After months of picking up on rumors and leaks, we’ve now got all the info direct from the publisher.
DC this weekend opened The New 52 info page on The Source, DC Comics’ blog and informational site.
The site provides issue #1 cover art any synopsis for all 52 lines, separated into seven categories:
- Superman
- Batman
- Green Lantern
- Justice League
- The Dark
- The Edge
- Young Justice
The categories themselves show us some new info, like where the crossovers are most likely to occur in the future. More interesting, however, is what titles ended up in The Edge.
The Edge was announced previously, and some of the titles were obvious, and some had even been revealed as part of that category, but there was previously no official list of which titles would be classified as The Edge.
This category of stories seems to be those which cross the lines of the old comics code. They appear to be more grey in their characterizations, and feature darker, bloodier storylines. Not to be confused with The Dark lines, which are the monster/horror tales, but are likely all still low on blood and adult situations.
At the same time, DC announced more details about their digital releases, which will start releasing simultaneously with the print edition starting with Justice League #1 on August 31st 2011 at 2pm EST.
Each digital copy will cost cover price for the first four weeks, then drop a dollar, so those who want the digital copies to save some money will always be a month behind. Further they said:
For decades, the industry has bemoaned the fact we are not striving to bring in new readers. We feel day and date will bring the level of online chatter and excitement about storylines and books to new highs and having same-day digital titles will allow every kind of fan to participate in that excitement. In the end, more readers of comics whether in print or digital benefits the entire industry.
It looks like DC is really trying to get new readers in, and plans on putting out the books that people will want to read in the way that people want to read them. For DC, this isn’t just a reradership bump stunt, this is a whole new way of looking at their own properties. They are even changing the way they advertise:
Since we are seeking a multi-tiered, multi-faceted audience, we will be using a variety of marketing channels to spread our message. We have already seen the enormous publicity response to The New 52 and how that has driven consumer awareness; we anticipate that will continue through launch. On the advertising side, we will be using a mixture of television advertising (both targeted network placement and co-op), Facebook advertising and targeted Search Engine Buys to seek out specific stripes of consumers. Hugely important as well are our on-line efforts, as we use the growing strength of social networking to build a new fan base for our books. Each of these platforms allows us to focus on consumers with specific pop culture and reading preferences.
Will this really change the way people see and buy comicbooks? We’ll find out in September. Personally, I’ve been looking for a good time to pick comics back up, and this looks like it could be that time.
