DC Comics Dumping the DC YOU? Raising Comic Prices?

More information becomes known regarding the future of DC Comics following yesterday’s report that DC is suffering from financial woes.

Following DC moving away from the New 52 brand into the DC YOU initiative, which was just announced 14 weeks ago, it’s now being said the DC YOU is being considered a flop as well, and that DC may be returning to their “house style.”

Former DC Comics editor Heidi MacDonald, who now writes for Comics Beat, offers her take on DC’s problems in that she’s heard from multiple sources that the DC YOU has failed to excite retailer and readers (which sales prove). MacDonald further says she hears that co-publisher Dan DiDio wasn’t in favor of the DC YOU relaunch (post-Convergence), and that “DiDio’s way is making a comeback.”

MacDonald does note it’s still too early to see where everything is going, but she has heard ideas are being floated around that she considers “shocking,” though she doesn’t go into specifics other than stating it may mean a possible “return to a tightly interwoven overarching continuity or just a return to DC’s house style.”

Bleeding Cool, source of the DC $2 million pitfall, adds more to the story in that DC has reneged on their guarantee of 12 issues for the DC YOU launch for each title, and that the issues can be cancelled at any time. It’s further said DC will be more “trigger shy” in approving new projects.

It’s said DC’s “recovery plan” will see DC doubling down on their efforts to sell trade paperpacks as well as concentrating on custom publishing projects for other clients, upping their ad sales, and are hoping Miller’s Dark Knight III is a blockbuster hit.

It also said creators at DC Comics may take a hit as BC suggests page rates are likely to “take a knock” as DC is known for paying out out higher page rates to writers and artists than other companies, with it said to expect those rates to be “negotiated downwards.”

BC also suggests DC may raise the price of their comics.