Dark Horse Releases

BiQ-- said:
Well, this just in:

longish url to darkhorse.com board, there's a post by Chris Warner, DH editor in charge of Berserk

in short: Bookstores are PO about having no more shelf space and there is no end in sight to this "new manga title" avalanche. Going a little easier on bookstores' shelf space (=not cranking stuff out ASAP) makes it easier to carry a series, since they need to keep all of the older volumes in stock as well. Some retailers are not feeling very easy about having Berserk on sale so not making it even harder for them serves a very real purpose.
I think it would be a good move to make it a bi-monthly series. I mean it has sold over 100,000 copies. I'm surprised that any retailer would have a problem with stocking up on Berserk rather than some of the other garbage thats out there, and I might add that the garbage manga I speak of does not sell half as well as Berserk. well we'll just have to wait and see.
 

Headless_Death

u/QuartetGhent
[quote author=chris warner]
I wouldn't rule out a bimonthly schedule in the future, but we'd probably need to wait until the bookstore shakeout...well, shakes out.
[/quote]
This sounds promising. Maybe in a year or so Darkhorse may give into the idea of a bi-monthly release.
 
100,000 x 15 bucks a book = $1,500,000

I think it's a good number, don't you?


And I like how they are still considering the bimonthly release.

It's bad enough that both Darkhorse and Miura won't reach Vol 50 until I'm in my early 30's.
 
I see what Chris Warner is saying. I was buying Bleach 6 two days ago and I saw Berserk 2 out and I said to myself "They have Berserk volume 2, now I have to buy that now." Also I see Samurai Deeper Kyo 11 and Fruits Basket volume 6 (don't ask) and I am at the bookstore for 30 minutes saying to myself "what to buy, what to buy" I am in a manga book club and they're reading the watchman.

The thoughts come back to my head "what to buy, what to buy" next comes rave masters. So I run out of that store (paying for the two books). I don't think this is DH's fault, I think it is the reader's fault. When I first started collecting manga, I only had Naruto manga. Volume 1-3 was the only books on my shelf, until I just started buying manga that sounded "cool", now I am pushed to buy the other volumes. :'( Why did I buy Peacemaker, WHY.
 

davedapunk

I am Zodd...you are dead.
Dwarf Kicker said:
100,000 x 15 bucks a book = $1,500,000

I think it's a good number, don't you?


And I like how they are still considering the bimonthly release.

It's bad enough that both Darkhorse and Miura won't reach Vol 50 until I'm in my early 30's.

Well is that good? Considering all the payments that have to go out to produce the manga, printing, translating, legal rights etc; I'm not 100% sure wether that is good.

And the figure 100,000...how does that compare to the sales of other Manga?
 

davedapunk

I am Zodd...you are dead.
Dwarf Kicker said:
Over a million bucks.  Million.  Since when is a million not good?

Man i thought £1,000,000 wasnt all that impressive, but $1,000,000 is even worse! Seeing as people who win the lottery can get up to £20,000,000, no a million isn't very much. Especially for something as big as Dark Horse.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
davedapunk said:
Seeing as people who win the lottery can get up to £20,000,000, no a million isn't very much.

Great reasoning really. I guess you earn $200,000 a month, too?
 
I think his point was that, basically, DH has to pay for translator(s?), copyright, marketing, etc. for each issue they release. If we don't know what those figures add up to, then we don't know what their margin of profit is. Maybe they're only making $200-400K for the those 100,000 copies. Maybe not. Maybe their making $1.5 million. Unless someone around here works in the comics business though, and has a sense of those figures, we're not really going to know what DH's "take-home" profit is for those issues.
 

Headless_Death

u/QuartetGhent
from what Chris Warner said:
[quote author=Chris Warner]
We priced titles based on a reality-based model rather than one based on needing huge volume to turn a profit[/quote]
So likely, they get a couple of bucks for each volume sold. so with 100,000 copies, it is likely to be in the 200k-400k profit area.
 
davedapunk said:
If i was the Chairman of Dark Horse i'd be expecing to earn more than that!
but thats only one of they're titles. and I'm not exactly sure, but i think, for an M rated manga it does exceptionally well. and never the less it's sales are really high for any rating of manga.
 
Just thought I'd point out that the average manga title sells 7500 copies per volume in the USA. 

The first five volumes of Berserk has sold over 100,000 copies, averaging more than 20,000 copies each volume. 

If you need confirmation, yes, Berserk is doing extremely well.
 
ok i just checked the Dark Horse website and the date has NOT been pushed back thank god. its still standing for
Volume 7  release date: 5/4/05
Volume 8  release date: 7/13/05

as i said before i really hope they keep the bi-monthly trend going  ;D.
 
Agent_C said:
I do too, I already have 7 and 8 on order! I can't wait!  ;D

- C
yeah man i cant wait either. i mean i know this ain't going to happen, but it would rule if they made it a monthly series until it caught up. but like i said i know it ain't going to happen unless sales basically multiply by like 5 or more lol. so lets just hope for a bi-monthly release ;D.

EDIT:
Ok well Issue 7 is out today (in English) i cant wait to pick it up.
issue 8 drops on 7/13/05
as soon as I'm finished reading 7 ill let you guys know of how many errors i could find (hopefully none)
and ill keep checking DarkHorse.com regularly so as soon as i hear about a release date for 9 ill just post it. i really hope it will be in september making my bi-monthly wish come true. ;)
 

Headless_Death

u/QuartetGhent
Good, something to pick-up. I thought it was awful that Priest was delayed, despite the fact that Tokyopop still says it is to be released 4/1/05. Glad that darkhorse at least updates their site with delays, unlike Tokyopop.
I would definitely be happy with a bi-monthly release. :D
 
ok i just went to 3 comic shops in the city. and no one has issue 7. so if anyone can confirm that it has been held back yet again please let me know ???.
 

Headless_Death

u/QuartetGhent
DarthVenom said:
ok i just went to 3 comic shops in the city. and no one has issue 7. so if anyone can confirm that it has been held back yet again please let me know ???.
I only visited one comic shop. They told me that Dark horse release dates can vary slightly from what is posted on their site, and to expect it next week, and it would be in Friday's invoice if they were to get it in next week.

They also reminded me that this Saturday is the fourth annual "Free Comic Book Day".
 
Since you are going to buy it anyways, I would go to Barnes and Noble and order it. That's what I do, and when it comes in they call you and hold it for two weeks for you. You don't have to pay for it until it arrives. I have seven and eight ordered, I haven't been called yet, so it is not in. I have bought one through six through them, it works out quite nicely. ;D

- C
 
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