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DC Comics-Converse Inc.

Superhero Sneakers
By: Juliano Rapoza Emily Estrella Cassandra Williams

This summary was designed to not only showcase the key dates in the history or Converse Inc. and DC Comics Inc., but to also highlight the collaboration between the two in their superhero sneaker line. The research shows that both companies faced financial troubles at numerous points in history, but through merges and changes in management, they were able to become leaders in their respected industries. Converse Inc. has changed ownership at least eight times since their debut over a century ago. During that time bankruptcy has been filed twice, as well as millions of dollars and thousands of jobs lost worldwide. DC Comics Inc. has seen their share of highs and lows as well. They too have reported losses in both sales and staff yet have emerged as one of the top comic book lines to date. The report evaluates the ups and downs of both and shows how the merge came to exist. It is recommended that: In order to keep this line successful, new designs are continuously being presented More advertisement be implemented

In conclusion, we feel the merge between DC and Converse was a genius idea. Not only has it reignited the spark in previous fans, but it has also introduced a new generation to their products.

DC Comics debuted in February 1934 under the name National Allied Publications. They later adopted the DC initials from their line of Detective Comics. It was founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. (History of DC Comics). The history of comic books can be categorized into four ages being the Golden Age (1930s-1950s), the Silver Age (1960s), the Bronze Age (1970s-1980s) and what is currently being referred to as the Dark Age (late 1980s-present). Each of these ages has had major milestones that have led the industry to where it currently is. During the Golden Age, National Allied Publications were releasing multiple series of comics about topics ranging from romance and westerns to detectives and superheroes. The detective comics are responsible for the debut of Batman in May, 1939. Their line of superhero comics were being published under the name Action Comics which featured the introduction of Superman. During this time, National Allied Publications merged with Detective Inc. to form National Comics which eventually absorbed All American Publications in 1944, Superhero popularity faded in the late 40s and the comic book industry was under attack in the early 50s for not being up to American standards for children and younger generations. Despite this, DC was able to remain successful because of their other lines of comics covering romance and westerns. During this time, DC attempted to bring back the interest in superheroes by reintroducing the Flash in 1956. A more personal and emotionally compelling background story was used for not only him, but they did the same for their entire line of superheroes. It was also during this time that they created the first superhero teams known as the Justice Society and the Justice League. It was this reintroduction and revamping of superheroes that led the massive surge and recreation of the comic book industry known as the Silver Age. During this decade not only did

Superman receive an overhaul, but other characters in the Superman family were introduced including Supergirl, Bizarro and Brainiac. Batman was re-emphasized as a detective and gained Batwoman and Batgirl as supporting characters. There was a temporary spike in comic book sales in 1966 due to a popular Batman television show. Ownership once again changed hands in 1967 when Kinney National Company purchased National Periodical Publications. They later went on to purchase Warner Bros. Seven Arts and eventually became Warner Communications. During the late 60s and throughout the 70s there were staffing changes put in effect to attempt to capture a market which had grown from being dominated by children to include older teens and even some college age students. During the Bronze Age of the 70s and 80s, fantasy gave way to more naturalistic and sometimes darker themes. Illegal drug use, previously banned by Comics Code Authority, appeared in a drug fueled issue titled Snowbirds Dont Fly (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85. Sept 71), in which Speedy, Green Arrows teen sidekick, became addicted to heroin. June of 1978 brought an increase number of titles and story pages per comic. The price per issue was also raised from 35 cents to 50 cents. The combination of these was known as the DC Explosion. The nickname may have been a little premature considering the idea was not successful. It led to a cutback on unsuccessful titles and the firing of many staffers. The nickname was then changed to the DC Implosion. In an attempt to bounce back, DC began to offer royalties in place of the industry=standard work for hire agreement in which creators worked for a flat fee and signed away all rights. With the royalty program, talented artists were given a financial incentive which was tied to the success of their work. A new ongoing series titled The New Teen Titans was also introduced in November, 1980.

The late 1980s moved the industry into the Dark Age which featured many key and resonant deaths which would shape the DC Universe for the following decades. It was during this time that DC published Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the graphic novel Watchmen. These titles paved the way for comics to be more widely accepted in literary criticism circles as suitable reading for adults. This period also brought along the end of many war comics that had been in print since the 1960s, including Sgt. Rock, G.I. Combat and Weird War Tales. Warner Communications merged with Time Inc. making DC Comics a subsidiary of Time Warner during this time as well. There was another brief boom in the 1990s due to speculative purchasing and several extended storylines featuring the death of Superman, Batman being crippled and the Green Lantern turning into the super villain Parallax. During the late 90s DC purchased Wildstorm Comics and began to publish titles under their sub-imprint Americas Best Comics (ABC), one of being The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The 2000s brought a new All-Star line designed to feature some of the companys best known character in stories that eschewed the long and convoluted continuity of the DC Universe. It was announced in May of 2011 that they would be releasing digital versions of their comics on the same day as their paper versions were released. A few months later they decided to end all ongoing series sets in the DC Universe and relaunch their comic line with 52 issues, each numbered as Issue 1, starting with the Justice League on August 31. (DC & Marvel Comics News)

Converse Inc. was started in Malden, Mass in 1908 by a man named Marquis M Converse. The initial capital investment was $250,000 and was originally called Converse Rubber Shoe Company and only manufactured rubber bottom shoes. They did not start producing athletic shoes until 1915 and then it was only tennis shoes. They started basketball shoe production in 1917. It was not until 1921, when basketball star Charles Chuck Taylor joined their sales team, that their products became well known. During that time, Mr. Taylor spent his time visiting basketball clinics to promote Converses basketball shoe. Despite the sales figures, Converse filed bankruptcy in 1929 and control was passed to Mitchell B Kaufman upon Marquis Converses death. Ownership was quickly transferred to the Stone family due to a sale of the company in 1933. The Stone family had control of the company for approximately 39 years, during which time they provided equipment for the American Armed Services during WWII. By the early 1970s, Converse had three divisions of products: sporting goods which produced teeth guards and hockey pucks, footwear which was responsible for sport shoes, and an industrial line which produced automotive parts, was involved in paper converting and photocopying. Converse was once again purchased by another company in 1972. The new owner was the Eltra Corporation, which later acquired a footwear division of BF Goodrich. Under Eltras ownership, a modern manufacturing plant in Lumberton, NC and a distribution center in Charlotte, NC were added.

The late 1970s forced Converse to pare down operations, consolidate and increase efficiency due to increased foreign competition, soaring labor and overhead costs and a weak domestic economy. Converse finally became a privately owned and operated in 1982 due to a purchase of approximately $100 million by Richard Loynd and John P ONeil. In 1984 they signed separate agreements with Moon=Star Chemical Corp and Zet Corp to handle the manufacturing, distribution and sales in Japan. Due to the increase in popularity, Converse became the first footwear supplier ever chosen to officially represent the Olympic athletes in 1984. They also were the first company named the official sponsor of the NBA. The contract was valid until 1995 and granted the company the use of the NBA name in all advertising and promotions and to manufacture shoes featuring logos of NBA teams and other affiliations. A 1995 licensing deal with Shalom Childrens wear led Converse to manufacturing infant and toddlers sporting good apparel. They then purchased Apex One Inc., a designer and marketer of sports related footwear and apparel that also made products under license with professional sports teams, leagues and institutions of higher education. Their deal with Apex One was closed only after 85 days due to slow orders and high costs. Converse filed a lawsuit against Apex for false representation and won. (Converse Inc History) Converse was forced to file bankruptcy again in the late 90s due to sales being down. Millions of dollars and thousands of jobs worldwide were lost because of this. Poor sales were reported until Converse was bought by Nike Inc. in 2003 for $305 million. Converse is currently the only product in the Nike line that doesnt carry the Nike swoosh. (Wayne, 2011)

The two previously highlighted companies came together in the spring of 2011 to introduce a line of Converse All Stars featuring many of the loved superheroes DC created. DC attempted to release a SB Dunk-mid Batman shoe in 2008, which resulted in failure. The line released in 2011 was called their Hero Pack and featured 11 different designs, seven of which were sold exclusively at Journeys retail stores. The designs featured mainly the heroes of the comic series, such as Superman and Batman, with the exception of the Joker who was the only villain showcased. Since the debut other key figures have made an appearance on canvas including Wonder Woman, Killer Croc, and even a line featuring The Dark Knight and Bane to coincide with the release of The Dark Knight Rises in June 2012. In an effort to gain more sales, Converse has started a Design Your Own campaign on their website. Not only are customers able to customize their own All Stars, they also have the ability to choose between an Arkham City line based solely on the Batman comics, or a DC Comics line which carries all available DC characters. (Design Your Own) The two big name companies have also started a mobile marketing campaign giving fans the chance to appear in a comic book. Each shoe comes with a QR code woven into it that when scanned, leads to an exclusive digital comic book. This comic book is tied to another of the pairs collaboration efforts called Enter Their World, a sweepstakes in which the winner will be drawn into an upcoming DC comic. Some non-comic shoes are also coming with a QR code that will reward the customer with an exclusive music track. (Whittington, 2012).

SWOT Analysis Strengths: Weakness: Shoes limited to online and select stores Limited characters Not enough advertising Expand their market to satisfy more than just athletes Both recognized as American idols Original Affordable

Opportunities Threats Other athletic shoes such as Adidas and Reebok Marvel comics being introduced as footwear More advertising Not limiting sales locations

In conclusion, we feel the merge between DC Comics and Converse Inc. was a great idea. While neither was in financial turmoil, the creation of the DC edition Chuck Taylors elevated sales and publicity for both. We recommend that new designs continuously be presented for consumers and that the shoes are sold in more locations then just online and at one specific retail chain.

Works Cited
Converse Inc History. (n.d.). Retrieved from Funding Universe: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/converse-inc-history/ DC & Marvel Comics News. (n.d.). Retrieved from ComicPress101: http://comicpress101.com/the-history-of-dc-comics/ Design Your Own. (n.d.). Retrieved from Converse Inc.: http://www.converse.com History of DC Comics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Superhero Comic Shop: http://www.superherocomicshop.com/dc-comics Wayne, L. (2011, July 10). Business Day. Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/10/business/10NIKE.html Whittington, M. (2012). DC & QR: A Converseation Piece. Retrieved from QwikTag: http://www.qwiktag.com/index.php/blog/197-converseation

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