DC Reboot - Would you support DC & Marvel changing their numbering convention?

[BoxWhatBox]

So I've been living under a rock and just found out today that DC is rebooting their comic universe again, which gives us a chance to collect a new series of #1s. Instead of going through these shenanigans, would you support comic book companies ditching their current numbering scheme for 2016.01, 2016.02, etc.

Along with changing the numbering scheme, each created team would be given 12 months to tell their story arc, with a soft-reboot at the end of each year. What do y'all think?

 

[JoeZhang]

I don't care - I don't buy or read single issues.

 

[Icemizer]

Both companies have slowly been moving towards a 12 month story cycle. As a long time collector I hate the idea. 1st issues used to be a big deal. Even worse I hate when they switch the numbers back to the original numbering scheme from a new one. There was no Action Comics #956, it does not exist so jumping from #52 to #957 is just stupid. No doubt shortly after #1000 appears they will go with a new #1, just because.

 

[kirk55555]

So I've been living under a rock and just found out today that DC is rebooting their comic universe again, which gives us a chance to collect a new series of #1s. Instead of going through these shenanigans, would you support comic book companies ditching their current numbering scheme for 2016.01, 2016.02, etc.

Along with changing the numbering scheme, each created team would be given 12 months to tell their story arc, with a soft-reboot at the end of each year. What do y'all think?

I would hate that. The renumbering is getting ridiculous, and several of the Marvel books have just started mocking it even while forced to do it (Howard the Duck had a pretty funny gag when it was forced to renumber after about six issues). The renumbering is a cheap gimmick. If they tell good stories, they'll sell. If freaking Spawn can go 250+ issues without having the renumber, then mainstream comics don't need to, its just padding out sales figures at this point.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

If freaking Spawn can go 250+ issues without having the renumber, then mainstream comics don't need to, its just padding out sales figures at this point.

Does it actually help sales? As a comic reader from years ago I've found it discouraging because I have no idea where to step back. Sure, in theory, "Start at Number One" but there's been so many reboots/restarts/renumbers I'm not even sure what is an active series or not sometimes when I occasionally browse. I occasionally try to follow what's going on in comic news but even that's hard to figure out sometimes.

 

[kirk55555]

Does it actually help sales? As a comic reader from years ago I've found it discouraging because I have no idea where to step back. Sure, in theory, "Start at Number One" but there's been so many reboots/restarts/renumbers I'm not even sure what is an active series or not sometimes when I occasionally browse. I occasionally try to follow what's going on in comic news but even that's hard to figure out sometimes.

I think it helps a bit in sales, because everyone thinks its a good place to jump on (although that's not always the case). Honestly, when I first really got into comics I just jumped into the latest (or sometimes a random) issue of a book, and figured it out from there. Having a "jumping on point" can be very overrated, and not always necessary if a reader just pays attention, especially nowadays with the internet to help you catch up on stuff.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I think it helps a bit in sales, because everyone thinks its a good place to jump on (although that's not always the case). Honestly, when I first really got into comics I just jumped into the latest (or sometimes a random) issue of a book, and figured it out from there. Having a "jumping on point" can be very overrated, and not always necessary if a reader just pays attention, especially nowadays with the internet to help you catch up on stuff.

That's what I did, too, and 90s DC was not exactly forth-coming. The first Batman book I bought mid-90s, there was a small mute repair-guy in the Batcave, I had no idea who he was. I actually still don't know, or maybe I just forgot. But even with stuff like that, the Batman books were relatively easy to jump in compared to other books at the time.

 

[kirk55555]

That's what I did, too, and 90s DC was not exactly forth-coming. The first Batman book I bought mid-90s, there was a small mute repair-guy in the Batcave, I had no idea who he was. I actually still don't know, or maybe I just forgot. But even with stuff like that, the Batman books were relatively easy to jump in compared to other books at the time.

Yeah, and nowadays its easier then it was. Even ignoring the internet, basically every Marvel comic starts with a page at the beginning explaining the story so far. DC doesn't really do that, but they usually have some exposition near the beginning to bring people up to speed. I get how it can be intimidating to just jump in, but there really hasn't been a better time for it.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

I don't really give a shit and find the whole getting invested in issue numbers thing kind of ridiclous.

 

[Captain Craig]

^^^Harold, that's the mute repair guy you're thinking of from mid-90s Batman

As a long time reader I despise the constant renumbering. Not only does a new #1 not wholly mean jumping on point, it doesn't man you don't need to know what happened in the last series. Why do #1's see a large increase? It's not because that many people go "Oh, starting point, I'll subscribe" as it is #1's are where the publishers do a high volume of variant covers. Forcing retailers to order heavy to fill the niche demand of the variant cover collector. Variant covers have just replaced Hologram, Lenticular, Foil, Die-Cut Covers as the gimmick de jour of the past decade + that plagued the industry in the 90's.

The creative accounting to "get back" to the true number of any title is also annoying. In order to do so they jump across several volumes of any said title. The purpose of volumes is to have a demarcation point.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I guess we all must have done that (jumped in) at one point or another. I guess as someone who had a lot of history with comics I don't want to have to start from scratch and it's hard to figure out where to go. When I get an itch to get back in a little I don't want to spend $3-4 (or whatever they are now) on random books trying to find my place. Maybe it's just my laziness or being out of the scene for too long.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Don't care about the issue numbers. I buy for the content. Issue 1 or issue 53 or issue 1000. If it sucks, it sucks. The big one on the cover won't change that.

Every issue is a "jumping on point".

 

[JD]

I think the only time the series should renumber is when it's a true, clean slate reboot. If I get a #1, I want it to be a real beginning, not the 500th part of an ongoing story that just happens to be making a few changes.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I don't mind new number one issues if the story is making a clean start with a new status quo or creative team, but what Marvel recently did, arbitrarily starting every book over at #1 because of Secret Wars, mid-arc or not, was really annoying.

 

[Phoenix219]

That's what I did, too, and 90s DC was not exactly forth-coming. The first Batman book I bought mid-90s, there was a small mute repair-guy in the Batcave, I had no idea who he was. I actually still don't know, or maybe I just forgot. But even with stuff like that, the Batman books were relatively easy to jump in compared to other books at the time.

Harold!!!! I totally forgot about him. Oh wow. And the subway car Bat train thing to get around gotham quick underground from the cave. I haven't thought about any of that in YEARS. The Batbooks were complicated even then, with all the multi part storylines running between Batman, Detective, Shadow of the Bat, Legends of the Dark Knight, Robin, Catwoman, etc... but at least an attempt was being made to make them all cohesive and compatible with each other.

 

[theenglish]

I guess we all must have done that (jumped in) at one point or another. I guess as someone who had a lot of history with comics I don't want to have to start from scratch and it's hard to figure out where to go. When I get an itch to get back in a little I don't want to spend $3-4 (or whatever they are now) on random books trying to find my place. Maybe it's just my laziness or being out of the scene for too long.

Stan Lee always said that you needed to write every issue as if it were somebody's first comic book--because it was. I don't want to see comics go back to the days of an entire page of exposition BUT it would be nice if the company's took that into account. I like the Marvel idea of providing a recap on the first page, for example.

That said, I think good stories and art are what draw people to comics--not issue numbers. For me issue numbers show that a character has a history. I can go find that history on wikipedia. When every comic is issue four or five, I have no idea if it is a new book or an old book. It doesn't give the long standing characters the respect they deserve.