Earlier this week, as I opened a press release e-mail from Marvel Comics, I didn't expect that in mere moments my gag reflex would kick in and I'd find myself with a hefty amount of phlem filling my mouth and accentuating the bitter taste buds on my tongue. What could possibly cause me to be so repulsed? Surely, a world renowned publisher of some of the worlds best superhero comic books couldn't provide enough of a reason for me to literally throw up in my mouth.
Yet, it happened.
Though I never posted it as a news item, Marvel announced a rather peculiar retailer incentive earlier this week. Essentially, the publisher is offering retailers the chance to send in the stripped covers of unsold comics as incentive to receive an "extremely rare" Siege #3 Deadpool variant. For every 50 stripped covers they receive, the retailer will get one copy of this book in return to sell in their store. They give a list of 6 comics that qualify for the program, and any combination of them adding up to 50 will count. This list is as follows:
Adventure Comics #4
Booster Gold #26
Doom Patrol #4
Justice League of America #39
Outsiders #24
R.E.B.E.L.S. #10
Notice anything funny about those books? Me too. They are all from Marvel's #1 competitor, DC Comics. Now listen, I'm fully aware that comic books are a business, an industry. Every publisher's goal is to make money and be the very best. However, taking a cheap shot at your competitor like this, which in my opinion is akin to a smear campaign in a political election, is a low blow and ultimately makes Marvel as a company look foolish and juvenile.
The concept of this program is novel enough; allowing specialty shop retailers to "trade-in" unsold books towards a high value item, presumably in thanks for their business and ongoing support. Except, these trade-in books should be from Marvel's own selection of poor selling titles. Regardless of what they'd have you believe, not every Marvel book sells like hot cakes and breaks sales records. Why can't retailers send in their leftover copies of the Dark Reign: New Avengers: Manifest Destiny: War of Kings: Dark Spider-Man: Clone Saga Ultimate Comics one-shot?
In seriousness, telling retailers to tear up and send in unsold DC Comics is a malicious act; it is blatantly stating "we are better". Company pride is one thing, but the fortitude to play dirty and make the competition look inept is something else entirely. It's as though the powers that be at Marvel were forced to go to elementary school with their children for the day, and this was the result of a business meeting in that environment. It's ego stroking to the max, and really, Marvel should be ashamed.
What really seals the deal for me though, is if Marvel really just had to launch such a masturbatory incentive program like this, they could have very well kept it private, informing only the retailers though Diamond Comic Distributors. But instead, they opted to send out a mass press release to retailers and members of the press alike, essentially letting the world know that they view their comics - even ones of overdone events featuring a variant of a character that's becoming as overused as Wolverine - with such high value, that retailers should destroy 50 full-priced comics just to receive 1 copy of this illustrious rarity.
Whether or not the books included in this program were poor sellers or not is irrelevant; my issue is with the gall that Marvel has to stoop so low to deface their competition. As I said, comic books are a business. Competition is the only way that any publisher will put forth their absolute best work. But a smear campaign is something else entirely; to fans, it makes Marvel look like a dominating corporate entity instead of a publisher putting out comics for the love of the art; an image that's certainly not helped by their recent acquisition by Disney.
This isn't any sort of protest against the publisher. I love their comics, and I'm more than able to keep my love of the characters, adoration of the creators and the intricacies of the business separate; you have to. That doesn't mean I'm not going to call them out when something upsets me. After all, I'm a customer, aren't I?
As they say, I'm not mad. Just disappointed.
