Another point David and FFF statements that DC might make more money from a SA Archive then a color Showcase might have been true in the past,
but right now Archives are not selling, low cost formats are popular and DC is adapting to the market.


But if you go back over the discussions about the possibility of color Showcase (and Essentials) collections, you'll find that they would most likely not be a low-cost product! A 500-page book in full color, even on newsprint, would probably be $40-$50. Not only does the barrier to entry come up significantly, an aspect that is probably very key to the success of these books is lost.


I just don't see there being a significant difference in demand between say, a Phantom Zone book collecting stories from 1960-68, and a sequential volume culled from the same period. Besides which, the success of Showcases have shown that sequential SA collections sell, at the right price point.


I think collections that are "themed" (rather than just a sequential) provide a better entry point -- for whatever that's worth. But more to the point, DC just doesn't seem to have any interest in being tied into sequential collections in the trade paperback range (apart from the Chronicles, which are more of a convenience than anything), and I suspect that might be because A.) they don't publish all that many of them in a given year, and B.) from a marketing perspective, it's probably much easier to sell The Greatest Jimmy Olsen Signal Watch Stories Ever Told than Jimmy Olsen, Volume 7.


Besides which, the success of Showcases have shown that sequential SA collections sell, at the right price point.


I think the "sequential" aspect is probably one of the least important factors in the success of the Showcase series. (And as with the Chronicles, I think it's mostly a matter of convenience.)

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Last Edited By: Fin Fang Foom Aug 11 09 11:43 AM. Edited 1 times.