What's the number of comics printed on the 1st run? What generates a 2nd printing?
If 10,000 x $2.99 = $29,900, and 20,000 x $2.99 = $59,800, then what is the cost of a comic book's (1st) printing? Since I don't know what the creative teams costs are, I am assuming that $59,800 doesn't give MARVEL enough profit to consider most titles viable.
I would think a comic such as CHAOS WAR: ALPHA FLIGHT, which according to a post elsewhere sold 17,276 copies (@ $3.99 = $68,931.24), would be a pretty good benchmark to shoot for.
With no disrespect to FVL he's not a big name in comics.Originally Posted by Flightpath07
If you want a big, guaranteed sales name you need Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Millar, Brian Bendis, Mark Millar, Geoff Johns, Robert Kirkman, Jim Lee or John Cassaday.
Scott Snyder is probably close to being on that list.
He did interviews for most websites, he did newspaper interviews, he did con appearances.(or at least, apart from us here on the boards)
All out of his own time and his own pocket; he did as much as he could IMO.
So you're agreeing it's not Marvel's problem but a problem with the readers?People who buy comics have proven, again and again, that Alpha Flight no longer sells; they don't care to buy it.
DC have for many years had the financial backing of Time Warner so their comics line could make less of a profit as they'd get cash back through merchandising, comics and films....then it would seem that Marvel is even less patient than DC. Actually, it would seem that DC can survive on less profit, or is ok with receiving less profits for a longer time than Marvel is. Does Marvel pay its staff more, and have more overhead bills? Or is Marvel's way of dealing with sagging sales on a title to merely cancel it quick and then throw another movie or two at us eager spenders?
Up until the Disney merger Marvel have had to do it alone and rely on their bottom line, especially after the trading card company buy out and bankruptcy; that's
why they have different cut off's.
However, even with Disney backing it's no different as Marvel's profit margin was the reason Disney bought them; they're not going to buy something profitable and allow it to make less now than why they bought it.
Marvel Studios and Marvel Entertainment are two different beasts though; money from one isn't connected to the other.Personally, i can't wait for Marvel to experience a couple of big-screen flops in a row, maybe it'll make them come full circle and realize they need to work harder on improving their product line of comics!
Yes the comics get a boost from the films, but the money doesn't mix.
The thing is, a comic will require:
Writer
Penciller
Inker
Colourist
Letterer
Assistant Editor
Editor
Digital Archiver/Production
These people all need paying and that's before the website space/courier fees, printing, distribution, Diamond listing etc. etc.
You can't reasonably expect these people to produce at a loss - that's makes no sense in any business.
The problem with that is that looking at any numbers threads, (I need to do October and November soon enough)issues drop from month to month for whatever reason (readers giving up comics, increase in taxes/expenditure, digital piracy etc. etc.) so that will extremely quickly drop to a negative equity figure, especially for a non-traditional title. A healthy figure is around the 40,000 mark.I would think a comic such as CHAOS WAR: ALPHA FLIGHT, which according to a post elsewhere sold 17,276 copies (@ $3.99 = $68,931.24), would be a pretty good benchmark to shoot for.
This is excellent info. Website costs; courier fees? Digital Archiver? Wow. Maybe the next Alpha Flight offering should consider going bare-bones.
I understand that MARVEL has a policy of not accepting unsolicited ideas/stories; I wonder who (internally at MARVEL) has an idea that will reach the 40,000 threshold (and maintain it).
If DC manages to hit it right with JUSTICE LEAGUE:CANADA, where will that leave Alpha Flight whenever MARVEL next needs to exercise its licensing authority?
Last edited by Garry/Al-Fan; 12-04-2013 at 02:28 PM.
You're right about this, but the sad part for me is, only one of those names would actually make me consider reading a book. Five of them would actually repel me (for different reasons).
~ Le Messor
Devon: Man, we need a roadie. Other bands have roadies.
Oz: Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords.
Devon: That's just, like, fruity jazz bands.
Well with comics going digital someone has to make them available to read online/on devices.
Courier fees have always been around - the inker has to receive the pencilled pages from the penciller; these are lessening with digital colouring as colours can be done directly over pencils (such as the latter 4 issues of Eaglesham's AF run) without the cost of an inker or courier, providing the penciller can scan and send them.
This, however, then adds FTP/Website costs as they have to upload them somewhere.
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