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?
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.
