693 replies to this topic

[Aquilonia]

I haven`t heard anything about issues sold on QotBC, and I`m really curious too, but not expecting 20.000+ comics sold. Maybe 15.000? Am I wrong? Hope so...
I`d like to comment on Cloonan`s style too, referring to Dave the Rage observations about being hard for old fans to let go Buscema`s take on Conan.
The first time I looked at Cloonan`s Conan, I liked it. I felt it was different from what I had seen (Nord, Giorello), but immediately I recalled that I had had the same feeling when Dark Horse started adapting Frost Giant`s, which was very different from the Marvel Conan.
So, I immediately thought: "Hey, this is gonna be good", because if I was able to like Cary Nord`s job right away, which was so much different from Buscema`s, I would be able to like QotBC too. So It was kind of a Deja-vu reading Cloonan`s # 1.
The colors of Dave Stewart really helped build this idea inside my head, since both series benefit from the works of this great artist.

Edited by Aquilonia, 23 February 2012 - 01:14 AM.

[johnnypt]

Is there any news on the issues sold on QotBC?

Probably not going to be for another couple of weeks. The Diamond numbers usually come out, what, the second week of the month? I checked Jan, POTS #1 did 11,338, ROK did 10,727. Anything north of 12K would be a good #.

[monk]

that's interesting johnny, has anyone plotted the sales across, say, artistic teams/adaptations/pastiche? would love to see some number crunching...

[Slashing Sword]

There's an old saying: when two people agree on everything, only one of them is doing the actual thinking.

And that one person would be Howard who has already done the thinking.

[terryallenuk]

that's interesting johnny, has anyone plotted the sales across, say, artistic teams/adaptations/pastiche? would love to see some number crunching...

Couple of places for you to check out : http://www.icv2.com/.../news/1850.html list all the comic sales per month , while http://www.comicsbea...y/sales-charts/ compares sales figures for the charts each month , the DH are on the Indie chart. I publish the figures each month over on both the REH Comics Groups - see sig.

Really, as far as I remember ,different teams/adaptations have made little difference , sales have continued to fall since Conan launched , the same as the majority of other comics - as far as I know only The Walking Dead increases in sales . Superhero comics are relaunched , involved in cross-overs , big events - which re-boost their sales which Conan can't.

Terry

Edited by terryallenuk, 23 February 2012 - 09:07 AM.

[johnnypt]

that's interesting johnny, has anyone plotted the sales across, say, artistic teams/adaptations/pastiche? would love to see some number crunching...

Couple of places for you to check out : http://www.icv2.com/.../news/1850.html list all the comic sales per month , while http://www.comicsbea...y/sales-charts/ compares sales figures for the charts each month , the DH are on the Indie chart. I publish the figures each month over on both the REH Comics Groups - see sig.

Really, as far as I remember ,different teams/adaptations have made little difference , sales have continued to fall since Conan launched , the same as the majority of other comics - as far as I know only The Walking Dead increases in sales . Superhero comics are relaunched , involved in cross-overs , big events - which re-boost their sales which Conan can't.

Terry

That's exactly where I got the #'s from. And yes, it's been a steady but slow drift down. DH's biggest seller is Buffy, it's been selling around 30K. I think they'd probably like Conan to be selling around where Star Wars is, somewhere around 13-16k.

[terryallenuk]

Buffy benefits I think in that they are official follow on seasons to the TV show with Whedon involved in them , I guess having Angel back at DH will help as well regarding cross-overs. When you look at Star Wars and the millions of fans around the world still buying tickets/DVD's the Conan figures perhaps don't look as bad as we think. With all the different comics published super-heroes still rule.

Terry

[Arcadian]

I looked at the numbers at Comics Beat several months ago. My recollection was that the oldest numbers reported on Dark Horse Conan was for around number 6, which had 40,000, and it was just slow, steady decline over time, interrupted only by renumberings. Renumbering from Conan, to Conan the Cimmerian and to Conan Road of Kings, each gave a significant increase and then the downward trend renewed. I don't recall Truman or Mignola for example getting a bump, though there may have been a slight one. It would appear to me that the marketing of a new direction with a relaunch has been more important than personnel. Again, that's my recollection.

Also, I think the limited series always have done worse that the current ongoing (with Road of Kings being treated as the ongoing at one time). And these numbers don't include the trades.

[Dave the Rage]

The figures as mentioned are not too bad considering they hold with Star Wars comics. With the launch of SWOTOR and the animated series doing well enough, suppose the sales in the comics could hold abit for now. I thought at the time if they get Conan right and get the bums on seats at the box office, then the comics would see a great flux, but alas both didn't happen!

I'm hoping for a good start on Woods/Cloonan Conan as I am enjoying the fact that there is two Conan comics at the moment that are so different! The fact that this thread is hiving at the moment and the other ((PotS) one isn't speaks volumes for me. In that Conan fans like to gripe alot about where Howard isn't and Conan is etc.

Edited by Dave the Rage, 23 February 2012 - 08:12 PM.

[monk]

Conan really needs someone to take a shot at GOT/HBO.

[Dave the Rage]

Conan really needs someone to take a shot at GOT/HBO.

Maybe when they finish GOT they will considering another low magic fantasy genre of Conan!

[monk]

The figures as mentioned are not too bad considering they hold with Star Wars comics. With the launch of SWOTOR and the animated series doing well enough, suppose the sales in the comics could hold abit for now. I thought at the time if they get Conan right and get the bums on seats at the box office, then the comics would see a great flux, but alas both didn't happen!

funny you mention that dave because at the shop when i was cycling through my pull the owner brought up the cloonan/wood issue and started talking about conan, one of the first things he said was how horrible the movie was.

i've been saying for a while now the big head scratcher to me with the movie's decision to go non howard was why let all that marketing capital lay fallow and not put it to use to the whole franchise across all platforms- imagine you see red nails, you get the comic, you can play red nails on your x box...you release the story in a new edition with all kinds of features illos....

ah well anyway.

maybe someone WILL look at conan after GOT but damn man, those are some FAT books lol...

[Dave the Rage]

The figures as mentioned are not too bad considering they hold with Star Wars comics. With the launch of SWOTOR and the animated series doing well enough, suppose the sales in the comics could hold abit for now. I thought at the time if they get Conan right and get the bums on seats at the box office, then the comics would see a great flux, but alas both didn't happen!

funny you mention that dave because at the shop when i was cycling through my pull the owner brought up the cloonan/wood issue and started talking about conan, one of the first things he said was how horrible the movie was.

i've been saying for a while now the big head scratcher to me with the movie's decision to go non howard was why let all that marketing capital lay fallow and not put it to use to the whole franchise across all platforms- imagine you see red nails, you get the comic, you can play red nails on your x box...you release the story in a new edition with all kinds of features illos....

ah well anyway.

maybe someone WILL look at conan after GOT but damn man, those are some FAT books lol...

Yip, thought the same before the film came out. Why they didnt try for a full supply of Comic, game and film at the time. They heavily tied the game AoC to the film and I seen adverts for it with trailers combined on the web. Then they did a comic tie in, which supposedly did well in sales and a book, but these were all based on the film story than on Howard. I think that it is were they made the mistake for me, and should have tied it to the Bigman and his works. I would have bought all with my last dime! Nuff said before I wail!

GOT: Yeah, the books are quite large tomes but I want someone like the production team from GoT to do it, as it has done a great job since season 1. Would rather wait for a good team to be freed up than take somebody with no track record.

Plus GoT's is filmed in my backyard!! LOL, I would stalk the Conan production team for ye all!

Edited by Dave the Rage, 24 February 2012 - 10:35 PM.

[monk]

well of that there is no doubt, GoT nailed it production wise and I really really wish the people behind conan had gotten themselves a friggin clue, instead we got all kinds of whacky larp weapons and BS fights.

I say it all the time with the video games, I'd LOVE to play Beyond the Black River or Red Nails on my Xbox. I played the Conan game that is out, and it was basically just like the movie or vice versa. Kinda lame after a while.

[Aquilonia]

Guys, check out this review of Conan the Barbarian # 1. It is interesting... Did you have the same experience?

http://www.factualop...lits-oufit.html

[monk]

I'm glad to see you post that A. We should all make it a point to post some comments on these things whenever we can and support the book this way, maybe even help guide DH.

[Aquilonia]

Yeah, I thought the reviewer had some interesting things to say.
It gives us a wider perspective, since it is the opinion of someone who is not accostumed to the character and is actually reading the book for the very first time, with a positive attitude.

[monk]

just commented...

[johnnypt]

Guys, check out this review of Conan the Barbarian # 1. It is interesting... Did you have the same experience?

http://www.factualop...lits-oufit.html

Hmm, I really didn't find the end of the issue confusing at all. But I suppose it's because I know what's supposed to happen and know what's been added by the artists. She seemed to enjoy it enough to try another issue.

[Ironhand]

My initial impression ot the dream sequence(s) was similar to hers. I was eventually able to decipher it only with a lot of thought and some help from posts on this thread.

She thought it was an unwelcome departure from the first part of the issue; I thoughti it was an unwelcome departure from the original story.

Like her, I liked Belit's outfit. ("I can tell by your outfit that you are a Shemitish pirate queen.", from As I was sailin' down the Black Coast of Kush)

Edited by Ironhand, 26 February 2012 - 01:27 AM.