Brian Salvatore, Associate Editor: Bleeding Cool is reporting that DC Comics is seriously pursuing purchasing Dynamite Entertainment. This is an interesting development for a few reasons, but let’s start at the bottom line. David, what do you think DC sees in Dynamite? What benefit would DC having in purchasing the sixth or seventh largest publisher in comics?
David Harper, Associate Editor: I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around that one, to be honest. Dynamite has made attempts to bolster their creator-owned content, but primarily, they live and die with their licensing deals for comics. Neither level really makes a ton of sense for them, as what are they going to do with creator-owned comics, and how are they going to fit all of those licensed comics into their line?
I don’t think this is a deal that, if true, will be like Wildstorm getting merged into DC Comics. This is maybe more of a situation where DC – like you have mentioned to me in the past – sees Dynamite as an entity that is growing and has a lot of potential, and maybe they just are looking it as a straight speculative buy. Let them stay relatively autonomous, with the hope that they’ll continue to grow.
The other idea is that the licensed books are the real targets, and the other elements will be basically set free. DC has a lot more licenses than we realize, and maybe they’re going the Anti-Eric Stephenson route of accumulating those as their way to develop their audience.
Overall though, it’s a pretty puzzling theoretical decision in my book. What’s your perspective? Do you see something I don’t?
Brian: It seems to me that the licenses would be the most appealing part of the deal, but that doesn’t make too much sense to me either, as DC had some of these licenses in the past and let them slip. And we’re not talking about twenty years ago – DC published “The Spirit” as recently as 2011. It seems to me that this is a pretty backwards way of obtaining the licenses that Dynamite carries, as opposed to just outbidding them the next time the license is up for renewal. If the licenses are the desire, this isn’t a smart long-term investment, it is a short-term blitz.
But even that is a weird strategy. Sure, Dynamite had 23 titles in the top 300 in February, but none of them are exactly huge sellers. In addition, Dynamite seems pretty apt to do crossovers with other publishers using these characters – for example, the just announced “Batman ’66/Green Hornet” crossover between, you guessed it, DC and Dynamite, coming later this spring. DC would surely make more from a Batman/Green Hornet publication than a straight Green Hornet book.
If not for the licenses, I really have no idea why DC would be interested. Dynamite has limited creator owned works (like Andy Diggle’s “Uncanny” and the upcoming “Grand Passion” by James Robinson), and none of them have exactly set the world on fire.
David: Yeah, and that’s why I think this is more smoke than fire. You look at other mergers of sorts in the comic world, like Boom! and Archaia, and you can see reasons why those would happen (primarily movie related things there, but also developing a premium side of the brand in Archaia’s superb hardcovers). With DC theoretically buying Dynamite, it’s the type of move where you really can’t see any significant advantages.
So maybe the idea is that Dynamite becomes an imprint of sorts for DC, and in that scenario, Dynamite would get money in the deal and it would lead to them still being able to do their thing with editorial oversight. Which brings up the next point, which is that Dynamite – as Bleeding Cool noted in the article – is East Coast based. If they go the imprint route, it’s a way to keep a foothold on both coasts, keep some of their departing staff and bolster their overall sales numbers in the process. If that’s the case, that would be as close to a win-win as a deal like this could get.
Continued belowBrian: See, to me, that “East Coast presence” thing is the silliest idea of all of them. They had a presence on both coasts, and it didn’t work. They are remedying that by shuttering the New York office – it seems silly to me that they would create that problem all over again, especially by having an office, essentially, in the Philadelphia suburbs.
To go back to the idea of an imprint, DC, again, already has a borderline neglected imprint in Vertigo, and have shut down all of their other imprints, like Wildstorm and Zuda, so it would seem odd for them to start up another, especially if it is primarily just for licensed properties. The only idea that makes any sense to me is that Warner Bros. is interested in the movie rights to some of these classic properties, and this would be a fast track to snatching them up but, again, I have no idea if movie rights are tied in at all to the publishing rights.
Which of the Dynamite properties do you feel would be most attractive to the folks at DC?
David: Well shit, I had no idea they were Philly based. Never mind then! The East Coast/West Coast argument is out! Basically, I think this idea is silly in general then.
What Dynamite properties? Honestly, none of them. That’s the thing that confuses me the most. There isn’t a backdoor element to getting movie rights to my knowledge, and Warner Brothers doesn’t own the rights for most of the movies Dynamite has licenses for. To me, Dynamite is not a good publisher. The Gold Key books are the village bike of the comic publishing game, some of the licensed books are charming but ultimately fluff, and I haven’t found any of their creator-owned books appealing. Dynamite is maybe the most forgettable publisher in comics to me, as at least Zenescope is completely ridiculous. Dynamite to me is just the movie property publisher to me, which is why I find it so puzzling.
I know you’re a King’s Watch guy. Anything else in there you think would be attractive to them?
Brian: I’m a “Kings Watch” guy because of two reasons: 1) Jeff Parker and 2) a childhood affinity for those characters. It is a hell of a mini, and a Parker/Doc Shaner Flash Gordon series seems like a lot of fun.
So far, the Gold Key properties are fun, if not particularly Earth-shattering, reboots. I didn’t read “Uncanny,” but I heard more or less good things about it.
Beyond that? I’ve got no idea. I’m sure if you’re a Mark Waid superfan, it is fun to read his take on The Green Hornet, but I don’t delve into too much outside of what I mentioned earlier.
That said? I’ve spoken to a few creators who have nothing but great things to say about working with Dynamite, especially on the editorial level. Perhaps this is a convenient way to poach some editorial talent?
David: Why wouldn’t they just throw a bigger salary their way? That would probably be cheaper than buying an entire company, wouldn’t it?
Brian: Of course it would! But I’m grasping at straws here – I really cannot see a plan where this winds up being anything other than a Monopoly move – this is basically buying Baltic Avenue and putting a hotel on it, hoping someone lands on it, but having no use for the actual land.
You know, David, I had a piece I was working on called “Can Dynamite Become a Real Player,” and I was going to point to things like the revamping of the Gold Key license, as well as the Flash Gordon stuff, as solid first steps for the company, but that there was still a ton of work to do. In addition, the best work they are getting are from a litany of guys who have left DC under less than happy circumstances: Diggle, Waid, Robinson, and Alex Ross, just to name a few.
It seems to me that, if DC did buy the company, a bunch of those guys would walk, making the solid progress they’re making take a huge step backward. I really, really don’t get this.
Continued below
David: I forgot to mention I am excited for Flash Gordon, as it’s Jeff Parker, Doc Shaner and Jordie Bellaire, which is killer.
Anyways, let’s not belabor the point. Final question: if this deal happens, do you think this is a good idea for either side, or the industry in general, at all?
Brian: Well, it depends what the two sides get out of it. If Dynamite is struggling, cashing out is good for the investors. If DC plans on keeping on staff, it is good for the Dynamite workers – maybe.
Other than that? I can’t imagine DC getting too much from the deal, nor can I see Dynamite continuing on their current (slowly) improving path under DC’s thumb.
Industry wise, it is one less place for creators to pitch to, and one less publisher to take chances on the next big thing. Again, I don’t necessarily see Dynamite as that place, but it does have a role in the industry that would be odd to see go away/fold into DC.
What about you? Who would win in this deal?
David: I don’t really see a winning side. Obviously there is a part of the story we’re missing, because we’re both flummoxed by it. But this is a case where a bigger fish swallows up a smaller one for reasons unknown, and that leads to having one less place – as you said – creators could turn to as a haven for their original ideas. Save for short-term reasons for Dynamite, I don’t really see how anyone wins, really.
But if I had to place money on this? I don’t think it happens. I think this is one of those random things that comes up where someone involved chooses to say “no comment” and everyone gets worked up because they didn’t just say, “what, are you crazy?!”
That said, it would be a business deal that fits with many DC has made recently though, so it’s probably going to happen.
Brian: I think you’re right – I don’t really see this happening. We are both baseball fans, so I’ll finish with this analogy: this is like the Red Sox, World Series champions, trading for the best player on a Triple A team at a position that is already filled by one of their own players. Sure, the Sox would like to have additional pieces in their system, but there’s no reason to give up assets to, basically, get a backup. Is Dynamite the backup plan for new characters? If you can’t create compelling new ones, raid the archives? I don’t know – but I don’t see this happening.
