I'm starting to think Bad Idea might actually be a terrible idea.

[TheFerg714]

What's the point of making all of these amazing comics, with top tier talent, if only a few people even get to read them?

I mean really, what's the harm in releasing them online? That way, fans could read everything, but "the hunt" would still feel special, for the people that care about that sort of thing.

I'm still hyped for Bad Idea, but I'm starting to get nervous. I didn't fall in love with Valiant because it was fun to go the comic store every week. That's not why I ended up collecting every single VEI issue. I fell in love with Valiant because they made incredible f**king stories, and the best superhero universe ever. The cynical side of me is wondering whether Dinesh and co. have taken their eye off the ball somewhat.

[Blood of Heroes]

Why do you think you won’t be able to read them? I’m pretty sure Ed is taking orders. http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/viewt ... =2&t=53370

[TheFerg714]

Why do you think you won’t be able to read them? I’m pretty sure Ed is taking orders. http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/viewt ... =2&t=53370

Yea, I will be able to read them, if I jump through twenty hoops, go through a random guy on ValiantFans.com, or call a store that's 100+ miles away that will hopefully ship them to me, and then pray that the shipping cost isn't unreasonable. They're making it as hard as possible to read these books.

But that's just it. I know they're all about "the hunt," but some people don't give a s***, and I feel that they're alienating tons of people that would be very interested if it were easier to read, on top of wasting talent that I'm sure took a lot of money to cultivate.

[JCP]

Why do you think you won’t be able to read them? I’m pretty sure Ed is taking orders. http://www.valiantfans.com/forum/viewt ... =2&t=53370

Yea, I will be able to read them, if I jump through twenty hoops, go through a random guy on ValiantFans.com, or call a store that's 100+ miles away that will hopefully ship them to me, and then pray that the shipping cost isn't unreasonable. They're making it as hard as possible to read these books.

But that's just it. I know they're all about "the hunt," but some people don't give a s***, and I feel that they're alienating tons of people that would be very interested if it were easier to read, on top of wasting talent that I'm sure took a lot of money to cultivate.

From what I can gather, there are several reputable outlets you can preorder from if there is not a store near you, in addition to Ed here. Ed has been faithfully and honestly providing books to the forum for years. To the extent you take issue with that, TFAW and Midtown both are taking orders.

[Blood of Heroes]

Well, Ed is a store. Two stores, I think.
The only Bad Idea store in my county is about 30 miles away from me, but I’ll make that drive. I realize that not everyone can/will but what can you do?
Dinesh did everything by the book with Valiant and it turns out that even when you do (almost) everything right, you can still get the rug pulled out from under you. It seems like this time they are throwing caution to the wind and seeing what happens. He’s going to look back on this and say either “I can’t believe that *SQUEE* worked!!” or “Wtf was I thinking?”. Either way, he seems to be having fun with it.

[TheFerg714]

The only Bad Idea store in my county is about 30 miles away from me, but I’ll make that drive. I realize that not everyone can/will but what can you do?

Idk, release them online maybe?

Dinesh did everything by the book with Valiant and it turns out that even when you do (almost) everything right, you can still get the rug pulled out from under you. It seems like this time they are throwing caution to the wind and seeing what happens. He’s going to look back on this and say either “I can’t believe that *SQUEE* worked!!” or “Wtf was I thinking?”. Either way, he seems to be having fun with it.

Yea, I get that, but I still feel like this (bad) idea is only catering toward a specific type of comic book fan, and leaving everyone else in the dust. I don't understand the mindset behind keeping your (probably high quality) product behind walls. Just let people read the damn thing, as easily as possible.

[Sunlight on Snow]

Paying $3.99 at my LCS for getting a book that has been released today or
paying 4x $3.99 plus P&P for getting the entire series 4 months later just isn't the same.

It's not a "hunt" -- it's the long "wait".

Whatevs.

[Blood of Heroes]

I get it. It's nothing to someone who has the good fortune to live or work near a Bad Idea store. It's a minor inconvenience to me having to drive across town to get the books. Something I'll not likely do every week. It's even more of a drag if you have to wait a month to get it. I'm sure Dinesh realizes he's going to be turning off potential readers with his shenanigans, but the company isn't 'Good Idea'.
I don't know. The books are a long way off. I'll be giving them a chance. Your mileage may vary.

[mrwoogieman]

I'm not sure being near a participating shop is enough. My local comic shop Midtown Comics will not set up a pull list for less than 10 titles a month. Are they going to have copies on hand for walk-ins?

[buff-beardo]

Bad Idea seems to be exclusive by design. That’s cool. That’s their thing. Quality over quantity. Not everybody’s thing, that’s for sure. But, they definitely own it.

[TheFerg714]

Bad Idea seems to be exclusive by design. That’s cool. That’s their thing. Quality over quantity. Not everybody’s thing, that’s for sure. But, they definitely own it.

But the quality won't matter if no one reads it.

[Juki]

Bad Idea seems to be exclusive by design. That’s cool. That’s their thing. Quality over quantity. Not everybody’s thing, that’s for sure. But, they definitely own it.

But the quality won't matter if no one reads it.

I thought that Bad Idea was planning on over-printing their comics at first so that they would have plenty to send to new comic shops that take them on in the future so that new readers can catch up. And, if this is not enough what would stop them from doing 2nd prints if needed?

[aj583]

Bad Idea seems to be exclusive by design. That’s cool. That’s their thing. Quality over quantity. Not everybody’s thing, that’s for sure. But, they definitely own it.

Dinesh has been around the block. The original team published amazing comics at Valiant. He is indeed doing this by design as I would assume he thinks this will ultimately lead to buzz, recognition, demand and hopefully larger readership once their plans unfold over the years. We’ll see. Again, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as they start. I don’t think you can publish the same way in today’s age of dwindling interest and readership in the medium as a whole. Hoping for the best for them.


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[Blood of Heroes]

I'm not sure being near a participating shop is enough. My local comic shop Midtown Comics will not set up a pull list for less than 10 titles a month.

That blows!

[Dallow Spicer1]

Bad Idea seems to be exclusive by design. That’s cool. That’s their thing. Quality over quantity. Not everybody’s thing, that’s for sure. But, they definitely own it.

Dinesh has been around the block. The original team published amazing comics at Valiant. He is indeed doing this by design as I would assume he thinks this will ultimately lead to buzz, recognition, demand and hopefully larger readership once their plans unfold over the years. We’ll see. Again, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as they start. I don’t think you can publish the same way in today’s age of dwindling interest and readership in the medium as a whole. Hoping for the best for them.


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Dinesh is a marketing genius. He’s a fan first and foremost and he knows what will get other fans talking about these books in a crowded market place and fans know he will deliver quality.

[buff-beardo]

I guess the final product will decide whether he’s a genius or a madman.

[IMJ]

I guess the final product will decide whether he’s a genius or a madman.

I would say that praising Dinesh about being a marketing genius goes without caveats. The final product will decide whether or not his team produces good comic books or not.

[paradise]

Fun thread, specially since I am mentioned a bit.

1. Fun to be called a random guy, considering I can tell you two specific books from Valiant where I ordered 10+% of the print run (1 in every 10 comics). Oh, also one of the oldest members of this site, from WAAAAAAY before Dinesh put Valiant back together.

2. You don't have to order from me, honestly I HOPE you find a store close to you, and more stores will be added rather soon. The store next to you can email Bad Idea to get on the list. It's not that hard.

3. I understand when someone does something that is different from what LITERALLY EVERYONE has been doing since the 70s, and it does not fit your pre-determined way you have been "doing it" you have to retrain your brain, BUT... everyone doing this the same way does not work anymore. I believe Valiant experience taught Dinesh that part. He produced early and cheap TPBs, and still nobody (not literally, but in the big picture sort of thing) bought them. God knows I tried and sold quite a few but comparing to my Image Comics numbers, it was not close. Tried to be a good publisher with Diamond and could not get to the 5% mark. Not because he was doing anything wrong, but because the marketplace is *SQUEE* up. So he comes up with a new and different way to do this, and all some of you do is complain that it does not fit YOUR WAY, the way you PREFER. Stop thinking about it as something FOR YOU. Maybe you are not the audience, but maybe he has a plan to grow things. You don't know his long view, trust me on this.

[TheFerg714]

2. You don't have to order from me, honestly I HOPE you find a store close to you, and more stores will be added rather soon. The store next to you can email Bad Idea to get on the list. It's not that hard.

I hope you're right, cause I've brought up Bad Idea to all 4 stores in Omaha, multiple times, and no one has any idea what I'm talking about, and more importantly, is completely uninterested.

3. I understand when someone does something that is different from what LITERALLY EVERYONE has been doing since the 70s, and it does not fit your pre-determined way you have been "doing it" you have to retrain your brain, BUT... everyone doing this the same way does not work anymore. I believe Valiant experience taught Dinesh that part. He produced early and cheap TPBs, and still nobody (not literally, but in the big picture sort of thing) bought them. God knows I tried and sold quite a few but comparing to my Image Comics numbers, it was not close. Tried to be a good publisher with Diamond and could not get to the 5% mark. Not because he was doing anything wrong, but because the marketplace is *SQUEE* up.

Hey, I'm rooting for Dino, Warren, and the rest of the crew, and I agree with everything you just said, but I'm just not sure if it's going to work. If they prove me wrong, I'll be all-in, but it's all a big question mark right now.

So he comes up with a new and different way to do this, and all some of you do is complain that it does not fit YOUR WAY, the way you PREFER. Stop thinking about it as something FOR YOU. Maybe you are not the audience, but maybe he has a plan to grow things. You don't know his long view, trust me on this.

Not really sure why you're making this all about me. I'm down to try new things, but I'm more worried about everyone else. It would be such a shame if all of this talent went to waste just because they thought they had clever marketing ideas.

The thing is though, I am the audience. I'm patient zero, alongside everyone else on this board. I want to support Dino and Bad Idea, but I wouldn't mind a guarantee that I can read these, regardless of whether I'm close to a special store or not. The whole reason for this thread is because I don't see why this stuff can't be simultaneously released online, for people like me that care much more about simply reading the stories than collecting. I shouldn't have to spend double cover price, just to get it mailed to me. On top of that, what kind of hype can you possibly build when most fans won't even be able to read the books until 2-4 weeks after they release?

Most importantly though, this whole idea is a self-described Bad Idea. I'm not the only one that's nervous, and I shouldn't be shamed for questioning things. Have you checked out Reddit, YouTube, or Facebook recently? The limited buzz that Bad Idea is getting is usually met with "well I'd like to be interested, but I can't get ahold of the books."

[TheFerg714]

doublepost, my bad

[paradise]

I SPECIFICALLY made it not about YOU by saying "some of you" so if you feel it's about you, you are projecting your own feelings not mine.

And if stores around you have no clues and are not interested, it's not on Dino and Bad Idea, it's on them. Being in comic book retail for almost 30 years, with 3 locations and lots of both physical and online business, I have a somewhat unique view of comic book retailers and it may be a bit negative. 10% of us sell 80-90% of product published and the rest of us are just TERRIBLE and live on the meager and ever decreasing bases of older and older readers who don't need to be marketed to and love to complain while not changing for years and years. We live in an age where one has to adjust the business model every few months, and most of us see just not equipped. It's quite sad.

[TheFerg714]

And if stores around you have no clues and are not interested, it's not on Dino and Bad Idea, it's on them. Being in comic book retail for almost 30 years, with 3 locations and lots of both physical and online business, I have a somewhat unique view of comic book retailers and it may be a bit negative. 10% of us sell 80-90% of product published and the rest of us are just TERRIBLE and live on the meager and ever decreasing bases of older and older readers who don't need to be marketed to and love to complain while not changing for years and years. We live in an age where one has to adjust the business model every few months, and most of us see just not equipped. It's quite sad.

Okay, again, I agree with all of this, I just hope that whatever happens leads to success for Dino and co, and hopefully some good books for people to read.

Doesn't that last paragraph of your comment make you a little bit worried about Bad Idea? They're banking on those exact comic book retailers that you just lambasted.