SO, ABOUT THE REBOOT
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this today, some a little bit hostile, some a little bit lacking in factual basis.
I never feel like it’s my job to disagree with people’s value judgments…if they hate the new52 or Marvel NOW or any of those kinds of changes and initiatives, that’s perfectly fair, and I totally sympathize, I have been in that position myself too many times to count.
But it’s important to remember the difference between a value judgment and objective data. Anecdotes are not data, message board chatter is rarely data.
The New52 was a huge boost to retailers and the comics industry as a revitalization of sales. It would be almost impossible to find anyone who genuinely knows the industry who disagrees. That much is simply objective data.
Now, that’s a totally separate issue from matters of taste and preference. I would never argue anyone’s opinion that they don’t LIKE the new52, that’s like trying to argue whether they prefer bananas or oranges. It’s not my place to debate that, and as I say, no one likes a disappointed reader. Believe me, it’s often very painful when a loyal reader leaves a book or no longer wants to read it.
They are two separate issues that sometimes affect each other, but should never be confused. That’s all.
There’s a ton of stuff I love in the new52, books like Swamp Thing, Demon Knights, Batman, Nightwing, Animal Man, All Star Western, quite a few. At the same time, I miss a lot of stuff that hasn’t yet reappeared from the old 52 TREMENDOUSLY.
But I think it’s important to tell readers the truth. Opinions about what those things mean, what they might mean in the long run, all of that is perfectly fair game. But data is data. Opinions are opinions.
ALWAYS okay to have opinions, not okay to ignore data. That’s all.
I’m pretty excited about what’s going on now…I was a skeptic of the new52, I was not on board right away. But we are now past the introductory stage and are in a position to start connecting the quilting squares of the DCU and that stuff is genuinely, sincerely fun. But I totally understand and empathize with people who remain skeptical or even outright hostile, those are your opinions and you have the right to them without question.
All I am trying to say is that implying things contrary to the data that’s out there is counter-productive, there’s no real meaning in that for anyone.
I hope that makes sense. If you hate the new52, I understand, sorry to hear it, would never try to talk you out of that. But it’s been a remarkable success for DC, retailers, and even other publishers have benefited.
A thing can be successful and you still don’t like it, we all know that. But some of the conversation seems to be, “I don’t like it, so NO ONE likes it,” which does seem a bit odd to me.
***
This woman has NEVER met a corporate ploy she won't be the apologist for. And that, more than any other factor, is why she will always get work at Warner comicbooks.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this today, some a little bit hostile, some a little bit lacking in factual basis.
I never feel like it’s my job to disagree with people’s value judgments…if they hate the new52 or Marvel NOW or any of those kinds of changes and initiatives, that’s perfectly fair, and I totally sympathize, I have been in that position myself too many times to count.
But it’s important to remember the difference between a value judgment and objective data. Anecdotes are not data, message board chatter is rarely data.
The New52 was a huge boost to retailers and the comics industry as a revitalization of sales. It would be almost impossible to find anyone who genuinely knows the industry who disagrees. That much is simply objective data.
Now, that’s a totally separate issue from matters of taste and preference. I would never argue anyone’s opinion that they don’t LIKE the new52, that’s like trying to argue whether they prefer bananas or oranges. It’s not my place to debate that, and as I say, no one likes a disappointed reader. Believe me, it’s often very painful when a loyal reader leaves a book or no longer wants to read it.
They are two separate issues that sometimes affect each other, but should never be confused. That’s all.
There’s a ton of stuff I love in the new52, books like Swamp Thing, Demon Knights, Batman, Nightwing, Animal Man, All Star Western, quite a few. At the same time, I miss a lot of stuff that hasn’t yet reappeared from the old 52 TREMENDOUSLY.
But I think it’s important to tell readers the truth. Opinions about what those things mean, what they might mean in the long run, all of that is perfectly fair game. But data is data. Opinions are opinions.
ALWAYS okay to have opinions, not okay to ignore data. That’s all.
I’m pretty excited about what’s going on now…I was a skeptic of the new52, I was not on board right away. But we are now past the introductory stage and are in a position to start connecting the quilting squares of the DCU and that stuff is genuinely, sincerely fun. But I totally understand and empathize with people who remain skeptical or even outright hostile, those are your opinions and you have the right to them without question.
All I am trying to say is that implying things contrary to the data that’s out there is counter-productive, there’s no real meaning in that for anyone.
I hope that makes sense. If you hate the new52, I understand, sorry to hear it, would never try to talk you out of that. But it’s been a remarkable success for DC, retailers, and even other publishers have benefited.
A thing can be successful and you still don’t like it, we all know that. But some of the conversation seems to be, “I don’t like it, so NO ONE likes it,” which does seem a bit odd to me.
***
This woman has NEVER met a corporate ploy she won't be the apologist for. And that, more than any other factor, is why she will always get work at Warner comicbooks.
