@Luke – Thanks for rubbing Thanagarian salt in that wound. 😛

@Frank – Personally, I think the thing holding OMAC back the most is the writing. I read #1 and LOVED the art. I couldn’t stand the writing. … and thanks for pointing out Stormwatches sales. So I guess Firestorm is officially the lowest of the four Brightest Day elemental books.

@Set – Thanks for the correction. I guess the data had been updated since I took my snapshot.

Thanks again for all the comments and banter! You guys rock!

Shag

Also wanna let you know that these figures are slightly lower than actual in that there is a 10% mark down.

1) Marvel vs DC question — I was a Marvel guy and I don’t recall why. I don’t know if I was drawn to the myths at first, so went to Thor and stuck with Marvel. I can’t say I made my choice based on any DC or Marvel comparisons.

What are some of the other differences past and present between the comic book universes? Right now I’ve started with a few of the new DC 52 (Captain Atom and Firestorm) and like those more than the Marvel titles I also recently picked up

2) Local Comic Book Shops — I hear a lot of horror stories about the LCS in podcasts/blogs. I’ve never had a problem with mine. Is it the location? I feel like there are a ton of books no matter when I go to purchase.

Seriously though, I became a major DC Comics reader by being drawn into events like Knightfall, Reign of the Supermen, and Zero Hour. I own a lot of crap books because of it, and even defend a few I’m soft on, like the Bloodlines crossover I named a blog after. The important thing is that when Peter David’s Aquaman proved a major disappointment, I had still bought and enjoyed Skeates/Aparo. Bloodlines led me to pick up Ennis’ The Demon, which led me to buy Hitman. There’s a lot not to like about the New 52, so I hope retailers take advantage of this opportunity by steering new/returned customers to other, more addictive material while they can. My shops survived the speculator bust because of that type of customer service and forethought, and I hope the people still in the game take advantage. The last time I was in a comic shop, they had sold out of Wonder Woman #1 and prattled on about British cigarettes in their little gamer geek/Android’s Dungeon circle. I was so annoyed, I passed on buying Captain Atom #1 or any subsequent weeks’ books because that is exactly the type of toxic atmosphere I avoided in my day. Point is, I hope the New 52 works in spite of my issues with the people behind it, because the ultimate survival of the industry may hinge upon it. This could very well be the last splash of the monthly comic.

While it’s not doing JLI numbers, Stormwatch is totally killing Matchhead and Birdbrain. They might be white and male, but give it up for the gay power couple (and the Martian Manhunter.) Um, no, I didn’t mean it in quite that way.

I figure the love for Sterling Gates had a lot to do with the dry spell that preceded him on Supergirl. I like Supergirl (specifically PAD’s first four years,) but not enough to suffer through Jeph Loeb. I tried Gates and found him serviceable. As much as I like Supergirl, it takes a lot more than that to make me buy a book, although I’d be doing cartwheels over serviceable if Gates took on a character I’m more invested in.

No, Booster, I am saying that netmarks who decry the book yet have not read it annoy me. The same netmarks who have bemoaned and cried and complained for the better part of a decade about how comic book writers are the true “auteurs” whom need to be worshiped as gods walking among us mere mortals, while artists and art are too “subjective.” Because “good writing” is obviously objective.

I find Liefeld’s art serviceable. But Gates’ writing on teen heroes is excellent. And the same netmarks who bitch and moan about “why is there a Hawk and Dove book?” were the same damn netmarks who were lining up to make out with Sterling Gates when he wrote Supergirl. He’s not Alan Moore or Peter David? Uh? Who cares? How is either of them relevant to the fact that he is a good writer who was praised like a deity by the netmarks.

Whether or not “most people” (itself an unverifiable quantity) buy comics for the art is irrelevant. I am talking specifically about the netmarks, whose numbers we are constantly reminded are not representative of the comic buying public in general.

Furthermore, the sales numbers of Justice League International and Justice League Dark prove little other than the marketing plan by DC to franchise and brand “Justice League” worked; you’ll recall that the aforementioned netmarks cried and gnashed their teeth over how such branding was diluting the brand.

Frank, although I do agree that this sales bubble is a hype-ocracy, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This time last year, sales were in the toilet and the future looked bleak, indeed. Maybe a little bit of excitement was needed to get us grumpy old fans to take another look at what we previously weren’t buying. (Granted, I would have to be the exception to prove that rule: Booster Gold appearances aside, I took the New 52 as a jumping off point for the most part, and haven’t regretted that decision for a minute.)

Speaking of Booster Gold having again been relegated to a team book (at least this time the leader), I’m pleased as punch that JLI is in the top 25. A book about a team of nobodies is outselling both Hawkman and Firestorm? Seems about right to me.

(My daily trolling is complete. Thank you.)

I also think you hit the nail on the head with the statement that you “can sell non-white non-male characters if you just hire the right creators and promote their presence correctly.” I think that DC has all the right tools to do just that with their “non-white non-male” characters, so it’s up to them to take the ball and run with it as they seem to be doing with the superheroine troika you mentioned.