DC Drops Eurocomics

I know, nobody even realized DC Comics was doing Eurocomics, and before anybody much could even find out, they canceled the whole line. If you'd been interested, you certainly weren't going to hear about it from DC. I can't remember for sure, but I think I may have seen one (two at the absolute most) ads for the line. I thought it was a bold, exciting plan when I heard last year that DC Comics had decided to reprint and distribute material from Humanoids Publishing from France and 2000 AD from Britain. Although I hadn't picked up any of the Humanoids books that were already available in this country, they had been very well reviewed, and I looked forward to exploring the line after I had a chance to carve out a large chunk of time and energy (I know, but I can dream, can't I?). Over the years, 2000 AD has been a proving ground for a large number of British creators who have gone on to huge success in American comics--creators such as Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, and a host of others.

For whatever reason, DC never chose to promote this material. Although the comics store I frequent, Chicago Comics, stocked the lines, from what I hear DC's Humanoids and 2000 AD books were barely available in other stores. My guess is that DC had expectations of making huge inroads into mainstream bookstores. Why those plans fell flat, though, I have no idea. In the last few years, the normal superhero books from DC and Marvel have been getting trounced in Barnes and Noble, Borders, or wherever by imports of Japanese manga. It only makes sense that DC would try to vary its product and come up with something else that would sell to mainstream readers who never darken the door of a comic book store. (DC also recently introduced a new line of manga, which is having problems of its own. Although the publisher is so far continuing its commitment to those books, a few of the comics message boards and blogs are speculating on how long DC manga may have left.) What doesn't make sense to me is why DC would make a big splash with Eurocomics and then jump right back out of the water. As reported, the original agreement between DC and Humanoids called for 36 titles a year, and that's how many are now listed at DC's Humanoids Webpage. It‘s extremely odd to me that DC apparently just let them sit there. It's a publishing company, after all. You'd think the powers that be would have some sort of plan beyond if you publish, they will buy.

The good news is that Humanoids and 2000 AD will continue to publish. Humanoids was available in English before DC came along, and they'll continue to be afterward. The books that were already published will remain available in DC's backlist. Although the whole thing hasn't worked out as I'm sure they hoped, Humanoids has seen its profile raised quite a bit in the U.S. market, so the publisher is better off now than they were when this whole thing started.