Last week was a big one, Folks! Selling like crazy, Detective Comics #1000 was released!
I read it and enjoyed it! For MajorSpoilers’ review, go to this link! Of course, now what?
According to the folks at DC during the recent Wonder Con event, the title is getting a new logo, one that emphasizes its relationship to Batman.
WHAT’S A DEALER TO DO?
To the left, you can see the new logo, which will resolve some problems that stores have while increasing others.
Many LCS’s list their books alphabetically, which can make it tough for fans to find comics featuring their favorite heroes. For instance, Action Comics stars Superman, but many stores that display their new books in alpha order, have that book and the Man of Steel’s regular title on opposite sides of the shelf.
If you cluster books together based on who is in them, then people who depend on you following the alphabet can’t find it.
Now, this isn’t the first time DC has added Batman’s name to the book’s logo. Look down the page for other instances.
The problem is that some people will think the name of the book has been changed to Batman Detective Comics. Nuh-uh! It’s just the logo, you see! (Should also be fun for those collectors trying to get as many issues of this title as possible, and will challenge them to keep the whole thing in order.)
As per usual, it’s going to be up to the local shops to educate their customers as to what is really going on. But what’s new about that, he asked, trying to not sound sarcastic?
A LOGO IS MORE THAN JUST A LOGO
I don’t want to get too “inside baseball” here, but a comic’s logo is very important.
There are still a goodly number of stores that sell comics in racks that display only the logo. The rest of the cover is inside the slot the book has been placed in. You’ve literally got just a second or two to draw a potential buyer in, so your logo had better be a good one!
Recently, some comics have been sold with the logo at or near the bottom of the cover page. I have to confess that, in those circumstances, I’ve often had to ask just what book it is or say, “Did that comic come out this week?” See, I don’t necessarily trust the folks who put books up on the racks to keep them in any sort of order I can figure out. They just haven’t done that in sequence many times, leaving me puzzled.
Granted, the aforementioned racks are DEATH when it comes to condition, if that matters to you. It’s just way too tempting to flip the books in that slot to view all the issues that are there. I can feel the value of these books instantly decreasing by the power of 10 each second the person continues to flip them. AUGH! And I’m not that much of a collector, either!
HIGHLIGHTING THE BATMAN CONNECTION
Even before Detective Comics #1000 came out, Batman has been a hot commodity for quite a while! Go into any LCS, and you’ll likely find quite a collection of new Dark Knight comics as well as trades for sale.
Since this is indeed Show BUSINESS, stores want to sell as much product as they can so they can keep opening their doors. It helps them if Batman’s name is easily visible on a comic.
See, a book named Detective Comics might not necessarily have Batman in it. In fact, Batman wasn’t in the first several issues way back when. Of course, NOW many fans are used to Detective Comics starring the Dark Knight, but new fans or people buying comics for others could easily get confused without that name being clearly visible.
You just have to highlight that name if he’s in the book! You do!
IS IT TIME FOR A CHANGE?
The question some fans ask is, Why change it now? There are several reasons DC is doing this now, including the important one in that it gets attention from fans. Whenever there’s a significant change, a certain number of fans pick up on it and talk about it with others. And they always say that word of mouth is the best way to advertise something no matter how much sales persons want you to buy ads.
If the person you’re speaking with is a friend, he or she has at least some credibility with you, which is a big help to start. You often know what they like, and if you and that person share the same taste in things, you often believe that what they like will work for you. It’s just common sense.
It can also be a problem if the person communicating about this doesn’t like it. Just as he or she might turn you on to something, they just as easily could turn you off. And every “jumping on” point is also a “jumping off” point.
Also, if the same logo continued to appear, eventually people might see it as “sameness” happening—“same old stuff,” as some like to say. A new logo can help add the perception that things are also new in the book. And perception IS reality, as the saying goes.
Personally, I like the look of it. The bat-shape clearly identifies it as a Bat-book. I don’t mind the name “Batman” above “Detective Comics” because it will help steer Bat-fans to it. I’m happy they continue the numbering as they are, and that there’s not a chance the name will change for years to come!
What do you think? Do you like Detective Comics’ new logo? Is there a better way to make sure fans know Batman is in the book? Whatever your opinions, please be sure to share them in the space below! Oh, and continued birthday wishes to Batman as he turns 80!
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Wayne Hall creates the Wayne's Comics Podcast. He’s interviewed Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, John Layman, Kyle Higgins, Phil Hester, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, David Petersen, Christos Gage, Mike Grell, and Matt Kindt. On this site each week, he writes his "Comics Portal" column (general comics comments and previews) and reviews comics.