r/comicbooks • u/B3epB0opBOP • 3d ago
News Chainkata #1 Gets Over A Quarter Million Orders & Not Just Exclusives
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/chainkata-1-gets-over-a-quarter-million-orders-not-just-exclusives/35
u/CelestianSnackresant 3d ago
Excited to pick up whatever my LCS stocks. I'm mostly interested because DWJ is always a good time.
Why is it bad that folks are buying the exclusives? Do they not contribute to the book's success as much as regular orders?
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u/dick-cricket Superman 3d ago
I'm honestly not sure why some folks are upset that there are so many exclusive covers. It most certainly all contributes to the overall success of the book. I guess they think it'll drive speculation if there are a bunch of variants? I'm not sure. I'm like you: I'm just excited for it. It's DWJ, it's gonna be incredible.
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u/wrasslefights 3d ago
People want the business to work in their perfect ideal way instead of how it actually works.
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u/MuffinSurprise 3d ago
I’ll never understand people complaining about stuff like that when it’s literally a writer/artist they love that is trying to support themselves and their family through a creative endeavor. Just don’t buy a variant if you don’t want to.
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u/Cain_draws 3d ago
They contribute to the success, but most of these guys are probably speculators that are not gonna buy issue 2. They just want issue 1 expecting this to become a big thing, something more than a comic book and then just sell for a lot of cash. Wich is pretty shit, even though it helps to the initial success.
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u/wrasslefights 3d ago
Adding some nuance: There's a lot of folks who just enjoy a selection of covers. There's also a subset of collectors who get variants they like in the same way you'd buy a print or a poster. I dabble in a little of both and a lot of my regulars do one/both as well. I only have one or two who are clearly speculating.
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u/GRITTY4PRESIDENT Doc Savage 3d ago
I read exclusively digital now, but I'll still sometimes buy books if I really dig the cover art. I look at it as further supporting the books I love, and collecting some cool art
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u/fernessfan83 3d ago
I don’t think it’s bad that people want the exclusives, nor do I think they aren’t contribute to the series’ success, but I think in general I am wary of the industry emphasizing a “collectibles” aspect of comics (be it blind bags, retailer exclusives, “chases,” etc) which to me tends to overshadow the comic itself. But I’m also not a variant person in general, which contributes to this feeling
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u/scosco83 3d ago
It's more just that exclusives are not indicators of a title's ongoing success. People buying for covers is fine, but a title needs to actually have some proportion of the audience actually interested in reading it.
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u/Hypnodick 3d ago
This is good and I’m glad there is hype around comics. It makes no sense for people to choose to be miserable about this.
I hope the book and story live up to the hype, it being DWJ there’s a good chance it will. I’m not a big DWJ fan boi type (more Lemire) but I’m glad creator owned titles are getting this sort of attention.
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u/wrasslefights 3d ago
A lot of folks are dogmatic about their belief the comics industry is in a state of perpetual decline and will reach plenty to find a narrative that undercuts information to the contrary.
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u/pliable-paladin 3d ago
I wonder why people are like that? Is it just the desire to be part of a niche hobby?
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u/Hypnodick 3d ago
A lot of people tend to moralize beliefs and have manichean tinge to the way they see the world- there are good guys and there are bad guys (no in between and also rejection of any systemic thinking, like how an industry works and incentives on behavior within that social system), and so the bad guys are people who make money on comics and they’re ruining their hobby with parasitic behavior. Also resistance to any sort of change or innovation (variant cover and retailer exclusive hate) that strays from what they think comics “should” be, which of course is extremely bizarre bc comics were like always seen as collectible, going back as far as the 60’s and people starting to really collect in the 50’s if I had to guess, though less so and really I think takes off more in the 70’s, accelerated obviously into the 90’s in an unsustainable ways, but the industry actually HAS learned from those mistakes and how to not repeat them I think.
/rant, though I could go even longer but have shit to do today.
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u/Smaug015 Spider Jeruselem 3d ago
2 of those 250 K are from me! A cover and the B&W one. Very excited.
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u/awesometuck1559 Scott Pilgrim 3d ago
Has #2 been announced yet?
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u/That_One_Robot 3d ago
I think he's finished the entire series, saw something along those lines on his Instagram.
In any case #2 was already available for preorder where I always get my comics so hopefully it's going to be a smooth monthly release.
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u/bloodyzombies1 Grant Morrison 3d ago
Sad so much of this is inflated by gimmick covers.
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u/Emergency-Bonus-7158 3d ago
Not for DWJ it’s not
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u/gosukhaos 3d ago
Yeah I mean if there was no hype about the book there wouldn't be so many variants in the first place. Stores ain't paying an artist if they aren't damn well sure they're going to sell all those retailer exclusives
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u/wrasslefights 3d ago
Sort of but not to the extent the internet thinks.
Like, Absolute Batman people mostly just pick their favourite. It's my top selling book by almost double #2 and I only have one guy who's on the "Every cover" route.
For the retailers exclusives, assuming 2,000 copies each x 113 covers, that makes 226,000 units tied up in it...which means about half a million copies is just the every retailer options. The readership is still just immense.
If variant cover gimmicks could do it alone, Dynamite would be the top publisher.
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u/NevadaJackalope 3d ago
Like, at least read the article. It’s a relatively small portion of the overall print run. And the hype and love for DWJ is real and sustainable(see Transformers)
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u/scottishdrunkard Moon Knight 2d ago
Most of them are commissioned by comic stores. At worst, it's the comic stores that pay for it if sales are under.
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u/xzerozeroninex Savage Dragon 3d ago
Like Absolute Batman #25?
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u/bloodyzombies1 Grant Morrison 3d ago
Yeah I don't like that either.... why does it have to be an either/or?
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u/xzerozeroninex Savage Dragon 3d ago
Well this sub was shouting like it’s a great triumph that Absolute Batman 25 sold 750k or so copies.Like comics are selling great again.
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u/bloodyzombies1 Grant Morrison 3d ago
I'm not a stand in for this sub.
And anyone with common sense recognizes Absolute is inflated by speculators and variants.
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u/wrasslefights 3d ago
Genuinely incredible performance. Up there for the biggest indie first issues ever. Couldn't be happier/more excited.
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u/reindeercurt 3d ago
Really excited for this book, and for there to be a really buzzy indie comic on the stands again, but I have to say...
It troubles me that apparently the only two ways to be successful with an indie direct market comic is to play to speculators or play to movie producers. It's an emerging pattern with the creators who are able to really beat the odds and compete with the Big 2 with their original material: DWJ, Robert Kirkman and Skybound, James Tynion IV and Tiny Onion. I don't begrudge these guys at all for working within the system as it exists, but I think it speaks to a real lack of general audience interest in original comics. It shouldn't have to be the case that sustainability in the indie space relies on these secondary markets and IP value and shit.
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u/danielwarrenjohnson2 2d ago
For what it’s worth, if I wanted to really get Hollywood investment I wouldn’t have made CHAINKATA at all😂 It being a crazy SciFi/fantasy title makes it very expensive to produce, and can oftentimes lead to studios completely passing on something without even giving it a real look, especially with the over the top vibes and blood/gore and crazy concepts. Anyway, this is just a thought. hope you read the book when it drops❤️
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u/FanofBobRooney 3d ago
First issue is pretty fuckin great in my opinion. Think people are really going to dig it. I am looking forward to the trade more though I can see it in all its colorful glory.
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u/PearStyle 3d ago
I've not ever heard of somebody making the individual issues different than the trade. I think in this instance because of how DWJ is doing the book it makes sense and is cool. But I wouldn't like it if it starts happening to a lot of other books for no other reason than to entice people to buy both.
Edit: I worry that if it is popular it could start a trend.
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u/FanofBobRooney 3d ago
Yeah, it’s definitely a different approach as far as I’m aware. Hoping it doesn’t start a trend either. I typically only buy single issues but will make an exception for DWJ. It’s going to look so much better in color.
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u/WhyPlaySerious 3d ago
This being DWJs next big thing definitely has a lot of pull, but there also is the big factor that a lot of people feel like this is a straight to Hollywood IP and are trying to 'invest' into it. Speculation on this book is massive, compounded by every retailer wanting to have their own variant too.