Tag: villain month allocation

Villain Month Allocation Cuts Deeper Than Expected

Sep. 18 Comics, Detroit Area Comic Book Store, News no comments

An alarming discovery was made at Wonderworld Comics today when next week’s shipping invoice came across and it was found that the Villain Month allocation for week four will be deeper than previously stated for three of the titles. As of this writing, there has been no notification on the issue from DC Comics as to why the Villain Month allocation cuts are deeper than retailers had planned for.

Lower Invoice

Before Villain Month began, retailers knew how many issues of each of the 3D covers they would be allocated. Most retailers attempted to fill in the gaps through orders of the 2D covers. The first three weeks of allocations matched up with the totals our store had been previously been warned about. The fourth week is not.

The real villains of Villain Month?

The real villains of Villain Month?

What is Getting Allocated?

Bane, Parasite, and Doomsday are all getting cut deeper than previously reported to retailers. According to a message which is going out to retailers, they will receive 93 percent of what was promised on Bane #1, 90 percent of what was promised on Parasite #1, and 84 percent of what was promised on Doomsday #1.

Discouraging Timing

The message from DC Comics about the further Villain Month allocation is being received after the shipping invoice for next week. Retailers were forced to ask questions before the needed information was passed along by DC Comics. This is simply wrong for business. Instead of sending out something which will flag retailers, DC Comics should have sent out the information about the further Villain Month allocation first.

This Month Hurts

This month has already hurt comic book retailers enough. Hopefully, DC Comics (and the other comic book publishers) learn valuable lessons this month on making sure that they have enough product to cover the hype and to focus on communication with retailers. Constant communication brings strength, dissipates fears, and helps retailers do the job they are supposed to do effectively and effeciantly.

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Villain Month Allocation Rage: Save it Til Later

Sep. 03 Comics, Detroit Area Comic Book Store, News, September War no comments

Here we are on the eve of the first day of the September War, and I am not filled with the excitement which should be coming with the official start of one of the biggest months of the year for comic book readers and collectors. Instead, I am filled with compassion for comic book store owners across the country and worry about some of the misplaced rage they might have to face due to the Villain Month allocation.

The real villains of Villain Month?

The real villains of Villain Month?

Last week, I posted an article about why September 4, 2013 will be one of the worst days ever for comic book stores. We have the DC Comics Villain Month allocation which will be felt across the country. We have the fact that shipments of comics are coming a day later than normal due to the holiday which just passed. Many stores across the country will see lines of readers and collectors for product which they just won’t have due to the shortage of the 3D covers.

I am making this plea as a fellow reader and collector. I have already heard of people planning to go in late to work tomorrow or scheduling a day off in order to be one of the first in line at their local comic book store. Please, do not direct your anger at comic book store owners. Save it to direct towards those who actually caused the Villain Month allocation through poor planning.

Each store has come up with its own plan on how to distribute the few 3D covers they will receive due to the Villain Month allocation. Bleeding Cool posted an article last week which listed some of the plans comic book store owners have devised. Even if you do not agree with the plan your favored comic book store owner came up with, please understand that this we the best he, she, they could come up with the meet the demands of customers. Save your rage for after you leave the store.

Save your rage until you get home and post it online. Gear the rage towards making sure comic book publishers get the message that you are as mad as Hell and you’re not going to take it anymore. Make sure that every single publisher knows that if demand is going to be created for a product, there damn well better be enough supply to suffice the masses. Let’s make sure something like the Villain Month allocation never happens again.

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My Decision on Villain Month for WWC and Myself

Aug. 21 Comics, News, September War no comments

After much deliberation, I have decided on how I will personally protest the mistakes made with the 3D covers for DC Comics Villain Month and how I will protest the mistakes on this website.

Forever Evil / Villain Month

Forever Evil / Villain Month

Villain Month Protest on WonderWorldComics.com

During the month of September, and DC Comics titles part of Villain Month will be expect from consideration for my Pick of the Week. This also includes Forever Evil. These will not gain a primary spot for commentary on this page. To make sure that I have a decent number of comics to read during the month, I will be taking suggestions from you as to which comics from publishers outside of DC Comics. More on that within the next few days.

My Personal Villain Month Protest

I am not going to read any of the Villain Month titles during the month of September. While it was a difficult decision to come to, I am even going to be boycotting the Harley Quinn Villain Month title along with those from Justice League Dark, and the Batman Family. I am not interested in giving DC Comics any of my money during the month.

Not to Persuade You

This posting is not being made to persuade you from purchasing the DC Comics Villain Month comics. It is to point out to you the steps I am taking to make sure my voice is heard by the decision makers at DC Comics. By reducing the publicity given to the company by this site, I will be countering the old adage that any publicity is good publicity. No publicity equals negativity. At the same time, not giving DC Comics the $100 some dollars I would have spent on Villain Month products also takes a stab. You are free to join in my protest, figure out your own, or completely ignore any protests and purchase whatever you want. I would never want to take your options away from you.

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Villain Month Allocation Timeline, Questions, Results, and Outcomes

Aug. 14 Collector's Corner, News no comments

Anger is raging across the comic book community due to the Villain Month allocation by DC Comics. A few days ago, I gave a few theories about what could have caused the Villain Month allocation. Let’s take a look at the Villain Month allocation timeline, take a look at the problem, and delve into some of the possible outcomes the market may/will face.

Villain Month Allocation Timeline

The real villains of Villain Month?

The real villains of Villain Month?

The Initial Announcement: June 17 – June24

DC Comics made the initial (and official) announcement about Villain Month at the DC Comics Road Show. Remember, that was the road show to meet with retailers but bypassed most of the retailers in the country…but I digress. At the time, DC Comics pushed Villain Month as one of the hottest events of the year and shed light on the 3D motion covers which would drive collectors crazy with anticipation.

Come Comic Con: July 18 – July 21

At the Retailer Lunch at San Diego Comic Con International, DC Comics Senior Vice President: Sales, Bob Wayne announced that the DC Comics orders for the 3D motions covers had gone out the week before and for retailers to get their orders in as soon as possible. He encouraged retailers to “up” their orders. He also announced that “slight allocations might occur” during Villain Month. This was the first hint at a Villain Month allocation. Dennis, the co-owner of Wonderworld Comics, was at the Retailer Lunch and stated that he had “total faith that Bob Wayne would not under order and that Wayne would know to increase orders to equal demand”

Boston ComicCon: August 3 – August 4

Dan DiDio (Co-Publisher at DC Comics) reportedly told some retailers that there would be a Villain Month allocation and that it could be between 10-40% for certain titles. At this point, there was not an official announcement which went out to retailers, only stories quoting DiDio on select websites.

Last Day for FOC: August 5

FOC is an ordering term which relates to the last Monday retailers can adjust their orders for a particular upcoming week. Monday August 5, 2013 was the last day retailers had to adjust their orders for the first week of Villain Month. While there were rumors about a Villain Month allocation, nothing was officially released from DC Comics about any changes.

2D Covers on the Way: August 6

On August 6, retailers, readers, and collectors officially learned that there would be 2D covers for the Villain Month comics. At the time, I believed that the $2.99 cover-priced-issues were becoming available for those readers who did not want the motion covers or for those of us who wanted to read the story inside without potentially damaging the issue.

Villain Month Allocation Confirmed: August 9

In the late afternoon on Friday, August 9, retailers across the country received an email confirming the Villain Month allocation. They were told that they only had until Monday, August 12, to get their orders in for the 2D covers they wanted to fill in the gap from the allocated 3D covers.

Retailers Scramble: August 9 – August 11

Over the next weekend, retailers scrambled to try to figure out what to do about the Villain Month allocation. Retailers only had a matter of days to review and reformulate the Villain Month plans they had worked on over the summer. More on the problems this caused and the potential outcomes this could cause in a few moments.

Final FOC: August 12

This past Monday, the FOC went out and retailers had to confirm the number of 2D covers they will be ordering in replacement of the 3D covers they were expecting. DC Comics announced that retailers can order as many 2D covers as they want as they will be fully returnable. DC Comics also begins letting retailers know that the Villain Month allocation is happening because of a production issue caused by the lack of materials for the 3D covers.

Questions

  1. If DC Comics hyped the Villain Month covers so much, why didn’t they make sure there were enough materials to make the tens upon tens of thousands of covers which we would be asking for?
  2. If the Villain Month allocation was caused by a lack of materials from another company, why did DC Comics wait until Monday to tell retailers the reason? Standard operating procedure in business is to shift the blame as soon as possible. Why didn’t this go out in the initial email to retailers last Friday? Why were they not officially told something by DC Comics days before the FOC happened for the first week of Villain Month?
  3. Did DC Comics scramble over the weekend to come up with a plausible reason for the Villain Month allocation?
  4. If it comes out that too few were ordered in the first place, does that mean that Bob Wayne will be tossed under the bus?
  5. Did the allocation hit all stores equally or did it only hit particular stores hard?

Problems

  1. The first problem is that most readers and collectors who want the 3D Villain Month covers will not get them. Supply is nowhere close to the hyped demand brought on by DC Comics earlier in the summer.
  2. From what I have seen by talking with various comic book store owners and by looking at the Villain Month allocation numbers for Wonderworld Comics – the allocation is actually lower in most cases than normal orders. Without boring you with a bunch of numbers, in many cases, we will be getting less 3D Villain Month covers than we would normal covers during a regular month. For example, we will receive less Joker #1 3D covers than we sell of regular Batman issues in a basic month.
  3. Retailers are stressed out right now and are already worried about having to deal with angry customers for a problem out of their control.
  4. Ebay is already becoming filled with orders for Villain Month covers selling at 5-10 times cover price. More on this in a moment.
  5. Since retailers had a limited time to rethink their Villain Month plans, mistakes are bound to have happened.
  6. A major problem is that there is a complete collapse of communication between DC Comics and retailers. DC Comics should have had a better contingency plan and should have had a better communication plan. Retailers are being left out to dry.
  7. Forums and blogs are going crazy right now and shedding a ton of negative light on DC Comics. This does not bode well for the comic book industry as a whole when the #2 company in market share is being rocked. The theories about what actually happened, though, are interesting to read.

Possible Solutions?

Of course, the 2D covers are a fix for the Villain Month allocation, but not a significant fix. DC still has weeks before the third and fourth weeks of Villain Month covers have to be shipped. Other possible solutions include finding another company to make the 3D covers or figure out a solutions such as postponing certain shipments until orders can be fulfilled.

Potential and Plausible Outcomes

  1. In most stores, only certain customers will get the 3D covers. Each store will work this out on their own. Some will probably only give the special covers to pull customers or their top customers. Others will sell on a first-come-first-serve basis. The responsibility falls on collectors and readers to contact their local stores to find out the particular policy. Right now, we are working on a plan on how we will work around the Villain Month allocation. More on that in the next few days.
  2. Trust in DC Comics is being eroded. How will readers, collectors, and retailers trust the hype coming out from DC Comics about future special events? The Villain Month allocation is something which will be remembered for many years.
  3. You know as well as I do that there are many fans and collectors who do not read about comic book news online. Retailers will have to deal with customers who blame them for the shortage. This can lead to the wholesale loss of customers for some retailers.
  4. I can see security and theft being an issue at some stores due to the Villain Month allocation. Certain titles are already selling online for 10 times cover price, so this will bring out the thieves and the collectors who will push their way through the store in the hopes of turning a quick profit. This will not only happen the first week of Villain Month, but during each week of the month. This is an entire week of headaches.
  5. Some retailers might not even put the Villain Month 3D covers out for purchase. Some retailers will hold onto their 3D covers since they know they can get more money for them online or at conventions. I would not be surprised if certain covers topped $50 within the coming months and I am sure that speculating store owners see the same potential to increase profits.
  6. The execs at Marvel are probably getting better sleep than they have in months.
  7. Fans, collectors, and retailers are going to backlash against DC Comics. We have to hope the rest of the industry is not caught up in the crossfire. I would hate to look back years from now and think that DC Comics harmed the entire comic book industry with the Villain Month allocation.

Conclusion

The Villain Month allocation is not only the biggest comic book news story of this month or this year. This is one of the biggest upsets and catastrophes in the history of the comic book industry. DC Comics wanted to make waves with Villain Month. The Titanic made a lot of waves too when it hit the iceberg. One day we will look back on the Villain Month allocation and say “That was when DC…”

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DC Comics Villain Month Allocation: Stupidity or Coercion?

Aug. 10 Comics, News no comments

DC Comics has not produced enough of the 3D Villain Month comics, and has initiated what some are referring to as the Villain Month allocation. Simply put, most retailers are not going to receive all of the issues they ordered. In many cases (including with the case of our Detroit area comic book store), stores will receive less copies than they would in a normal order of a particular title outside of the Villain Month allocation. This has to lead me to two possible theories.

Dunce Cap Comics

Maybe we should refer to DC Comics as Dunce Cap Comics. One particular theory we could point to for the Villain Month allocation is that DC Comics was simply naïve to how much demand there would be for the 3D Villain Month issues. This is horrible to think about because it would mean that the publisher did not have faith in the promotion and that it did not believe collectors and readers would be as interested in the Villain Month issues as in the regular issues. If this is true, people should be fired for poor planning. To this point, I have not heard about anyone being fired, so I must consider the other option.

Deceptive Campaign Comics

The other theory is that they printed too few of the 3D Villain Month covers with the intent of instituting a Villain Month allocation. Maybe the DC should stand for Deceptive Campaign.

There are two possible reasons I could see for this. The first is that the hardcover coming out in December might be less expensive for DC Comics to produce and create higher margins. That would mean that we are being led by a string to purchase a $150 coming out later this year.

The other possible reason for forcing a Villain Month allocation would be to try to push digital comics. DC Comics could easily press through social media that since the Villain Month issues are sold out, readers who want to read what is happening should download the digital versions of the issues. Since DC Comics cannot cut enough into the market with digital content, they will try to force the issue during the September War.

Who The Villain Month Allocation Screws

No matter which reason for the Villain Month allocation is the correct one, retailers, Diamond Comics, collectors, and readers all get screwed. Retailers are going to have to deal with angry customers who don’t understand why there is not enough product to fit demand. Diamond is screwed over because it has to deal with angry retailers who want more product. Collectors are screwed because digital comics don’t hold any value and do not increase over time. Comic book readers are screwed because they are being forced into a medium which has so far, proven it does not work well in the comic book market.

If I were an investor in DC Comics, I would feel screwed as well. DC Comics should be focused on making as much money as possible. Stupidity and coercion to not make for a profitable company.

Who Should Backlash?

Everyone connected to comics should backlash in some way against DC Comics. How people should backlash is up to each person, but a message needs to get across to DC Comics that we are not happy. I am currently considering a few options for this site during the September War to get the point across to DC Comics which I will tell you about in the upcoming weeks. I am not happy with the Villain Month allocation, and you should be raving mad as well.

I say the real villain of Villain Month is DC Comics.

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DC Comics Villain Month Shortage a Failure

Aug. 05 Comics, News, September War no comments

Bleeding Cool is reporting that Dan DiDio of DC Comics has warned retailers at Boston Comicon that they will not be getting as many Villain Month issues as they were expecting during the September War. The allocation could be as high as 40% in some cases. I had such high hopes for DC Comics during the September War, but this announcement is just discouraging.

Forever Evil / Villain Month

Forever Evil / Villain Month

Biggest Event – Period

Villain Month is not only supposed to be the biggest event for DC Comics this year, it has been pointed to as the biggest event of the year in comics. I would go as far as to say that it is one of the Top 5 biggest events in comics in the last five years. With all of the attention being paid to Villain Month, DC Comics should not have problems keeping up with orders.

I Understand

It has been my understanding that DC Comics put the Villain Month issues into production before the month was officially announced. Even if I am wrong, the issues started printing before the orders were placed. If DC Comics is going to hype a particular comic or grouping of comics, it better be sure it has enough to equal out, or at least come close to equaling out, demand.

What Villain Month Allocation Equals Out To

In my mind, the allocation for Villain Month equals out to a complete failure on the part of planning. DC Comics is telling the world that it expected Villain Month to be great, but not as great as it was promoting it to be.

Hell for the Stores

DC Comics is handing a huge headache to retailers by forcing an allocation. I can see stores with lines down the street during the Wednesday openings as comic book readers and collectors push to get all of the issues they want. I can see phones ringing off the hook at some locations which have to tell their disappointed customers that they did not receive all of the issues ordered and having to take the brunt of anger which DC Comics should be dealing with. Remember, comic book stores often deal with the backlash against publishers, but should not have to.

Will This Change My September War Prediction?

Even with the allocation, I still see DC Comics coming out on top of the unit’s sold and dollars sold charts. I still see DC Comics taking a lead for the month in market share. I just don’t see them taking a dominant lead in either. Sure, they will be above Marvel by a few percentage points, but not the double point leads I was initially expecting with Villain Month. DC Comics should still win the September War with Villain Month and Forever Evil. They just won’t slaughter the competition.

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