Paul Pope reveals DC's demographic surveys, which explain a lot:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/08/quote-of-the-day-we-publish-comics-for-45-year-olds/
And yet, being *even older than that*, I would've been interested in seeing a Paul Pope Kamandi, even if it didn't have gorey violence and hot sex (or vice versa).
The funniest part is that DC is targeting 45 year olds with its current lineup.
-- MSA
Replies
That kind of explains what "the New 52" is all about... clearly, DC sees 52 as the median age of its readers now.
The same is probably true of Marvel as well. Interestingly, Fantastic Four # 1 came out 52 years ago, and Marvel is still trying to tap into that very same Stan-and-Jack vein.
I'm 50, and the crap they're putitng out now sure isn't appealing to me.
I am 52, and even I reckon the future of comics is grim, especially if they're aiming at that demographic!
By the way, I don't read any post-Crisis (1985) comics, and think comics had peaked by the mid-1970s!
I'm going to be 48 next month and I've never dropped so many DC titles as I have the last year. They (and Marvel, to be honest) constantly put out waves of new titles that are supposed to be innovative and cutting-edge. And some are. But the majority is not. DC has abandoned its continuity several times already. I can't see that as pleasing older readers.
My main concern are the children. There is very little that is safe or fun for them to read by DC. Imagine some parent buying Batman or Superman for their kid now. And being horrified by the sex and violence, shown or implied.
Comics are supposed to be uplifting and entertainment, not filled with death and despair all the time.
If you want to be emotionally shattered constantly, read The Walking Dead, not Batman!
I don't particular have an interest in Kamandi and I'm not sure I'd read a new series. Though Dave Gibbons story in Wednesday Comics was pretty good. It would be nice to see a DC series that's a little different than their current series. Maybe one day.
First off, I'd love a Paul Pope Kamandi.
But I don't think the conversation Pope is recounting is all that recent -- and possibly more reflective of the comics DC were publishing before the New 52. It starts out with him saying "Batman did pretty well..." Presumably he means Batman Year 100, published in 2006-07. This sounds like a "what's next?" conversation, from that, so it probably happened in early 2007.
We don't even know if the "head of DC" he's talking about is Dan Didio or Paul Levitz.
I think a Paul Pope Kamandi series would be all kinds of awesome. I also think it would not sell well at all. That's no reflection on Pope; fringe characters like Kamandi would be a tough sell with any creator attached.
DC (or Marvel, or anyone else) cannot greenlight every idea that comes down the pike. They, not Pope, are the ones taking the risks. If such a series was on the market, and it starting losing money, Pope isn't going to give his money back, or reduce his page rate (nor should he, that's not my argument) anymore than a ballplayer will give back money from a big contract when they have a bad season, or an actor would give back part of his salary when a movie bombs at the box office.
I appreciate what you guys are saying about DC's current output not appealing to you, but DC has seen their sales go up overall since they launched the new 52. That is what they are paying attention to, because they are - and always have been - a business.
Also, Pope makes a reference to his Batman series doing well. As Rob said, that would likely be Batman Year 100, and it came out in 2006. So I'm guessing when says "the head of DC" he's referring to Paul Levitz. This isn't a comment about the New 52, and Levitz is no longer in charge. It isn't the current regime that turned down his Kamandi pitch. Pope is recounting a story well over 5 years old.
I’m 49 and the only DC comic I read these days is Batman ’66.
Marvel’s faring a little better with four (Fantastic Four, FF, Daredevil, Hawkeye).
John Dunbar (the mod of maple) said:
The sad part of that though is that they've decided people that have read their stuff for all of these years just don't matter that much. I can understand them wanting ten new customers and sacrificing one customer to get them, but when you're that one... Doesn't make for a good feeling. At the moment I am picking up more DC than anything else, I picked up a marvel last week because I remembered Dazzler fondly, but they've made her a thuggish SHIELD agent and I hear that the Avengers just picked up two new members who killed a couple of cities on Earth by bombing them, so off I go to the indies and others. I know it's a business and that I'm a dying breed, but knowing and liking it are two different things.
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