I also love how you’d totally wipe out Vertigo. Because clearly low sales mean low quality and a book that isn’t worthy of publication.

Sheesh.

1) I’d axe both Confidential books. Let Superman and Batman’s pasts be told occasionally in Action and Detective (more on that below).

2) I’d axe both All-Star books. Elseworlds stuff will be limited to miniseries and 1-shots.

3) I’d let Countdown finish up, but I’d axe Final Crisis before it starts.

4) I’d refocus Action Comics and Detective Comics to tell 1-shot stories for Superman and Batman, respectively. Leave the multi-part stories to their named titles.

5) I’d axe Superman/Batman. Team-ups would be done in their solo titles.

6) I’d axe Green Lantern Corps and let the characters and plots be absorbed into the parent title.

7) I’d axe The Legion of Super-Heroes and enact a rule in the DCU that the future doesn’t exist. The present is far as the universe has gotten.

8) I’d absorb the WildStorm and Vertigo characters into the DCU and ditch the imprints.

9) I’d let all miniseries finish up and then not do any for around a year.

10) I’d allow a maximum of 1 issue per title per month. If an issue misses a month, no playing catch-up.

11) I’d keep all of the cancelations a secret and simply put a black banner on the top of the front cover of every axed DCU title with the word “BLOODBATH” (in red font, dripping red) on it, giving readers the impression that some kind of Big Event is going on (which it is; it’s called mass-cancelation).

12) I’d put out a 1-shot special in the month after all of the canceled titles are gone called “THE DUST SETTLES: BLOODBATH AFTERMATH”. It’s be an overview of the DCU as it currently stands, giving basic introductions to the characters. The dust would literally be starting to settle at that point, since readers would be looking for other titles to pick up, and we’d get to see which titles gain readers in the months ahead.

13) I’d wait a few months, then I’d axe every title (excluding Johnny DC) that fell below #100 on the monthly sales chart thereafter, giving the characters only occasional miniseries or 1-shots to keep their existing readers happy.

Thanks for writing about the first-month sales on collections like Crossing Midnight v2 and Scalped v2. Those stats help me understand financial decisions. I’d like to see more of this, even with good sellers.

I’ve heard some anecdotal reports, but it never hurts to get more input from retailers. The unexpectedly high numbers of those books certainly suggest that the bulk of their audience aren’t traditional direct-market readers.

Two other factors which I think are worth considering are the turnover effect Paul mentions, as well as the return of lapsed direct-market readers via events like “Civil War” or “The Death of Captain America.” Overall, the direct market seems surprisingly healthy right now.

Freddy vs Jason vs Ash (ASH, from the Evil Dead) outsells Blue Beetle.

There hasn’t been a new Freddy, Jason or Ash movie in what, over a decade and more people are buying THAT book than Blue Beetle.

To be honest, these numbers are depressing. More so because really, I love DC. I love their characters, I love most of their talent pool. Geoff Johns is always on his A-Game, George Perez, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Jerry Ordway, Jim Shooter, Marv Wolfman… the wealth is there so the question remains, What’s going on here?

I believe there’s a negative, toxic air around DC as a brand. People aren’t picking up books, they’re dropping them and the reason is clear: People are unhappy with the direction of the company line.

I give them credit for trying but let’s be honest, most of the things they’ve hyped within the last few years either didn’t live up to the hype or didn’t live at all (as in, didn’t deliver). Sales were good on Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis but many left disappointed. One Year Later dead less than eight months later. WW Action and ASBR? Many say delays don’t kill sales and in special cases, maybe not but we’ve now seen otherwise for the rest of the unspecial majority. Most of this leaves a bad taste in most consumers mouths…

Speaking of bad taste, who can say they didn’t see the Flash disaster coming?

52 was a success but from there spun 52 new universes. 25 Years ago, it was felt 5 Earths were too much for audiences so they have this Crisis which consoldates them into one. Today, DC feels audiences are over that. But heck, why stop at 5? Why not 52 new earths? From there, a Countdown To (yes!) Final Crisis (so we can undo the mess we just created? Who knows…) which will be the ’spine’ of the DCU.

Guys, if Countdown to Final Crisis is the ’spine’ of the DCU, then sadly, the DCU needs a wheelchair.

Yes, it’s all been part of a grand plan from the very beginning (when, Identity Crisis? Infinite Crisis?) but if its proven that readers are upset when their book is delayed 6 months to see a story’s conclusion, who in their right mind would believe a reader’s attention can be held for 5-6 years to see a story reach its conclusion. Has DC’s line become Lost? The Sopranos?

The general direction affects the company line. But when the company line already suffers from a 3 year old toxic stink so bad, people aren’t buying the books no matter who is on it, that says there is a contagion in DC as a brand, a community and its infecting all DC homes in the neighborhood.

They may seriously want to reconsider their direction. They have a wonderful library of characters with amazing potential. If not for readers, then for the characters who deserve better.