Double Features - would this work?

[Weeto]

I know that DC seem to be looking to phase out comics which feature second features for $3.99 but I think they should look into selling some titles as double full length books with two separate stories with different characters.

This would probably take production costs down a little and allow them to put out double books for around $4.99 a shot.

Obviously the books would have to be carefully chosen to complement each other but there are books that could easily be glued together. JSA and JSA All Stars, Legion Of Superheroes and R.E.B.E.L.S, Batman and Detective Comics and Superman and Action Comics would probably work and there are several others that would probably work well.

There are a lot of titles that readers would be likely to read as companion titles to another so putting them together could work.

[Matt Doc Martin]

Seems sound...so it will never happen

[BClayMoore]

Historically, readers and retailers hate those.

-BCM

[Thequeerjock]

A lot of people were hesitant to pay 4 bucks for a mere 10 page story about a character they didn't like. I don't see a whole double book ending well.

I would however be interested in seeing more duo titles like the old Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Powerman & Iron Fist though.

[BClayMoore]

We did '76 at Image as a double-feature book, understanding it was a tough sell, but we figured if either story appealed to you, the odds were both would.

Sales weren't stellar, but reaction was great. We stalled out halfway through the book, and will release each "half" as individual trade paperbacks.

Double features probably aren't worth the risk, unless they're promotional previews or something...

-BCM

[DonC]

Maybe 10 years ago, DC tried this by having issues of Shadow of the Bat and Azrael as a flip book. The reaction, from the fans I know, was universally negative. Paying $4 for a comic just wasn't something fans were willing to do.

The more things change....

[NickT]

The problem is getting the complimenting right IMO. You're listing characters, but there's also creators. Some books I buy just for the creators, so if it's a book where I story I read has another story that is not a character and/or creators I want to read, it becomes an expensive thing to follow.

[Stressfactor]

We did '76 at Image as a double-feature book, understanding it was a tough sell, but we figured if either story appealed to you, the odds were both would.

Sales weren't stellar, but reaction was great. We stalled out halfway through the book, and will release each "half" as individual trade paperbacks.

Double features probably aren't worth the risk, unless they're promotional previews or something...

-BCM

I liked it. In fact, I did like both halves. There was a slightly different tone to each but they both looked like the type of movies that would have been shown back-to-back on St. Louis's KPLR channel 11 Saturday or Sunday movie block.

Gods I miss the days KPLR was an independent TV station. I miss indie TV stations period. Those guys would get the most awesome old TV series to show on reruns and on Saturdays and Sundays KPLR used to show movies most of the day and most of the time they would have themes. Like they would show 3 Abbott and Costello movies back-to-back or they would show 3 John Wayne movies, or 3 Westerns or 3 War movies, etc.

Maybe that's why I don't have a problem with doubled titles overall. I grew up with stuff like that on TV.

[Stressfactor]

A lot of people were hesitant to pay 4 bucks for a mere 10 page story about a character they didn't like. I don't see a whole double book ending well.

I would however be interested in seeing more duo titles like the old Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Powerman & Iron Fist though.

I've argued that DC should create a kind of 'try out book' that would have two different stories featuring all-new characters or new pitches for old characters. Let the creators have about two or three months to do a short story arc and then let readers vote on which, if any, of the two features should get a shot at a mini-series.

After their cycle is up another two creators get a shot.

The winners then get a six issue mini-series to sell the character. If sales are good it gets a shot at an ongoing. If sales are poor nothing more happens.

At the very least it gives a shot to people to get a chance to get something published and it lets DC try out some new characters or new ideas.

Of course, with that there's also the issue of the fact that they would have to have the patience to understand that not every month will an issue be a knock out of the park.

[Lester C.]

Crossgen tried something simular called Forge and Edge with each book being a collection of all their indivual issues three months behind the monthlies for an extreme bargin price. It bombed completly. This strategy of selling works much better overseas like in Japan or Europe.

[BClayMoore]

I liked it. In fact, I did like both halves. There was a slightly different tone to each but they both looked like the type of movies that would have been shown back-to-back on St. Louis's KPLR channel 11 Saturday or Sunday movie block.

Gods I miss the days KPLR was an independent TV station. I miss indie TV stations period. Those guys would get the most awesome old TV series to show on reruns and on Saturdays and Sundays KPLR used to show movies most of the day and most of the time they would have themes. Like they would show 3 Abbott and Costello movies back-to-back or they would show 3 John Wayne movies, or 3 Westerns or 3 War movies, etc.

Maybe that's why I don't have a problem with doubled titles overall. I grew up with stuff like that on TV.


Well, most of my influences fall closer to Sunday afternoon movie blocks than other comics, so I like hearing that.

I regret that the fans we do have will now be forced to pick up collections to finish the books, but, as often happens, one of our artists had to sloooow waaaaay down to accommodate an animation gig, and it threw everything off track.

-BCM

[Thequeerjock]

I've argued that DC should create a kind of 'try out book' that would have two different stories featuring all-new characters or new pitches for old characters. Let the creators have about two or three months to do a short story arc and then let readers vote on which, if any, of the two features should get a shot at a mini-series.

After their cycle is up another two creators get a shot.

The winners then get a six issue mini-series to sell the character. If sales are good it gets a shot at an ongoing. If sales are poor nothing more happens.

At the very least it gives a shot to people to get a chance to get something published and it lets DC try out some new characters or new ideas.

Of course, with that there's also the issue of the fact that they would have to have the patience to understand that not every month will an issue be a knock out of the park.

Looking at Wikipedia, apparently they tried that back in the 70's with something called "First Issue Special".

It apparently bombed quickly, but it sounds interesting.

[BClayMoore]

Looking at Wikipedia, apparently they tried that back in the 70's with something called "First Issue Special".

It apparently bombed quickly, but it sounds interesting.

FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL did launch WARLORD. But otherwise it was a strange hodgepodge of stories that seemed like inventory that didn't fit anywhere else.

It also saw publication of one of the all-time great DOCTOR FATE stores, by Marty Pasko and Walt Simonson. But things like THE GREEN TEAM and THE OUTSIDERS have to be seen to be believed.

A better example would be Marvel's MARVEL SPOTLIGHT or MARVEL PREMIERE.

Titles launched out of those books included DOCTOR STRANGE, IRON FIST, SON OF SATAN, GHOST RIDER, RED WOLF, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, SPIDER-WOMAN and WARLOCK.

-BCM

[DonC]

Crossgen tried something simular called Forge and Edge with each book being a collection of all their indivual issues three months behind the monthlies for an extreme bargin price. It bombed completly. This strategy of selling works much better overseas like in Japan or Europe.


Actually, most of the CG fans I know loved Forge and Edge. They dropped the monthly CG books and just read the reprints. Given that I only read most comics once, I might be willing to try this again if DC, for example, started repackaging their Batman books in this format.

[BClayMoore]

Since FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL came up, here are some of the more entertaining moments from that book:

http://image2.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/32264604970.2.GIF

http://image2.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/32264604970.4.GIF

http://image2.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/32264604970.6.GIF

http://image2.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/32264604970.10.GIF

http://image2.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/fullsize/32264604970.12.GIF

Of course, James Robinson managed to salvage that last one.

And there's probably something that could be done with the Green Team...

-BCM

[Thequeerjock]

They were in Morrison's Animal Man collection!

And LOL, you should read the text piece Robinson wrote about the Starman issue of FIS. He talks about how incredibly disappointing it was to read such a great hook and then never see any follow-up.

[Spiffy]

Ha. "Lady Cop" looks CLASSIC.

[dmh3000]

Ha. "Lady Cop" looks CLASSIC.

I don't know, I think Green Team could have gotten somewhere.

[Chris Hansbrough]

Since FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL came up, here are some of the more entertaining moments from that book:

[snip]
Of course, James Robinson managed to salvage that last one.

And there's probably something that could be done with the Green Team...

-BCM
Lady Cop kicked ass when Gail was writing her ;p

[Stressfactor]

Lady Cop kicked ass when Gail was writing her ;p

Yeah, I was going to say Gail resurrected Lady Cop and made her Chief of Police of Ivy Town during her "All New Atom" run.

If the series had lasted longer I do wonder what else Gail would have done with the character.

[Stressfactor]

Looking at Wikipedia, apparently they tried that back in the 70's with something called "First Issue Special".

It apparently bombed quickly, but it sounds interesting.

Where I think a modern take could do well would be by allowing readers to vote immediately online.

Most people are online quite a bit so it wouldn't take much to zip over to DC's website and then cast a vote for one of the theoretical pitches.

Heck, there could even be an option to vote 'neither one' if it came to that and if not enough fans liked either of the features to think they deserved more of a shot. That way DC wouldn't have to bother with moving forward with the creators then getting a six issue mini-series.

And Clay is right -- a ton of good Marvel characters came out of "Marvel Presents" and the like.

Also, it should not be forgotten that the birth of the Silver Age came mostly out of "Showcase Presents" -- which was, at the time, a kind of 'try-out' book. DC tested the waters with The Flash and Green Lantern in "Showcase" before either of them ever got their own ongoing title. Over at Marvel the same happened with Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor. None of them started out in titles with their names on them -- they were tucked under anthology titles and had to prove themselves before they were allowed to break out into their own self-titled comics.

[Tobias M]

That's a great idea. They could just take 'Funny or Die', as their model. As it is many creators have strong online presences, so it could develop quite organically.

[BClayMoore]

D'oh! How could I forget SHOWCASE?

Flash, Challengers of the Unknown, Green Lantern, Lois Lane, Aquaman, the Atom, Metal Men, Rip Hunter, Teen Titans, Inferior Five, Creeper, Hawk and Dove, Bat Lash, Anthro...on and on...

-BCM

[Stressfactor]

D'oh! How could I forget SHOWCASE?

Flash, Challengers of the Unknown, Green Lantern, Lois Lane, Aquaman, the Atom, Metal Men, Rip Hunter, Teen Titans, Inferior Five, Creeper, Hawk and Dove, Bat Lash, Anthro...on and on...

-BCM

I started a list once of all the heroes who started out in "Showcase" and who either lasted into the modern era or were still around today and soon had to stop because it was basically nearly all of them.

Even Wally West was introduced as Kid Flash in Showcase so when he graduated to regular Flash he still counted.

A ton of Marvel's heavy hitters started out in "Journey into Mystery" -- including Thor.


If you think about it, it really isn't necessarily a bad way of doing things -- test the waters first rather than invest a lot into an ongoing or a mini-series right away. It could be kind of like merging the print media with Zuda. One of the problems I had with Zuda was that many times it felt like the taste we were given was just too short. What I would like to see would be a short arc -- three months or so. That should really be enough room to tell a good enough story to see if people like it or not.