Everyone’s Talkin’ About DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, Friday Afternoon (ET) Edition

It's almost the weekend, but that's not stopping people from writing and talking about DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.

CNN’s GEEK OUT interviewed ACTION COMICS writer Grant Morrison. “Superman is very much a physical character,” responded Morrison when asked about the differences between writing Superman and Batman. “The confrontations are very direct - he fights giant robots and monsters and things, so the kind of symbolism the two of them work on are very different.”

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has your exclusive first look at next week’s BATGIRL #3 by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes.

Meanwhile, the ASSOCIATED PRESS quotes John Rood, DC Entertainment's Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for a story about the commercial success of DC Comics-The NEW 52. "We like what 'DC Comics — The New 52' is doing to bring new attention to comics and to comic shop retailers. And we like hearing that other publishers are being helped too. . . The market-share battle is not the one we care to win... We are battling to deliver great stories and characters, and to support comic shops so that they're the ones who win every month."

Have a great weekend, everyone. We'll have much, much more next week.

As always, to be continued …

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ardian syaf, associated press, batgirl, CNN's Geek Out, comic book resources, DC Comics-The New 52, gail simone, grant morrison, john rood, Vicente Cifuentes

Inside the Numbers: All 52 first issues of DC Comics-The New 52 sell out and receive second printings!

It’s official! All 52 first issues of DC Entertainment’s historic publishing initiative DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 have sold out from Diamond Comic Distributors in advance of publication. And all 52 issues will receive second printings.

Here’s a further look inside the numbers for DC COMICS-THE NEW 52:

· ACTION and BATGIRL already have third printings and JUSTICE LEAGUE, the bestselling comic book to date for all of 2011, is in its fourth printing.

· AQUAMAN #1 is the eleventh title in DC Comics-The New 52 with sales of more than 100,000. The series joins the sales ranks of the previously announced titles ACTION COMICS, BATGIRL, BATMAN, BATMAN AND ROBIN, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, DETECTIVE COMICS, THE FLASH, GREEN LANTERN, JUSTICE LEAGUE and SUPERMAN.

· BATMAN # 1 joins JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1 and ACTION COMICS # 1 as the third title with sales exceeding 200,000 copies.

“We at DC Entertainment thank our creators, our retail partners, and our readers, and remind them all we’re just getting started,” said John Rood, DC Entertainment Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development. “We’re thrilled to be making history, but we’re not standing around congratulating each other. We’re working behind the scenes to leverage our recent success into our long term vision for this company and its iconic characters and brands.”

“There’s never been anything like DC COMICS – THE NEW 52, as seen by our unprecedented sales and overwhelming fan enthusiasm," said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio. "All 52 first issues have now sold out in advance of publication and each one of the first issues has received a second printing. Backed by DC Entertainment's massive marketing campaign, dozens of retailer events, and hundreds of headlines from around the globe, this is a watershed moment for the comic book industry. It's the most significant publishing event in the last 25 years of this company’s long and storied history.”

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Counting down to DC Comics-The New 52: A note from John Rood

You can count on these 52.

And I can count on the dozens of folks here at DC Entertainment.  It is an honor to work on the Sales, Marketing & Business Development team, which also includes the areas of Franchise Management, Interactive, and Publicity.  Across the DC Comics, Vertigo, and MAD brands.

Many title pages on your new #1’s read, “DC Comics Proudly Presents.”  That’s how we feel today about DC Comics – The New 52.  Pride.  I am so proud, along with our creators and my colleagues and our thousands of retail partners, to present these stories and characters to you.

What we have set out to do, from a Sales & Marketing standpoint, is to make it all bigger and make it all easier for you, no matter who you are.

A favorite definition of Marketing I came across years ago is “removing barriers to a sale.”  So if a barrier was displaced readership, we have tried to remove it – with fresh storytelling and clear narratives so anyone can jump (back) aboard a given title.  So if a barrier was access, we have tried to remove it - with increasing new sales opportunities (i.e. new customers via new platforms) without jeopardizing our crucial core.  So if a barrier was retailer resources, we have tried to remove it – with the most aggressive incentive and co-op program ever.  So if a barrier was consumer awareness, we have tried to remove it – with a big and innovative advertising/publicity campaign.  So if a barrier was price, we have tried to remove it – with keeping all standard issues at $2.99.  So if a barrier was system morale, we have tried to remove it – with a collaborative and optimistic approach to all that we do.

Many in the industry are under the wrong impression that we want to “win the month” at all costs with sales of DC Comics - The New 52.  Sure, we’d love to get our books into more hands than ever before, profitably.  But it’s most important that any industry growth comes in an additive manner, so that all publishers may succeed.  To be clear – DC is not a market-share-chaser.  If we were, we would not be creating a quality lasting direction across a controlled number of titles.  We would instead be flooding the market with over 200 titles a month, changing your prices with abandon, killing off a character every quarter or so, and/or randomly announcing decimal-pointed event-ish thingies.  We haven’t.

So raise a glass – a real physical glass that feels good to the touch and is a lasting part of your collection, or one of those corny little drinking apps you’re temporarily enjoying on your mobile device – to DC Comics – The New 52.

We are just getting started, but we are sure proud of our recent steps.  And we sure do appreciate you being on this trip with us.

Thank you all very much.  See you in the stores.

John Rood

Executive VP-Sales, Marketing and Business Development

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DC Comics to Publish Historic First Comic Book Combo Pack Including JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 Comic Book and Digital Copy

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On Wednesday, August 31st, DC Comics will make publishing history again with their first-ever comic book combo pack. Each issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE, by New York Times bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee, will be available in a convenient combo pack including a print edition and digital version of the comic book.

Those who want a physical copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE to read and collect, as well as the ability to download it onto their favorite device for easy transport, get ready. Each print edition of the comic book and an individual code for digital download will be wrapped in a poly bag and available for $4.99. Separately, the standard version will retail for $3.99 and the digital version will retail for $3.99.

“As we continue to expand our readership and make our titles more accessible to readers everywhere, we’re excited to provide our comic shop retail partners and their consumers with multiple formats of JUSTICE LEAGUE in one convenient place,” said John Rood, EVP Sales, Marketing and Business Development.

Not only will Johns and Lee be collaborating for the first time, but their contemporary take on the origin of the comic book industry's premier superhero team will be available in DC Comics' historic first comic book combo pack.

Both digital and print editions of DC’s comics will have parity pricing for the first four weeks of release; thereafter, the digital titles drop in price down to our standard 1.99 digital price point. Oversized issues, including JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, will start at $3.99 and drop to $2.99 after four weeks.

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Bob Wayne Named SVP, Sales DC Comics

(October 18, 2010) Bob Wayne has been named Senior Vice President, Sales of DC Comics, it was announced at New York ComicCon by John Rood, EVP Sales, Marketing, and Business Development, DC Entertainment. Wayne will continue to oversee sales distribution for DC Comics in the direct market and bookstores, and in his new role will and will now oversee digital sales and all international distribution. He will be based in New York and report directly to John Rood.

“Bob Wayne's dedication to the direct market is boundless and he's been an instrumental, guiding force in DC Comics' growth in traditional bookstores,” said Rood. “Bob has a stellar reputation with our partners in the retail community and I look forward to watching his—and the company's-- expanded influence internationally on all platforms.”

Bob Wayne joined DC Comics as Retail Promotions Manager in 1987. He was promoted to Vice President, Direct Sales in 1998. He was honored with an Inkpot Award in 2009 at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Prior to joining DC, Wayne operated a chain of comics and science fiction stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

He is the co-author of the DC comic book series Time Masters.

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Hank Kanalz Named SVP, Digital – DC Entertainment

(October 10, 2010) Hank Kanalz has been named Senior Vice President, Digital of DC Entertainment, it was announced today at New York ComicCon by Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher and John Rood, DC Entertainment EVP of Sales & Marketing. In this newly created position, Kanalz will develop and oversee the execution of the annual digital publishing schedule, coordinating all digital comic content across DC Universe, Vertigo, and MAD. He will also oversee digital special projects and business development such as custom publishing and e-commerce.” Kanalz will be based in Burbank and report to Lee and Rood, and will work closely with the Warner Bros. Digital Distribution group, which supports the Company’s digital initiatives.

“Hank has been integral to the launch of our digital comics initiative, and was an essential part of WildStorm for the past six years,” said Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Comics. “I’m eager to have him working alongside me to blaze new trails in digital publishing and bring our comics to more readers beyond print.”

Previous to his new role, Hank Kanalz served as Vice President and General Manager of WildStorm, where he oversaw day-to-day operations including editorial, production, coloring and administration, as well as edited several comic titles, including World of Warcraft and Fringe. Kanalz was a key figure in building WildStorm’s strong crossmedia relationships, which led to adaptations of popular film, television and gaming properties to the comics medium.

Before coming to DC Comics in 2004, Kanalz was Director of Worldwide Theme Parks for Warner Bros. Consumer Products, where he oversaw the company's relationship with theme park licensees such as Six Flags and Universal Studios, as well as other destination entertainment businesses. He was a key liaison between DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products for several years.

Kanalz has also written comic books, including The Flash and Green Lantern for DC.

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Dan DiDio, DC Comics, dc entertainment, hank kanalz, jim lee, john rood
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