DC’s WTF is sure to be one of the major talking points over the next few months in comic book stores across the country and is sure to bring the company at least a slight uptick in market share. There are aspects of DC’s WTF which concern me and fear for negative potentials for the comic book industry over the next year.
DC’s WTF
Importance of Change
The New 52 and Marvel NOW have proven how a massive revamp of a comic book universe can cause a major shift in the industry. We could argue, though, about how crossover events such as Civil War and Death of the Family can also cause for a major shift in the market without having to change or reboot nearly every title at a company. Occasionally, the comic book companies need to shake things up a little bit in order to keep the product fresh and reassert themselves into the market. How much, though, is too much?
Macro vs. Micro Crossovers
I am not personally a fan of having a major crossover event every single year. I am of the belief that if Marvel continues to have one “universe changing” event after another, fans will eventually become burned out by having to purchase massive amount of titles ever six months. Just as we were winding down from the Chaos War, we were hit with Fear Itself. When we were winding down from Fear Itself, we were hit with AvX which turned into Marvel NOW. Too much action within a short amount of time.
DC, on the other hand, had been playing the cards correctly by having smaller crossover events since the dawn of the New 52. While Death of the Family has major impacts on the members of The Family, the event is leaving Superman and Green Lantern titles alone for their own definitive crossover stories. Don’t worry, I have not forgotten about DC’sWTF.
Change for the Sake of Change
On the surface, DC’s WTF appears as change for the sake of change. Soon after Gail Simone was ousted from DC, word made rounds about DC execs making statements about more major changes coming soon and about shakeups on the surface of DC and in the background. The goal is apparently to take as much market share back from Marvel as possible. I see the idea of having major shakeups a way to infuse a company stronger into the market as flawed as they are only temporary fixes to companies which pay closer attention to market share than what fans actually ask for (more on this in a moment).
The Near Future
If DC’s WTF does well, Marvel will have to respond with another shakeup as soon as possible (Marvel NOWer?). The two will be stuck in an odd chess match of back-and-forthing which could alienate fans who had been away from comics for even a short time as they try to figure out what in the hell is going on with their favorite characters.
Worst Case Scenario
The worst case I could foresee is that DC’s WTF starts a chain reaction where Marvel and DC can’t even keep up with their own “universe changing” events and begin having crossovers within crossovers. How many issues of Chaos Infinity Secret Initiative War would you want to buy? In the worst case – fans will burn out.
Best Case Scenario
In the best case, DC’s WTF will make both DC and Marvel open their eyes to how the smaller publishing companies are upticking their own market shares. Many of the smaller companies know comic book fans want solid stories with characters they can relate to in some way. A little changeup here and there to keep things fresh is one thing. When you leave the fans who have missed one or two issues out to dry, we should all ask WTF?
