What is Vertigo doing wrong?

Posted by Silkcuts (5272 posts) - 3 years, 2 hours ago - Show Bio

Air and Young Liars are the two most recent series to be canceled by DC Vertigo.
What are they doing wrong that these series had to be cut short?
I know some people don't like the newer trades because they feel cheaper.
With the fact that Vertigo has to take a huge hit 1st to see if a series will be successful, are they giving us a cheaper product instead of one that has the quality of the Superhero books? I know the Superhero books have the monthly support and a lot of the best talent stay there. And with this lower trade quaility, is it keeping people away from buying the newer titles? Is there a lack of marketing? Should everything feature fables? just kidding on the fables bit.

So what can vertigo do to make there newer series more successful?

#1 Posted by geraldthesloth (33313 posts) - 3 years, 2 hours ago - Show Bio

A little advertisement wouldn't hurt, I hardly see them advertising anything but I hope they wouldn't change the style of the books since most if not all are well written.

#2 Edited by Caligula (12417 posts) - 3 years, 2 hours ago - Show Bio

nothing, Vertigo is the best comics company, period.

#3 Posted by aztek_the_lost (30738 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

wait a minute, Air was canceled? when did this happen?

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#4 Posted by aztek_the_lost (30738 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

also, I'd think this is DC's problem based on them recently canceling Great Ten one issue short of its intended run, they just don't want to keep a book going if it doesn't have ideal sales and these books aren't as high selling as other DC titles

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#5 Posted by NightFang (9223 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@aztek the lost said:

" wait a minute, Air was canceled? when did this happen? "

1st time I heard of this.

#6 Posted by jakob187 (996 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Caligula said:

" nothing, Vertigo is the best comics company, period. "

This. If anything, I would guess that they have noticed how well OTHER books are doing, so they are dropping unnecessary weight. I hate putting it that way, but with limited series runs like Daytripper and Joe The Barbarian slamming in sales, I'd think they are looking more at short-term books that will cost less to publish. Moreover, they have more popular books like DMZ and Scalped that are still doing well.

There is also the fact that The Unwritten has proven to be a pretty big surprise hit for them, and they've also got I, Zombie to look forward to, which got a HUGE reaction for the first issue. Northlanders has also started finally picking up some real steam with The Plague Widow...which personally, it should've been picking up from the first issue of Sven The Wretched, because that series is incredible. Also, it's in small mini-series fashion that is easy to put into trade, while not needing to have the previous trades in order to know what is going on at any point.

Personally, I never heard of Air or Young Liars, so I might be missing out. Nonetheless, I think they just know where their money needs to be going in order to continue turning some kind of profit as well as making sure their organization is offering the very best product that they can.

#7 Posted by Crom-Cruach (7707 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

As long as Vertigo keeps putting on the good stuff, that one series is cancelled I'll be O.K with it.

#8 Posted by aztek_the_lost (30738 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Crom-Cruach said:

" As long as Vertigo keeps putting on the good stuff, that one series is cancelled I'll be O.K with it. "

even if it was you're favorite series? Fables?

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#9 Posted by Silkcuts (5272 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@aztek the lost said:

" @Crom-Cruach said:
" As long as Vertigo keeps putting on the good stuff, that one series is cancelled I'll be O.K with it. "
even if it was you're favorite series? Fables? "

This statement is true. It is great Fables is fairly safe, but because it is safe doesn't mean other great series should not have a chance to grown to fables status.

#10 Edited by Crom-Cruach (7707 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@aztek the lost said:

" @Crom-Cruach said:
" As long as Vertigo keeps putting on the good stuff, that one series is cancelled I'll be O.K with it. "
even if it was you're favorite series? Fables? "

Don't get me wrong, I didn't get the chance to read that one. But I'm sure that it was worth the look, I haven't seen a Vertigo series I didn't like so far.But I still didn't get the chance to read this one specifically. It's too bad it was canceled but I'm not going to cry over it, that is all. It happens sometimes

All I'm pointing out is there are plenty of other good vertigo lines to read even if this one gets cancelled.

#11 Posted by aztek_the_lost (30738 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Crom-Cruach said:

" @aztek the lost said:
" @Crom-Cruach said:
" As long as Vertigo keeps putting on the good stuff, that one series is cancelled I'll be O.K with it. "
even if it was you're favorite series? Fables? "
Don't get me wrong, I didn't get the chance to read that one. But I'm sure that it was worth the look, I haven't seen a Vertigo series I didn't like so far. But I still didn't get the chanc e to read this one specifically. All I'm pointing out is there are ot "

Ah, well see my point was, even if it's a few thousand less than other titles there are people who are enjoying it. To me, it's not even just that I was reading both of the canceled titles but I feel upset finding out things like Great Ten, The Web and The Shield are being canceled for low sales even though I've never even flipped through the books. I just don't think it's a fair reason to cut a story short if there are still thousands of people enjoying it and a creative team pouring their heart into it.

But I do hold special sadness with Unknown Soldier and Air because I am reading them...truth be told Air had ups and downs for me, I felt like it was building to something but now that something has been cut short, the last issue actually got me excited but now it feels like it's too late. Unknown Soldier I've loved since the beginning and I felt there was a much bigger story to tell but that's over. Young Liars I absolutely loved over the first two arcs, the third one started to lose me a little but that would have been because of the month-long waits made it hard for that series in particular to read the next issue without re-reading the entire series, in trade I'm sure it's a better read.

All in all, the thing that gets me is the writer having to cut short their vision (maybe this is because I'm a writer myself...not professionally mind you), Lapham wrote his title in a way that each arc could be the end because he suspected something like this I believe, Wilson had been planning a longer journey to the end but had to cut out some of the middle to get there before her series ended and Dysart had to come up with a different ending that although he says he's pleased with it the fact is he had wanted to go farther.

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#12 Posted by Crom-Cruach (7707 posts) - 2 years, 11 months ago - Show Bio

I get, that it and agree, at least finish the story for the people who do like. Unfortunately sad as it is, Vertigo is a business, so they drop titles when they don't meet their market needs. Unfortunately. Im with you that loosing a title mid-arc is disapointing and even when they rush or shorten the run.

But there's not much we can do except buy those comics we do like, enjoy them and if we get the chance talk to other comic readers about them, hoping we might spark interest. I'd really like it if Vertigo could get more attention from readers. But sad thing is, some of their stories aren't necessarily appealing to a wider audience and that doesn't help when a business wants to keep up a certain profit to output ratio.

It is too bad however.

#13 Posted by Comicjew (163 posts) - 2 years, 10 months ago - Show Bio

@Caligula:
That's debatable....

#14 Posted by frogger (96 posts) - 2 years, 9 months ago - Show Bio

Sh!t I really liked Air and Young Liars

The problem is to many people wait for trades and most comic readers only read super hero books

#15 Posted by pikahyper (6630 posts) - 2 years, 9 months ago - Show Bio

I like to think that Vertigo books are catered more towards a niche market much like smaller indie books (especially since they are for readers 18+ only) and that that accounts for the lower sales compared to more main stream books that can appeal to a wider audience. Vertigo also appeals to a specific age demographic in the 18 and up crowd and if you look at the trend of the 18 and up crowd they tend to focus on trades more then individual issues because it's "cool to read graphic novels" but since most of the sales are coming from the trades and not the single issues the titles are unable to stay around very long. Because of the trade buying trend I really think publishers should start working that into the sales figures in a much more dramatic way because too many books are getting short changed just cause the individual issue sales are not good enough.

I used to be a pretty hard core Vertigo reader but most of it became boring to me and the only ones I really look forward to any more are Unknown Soldier, Greek Street, and Hellblazer and I absolutely loved Haunted Tank and Vinyl Underground while they lasted.

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#16 Posted by aztek_the_lost (30738 posts) - 2 years, 9 months ago - Show Bio

@frogger said:

" Sh!t I really liked Air and Young Liars The problem is to many people wait for trades and most comic readers only read super hero books "

well in the case of Air and Young Liars (and this is just personal opinion), I think they exactly read better in trade so that may have been part of the problem

I mean with Young Liars I read the first two arcs in trade so it was a very awesome series but with the final arc I was doing monthly and with so much space between I often found myself forgetting what exactly had all transpired in the last issue

as for Air, I found it to work better in trade because it doesn't really leave you with a cliffhanger that calls you for more, each issue basically feels self-contained

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#17 Posted by Pizawle (1074 posts) - 2 years, 9 months ago - Show Bio

The majority only reads superhero titles. Vertigo is not really at fault.

#18 Posted by dirtmound (8 posts) - 2 years, 8 months ago - Show Bio

I think you answered your own question.

" I know some people don't like the newer trades because they feel cheaper. "

By only buying trades, you kill off the monthlies.

#19 Posted by Gordon Kelly (49 posts) - 2 years, 2 months ago - Show Bio

I think Vertigo is doing ok and well for some readers who like the Vertigo comics. I used to read the new Unknown Solider series from 2008 to 2010 but it did not last because people where not buying there series only me. When I head that Unknown Solider was going to be canceled I was in shock to hear it did not do as well. I am reading House Of Mystery now I am enjoying the series and it is still going and I am happy to see Cain and Abel in the storyline of the series. This House of Mystery is diffrent from DC longest House of Mystery from 1951-1983 series. Vertigo is doing well they have made good movies from comic books like V for Vendetta -2006, Stardust -2007,Constine- 2005,Tank Girl- 1995,The Losers -2010. I wood like to see one change in Vertigo in years to come is that they should make more movies from there comic book's that people read and enjoy in years to come on the Big Screen at movire theaters.

Vertigo

Vertigo is an imprint of DC Comics suggested for mature readers and is a continuity separate from the DC Universe that has included Sandman, Swamp Thing, John Constantine (Hellblazer) and many others. However, nowadays the imprint is mostly focused upon creator-owned material.

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