Jump to content

What is Dynamic Forces?


Fred Slota

Recommended Posts

Is this a comic shop?  A cover style?  I'm used to seeing it mentioned  in descriptions like "Dynamic Forces Variant Cover", but I stumbled across "Witchblade: Shades of Gray" #4/E, where the description indicates "Foil Cover" while the Notes says "Dynamic Forces".  Should this instead read "Dynamic Forces Foil Cover"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dynamic Forces
I believe that they are part of a group of companies that includes Dynamite Entertainment. 

Dynamic Forces was especially active in the 90's/early 00's (if my memory serves correctly) contracting with publishers to make variant covers exclusively for them.  DF would exclusively sell via mail (they placed advertisements in comics) and eventually online once the Internet became a thing.  Based on their website, it looks like they are still an active business.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Gregory Hecht said:

Dynamic Forces was especially active in the 90's/early 00's (if my memory serves correctly) contracting with publishers to make variant covers exclusively for them.

Tragically, they are still around and still producing books.  For the most part, they either do signings with creators or jump in on variant-mania for books like DK III, Detective Comics #1000, and anything Dynamite produces. 

As an added bonus they have been referred to as "DF" on some books as well. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

So, I went through the several hundred items in the database with "Dynamic Forces" or "df" in Notes and moved that and their related unique-to-that-variant information from Notes into ItemDescription and submitted all those changes.  

 

Doesn't look like they were accepted.  And it all was overwritten in my database, both ItemDescription and Notes, when I did the next weekly update.

 

Feeling slightly discouraged on trying to do database cleanup in the less controversial areas.

 

Going to change my strategy for making and submitting changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I did mention to be careful what you put in Item Description. HC is trying to keep tighter control on this column so it doesn't turn into another Notes.

I don't know all the parameters related to the column but words like Cover (but not, I think, Covers), Variant, and Edition are the ones I know of.

There may be others but whatever doesn't pass the cleanup process gets deleted (not moved anywhere).

You can check ahead of time by running Rebuild Lists for Item Information as it is what does the cleanup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I moved things from Notes to ItemDescription.  They both got reverted.  And I didn't run a Rebuild List.  It was a regular weekly update.

 

In this case I moved Dynamic Forces references, things that were clearly individual variant specific, and should not have been one-off Notes references.  The kind of thing that is exactly what the ItemDescription field was broken off for.

 

I'm going to start using a separate database for some of my cleanup submissions that I will perform updates less often on to preserve some of these changes on my side for longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I should have added a little more detail.

Before they push an update HC runs a Rebuild list.

Even if what you submitted was approved and made it to the Master Database, the act of running Rebuild Lists (before the Update is pushed) could delete what was submitted/approved from the Master Database.

So, to see if what you submit will get deleted or not, you can run Rebuild Lists before submitting.

 

Depending on what you entered in Item Descriptions could make a difference.

For example, if you added 'Dynamic Forces', it will (probably) get deleted.

If you added 'Dynamic Forces Variant', it would (probably) be kept.

(I say probably because I haven't tested this out but it should be what happens.)

 

I am guessing that getting what is kept in Item Descriptions is an on-going process and will be tweaked over time to be a little more tolerant of other things.

PS Also, I would prefer if something IS deleted from Item Descriptions by the Rebuild LIsts, that it gets added to Notes instead of deleted so information isn't lost (although this may cause duplication or near duplication in Notes).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If something was submitted and approved and now in the Master Database...

  1. Shouldn't my copy match the Master database and therefore not get removed from my database when the Rebuild Lists runs on my database?
  2. Even if the Rebuild Lists run on my machine pre-update removed my local change, since this was submitted and approved, shouldn't this change be part of the update, and thus be restored to my database in the update?

 

I suppose there could be an issue (no pun intended) if there is a lag between my submission and it getting processed and accepted.  The change would not yet be in the Master database, the Rebuild Lists deletes my local, the update does not restore, and my local database had the change removed.  But, if it gets processed in the next week, or two, or three, eventually it is in the Master Database, and eventually the Rebuild List or update will restore the submitted change as a now official update.

 

Or, the change is rejected, my local is reverted with the first update, and will never see the change brought back.

 

 

I can't tell the difference between rejected or pending.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are missing the point.

HC runs the Rebuild Lists (the same one you can) before the Update is created

This means it is NOT in the Master Database after the Rebuild LIsts.

Steps:

1) Information is added to Item Descriptions (possible removing it from Notes) on a Local Database.

2) It is submitted to HC.

3) HC approves it and it is added to the Master database.

4) HC runs Rebuild Lists before the Update and the information is deleted from the Master Database (as it doesn't match the information it looks for).

5) When an Update on a Local Database, the Item Description is changed to match the Master Database (which no longer has the information) and the Item Description information in your (and everyone else's) database gets deleted (along with the information that was moved out of Notes (depending on Update settings)).

Or

3) HC rejects the change.

4) When an Update on your Local Database is run, it reverts back to what you had (Information not in Item Description (but Notes still retains it) and nothing changes in other Local Databases.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you're not understanding where I am having a problem with your description.  I see a logical hole in step 4 after step 3.  If a detail is officially added to the the Master Database in step 3, how is it removed from the Master Database by Rebuild Lists in step 4?  What is Rebuild Lists using as the reference standard to decide what stays, what goes, what gets added?  Isn't the reference standard the Master Database?  Wouldn't Rebuild Lists on the Master Database be a useless application of a tautology?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I understand completely. And agree that the deletion of the data from Item Description is not a good idea that should be fixed.

But that is how it currently works. And why it can be frustrating trying to enter Item Description strings (or entering Note strings that WON'T get moved).

As far as I know, an Item Description string needs to have 'Cover', 'Variant', and/or 'Edition' to NOT be deleted. (Note:  a 'string' is one or more words separated by a semi-colon.)

This has been tweaked as 'Covers' will now be deleted or not removed from Notes  (in an effort to remove certain entries, I believe).

There may be other tweaks I am not aware of at this point or that may be added in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies, but I still think at least one of us is not completely understanding the other (and possibly in both directions).  From what I think I am understanding from what you are explaining, it seems like you are describing a process that makes it impossible for HC to successfully modify many types of things to the Master Database, a scenario that is obviously not true.

 

How did my submitted addition of "DC Black Label" to various issues of various titles (Like Batman/Catwoman #1) get accepted by HC, get added to the Master database, and not get subsequently automatically purged from the Master database?  It's in there.  How can any legitimate, accepted by HC modification stick if the process is going to remove accepted additions FROM THE MASTER DATABASE?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am only talking about the one column: Item Description.

This is the only one where (currently) data not containing certain keywords will have that information deleted.

Notes is related only in that those same keywords will move information from it to Item Description (via the Rebuild List). But anything that Rebuild Lists moves will be, by definition, valid information for Item Description and not deleted from Item Description with a Rebuild Lists.

It is only when you manually enter something to Item Description that you take a chance it won't be 'valid' (for lack of a better word) and get deleted.

All other columns work as you would expect (changes/additions/deletions accepted will be added to the Master Database and the Update will make these changes to all Local Databases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought they were cool 20 years ago too.  I literally have a short box full.  Then I realized they manufacture their own exclusivity and hype.  Very VERY few if any of their books have ever held value let alone increased.  And if they did increase it was the book itself and not DF Certificate that had anything to do with it.    I found 3 of their signed books that were limited to 75 copies in the $3 boxes at my LCS just 2 weeks ago.  PLUS, they started marketing CGC Books.  I found out the hard way they were not CGC Exclusive or DF Variants, but just regular old A covers of a book.  So basically $80 to get a 9.6 of a book on pre-order.  In most cases the books aren't worth $80 in 9.8.  

Rant over.  If you see them for $5 or less go ahead and nab them.  Just remember some poor schmuck paid a minimum of $20 for it at some point.  I don't remember seeing any DF release under $20.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My experience has been that they are slow to ship, ship the wrong items, and then are impossible to contact.  They do occasionally hit upon a good idea, though.  John Romita Sr. and Alex Ross have done some sketch covers for them and both are near impossible to get sketches from at all.  

If I'm getting anything produced by them, it's definitely going to be on the secondary market.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...