Good morning, my friend,
Do you work hard for your money? Of course you do.
Would you be happy if somebody took your hard-earned money in exchange for the promise of a good time, but they didn’t deliver? Of course not.
And if that person or company developed a habit of not delivering on that good time for thousands of people just like you, what do you think would happen?
They get a bad reputation.
Here’s the last question on this “common sense” quiz: What happens when a person or company keeps making the same mistakes that lead to a bad reputation without correction?
That’s right, they lose money.
Yep. Read that line again and ingrain it in your soul.
IP, Intellectual Property, is the value a thing has, usually in the form of a brand or a character or work of art. There are whole law firms and schools of business dedicated to evaluating and legally protecting IP for their owners, but here’s the kicker.
IP does not have value in and of itself. IP is only as valuable as the fans who spend money on it.
If you create a superhero called Captain Burrito and claim it as your intellectual property, that character has no value if you’ve never used that character in a book, comic, film, or streaming show. It’s worthless because nobody knows about it.
On the other hand, Spider-Man is worth billions.
What’s the difference between Captain Burrito and Spider-Man? Millions of people will spend billions of dollars buying the merchandise, attending the films, reading the comics, playing with the action figures, etc.
Disney/Marvel/Sony’s ownership of Spider-Man is irrelevant to the point that their ownership isn’t what gives Spider-Man value. They produce Spider-Man things that people will buy because people find it valuable enough to spend money on.
The people dictate the value, not the companies that own them or some vague financial calculation.
Which brings me back to the opening quiz.
If the fans give an IP (or brand) its value, the fans can and do take it away.
Smart creators and Publishers get that value by giving the people who spend money what they want. If you do that enough times, at an acceptable rate, at the same or higher level of quality, the fanbase grows. With it, the value of the IP grows.
In one of our videos this week, I talk about the Big 2-smashing success of the Dungeon Crawler Carl (DCC) Vol. 1 collection. It outsold Marvel and DC Comics at launch and continues to perform well on the monthly.
How did Matt Dinniman gain such a high level of success for DCC? In part, because he cultivated a fanbase early and aggressively through the original set of novels, before translating the books to WebToon, and then to print.
Dinniman understood that the DCC IP only has value through its fans, so every move taken - from ideation to collected volume - was structured to meet or exceed fan expectations. Now, there’s a film in the works.
You can learn all about GCC’s success in the video below.
But what happens when a creator or publisher not only doesn’t meet expectations, but outright sullies a character, team, or brand?
They incur Reputational Debt. In the world of business, big mistakes don’t just fade away, especially when customer money is involved. They cling to you like the stink from a skunk.
The only way to get rid of it and restore the value to an IP is to put in the work through apologies, changes to make it right, and a return to what fans want. That’s not to say things can’t ever change, but that change can never come at the expense of what made the IP valuable in the first place.
More importantly, an IP holder who doesn’t know or isn’t sure what fans find valuable about that IP is a threat that must be purged with extreme prejudice. It’s like giving a toddler a lit match and a can of gasoline in a house made of paper.
Sadly, there are multiple examples of the Big 2 (Marvel and DC Comics) taking on Reputational Debt because they changed one or more characters in ways that damaged their IP. In some cases, the Big 2 traveled the long, hard road back to value. In other cases, the character is still broken to this date.
Learn all about it:
In this crazy world of comics, the value of a character’s IP is everything, but that value only extends as far as the character’s reputation is maintained.
Indie creators or publishers introducing a new character can only build up a positive reputation by giving the fans what they want. Regularly. With consistent quality.
Creators and Publishers who lose sight of what makes an IP valuable will allow changes to damage the reputation, incurring a debt that can last years.
Fans don’t owe publishers their loyalty. Publishers earn it one issue, one story, and one creative decision at a time. Reputation isn’t built through marketing campaigns or billion-dollar acquisitions. It’s built every time a reader closes a comic believing their money was well spent. And just as easily, it’s lost when they don’t.
Well, these are my opinions. What do you think? How important is the caretaking of a fan-favorite character to you? When a publisher does that character dirty with a bad run, how long does it take you to come back?
Vote in the poll below, and give me your best takes in the comments.
-Gabe
Read the Full Weekly Review Roundup on ComicalOpinions.com
Ben 10 #4 Review - Big Bugs Under The Big Top
Writer Steven T. Seagle and Robert Carey send Ben, Gwen, and Uncle Max to a circus where the clowns are more freaky than fun. The issue looks and reads like the Ben 10 cartoon, but Ben is irresponsible to the point of obnoxiousness.
Key Takeaway: “For Ben 10 fans only.”
Amazing Spider-Man #34 Review - Treading Water With Family Drama
Writer Joe Kelly teams up Ol' Wed Head with Damage Control to take down Electro, but life is more complicated when you can't punch it. Leaning on heavy emotional beats and soap operatic plot points, it's a passable issue, but the story is treading water.
Key Takeaway: “Emotional while standing still.”
M.A.S.K. #3 Review - Death-Defying Action
Writer Dan Watters and Artist Pye Parr send Matt Trakker into the fight of his life to save Gloria Baker, but he might be the one who needs saving. High on action and cool gadgets, the story keeps you on your toes.
Key Takeaway: “A winner for M.A.S.K. fans.”
UFO Robot Grendizer #1 Review - All Talk, No Robot
Writers Xavier Dorison & Denis Bajram put Japan in the crosshairs of a new Vegan invasion, but the only person powerful enough to stop them hasn't been seen in years. Filled with high stakes and tense drama, the story sets up an Earth-ending story, even if you have to wade through a lot of exposition to get there.
Key Takeaway: “A lot of setup with a promise for more.”
Batman #12 Review - Alfred's Replacement Arrives In Time For An Assassin Gathering
Writer Matt Fraction and Artist Jorge Jimenez introduce the world to Verity Pennyworth, the great-niece of Alfred, and an asset who proves to be quickly valuable. Fans of Alfred Pennyworth may bemoan this confirmation that he's not coming back, but Verity has potential.
Key Takeaway: “Speculator alert for a first appearance, but the plot is a nothing burger.”
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Episode #12 of the latest adventure - The Invisible Man: Shadow Contract - released yesterday, so it’s not too late to catch up.
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Free subscribers get the first two scenes on release day, but you’ll have to wait two weeks to get the rest.
Check it out. You won’t be sorry
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For everyone else, The Revelation Cycle - is ON SALE on Amazon right here: https://amzn.to/4sScyus
The book is FREE for Kindle Unlimited Readers
Absolute Batman #23 (DC Comics)
Transformers #35 (Image Comics)
X-Men #35 (Marvel Comics)
Flash Gordon #19 (Mad Cave Studios)
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