Advertise on Eye on ComicsCatch a Falling All-Star
Posted by Don MacPherson on September 18th, 2007
The mercury has begun to drop, and in my neck of the woods, we’ve even been issued the occasional frost warning in the evenings from time to time. Summer’s over, so many of us bid adieu to barbecues, bathing suits and sunburns. This past summer was also significant in the world of comics — and specifically to DC Comics — because summer 2007 was the announced release date of a much-anticipated project designed to light the comics sales charts on fire: All-Star Wonder Woman.
[...] It seems someone missed her cue. A-hem. I said, “All-Star Wonder Woman!”
Hmm, apparently, she’s a no show.
DC issued a news release in August 2006 hailing that it had signed comics artist Adam Hughes to an exclusive contract. This followed a previous announcement (a quite dated one) that Hughes was hired to write and illustrate All-Star Wonder Woman, the third title in DC’s All-Star brand, teaming some of the most popular creators in the industry with its most recognized super-hero icons. Well, that summer 2007 release date has come and gone, and we haven’t heard a peep out of DC Comics about Hughes’s Wonder Woman project. The publisher’s solicitations of the remainder of the year don’t include All-Star Wonder Woman #1 either.
On the surface, it would seem the exclusive contract isn’t serving DC all that well. Of course, the exclusive isn’t limited to the All-Star book. He’s doing covers on Catwoman and designs for various busts (appropriately enough) of female DC characters. Aside from that, his work is rarely seen these days. DC has had enough problems with its main Wonder Woman series as of late; the disappearance/non-existence of the All-Star title isn’t helping the property.
Perhaps DC has opted to have Hughes bank quite a few full, completed issues before it solicits the first issue. That makes sense, given the unfortunate track record of the other All-Star titles. All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder has been running for a couple of years, but only six issues have been released (with a seventh expected later this month). All-Star Superman boasts a more frequent schedule, but certainly not one that could be described as regular.
This has proven frustrating for readers and retailers alike, but there’s no denying that the publisher has reaped the rewards. All-Star Batman #6 sold more than 100,000 units (though much less than half of the first issue’s numbers), and All-Star Superman #8 sold a little more than 83,000, more than 30,000 units more than the next solo Superman title. So despite the delays, DC is getting a big bang for its bucks, right?
Well, not really, not when one factors in productivity and units sold over the course of the long run.
DC is no doubt shelling out big bucks for the talents of Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison and Hughes to produce its All-Star line. These creators pull down much higher page rates than most creators in the industry today, and while individual issues of All-Star Batman and All-Star Superman sell well, one of DC’s medium-range titles, such as Teen Titans, can move an average of 60,000 units a month every month for the entire year. With the lower page rates paid to creators on such a title and the higher volume of units over the course of a year, that’s got to translate into a solid and much more reliable return for the publisher.
The All-Star brand may be equated with top, hot creators, but at this point, it’s also saddled with a reputation for lateness and sporadic scheduling. I can’t help but wonder if consumers would approach All-Star Wonder Woman with trepidation at this point.
Does the brand still have value? Is DC still getting its money’s worth from these comics? When one considers that DC could redirect the financial, editorial and marketing resources it has invested in the All-Star titles into a greater number of titles that would sell that a lower but more consistent and reliable level, it certainly doesn’t seem to be the case.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Remember when All-Star was first announced, and it was generally considered to be DC’s answer to the Ultimate line? At least that’s not the case anymore, since we see at least one book with “Ultimate” in the title every month. All-Star? Not so much.
I think the brand also suffers a bit from DC having a bit of over-branding. In addition to All-Star, you’ve got the “Confidentials” (also non-continuity stories), piles of miniseries branded to one big event or the other, and then other random series and miniseries. THEN you’ve got Vertigo and Wildstorm too.
Obviously, DC still has plenty to learn about all these issues. Maybe, as you suggest, they’re starting to learn by banking a lot of All-Star Wonder Woman issue.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Dave wrote:
Remember when All-Star was first announced, and it was generally considered to be DC’s answer to the Ultimate line? At least that’s not the case anymore, since we see at least one book with “Ultimate” in the title every month. All-Star? Not so much.
Well, I don’t think All-Star was ever meant to be DC’s version of Marvel’s Ultimate line. There’s cross-title continuity at play in the Ultimate titles, whereas I don’t think the same holds true with All-Star. For example, I highly doubt Frank Miller’s vision of Wonder Woman will be the same as Hughes’s interpretation of the character in All-Star Wonder Woman.
Oh, and we see a lot more than just one Ultimate book per month. Ultimate Spider-Man, Ult. X-Men and Ult. Fantastic Four have been hitting the shelves like clockwork, even if other Ultimate books haven’t.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:32 am
I’ve just gotta say that DC, and I blame Dan Didio for this, has really dropped the ball on some of its iconic characters, namely, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman. Man, was Rucka’s run on WW great, and their decision to steer away from his approach and start over at #1 has just sucked. What about that Sub Diego storyline with Aquaman, and what a badass Aquaman was at that time; now he’s some wussy mullet wearing shellfish sword toting cheeseball type of character they were always trying to avoid in the first place.
And then with the Flash, first of all, not sure why it wasn’t the first Flash who died in the Crisis of Infinite Earths that was resurrected by the Legion and not Wally, didn’t really get that (if you could clarify that for me?), because I thought that scene with the first Flash fading away to bones flashed back during that JLA/JSA/Legion crossover, then all of a sudden its Wally who comes back? Don’t get it. Then why didn’t they capitalize on the idea Wally coming back to avenge Bart’s murder at the hands of the Rogues one by one, showing them what a Flash could have really done to each and everyone of them unabated by unwritten laws of costumed heroes, now forfeited by the Rogues with their murderous act? I think that would’ve been cool, but instead they just have this Flash story with cheesy Jr. Flashes, stinks (except for Acuna’s art).
Didio has ruined these characters/books for me to the point I feel like he really doesn’t know what he’s doing. I’ve abandoned these books, only to come back once in awhile if the art’s good enough like with Acuna or Dodson, but the concept of these characters have just been mismanaged in my opinion.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:47 am
[...] [Commentary] Dom MacPherson wonders whatever happened to Adam Hughes’ All Star Wonder Woman? [...]
September 19th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Of the Big 7, WW, Flash, Aquaman, and J’onn all got train-wrecked over the past two years; and the in-continuity Shazam property, another high profile case, is fubar. Not good…
September 19th, 2007 at 9:08 am
DC is indeed stockpiling issues of All-Star Wonder Woman; part of Hughes agreeing to sign on board was the promise that all six issues would be able to come out monthly. The last I heard, he and Laura Martin were still hard at work on the series and once there’s no chance of it running late, we’d start to see it.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Greg wrote:
The last I heard, he and Laura Martin were still hard at work on the series and once there’s no chance of it running late, we’d start to see it.
Thanks for the update, Greg. As I noted in the column, I figured that was a possibility.
Here’s a question, though: should an experienced comic artist take so long to bank a complete six-issue run? It’s been, what, two years since All-Star Wonder Woman was first announced?
September 19th, 2007 at 11:23 am
IIRC, there was a post attributed to Hughes on the Byrne Robotics Forum where he said he was contracted to 10 pages per month. And I heard rumors Hughes was signed to this project as early as 2004. So if we go by that estimate, he’s had more than enough time, even at 10 pages a month, to deliver a full six issue arc.
Larsen once said of Hughes (and Art Adams) “There’s no reason these guys can’t do a monthly book. But it wouldn’t be good enough for them.” And Larsen had trouble getting six pages out of Hughes.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:32 am
I don’t mind waiting to see Hughes’s take on Wonder Woman; I’m thoroughly enjoying the other two All-Star books, unencumbered as they are by the sheer tonnage of continuity that stops me reading pretty much any other DC title.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Don wrote:
Here’s a question, though: should an experienced comic artist take so long to bank a complete six-issue run? It’s been, what, two years since All-Star Wonder Woman was first announced?
If that’s what was agreed to between Hughes and DC, then sure. An experienced (and professional) artist would know how long it would take and agree to such in the contract. It’s the inexperienced (and unprofessional) artist how would say that s/he could deliver six issues in six months and then take over two years to complete it.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Dave Carter wrote:
If that’s what was agreed to between Hughes and DC, then sure. An experienced (and professional) artist would know how long it would take and agree to such in the contract.
Fair enough. But if that is the case, then why is DC making announcements a year or two ahead of time? The declared release timeframe has come and gone. If Hughes didn’t drop the ball, then DC is suffering from premature exclamation.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:14 am
DC and Marvel need to realize that being so easy on “name” talent being late is detrimental to their business. If for no other reason than less product equals less profit. There are plenty enough talented creators who would love to get into comics that would actually be willing to meet a reasonable deadline.