Comic Book Resources

In the past, people have theorized that the news announcements of “Book X SOLD OUT!” make the books seem “hot,” and that may have been true for a time, but you have to figure that by now, people have figured out that it is simply a matter of not printing enough copies, right?

Have you seen how many people got suckered into the anticlimactic, wallet-raping Amazons Attack after the past few years of disappointing "event" miniseries from DC? Have you seen how people keep buying tie-ins and getting excited over Final Crisis, even after they bitched about how exploited and disappointed they felt after Infinite Crisis? What makes you think such a fanbase will figure this out either? If I was in charge of DC, I wouldn't expect them to based on their track record of falling for stunts. I think it really does come down to making the book look "hot."

Just as you and T. said, I figure it is only a matter of making the book look hot. That and they can also change the cover a little and count on hardcore fans who will buy a copy of the new printing.

If I understand the question...

Often times they'll get extra sales from the collector's market for sticking a new cover on a second printing, no? Even a lot of double dipping. Those would be additional sales for not much extra cost, right?

Sometimes, at least when books actually come out on time, they'll have already been printed in advance of their release date. Especially when they're a series which the publisher is dedicated to making sure is released on a normal schedule. Such as this one.
In this case, a second printing is warranted.

How many printings did Joss Whedon's Fray have?

How about the Death of Superman?

Those II and III and even IV and V variants of the books were automatically worth nothing to collectors. They were only being issued because of the publicity being drummed up by the media and thus the extra attention and sales from people who didn't usually buy comics.

Now a third and fourth printing in this case? It's either Extremely poor planning, seeing as this event hasn't really galvanized the mainstream media. Either that, or double dipping with variant covers.

As I recall...
Years ago DC and Marvel announced that they would no longer to press for books. This was done to impress a sense of panic on the retailer: if you wanted something, you would have to order it well in advance. Since no one wants to run out of a hot title, everyone has to order extra. This mostly benefits low-selling titles which wouldn't get a second run requested. The laimed it was the benefit speculators.
Before that, books got second printings when he second print was issues quite a while after the original, like say the Death of Supes, or Killing Joke.

That how I remember it, anyway...

The whole reprint thing is really unnecessary when you consider that the ENTIRE storyline will be available in trade two months after it ends. Why try jumping on now when you can get the whole package for a cheaper price

Heh. Because when people want to give you money, the last thing you want to do is let them, right?

Brian, Brian, Brian. *Never* underestimate the American public's ability to fall for transparent marketing bullshit.

I personally am frustrated by the whole thing. I am one of the presumably few people that has been buying GLC since the first issue and my store sold out of the first print immediately and before I could get one. That was a surprise. GLC never sells out at my store.

Since no second printing has surfaced at the store (but apparently people have gotten them in other places) I can only assume that DC delibrately created a shortage since I'm sure my store would have gotten copies if they could have.

As a regular reader, I'd just like to get the issue at this point.

I dunno, but I have a couple hunches. First, it gives the company some prestige and buzz to say that it sold through its first three, four, etc., editions of a given comic. "Our comics are so great, the fans want more than we can print!"

Second, I have a feeling that they're playing to the secondary market. There's no way these comics can so consistently underestimate the demand for major issues. So yeah, I'm basically accusing them of intentionally short-printing these issues, and then sitting back while frenzied eBay speculators snap them up. (Much like short-packing an action figure.)

It's a symbiotic thing. The rapid sell-outs and secondary market hysteria creates artificial demand for these titles, which naturally leads to multiple printings.

It all reminds me of the early '90s and the ceaseless hologram/die-cut/foil-embossed/poly-bagged/trading-card included crap that pretty much killed the industry for a decade. Only this time, it's more subtle.

What do you guys think? Am I off-base?

You forget how comics get printed:
Step 1: Shops place orders 2 months ahead
Step 2: Companies print to orders and a tiny bit more
Step 3: Buzz gets built, more people decide they want the title, and not enough people get them. It doesn't help that Diamond sucks, and will regularly shortship smaller shops to fill the order adjustments of larger shops.
Step 4: Not enough comics. Regular fans get screwed.

Because there are always morons -- err collectors -- who will buy both the first and the second printings especially if them make the reprint cover interesting like a pencils only version or something.

I really don't think DC expected demand for this to be as big as it is. I think they just saw it as a Green Latern story as opposed to some great big event.

They saw the first orders weren't enough so they did another printing. Then THAT didn't meet demand either so they did a third. I think there was STILL demand for the fourth one. DC doesn't know if the retailers are being conservative or over-confident with their orders. I think it would be foolish for them to say "Well, people on the internet like it, lets print twice as many copies".

That being said, yeah, the multiple cover thing must be a factor.

I always thought it was an economies of scale issue.

They can print (for example) 10,000 copies for 20,000 dollars, or 20,000 for 45,000 dollars (making the number up but work with me). So if they want 20,000 copies, its more cost effective for them to do two print runs of 10,000 rather than one of 20,000. Did I express that right? NOt too mention having the ability to say the first run sold out and increase demand for the second run. i think the multiple covers is a marketing ploy, but its not as sinister as people are saying.

I thought thats why most trade's are 6 issues long. Thats the maximum amount of pages that can be put together and still have a positive margin. After that, they still make money, but for each further page you get a negative return.

I don't know how it works in the States, but here in France, the more copies you print, the cheaper each issue cost you. A local magazine I wrote in paid something like 1500 euros for 3000 copies, and only 2500 euros for 5000 copies.

I forgot to mention that we added 4 more pages when we went to 5000 copies. Otherwise the discount is not apparent.

Hey Sschroeder — I dunno, sounds to me like either your store or Diamond is the party that's screwing you from getting what you want. Have you reminded your LCS (or complained politely) about not getting the issues? That does really stink when you collect a series regularly and a lot of one-time (or one-storyline) buyers snap it up first. But if your shop doesn't do a pull list for its regulars, they should certainly at least be able to reorder it, especially with all these repeated printings. DC's keeping the book in print — if you don't have it at this point, it's gotta be your store's or Diamond's fault.

"I always thought it was an economies of scale issue.

They can print (for example) 10,000 copies for 20,000 dollars, or 20,000 for 45,000 dollars (making the number up but work with me). So if they want 20,000 copies, its more cost effective for them to do two print runs of 10,000 rather than one of 20,000."

I think you have this backwards. I'm not sure if it is in your understanding or just in the way you expressed it but economies of scale usually refers to each unit costing less the more units you make. If DC makes 20,000 units, it should cost them less per unit (lets say $35,000 for 20,000) instead of more (your example has it at $45,000). This is for reasons such as the machines can be run continously and all of the copies can be made straight through. This saves time and thus employee cost, set-up and break down work, and more. Therefore, it will be cheaper per unit the more you make.

Beyond the obvious hype factor of "OMG, THIS BOOK SOLD OUT," it might also be a factor of mechanics.

As in how much print time a title is alloted at the actual printer. A title like GLC isn't going to get as much time at the printer as Action or Batman. It probably gets even less time for a second printing due all kinds of scheduling conflicts 'reprinting' must entail. so I can be a bit understanding that GLC had to back to the printers. GLC didn't get that much time at the printers the 1st or 2nd time.

plues well they can hype 2nd printing sell out. expect 3rd printing.

@Rebis: It's definitely partly my fault. They do pull lists at the store, but I don't keep one, and I never have. This particular store is generally very good with catering to demand, so I almost never miss an issue I want buying off the rack. It is bound to happen once in a while though. In any event it is hardly a crisis if I never get to own/read this one issue.

I like Jason's mechanics idea. I have no clue. But I always HATED getting a second print and tried to avoid them at all costs.

A couple more questions: Are there different ads in second prints? Is there any more or less incentive to advertise in second print runs? Do creators make more if their issue has more print runs? Do creators make nothing extra if their issue has more print runs?

New printings DO make sense for something like Jeff Smith's Bone though. I you see an issue of a comic but don't want to come in in the middle of the story, the first issue is still right on the shelves for you to pick up.

The way I see it, while it is a transparent marketing strategy, that's only because we can see it for what it is.

Think of things this way: you have a red-hot summer crossover that was originally underordered. You also have an industry (direct market) that's got the biggest case of goldfish memory I've ever seen. Seriously, copies hit the shelf and have, what, a month of shelf life at best? Fans are conditioned to treat anything that sits in the shop longer like the plague. Having extra copies for people who are new to the story can't hurt sales on the issues that follow, especially for a fledgling title like GL Corps.