Marvel could publish DC.

[Legatus Legionis]

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[LuisCarlos17f]

I think still it may be possible. DC would keep the IPs, we can agree about this, and the comics would be a licencing, something like Hasbro or Disney/Star Wars with IDW Publishing. The first step to test the reaction of the fandom, I guess, would be a new crossover.

Other option could be a new sub-universe with a different power limits to allow be adapted into videogames.

 

[MoonSong]

If they can find someone to purchase a license to print them, that is money for nothing to them. But the price has to be right, or they will just sell the publication rights away or shut the publishing side down, and hope all the collectors of DC comics will want to have a temporary digital viewing of them.

I don't think they will ever sell the DC publication rights. Licensing them is a possibility, but I doubt they would get rid of the characters, stories and plots. They are very important IP that is currently generating money just by being held on to without having to do a thing. Overseas reprinting licenses are a thing, and reprints of key books like the killing joke, watchmen, death of superman and crisis on infinite earths are still selling well every year, these are evergreen.

Selling the publication rights also means selling the control over the underlying IP. Movies, Tv shows, games, and park rides are all derivatives of an original IP that is in comic book form way back when neither of these media existed. The only reason Warner can exploit and sell and license these right now is because they own the right to the original media. No more control over the original media means they won't be able to license rights over any new kind of media that might emerge in the future.

Worst case scenario would be no more new comics are ever produced, and Warner keeps selling digital back issue and trade paper backs for another hundred years. On a better world, someone manages to pony up enough to purchase a license to make new comics and takes all of the risk. On the best of worlds, DC remains a thing, but in a reduced fashion, selling new stuff digitally and in weekly anthologies on Walmarts and maybe some grocery stores, maybe the direct market somehow manages to survive too.

I think still it may be possible. DC would keep the IPs, we can agree about this, and the comics would be a licencing, something like Hasbro or Disney/Star Wars with IDW Publishing. The first step to test the reaction of the fandom, I guess, would be a new crossover.

Other option could be a new sub-universe with a different power limits to allow be adapted into videogames.

It remains to be seen if IDW manages to survive this year. They've had a couple of bad years and were hanging from a thread even before the current crisis. Image doesn't do licenses, and Marvel's continued existence relies on Disney Money. Maybe Dark Horse could hope to get the rights some day?

Speaking of all this, which publisher has the DC rights in Spain? I know it used to be Novaro and then Norma, but they lost rights at some point of the last decade?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In Spain the translator publisher is Normal Editorial

Norma Editorial - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And they are making money not only with the comics or the movies, also with the teleseries, cartoons, toys, videogames and maybe in a future with TTRPGs.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Back on topic, the original "rumor" (that DC Comics will start getting published by Marvel) is complete bull.

Could DC Comics get shuttered by AT&T? Sure. I can see that; comics might not be profitable in the future (I think it's way more likely they'll just restructure and publish fewer series in different formats, but full cancellation is possible).

But there's zero, ZERO possibility AT&T hands it to Marvel, even just comics publishing. They'll want to keep the licensing, the branding, the merchandise, and having shared ownership with the biggest media company in the world is a threat to that. No way does AT&T want to jeopardize its rights to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

Comics may become unprofitable. But Batman alone has grossed $28 billion in media (second in super heroes to Spider Man, at $29 billion). So even if DC Comics ends, those characters aren't going anywhere.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

My opinion is the end of the old magazines of 24 or 48 pages may be near, but not the graphic novels. It would be like a miniserie is translated into other languange and it is in one tome as copilation.

And you know manga still is sold.

DC and Marvel don't like intercompany crossovers because later they have to agree again about to reprint new editions, or possible adaptation into other medias, for example toys, cartoons or videogames.

 

[MoonSong]

Not true.

Marvel sold the film rights to their characters decades ago, they still owned the IP, and right to print comics. To get the MCU to work, they had to start buying back the movie rights or how they would expire and them reverting back to Marvel by default.

But with the rise of online streaming services, the need to keep the IP is very important. But producing comic books is NOT. They can easily sell/license those rights to someone else.

Disney has done that a long time ago go its Disney characters, like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, etc. Disney still OWNS the IP, the cartoons, movies, merchandising, etc. They just do not PRINT comics themselves. Likely DC Publishing can do the same way as Disney Publishing.

Let me explain myself. In the case of Donald Duck, it doesn't matter if Disney sells the rights to comics -and I'm pretty sure they only licensed them-. The underlying IP comes from the movies, so they control the underlying IP. However, in the case of DC characters, Superman and Batman come from comics, if AT&T Warner sells the rights to the comics, they are selling the underlying IP. Even if they keep the rights to all other media and products currently existing, they lose the chance of monetizing the characters on any new media emerging in the future, because every existing and future media adaptations are derivatives of the comics because the comics are the original media for them.

Selling is not the same as licensing. DC can license the rights to the comics as many times as they want -in fact they do, as I was commenting with LuisCarlos17f, in my country they licensed those to Smash while in Spain Norma is the Licensee-, but selling them means they lose the money from those licenses too.

 

[bloodtide]

Has anyone pointed out the Full Circle effect?

You know that....once upon a time: DC did publish Marvel Comics!

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Please, forgive this necromancy:

Comic Books Archives

wegotthiscovered.com

AT&T Reportedly Looking To Sell DC Comics To The Highest Bidder

It's being rumoured that AT&T is looking to sell DC Comics off to the highest bidder, which I think would be a huge mistake.

www.small-screen.co.uk

We can agree AT&T wants to keep the copyright of the IPs/franchises, but a licencing agremeet may be possible.

An intercompany crossover with Marvel is harder than in the past, but my opinion is that shouldn't be totally impossible.

I love speculation about future mergers and acquisitions but 2021 is not going to be the best year for AT&T/Warner/DC neither Disney, and something is happening what is will change all the entertainment industry forever.

* My true wish is a d20 Marvel and d20 DC superheroes TTRPGs and both published by WotC. It can't be worse than Batman vs Black Panther in Fortnite: Batle Royal, or Terminator vs (Star Wars) stormtroopers.

* Sometime I have imagined a mangwha version of DC and Marvel Universe, where the cultivators, supreme martial artists with ki techniques could defeat superhumans. (Why not? In Injustice videogame Harley Quinn can defeat Supergirl).

* Some superheroes are too powerful to be easily adapted into videogames, and that today is a serious handicap for those franchises.