Marvel and DC are pulling out all the stops for December in a contest to see which publisher will gain the most customers from an expected wave of new consumers surging into comic stores that month.  Fueled by improved creative and a stronger, tighter line, Marvel has recently been on the ascendancy, with 21 of the top 25 titles in a typical month (see 'November Comic Orders Continue Strong Trend').    Marvel has also been winning the monthly advance order market share battle in recent months.  DC has had a quiet summer and fall, but publishes a lot of titles, has a much stronger trade paperback line, and also operates a successful toy/statue/prop division.  It's also important to note that the actual dollars shipped show DC and Marvel much closer than the advance orders, due to DC's overprints, which give it reorder sales that Marvel doesn't have; to the extensive backlist DC keeps in print, much larger than Marvel's; and recently to the fact that Marvel's production is slipping behind schedule -- meaning that some months Marvel solicits significant dollars that don't ship until a later period. 

 

There has been a modest uptick in comic store traffic and sales this summer and fall (see 'September Orders Buck Seasonal Trend' and 'November Comic and Graphic Novel Orders Up 8% Over Last Year'), which has created the environment for the December slugfest.  Now there are a couple of specific events that have the potential to create a significant wave of new business for December.  First, Marvel has been on a public relations tear recently, and the coverage has not only been overwhelmingly positive but has often included the comic store locator number, which can direct consumers that want comics to the relatively small number of independent retailers that sell them (see 'Marvel PR Blitz Continues').  This blitz is continuing into December.  Second, in December DC is launching what may end up being the highest-profile new comic work since the 'Death of Superman' -- Dark Knight Strikes Again (see 'Dark Knight Strikes Again in December').  Its high profile comes from the fact that Frank Miller is one of the comic creators best known to an entire generation of past, present, and occasional comic purchasers.  His Batman:  The Dark Knight was the first graphic novel for many of the young adults that were introduced to comics over the decade and a half since it was first published in 1986, and Miller and his work are known to a much wider circle of pop culture aficionados as well. 

 

Both Marvel and DC have created special editorial events for December that are designed to be appealing to consumers that don't regularly purchase comics.   DC has created a cover design event -- 'Full Coverage' -- tied to 'self-contained, entry point' stories featuring most of DC's major characters.  This allows consumers drawn to a comic store for the first (or the first in a long) time to buy single issue comics that can actually be comprehended without reading other issues, unlike most comics published by Marvel and DC these days.  Marvel, which scheduled its wordless 'Nuff Said' editorial event for December many months ago (see 'Silent Running'), has just recently announced that it is adding eight additional pages to all of its titles this month.  The extra pages in the 'Nuff Said' books will contain the writers' plots for the books.  In limited series, the Max titles, and the Ultimate titles, the extra eight pages will feature a 2002 Marvel Preview with art and interviews promoting a variety of upcoming Marvel products.

 

We asked Marvel's Bill Rosemann about the extra pages in its December issues.  He compared the plots in the 'Nuff Said' books to DVD extras.  He said it took '...greater effort on a writer's part to craft a story that cannot use dialogue or text boxes to communicate necessary information.,' and that the extra pages were 'in acknowledgement of this great effort -- and to give our readers a peak behind the creative curtain.'  We asked if the previews in the Max, Ultimate, and limited series books were to capitalize on the increased store traffic expected in December.  Rosemann agreed that was one reason, and also said that reader reaction to the free preview book that Marvel handed out at summer shows had been 'overwhelmingly positive,' and that Marvel wanted to continue its growth momentum.  We also asked specifically whether Marvel was adding pages to the 'Nuff Said' books due to concerns that some retailers had expressed about the perceived value of issues without words.  Rosemann said, 'Not at all.  If you ask me, 23 pages of amazing art...is worth the price of admission.  Seeing how the Marvel creators meet the challenge of telling a story using visuals only will be both exciting and entertaining....  The free insert is just our way of adding the icing on the...cake.'

 

So the stage is set for a comic book donnybrook -- who will come out on top?  For December, DC will probably win the market share battle decisively.  Dark Knight Strikes Again at $7.95 retail and the accompanying DKSA Statue at $195 retail (see 'DKSA Statue') could easily account for 15-20% of share on their own.  And even if the extra Marvel pages were going to move the dial on advance orders, the news came too late to affect most retailers' quantities.  Much more important than what happens in December, though, is whether consumers drawn to comic stores for the first time find products, an environment, and an experience that keep them coming back.  Marvel and DC are doing what they can to win the loyalties of new customers that are seeing their products for the first time (or the first time in a while).  Retailers also have the opportunity to acquire new long-term customers during this important period.  Let's hope that all concerned are ready to take advantage of the opportunity -- there haven't been many like this for a long time.