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Post by Kavyk Takayashi on Apr 19, 2016 17:41:46 GMT -5
Might as well ask in this thread. How many original stories do the Marvel comics from the 80's have compared with DH ones? Don't feel like reading the same stories just with different art.
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Post by johnnypt on Apr 19, 2016 18:31:56 GMT -5
Might as well ask in this thread. How many original stories do the Marvel comics from the 80's have compared with DH ones? Don't feel like reading the same stories just with different art. Very short answer-Apples and oranges, Marvel & DH are two different things. Short answer: A lot more. The way they told stories back then was different than today. They would do an adaptation in an issue or two, where these days they run 4-6. So Marvel did a lot more original stories compared to the longer ones DH is doing. Longer answer: they're two different animals from two different eras. Even the adaptations are different (some are better, some are...not, one in particular). Their approaches to the material are different, their chronologies are different. You're not reading the same thing if you read both Marvel and Dark Horse. Marvel adapted in a lot of Howard stories that weren't originally Conan, DH has stuck to just the Howard series, with bits and pieces used from other stories. Marvel came up with original stories to have a next issue. DH came up with stories specifically to fill the gaps between the stories
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2016 8:42:19 GMT -5
Just the fact that Dark Horse is following a different chronology very faithful to Howard`s vision and filling the gaps to make it a one big story in the end makes them worth reading. The difference in focus, art and story telling is so present and evident that it turns out to be a whole new experience.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2016 8:50:34 GMT -5
Read Thomas/Smith`s Frost Giant`s Daughter and then Busiek/Nord`s. It speaks for itself.
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Post by johnnypt on May 16, 2016 13:09:36 GMT -5
A little moral victory as the title comes to a close:
232 CONAN THE AVENGER #25 6,988, up from 6,924 (+1%)
A two month up trend (albeit very small) is encouraging that maybe people will come back to the title.
On the inverse, Red Sonja dropped another 400, so that one's definitely coming back down to earth.
So a 7k floor sort of held (with a little give) and the mini floor of 6500 is there.
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Post by lordyam on May 16, 2016 14:02:12 GMT -5
All in all could be worse. Dark horse's OTHER brands (eve) have been consistently slaughtered by conan)
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Post by lordyam on May 29, 2016 0:58:42 GMT -5
Hellboy & Bprd 1953 Beyond The Fences 3 $3.50 Dark Horse 11,391 Predator Life and Death 2 $3.99 Dark Horse 10,679 Dept H 1 $3.99 Dark Horse 9,319 Angel and Faith Season 10 25 $3.99 Dark Horse 8,363 House of Penance 1 $3.99 Dark Horse 7,705 Harrow County 11 $3.99 Dark Horse 7,080 Conan The Avenger 25 $3.50 Dark Horse 6,988
I don't know what this says about Dark Horse; Conan isn't doing well but to be honest only two series are making more than 10k and even then compared to OTHER licensed brands Conan's still king (Predator and I think Buffy are it).
Since one of the complaints was art maybe a truly good artist will help rejuvenate sales. Not to old numbers god no but maybe to at least 9000.
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Post by arcadian on May 30, 2016 17:44:10 GMT -5
How should we evaluate the economics of illustrated Conan? I like how lordyam has made comparison with other licensed brands part of the discussion, but there seems to be a lot we can only speculate about, and here comes some speculation . . .
I read Creepy Comics from Dark Horse, which is a relaunch of the 1960s/1970s horror magazine, originally published by Warren, and famous for the artistic talent and the lack of comics code authority restrictions. The new Dark Horse comic series comes out very sporadically, like every 3 to 6 months. When I tried to look into what was going on and whether it had been cancelled, I found an explanation given that Dark Horse was apparently only issuing new comics as required by the licensing agreement.
I can't find the original source, but here is how I interpreted that: The original Creepy (and Eerie) stories have a good reputation and republishing them in nice hardcover editions for fans makes money, but the holders of the license didn't just want reissues. The wanted further product created, either simply for the money, or they wanted the brand to live and breath and not simply be of antiquarian interest. If Dark Horse was simply meeting the minimum, then the real meat of the licensing deal was in the archival reprints.
So what about Conan? The early Marvel Comics are still famous among comic fans that aren't necessarily Conan fans. What if the real meat of the deal (from Dark Horse's perspective) is in the rights to reprint the famous Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, and John Buscema stories? That would mean that we can't judge the deal by looking at the most recent comics, nor sales figures for the . . . how to put this kindly . . . the later Marvel Conan comics? Maybe Dark Horse already understood it would take a loss on Liefeld Conan. I'm not sure what I conclude from this other than we don't know the financial aspects of the license, the overall license might still be making a lot of money, but it might be in the earliest reprints.
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Post by lordyam on May 31, 2016 14:50:50 GMT -5
I brought the other brands in because some were so certain dark horse would ditch it. I'm pointing out that other brands (EVE and Mirrors Edge) are FAR more likely to be dropped first. Conan's doing well compared to other brands.
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Post by johnnypt on May 31, 2016 15:26:03 GMT -5
The reprints of the main Marvel titles (CTB, SSOC, CTK) are either completed or almost done. If this is really where DH is making its revenue on the license, we'll see reprints of Adventurer, Savage and the graphic novels before too long. It isn't the company it was when it got the rights in the early 2000s. When its top title is selling just under 12k, its future plans have to adjust to that reality. And it certainly looks like it means keeping a title that it might have let go previously. It's consistently their #7 title each month, but the key word is "consistently".
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Post by lordyam on Jun 1, 2016 0:35:51 GMT -5
Wierd but same can be said of Buffy and Angel. In any case my point still holds. Shit like EVE and Mirro's Edge will probably get axed LONG before Conan is in any danger.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Jun 1, 2016 23:09:14 GMT -5
The name Conan also has a lot of brand recognition compared to their other licensed properties.
Most people know who Conan is just by the Arnie movie, so they at least know he's a barbarian character.
I imagine licenses with characters that have such high name recognition don't come around every day. I'm betting they hold onto it for as long as they can.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Jun 6, 2016 22:57:28 GMT -5
So, any predictions on the numbers for Conan: The Slayer #1? I know it's many months from being out, but I have to hope it will be higher than 7,000.
For a first issue with two variant covers by INSANELY talented artists....I'm betting this could hit 9,000 or even 10,000. That might be pretty conservative, as around 7,000 of us have been keeping the book going all this time. But if it gets above 10,000, consider it a HUGE win the way the market is now.
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Post by lordyam on Jun 6, 2016 23:13:31 GMT -5
If it hits 9000 I'll be impressed. Art is everything just as much as story; rereading Avenger I've noticed that yeah the good story has been dragged down by lousy art.
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Post by johnnypt on Jun 13, 2016 9:16:43 GMT -5
End of an era here, no floppy numbers for Conan, but a final trade #:
59 1.45 $19.99 DAR Savage Sword of Conan v22 1,481
Pretty much around the 1500 "norm" for the series. A one volume Conan the Savage release could certainly be warranted based on the steady performance of the SSOC series overall.
In other news:
DH's highest title was at 123, Hellboy in Hell #9 at 15,696. Their highest trade was Rebels V1 at a little over 2000.
Red Sonja came in at 6349, below Conan's "floor".
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