If Marvel is broken, how would you recommend they get "fixed"?

[Kevin Boyd]

So with this talk of Marvel's status I thought I might shift this over to a new thread. If you agree that Marvel is broken, then how would you fix it?

 

What steps would you take take to put Marvel back into a position that you feel is acceptable and would encourage both short-term growth of actual readers and the creation of new collectors?

[deathlok]

One thing I would like to see at Marvel, is for them to expand the talent pool. I think they should be more open to new writers and artists. They should have an open submissions or actively recruit talent.

 

Having the same writers or artists doing all their books is tiring. I think should also limit the amount of titles for characters. Instead of using creating a new series for Rogue for example, make it a back-up story for a current title. Thicken the comics. It seems like you get very little for a $2.99 comics these days.

 

I would also like to see a new try-out series, like Marvel Spotlight or Marvel Premiere. Where Marvel can test out new characters.

[hobbes]

One thing I would like to see at Marvel, is for them to expand the talent pool. I think they should be more open to new writers and artists. They should have an open submissions or actively recruit talent.

 

Having the same writers or artists doing all their books is tiring. I think should also limit the amount of titles for characters. Instead of using creating a new series for Rogue for example, make it a back-up story for a current title. Thicken the comics. It seems like you get very little for a $2.99 comics these days.

 

I would also like to see a new try-out series, like Marvel Spotlight or Marvel Premiere. Where Marvel can test out new characters.

 

Deathlok nailed it. The only thing I would add is to stop rebooting and let series run.

[Kevin Boyd]

I realize that this would never fly, but if I were to fix Marvel, the first thing I would do would be to restructure the line and publish 10 thick 100 page books a month at $9.99 with a glossy, square-bound cardstock cover and work on getting 6+ of them distributed to markets outside of the direct market.

 

Amazing Spider-Man - 100 pages per month.

Three self-contained 22 page Spider-Man stories. One of them would be a team-up story. Add in two additional 11 page stories featuring other characters tied in with the Spider-Man family, maybe Venom or something like that.

 

Uncanny X-Men - 100 pages per month

Three self-contained 22 page X-Men stories (from the current Astonishing, Uncanny and adjectiveless X-Men titles). Each story features a different team of x-characters. Round it out with another two 11 page solo x-character spotlight stories.

 

Marvel Knights featuring Daredevil - 100 pages per month

Three self-contained 22 page stories featuring "4". Spider-Man (Millar/Dodson), Daredevil plus two 11 page stories featuring characters like Black Panther, Black Widow, etc.

 

Marvel MAX - 100 pages per month

Three self-contained 22 page stories featuring adult stories (must be 19 or older to buy). Punisher, Supreme Power, Shanna the She-Devil, plus two 11 page stories featuring characters from Supreme Power, or a violent Hulk Story.

 

Fantastic Four - 100 pages

One 40 page Fantastic Four story. Followed by two self-contained 22 page stories featuring the Silver Surfer and a Team-Up style story with the Torch or the Thing. Add in one history of the Marvel Universe feature (4 pages) at the end.

 

Avengers featuring Captain America & Iron Man - 100 pages

One 40 page Avengers story followed by two self-contained 22 page stories featuring Captain America and Iron Man. Add in one Avengers Dossier feature at the end (4 pages) spotlighting the origin of a different Marvel character.

 

Marvel Age - 100 pages

Kid friendly stories featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Hulk, crossword puzzles, trivia questions, fun facts, etc.

 

Savage Marvel featuring the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Wolverine

Three self-contained 22 page stories featuring the Hulk, Thor and Wolverine. Round it out with two 11 page solo character spotlight stories, using the more action oriented characters like Ka-Zar, Sabretooth, Namor, Ghost Rider, etc.

 

Marvel Universe - 100 pages

One self-contained 40 page story featuring a team of characters - Thunderbolts or the New Warriors (maybe rotate month to month). Round it out with three 11 page solo character spotlight stories and one 11 page What if? story and a 4 page origin story.

 

Ultimate Marvel - 100 pages

Four 22 page stories - Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, the Ultimates. If one series goes on a break (like the Ultimates) you do a solo Captain America or Elektra story).

 

-----------------------

 

These 10 books would be the equivalent of 44 comics for $99.89.

 

Currently 34 $2.99 comics and 10 2.25 comics will cost you $124.16.

 

Each mag would have a single editor reporting to a single editor in chief. Remaining 12 pages of each would be ads.

 

I would recruit old and new talent. Covers would be action covers with circles denoting what other stories were in each issue (similar to golden age covers).

 

No more intercompany crossovers.Characters may cross over (Thing can guest star in X-Men, but the line cannot be crossed over (eg. Massacre in the Mojave can't crossover into 6 magazines.

 

If they want to tell a Marvel Universe crossover story, take up a full issue or two of a single magezine.

 

----------------------

 

On top of that I would publish the Icon line as regular comics:

Powers, Kabuki, etc.

 

But I would also take the material from the various strips and repackage it as individual trade paperbacks when I had enough material. 5-10 new tpbs, plus 2"essential" volumes, one silver/bronze Masterwork, one golden age Masterwork, and 2 Visionairies volumes.

[Silver Surfer]

Better artists, lose the prefab covers, and get rid of Queseda. I just noticed that they dual number their issues (ie: Avengers 84 is also 499) . Just another example of the kind iof nonsense and lack of leadership at the top. Stan Lee at age 90 could do a better job that these band of .

[mitol]

First thing is to put to an immediate stop, the delays as seen in the Ultimates and DD: Father. Quesada's being a hypocrite when he announced, in order to limit the delays in Ultimates Vol2, they will be delaying the release date in order to accumulate additional issues. Knock, knock. What about you and your own book???

 

Even if a book was bad, as DD: Father #1 was, if Marvel were to release it on a timely basis, since most of us are such completists, we would probably still pick up all issues of the miniseries. But now, given the horrendous delay, who really cares if it even comes out anymore?

 

The second thing I would do is fluctuate the length of the story arcs. It's not hard for the average reader to suspect that storylines were dragged out purposely for TPB consumption. Why not have 2, 4, or 6 issue storylines and then publish TPB's containing two story arcs each? For example, 6+2 or 4+4, or even 4+2+2. By doing this, sales for the singular issue may even increase, because many readers who no longer pick up the individual issue may decide to do so as opposed to waiting for the story arcs to end.

 

My two or three cents.

[OldGuy]

Fire Joe

 

Only give Bendis two titles

 

Bring in more tallent

 

Back to original numbering

 

Fewer books - more pages in the books that are left - lower "per page" cost

 

Keep the TPB's coming

 

Wolverine and Spider-Man can only be in one title each

[shadroch]

End the near monopoly that Diamond currently enjoys.

Reprint some titles on the cheapest pulp paper and attempt to get them into places where kids go. Don't expect the kids to go to comic shops,go to them.

Increase co-op money so LCSs can effectively advertise their products.

don't write every issue as if it were a chapter in a TPB.

Bring back Jim Shooter!!!!!!!!!

[Silver Surfer]

Shad just curious how Diamond's monopoly plays into this. It is likely more cost effective unless Marvel can set up their own inhouse distribution but I doubt they would commit that kind of capital. Why bother?

[awe4one]

First....look at the Shonen Jump example and produce a similar B&W book (and similar price) with reprints one character story per issue. Marvel has a vast enough library to produce these books for years. Make sure they are geared specifically to the newsstand and not dealer preference. This could get the young ones hooked and curious to seek out new issues----this could kill the Essential line but to successfully change, everyone is going to feel some pain....

 

On the monthly front...

 

Reconsolidate their entire line into families of titles (ie SM, FF, Avnegers, X-Men, etc). Limit family titles to a max of three regular issues per month. An extra family swing title could be produced for stories that don't convienently fit in the normal titles.

 

Full stop on Limited/Mini Series. They can be produced but only under extraordinary circumstances and the story had better warrant it.

 

Cut back on the "production quality" of titles and get prices back to $2.00. If you want to print a three buck comic with slick paper then use the "swing" titles.

 

If prices have to remain at $3 than take the European example and consolidate two issues into one or better yet reintroduce the back-up story. Essentially, give the reader more for their buck than what's currently being provided.

 

Give me more time....I'll think of others....

 

Jim

[blowout]

Start thinking about long term health rather than short term profits.

 

Marvels current output seems totally designed to grab the cash now and worry about the fallout later. The worst culprit being the constant re-booting and re-numbering of titles.

[hobbes]

There are some really good ideas in this thread.

 

1. Expand the talent pool

 

2. Limit the amount of titles for characters

 

3. Stop rebooting and let series run

 

4. Selected 100 page monthlies

 

5. Fluctuate the length of the story arcs. 2, 4, or 6 issue storylines and then publish TPB's containing two story arcs each? For example, 6+2 or 4+4, or even 4+2+2.

 

6. Reprint some titles on the cheapest pulp paper and attempt to get them into places where kids go. Don't expect the kids to go to comic shops,go to them.

 

7. Look at the Shonen Jump example and produce a similar B&W book

 

8. Reconsolidate their entire line into families of titles

 

9. Full stop on Limited/Mini Series. They can be produced but only under extraordinary circumstances and the story had better warrant it.

 

10. Start thinking about long term health rather than short term profits

 

 

There is no specific order to the above. There was also some overlap in the suggestions: reduce prices on some issues, more story for whats being charged, larger talent pool. It seems to me that the majority of ideas are tailored towards number 10 on the list.

[SpideySense-migration]

1) Cut the prices down to $1.00-$1.50 per comic. If they have to use cheaper paper to do this, so be it. IMO lowering the prices will be the only way to get younger readers back into the hobby. If the prices are low enough kids just might choose a comic for cheap entertainment over that of a movie or video game rental.

 

2) Let the writers write stories for quality sake. Don't force them to write 5-6 part stories that fit neatly in TPB reprints. Let them just write good stories whether they are just one issue in length or 5 issues in length.

 

3) Stop the relaunching of popular series just to cash in. People are tired of it and it is hurting the hobby.

 

4) Limit the number of titles a character can be in a month. There shouldn't be more than 2-3 Spider-man or X-men titles out per month.

 

5) This is probably just me, but I want Marvel to put the month and year on each comic they put out. If they are putting out 2 comics of the same title a month (which IMHO they shouldn't be doing) then label one early-MONTH and the other late-MONTH. I have gotten confused a few times and bought the same comic I already had because I couldn't tell when the comic came out.

 

6) Limit the number of comics a writer or artist can write or draw so the comics can come out on time. If Bendis can write 6 high quality stories a month and they come out on time that is great, but if he can't the EIC needs to step in and take away some of the workload to an appropriate level.

 

7) Give artists and writers a piece of the pie. Let their salary be determined on the success of the titles they write. They should get a % of the sales of whatever title they are working on. This would incourage them to produce the very best work because they would get more money if the product they produce sales well.

[Larryw7]

1)Lower the prices

 

2)Start printing on pulp paper again

 

 

3)Have real stories, not 21 pages of pretty artwork and no captions or dialogue

 

4)Package the books 3 per bag and sell 'em at Wal Mart, Toys R Us and other places that reach kids

[Larryw7]

3) Stop the relaunching of popular series just to cash in. People are tired of it and it is hurting the hobby.

 

Amen!

[Hensley300]

i think most of the stuff i have thought about has already been said but ill rehash with a new thought or two:

1. stop the series relaunching and get the numbering system straight

2. wolverine in only 1 title

3. yes, limited series only when there is a point or lasting impact on a characters development

4. bring back x-statix or atleast start a new series that tests the limits of the audience tolerance/or some new storyline, not the same ol [!@#%^&^] month after month.

5. when a character dies, keep em dead

6. cut the number of x-titles please

[BradleyX2]

1. stop the series relaunching and get the numbering system straight

 

 

BTW, Marvel solicitations for November have been released, and guess what we have coming?

 

Iron Man Vol.4 # 1

 

and

 

Captain America Vol.5 # 1

 

 

[Silver Surfer]

1. stop the series relaunching and get the numbering system straight

 

 

BTW, Marvel solicitations for November have been released, and guess what we have coming?

 

Iron Man Vol.4 # 1

 

and

 

Captain America Vol.5 # 1

 

 

 

Or is it going to be 1/87 or whatever stupid numbering they are doing? Frickin nonsense. Joe must go.

[Smokinghawk]

Also, I kinda miss those ads aimed at kids with goofy novelties. Lower advertising rates and bring back the small ad pages.

 

Oh, and stop relaunching series over and over.Has anyone else mentioned that one yet?

[awe4one]

Oh, and stop relaunching series over and over.Has anyone else mentioned that one yet?

 

No. Could you elaborate?

 

Jim