So Vertigo is being canned... or as the offical press release has its "Sunsetting"
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/06/21/dc-officially-rebrands-closes-vertigo-renames-zoom-and-ink/ (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/06/21/dc-officially-rebrands-closes-vertigo-renames-zoom-and-ink/)
Its been a long time coming. What I always get surprised by is how much many of the comics that are so associated with Vertigo were actually long formed, or even well past their classic runs by the time the label started. That's not to say that Karen Berger's time in charge of the imprint isn't very important, but the movement and her work was well under way. I don't don't it will continue.
Just not under the Vertigo label.
DC Black Label. Sounds like something a pissed-up, shouting 'outdoorsman' would drink.
This selling idea promotes Brand recognition. You buy DC Comics when your younger and so through association, their hoping comic readers stick with the DC name and buy their more mature products when they're older. I have no doubt this was done to satisfy investors as shareholders are always demanding 'innovative' ways to boost sales. Bringing your portfolio of Characters into a similar Range, each aimed at different Age groups sounds quite smart to me. Your target base 'grows' up alongside your product. For each stage, childhood, teenager and Adult you've, hopefully, got the Product to match. Poor Vertigo but I believe a lot of its titles should reappear, perhaps with some inevitable changes inside this DC Black Label. JBC is right; it does sound like a beer! :D
Black Label is a beer :)
And a whiskey.
Johnnie Walker and Carling Black Label :)
Quote from: IAMTHESYSTEM on 22 June, 2019, 02:39:59 PM
This selling idea promotes Brand recognition. You buy DC Comics when your younger and so through association, their hoping comic readers stick with the DC name and buy their more mature products when they're older. I have no doubt this was done to satisfy investors as shareholders are always demanding 'innovative' ways to boost sales. Bringing your portfolio of Characters into a similar Range, each aimed at different Age groups sounds quite smart to me. Your target base 'grows' up alongside your product. For each stage, childhood, teenager and Adult you've, hopefully, got the Product to match. Poor Vertigo but I believe a lot of its titles should reappear, perhaps with some inevitable changes inside this DC Black Label. JBC is right; it does sound like a beer! :D
This makes a lot of sense, since technically with the relaunch last year Vertigo was officially renamed DC Vertigo. Clearly that wasn't enough.
Vertigo sounds interesting and mysterious. Black Label sounds either like a beer, porny, or just plain 'restricted'. It's just a dreadful piece of branding, presumably designed to seem edgy, yet just coming across as shit.
With what has been released on the Black Label Batman Damned , Superman Year One & Batman last Knight on Earth plus what they are adding from previous releases this look like what they done with the All Stars versions a few years back by letting some of the big names try and be a little bit more adult/darker with the big characters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Black_Label
The change is probably less mature reader rebranding than a childish response to the most influential and high profile editor of the last forty years lending her name* to an imprint at a rival publisher.
It's a silly name, but it probably reflects DC's policy of cancelling interesting sounding kink books (https://www.newsarama.com/45703-dc-vertigo-s-safe-sex-jumps-to-image-comics.html)** in favour of Batman but with willies.
* Berger Books (https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2606/berger-books-dark-horse) being what DC called the original Vertigo titles before Vertigo was formed.
** Don't expect to see Mike Dowling in Tharg titles for a wee while
Sad to hear, but at the same time I've not been that bothered with Vertigo since Bond got sacked (I don't remember it if Scheriff of Babylon came about during her term?) American Carnage has been cool, but it's ending next issue.
Wouldn't surprise me creator owned will be handled differently from now on DC. If for example a movie or television series is made, that they'll want a percentage or two.
Regardless. Berger books is still doing good and so are most of my favorite writers. With that said. Feels like an appropriate for a 100Bullets re read, in honour of it's former house.
Just recently read about the forthcoming Hellblazer and Joe Hill titles - can't quite figure out why they canned the Vertigo brand.
Sure, it never would have the same line-up as its heyday, but so what?
It had huge brand recognition - even it's own Comixology app.
I will admit that the last time I regularly read a Vertigo series was The Unwritten / Unwritten Apocalypse, and the newer series over the last few years didn't really appeal to me, but that was always subject to change.
For what its worth, I'll be picking up the entire Joe Hill imprint line - blind devotion based on the quality of his novels and Locke & Key.
Quote from: Link Prime on 17 July, 2019, 11:12:15 AM
Just recently read about the forthcoming Hellblazer and Joe Hill titles - can't quite figure out why they canned the Vertigo brand.
[snip]
I will admit that the last time I regularly read a Vertigo series was The Unwritten / Unwritten Apocalypse, and the newer series over the last few years didn't really appeal to me, but that was always subject to change.
Presumably when enough people stopped reading Vertigo series they decided it was time to get rid of the brand?
Quote from: sheridan on 17 July, 2019, 12:00:44 PM
Presumably when enough people stopped reading Vertigo series they decided it was time to get rid of the brand?
I can only ever speak for my own tastes, but Vertigo always published some poorer material, even in the glory days of Sandman, Hellblazer, Preacher, Invisibles etc.
My point is; DC are publishing 6 "Vertigo" titles in the coming months that I'm interested in buying - just no longer branded as such.
Quote from: sheridan on 17 July, 2019, 12:00:44 PM
Quote from: Link Prime on 17 July, 2019, 11:12:15 AM
Just recently read about the forthcoming Hellblazer and Joe Hill titles - can't quite figure out why they canned the Vertigo brand.
[snip]
I will admit that the last time I regularly read a Vertigo series was The Unwritten / Unwritten Apocalypse, and the newer series over the last few years didn't really appeal to me, but that was always subject to change.
Stevie thinks that Vertigo became a victim of the success of Sandman. It spent so much time trying to retain Sandman's audience with fantasy titles that when it published something else the market wasn't interested because it wasn't potentially the next Sandman. It is no surprise that Fables was one of Vertigo's longest running titles this century.
Stevie's struggling to remember the last Vertigo ongoing which he was enjoying to last more than six issues. Oh, of course! Hellblazer. One of the original titles.