John Haynes: The Book That Could’ve Saved Vertigo Comics

-->

Last week it was announced that Vertigo Comics was being shut down. But I have to wonder: Could John Haynes have saved the imprint?

From what my readers have been telling me, John Haynes is a basically a Vertigo Comic without the Vertigo label. They say it’s everything oldschool Vertigo readers want in a Vertigo comic. A strong masculine Black male hero and his sexy Black assistant taking on supernatural forces in a strange and unusual world. A CEO working in a corporate Hell filled with vampires, demons and monsters. A book filled with supernatural action, adventure and a little bit of humor.  A fresh 21^st Century take on the occult and horror stories not unlike Ghostbusters or Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

All the elements of top selling Vertigo comics like Constantine back in the day.

Right now John Haynes: A Conversation With Death is one of the top sellers on the SJS DIRECT imprint. Many of my readers tell me that JohnHaynes: A Conversation With Death reminds them of John Constantine and his comic, John Constantine: Hellblazer. A Vertigo comic that was one of the pillars Vertigo during Karen Berger’s tenure on the imprint. A Vertigo book that was a consistent seller for DC/Vertigo for over 20 years.

A Vertigo property that has allowed DC to reap a bounty of profits from licensed merchandise like action figures and has allowed them to make both movie and TV adaptations like his TV series and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

Why do I wonder if John Haynes could’ve saved Vertigo? In 2018 Vertigo relaunched with a series of titles comic fans hated out the gate like Border Town, Hex Wives, High Level, and Goddess Mode.  But I wonder if Vertigo were to have launched with John Haynes in the mix could it have been the title that saved the imprint?

In publishing 90% of books fail. And it’s the 10% that succeed that keep the lights on. John Haynes: A Conversation With Death has been selling since I published it in June 2018. It’s been acclaimed by readers who have picked it up.

Could John Haynes have been the book to keep the lights on at Vertigo?

I believe it could’ve. With the word of mouth the book is getting on the POD track and marketing on a shoestring budget on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube it’s been selling strong. I believe with a Vertigo label and Diamond’s mass distribution of DC Comics, John Haynes could’ve probably gotten 25,000 orders on the first run and another 25,000 on the second printing.

Combine that DC/Vertigo label distribution with my online marketing skills and professional web presence on Social media (I spend most of my time selling books when I’m on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) and I believe John Haynes could’ve sold 50,000 comics. That would’ve built anticipation for the next pair of two-issue story arcs John Haynes: Dark Succubus and the upcoming John Haynes: The Man With Nothing To Lose.  

I believe a Vertigo John Haynes title would’ve made Warner reconsider on shuttering the imprint. As long as one title is selling well enough it gives a conglomerate incentive to keep the lights on.

 And I also believe my professionalism online would’ve been a model for comics pros in the face of the numerous online scandals that plagued Vertigo 2018 with so-called SJW comics pros like Eric Esquival, Robbie Reyes, and Zoe Quinn. Scandals that generated a lot of controversy with Comicsgaters on social media, but didn’t generate many sales of their books. 

As a writer with over 25 years of writing experience in romance, fantasy, chick lit and women’s fiction, and 10 years of publishing experience I know what sells books is what’s on the page. These days almost every person who buys John Haynes: A Conversation With Death and Dark Succubus has gone back to pick up his past appearances in Isis: Escape From Transylvania, Isis: Bride of Dracula, Isis: Wrath of the Cybergoddess, The Man Who Rules TheWorld and John’s first book The Temptation of John Haynes. So the new stories are selling the old ones.

Just like a good comic book should.

Proving there’s nothing wrong with the business model for selling comics. Just a problem with those who create the content these days.  

Could John Haynes have been a hit at Vertigo?

Maybe if WB executives had reneged on their crazy contract demands that led to numerous top selling comic pros like Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis leaving the imprint. As a creator their new contract deal would’ve made me WALK AWAY. No creator who invests YEARS of their time into creating and developing a character is gonna throw it all away on a bad deal where they sign away their intellectual property rights like film, TV, and merchandising.

In a world where creators can get their projects funded and put on the market through crowdfunding while keeping all their rights, What incentive does a creator like myself have for working with a publishing house? What incentive do they have to work with a comic publishing house if they’re going to profit from all the rights to all their work?

Any deal I’d sign with any comic publishing house would be for North American Comic adaptation rights ONLY. And there’d be a clause for me to do the writing and be paid for it. Along with final approval on the artist. I would also want a cut of the merchandising on those adaptations from companies like DC Collectibles or I’d negotiate a separate deal.

Warner Brothers needs to realize that the world of publishing has changed. And that Karen Berger was on the right track when she was allowing creator-owned properties to be published at the imprint. In the short-term the higher costs of those film and TV rights that those creators owned were nothing compared to what Warner Brothers would’ve reaped on a successful adaptation of a Vertigo property and the sales from casual readers off the street when that film or TV show premièred.

As I see it better to pay a creator like myself than to have to risk the reputation of Warner Brothers on a blasphemous comic like Second Coming that alienated Christians and led to a petition with over 200,000 signatures in a boycott against it. The controversy Second Coming is what DC Got for being cheap and looking to generate controversy instead of hiring a creator who was out to generate strong sales numbers.

Could John Haynes saved Vertigo? We’ll never know. All I know is it’s a shame that Vertigo is shuttering its doors. I’m saddened that a generation of readers will never experience any of the unique takes on comics and genres of comics Vertigo offered. When I think about the praise readers shower on me for John Haynes wonder what I could’ve contributed to Vertigo Comics with a John Haynes book.