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Originally Posted by Valeyard Vince
Thirdly, I got a result: while my in-depth, thorough (but negative) analysis has yet to be presented, my vague, one sentence (but positive) review was added almost immediately.
This is not the way you build consumer confidence. You don't sweep away and ignore legitimate problems people have with your work! You address those problems and try to improve for next time.
Suffice to say I am more than slightly disappointed by this revelation.
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That's pretty standard. We could have a whole thread about the power of negative thinking to force greatness out of the pillow fort it likes to construct from empty encouragement. In business, it's often a case where things are working well enough and no one wants to put in the extra effort or money to potentially bring in greater returns.
To be fair, I don't ask a great deal from a fetish comic. Hardly anyone does. It just needs to push the right buttons the right way and hold up to a cursory examination when the dust settles. The BESC has done little to push my buttons, from what I've seen of their content, so I've never subscribed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valeyard Vince
That is literally the entire point behind Free Comic Book Day. While there is a slight element of just "giving the fans a free gift," that is clearly not the focus (otherwise, it would only be available to those who have already purchased a comic). From a business stand-point the purpose of Free Comic Book Day is to hook potential new consumers. And claiming that you can't possibly get new consumers is just stupid. I'm coming across new additions to our community of BE fans all the god damn time.
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In theory, sure, but there hasn't been much new blood among comics readers for several years. Between FCBD, libraries, numerous digital freebies and the internet's near limitless access to "free" content, there's ample reason for new people to delve into the medium, but it doesn't happen in any noticeable numbers. People who drop by a comic shop to get in on FCBD rarely come back a second time, unless that time is the same time next year.
I suspect this offering has done the BESC some good and no appreciable harm. It would take a great deal more to attract me as a customer, but it got my attention. It gets their name out there a bit more and gives honest people a rare look at what lurks behind the pay curtain. If you know about them already, you know the content is varied and aren't expecting the stories to all be like this. If you didn't know and don't bother researching, it might be enough that it's a comic where boobs get bigger. There are more boobs behind the curtain, and most of them get bigger. There's some appeal in that without putting your best foot forward.
And it's never been the point of FCBD to put your best stuff on display. Few books do that, and few of those do so with all-new material. It's more about putting out something accessible and pretending you have a hope of dragging kids away from their games and iPads long enough to realize most comics are inappropriate and inaccessible for them 364 days of the year. The BESC faces a similar problem, in that putting one of their best comics out would lead to disappointment when you saw the other stuff.
They made an effort. That's commendable. This is only their second free comic, isn't it? Long time since Dream Girl. I'm glad they did. Food for thought, even if it is junk food.