I've consistently read and enjoyed a higher percentage of Vertigo titles than DC mainstream titles. I'm far more likely to get a creative team I enjoy with a Vertigo title, and like David said, they are generally aiming higher—or at least from a more personal vision—than the mainstream fare. Yes, there were some clunkers, but there have been plenty more clunkers in the DC mainstream.
The truth is, even with the success of Sandman and Fables, the Vertigo line as a whole has never been very profitable for DC. The reason it exists is so that DC can develop properties outside of their superhero line that they can then possibly turn into a movie deal or a TV series. Sell a Swamp Thing TV series to the USA network, and you justify the entire Veritgo line for few years. Sell an option on a Sandman movie, likewise. Remember, for a long, long time, you couldn’t get a decent superhero movie made unless it featured Batman or Superman. Now you can, so Vertigo isn’t quite as important in the grand scheme of things.
But the biggest reason for the decline of Vertigo has to be the rise of the creator-owned comics. Why split your take with DC when you can sell just as many copies on your own and keep it all to yourself?
Tastes vary, of course, but I, too, have much more consistently found comics I enjoy at the Vertigo imprint than I have at any other publisher.
There is also something to be said for being told a complete story, with an ending (even if, in this most recent case, I didn't want it to end) over 40, 60, 100, or even 300 issues.
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The truth is, even with the success of Sandman and Fables, the Vertigo line as a whole has never been very profitable for DC. The reason it exists is so that DC can develop properties outside of their superhero line that they can then possibly turn into a movie deal or a TV series. Sell a Swamp Thing TV series to the USA network, and you justify the entire Veritgo line for few years. Sell an option on a Sandman movie, likewise. Remember, for a long, long time, you couldn’t get a decent superhero movie made unless it featured Batman or Superman. Now you can, so Vertigo isn’t quite as important in the grand scheme of things.
But the biggest reason for the decline of Vertigo has to be the rise of the creator-owned comics. Why split your take with DC when you can sell just as many copies on your own and keep it all to yourself?
Tastes vary, of course, but I, too, have much more consistently found comics I enjoy at the Vertigo imprint than I have at any other publisher.
There is also something to be said for being told a complete story, with an ending (even if, in this most recent case, I didn't want it to end) over 40, 60, 100, or even 300 issues.