred and fifty eight billion (with a B!) in debt, and they are cutting costs everywhere and trying to sell anything except the only part of Warner they want, its movie catalogue and its streaming services (especially HBO). Now there are strong rumors out there that AT&T wants to sell CNN and several other cable channels, too.
Makes sense. CNN is currently viewed as a garbage property which will be losing even more money if President Trump ultimately loses the White House– they’ve done “Orangemanbad!” programming for four plus years. What would they do in place of that?
From Outkick the Coverage:
“This rumor is real and the people I know at CNN believe they are for sale,” Gasparino concludes.
Before the election, speculation in business circles emerged that, due to debt, AT&T could move off CNN. Investment bankers speaking to Fox Business surmised Jeff Bezos could be a buyer.
CNN’s future is up in the air for reasons beyond just AT&T’s enormous debt. CNN President Jeff Zucker’s may not stick around and the network’s current strategy is strictly hating Trump. Assuming Joe Biden is certified by the states as the winner, CNN’s shows and hosts must find a new identity. Finally, the increasingly irresponsible political network doesn’t fit with the rest of Time Warner’s safe properties. Both AT&T CEO John Stankey and chairman Randall Stephenson have grown less comfortable with CNN’s controversial programming, Fox Business adds.
With ratings expected to drop post-Trump, CNN’s value won’t increase. Thus, if AT&T plans to move the network, it should do so before the start of the ratings fall.
Faced with a cash-starved corporate master with an unsentimental, “what have you done for me lately” approach to any legacy sub-brands they own, along with an urgent need to monetize its new media empire through streaming and licensing, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if even Superman himself is capable of rescuing DC Comics as we’ve known it for the past 80 years. We may be about to witness the comics industry collapse very soon.
Will the Future State of DC be licensing out their legacy characters? Only 2021 will tell.
Gee maybe all the trans queer and anti hero characters were not a great idea?
DC comics did like fox they decided that we dont count anymore and they can do what they please, gay and transgender superheros killed them
Nobody wants faggoty super heroes. Nobody wants Muslim super heroes. Nobody wants Mary Sue super heroes.
Their audience never was millenial soy boys. What's left of it was older middle aged men who wanted a bit of nostalgia for their childhood.
They act as if this is a bad thing.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Trump bought CNN?
ATT is corrupt. It completely exploited the CNN property to damage Trump.
The newly designated CEO has serious financial ties to Dominion.
It seems Bezos wants to own media properties that get sued for defamation in the hundreds of millions - and don’t even contest the suit. He is the world’s richest man, and I surmise he doesn’t care whether his media properties lose money. Is he buying CNN to actually ensure they feel free to defame conservatives?
“Many fans were often told ‘if you don’t like it, don’t buy it’ so many did exactly that.”
It’s terrible when you are so politically correct that you don’t know your own base.
BTW, I have the whole collection of the Death of Superman.
I was thinking of the same thing.
If Dominion can screw with votes, ATT can spy on citizens’ phones and computers.
Peddling trash to the few. They will never see the light. Create hero characters that appeal to the majority, and they might survive a few years more. "Revenge of the Whites!", "Reject Woke and no more Dope!", "We Did Build That!" are a few titles that need to be published.
DC got “woke” to the max...hope they enjoy the implosion.
‘Publishing is being paired down.”
Lol...”paired” down.
Goes without saying. We’re all profiled through various data mechanisms including the analytics herein.
I posted this past week that Don Jr. and other potential investors have mentioned in the past that they were looking to start a conservative TV channel.
I added that if CNN was ripe for the plucking they should snap it up. Viewers want to lie down on their comfy sofas and click on an existing TV cable the same as they click on CNN and MSNBC.
They DON'T want all that "streaming" and "digital" stuff.....and neither do I.
Leni
Conservatives with money should buy CNN.
“ There may be hope in American youth yet.... ”
The 60’s counterculture was all about rebelling against the “the man”.
Now, Liberalism IS “the man”...even though it’s not fond of most men. To rebel these days is to be Conservative.
Maybe the DNC should just pull the mask off and buy it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.