Where is this all going...

[Kevin Boyd]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13

 

POLARISATION

 

One observation of the current state of the comics industry is that the better selling titles are selling a lot better... regularly topping 200,000. However at the other end, even from the bigger publishers, sales are dropping off a cliff. DC has had real problems launching any new project which isn't an instant top tenner, without any ties to existing lines or imprints... and even then it's not a sure thing. And with Marvel launching five number ones in one week, they've been relatively poorly ordered... and looking at in-store sales, may be slipping down the charts even then. Even books like "Hulk/Thing," "Bulleseye" and "Gambit" are under performing what one might have expected and the Marvel Age tag on "Jubilee" seems to have been an instant death.

 

On the Comic Book Industry Alliance forum, retailer Cliff Biggers of Dr No's Comics, Games And More made a comment, which he expanded for Lying In The Gutters. He told me;

 

"So far today no one has bought this week's Marvel dud, 'Warlock.' Everyone who likes the character has flipped through the book and decided not to get it. Three customers who had expressed an interest for pull-and-hold have passed on it... and one customer who prepaid for it said that he didn't want to take it home, even though he had already bought it. 'It's not worth the eighth of an inch it'll take up in my comic box,' he said. It's the same problem that we saw with Silver Surfer; Marvel has taken a character with a long-defined cosmic feel, then they've 'reinvented' it as a concept that has virtually no appeal to those who were fans of the original character. And this has happened frequently enough that my Marvel customers are wary of any Marvel relaunches, and I'm seeing horrible sales on new series that should perform quite well--books like 'Gambit,' 'Elektra' and 'Jubilee' are selling less than mid-line books from IDW, Devil's Due, or Dreamwave.

 

[tilleycs]

Where's it all going? If the price of the Hulk/Thing mini is any indication, price-wise, I'd say it's going up . And although Hulk/Thing fights are my favorite, I've intentionally not bought any of those issues. I refuse to pay those prices.

[Kevin Boyd]

This echoes the concerns that I had when I was analyzing the sales on the Batman line.

 

In his column Rich mentioned that Legends of the Dark Knight has been reassigned to editor Joey Cavalieri (a really nice guy if you ever get to meet him) and the drive is on to recruit top talent to rejuvenate that book, which is can't seem to sell better than the consistant 25,000 copies/month it's been averaging for the last year.

 

I'm generally a positive guy when it comes to the new book market, but when you look at it, once you get past the top half of the sales charts, the remainder of the books being published have sales falling faster than sinking stones.

 

And Marvel filling the stands with drek like Warlock (a book that Quesada has been praising ad nauseum) isn't helping and makes me agree with those that say Joe should be removed as EIC.

 

I'm not going to say that DC is doing much better, they have to do something to get people interested.

[Kevin Boyd]

Where's it all going? If the price of the Hulk/Thing mini is any indication, price-wise, I'd say it's going up . And although Hulk/Thing fights are my favorite, I've intentionally not bought any of those issues. I refuse to pay those prices.

 

 

Sure, prices are up, but sales are going down. And if it's any indication, the people that did buy Hulk/Thing are not singing it's praises.

 

There is some light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Hulk though... Peter David was tapped to write a Hulk mini, but they've decided to run it in the main Hulk title when it returns after Hulk/Thing ends. David might stick around after the initial six issues and they seem content to have him stay on the title indefinitely.

[DKB]

I liked Warlock. I wish it wasn't a Marvel book cause it won't make it past 6 issues. It and She-Hulk are the rare exception with the new, take a chance, books Marvel has tried in the past few years.

 

As much [!@#%^&^] as everyone gives Marvel for putting out 25 X-titles and 10 Spidey titles, the fact is it has tried new stuff, its managed some good new stuff, and without fail, there is little that makes it beyond 18 issues. Runaways. Sentinel. She-Hulk. Now Warlock. People just don't care. Fewer and fewer folks buy comics, especially the good ones. Just the way it is.

[Kevin Boyd]

As much [!@#%^&^] as everyone gives Marvel for putting out 25 X-titles and 10 Spidey titles, the fact is it has tried new stuff, its managed some good new stuff, and without fail, there is little that makes it beyond 18 issues. Runaways. Sentinel. She-Hulk. Now Warlock. People just don't care. Fewer and fewer folks buy comics, especially the good ones. Just the way it is.

 

I won't disagree that they do try new things... BUT...

 

The problem is that they don't always know how to connect these books with the right audience, and they tend to get ignored as a result.

 

Runaways was doing well enough to continue, Marvel chose to end it and relaunch "season 2" at a later date. And Runaways was a new concept and was quite good as a new concept.

 

Sentinel, well it just didn't connect as a monthly, but I hear the digest is doing ok enough for them to consider reviving it.

 

She-Hulk is getting very good word of mouth these days and is a popular choice at my LCS. People talk. It's taking the character of She-Hulk AS SHE IS and placing her in a new set of circumstances.

 

Warlock however, is completely dumping the old concept on favour of something new. And as a fan of the Adam Warlock character (and I'm not alone), I was thoroughly put off by Warlock... just as I was really put off by that Silver Surfer series.

 

If they wanted to make it a new concept and try something new I have no problem with it.

 

If they want to take an old concept and place it in a new situation I have no problem with it.

 

But if you take an existing character and ditch everything about that character and start over again for no real reason (and you dump all over that character's greatest writer/artist while you are doing it)... that sucks IMO.

 

BTW the old Adam Warlock was in She-Hulk #7, the same week that the new Warlock #1 came out. That lack of communication is another reason why people like to dump on Marvel.

[rob_react]

Warlock however, is completely dumping the old concept on favour of something new. And as a fan of the Adam Warlock character (and I'm not alone), I was thoroughly put off by Warlock... just as I was really put off by that Silver Surfer series.

 

If they wanted to make it a new concept and try something new I have no problem with it.

 

If they want to take an old concept and place it in a new situation I have no problem with it.

 

But if you take an existing character and ditch everything about that character and start over again for no real reason (and you dump all over that character's greatest writer/artist while you are doing it)... that sucks IMO.

 

The Warlock book should never have happened. Warlock should have been Starlin's to play with. At the end of the day this Warlock book is going to be canceled (if I'M not buying a Warlock book it's officially in trouble.) Since, Thanos is already gone, Marvel will have killed two series with one stone so to speak and will be left with NOTHING.

[drice6900]

But if you take an existing character and ditch everything about that character and start over again for no real reason (and you dump all over that character's greatest writer/artist while you are doing it)... that sucks IMO.

 

Hmmm... sounds like what they are doing to Avengers...

[Kevin Boyd]

Hmmm... sounds like what they are doing to Avengers...

 

Exactly!

 

And this week they kill a major Avenger for the sake of adding another body to the death toll.

 

Maybe they can recruit Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon to bring that character back from the dead in a couple of months.

[Ares]

Hmmm... sounds like what they are doing to Avengers...

 

Exactly!

 

And this week they kill a major Avenger for the sake of adding another body to the death toll.

 

Maybe they can recruit Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon to bring that character back from the dead in a couple of months.

 

So spidey dies?

[Memphiskidd]

I like collecting new books. I enjoy going to the LCS on Wed, or getting a box in the mail, but lately with all the variants and new books Marvel is releasing, I just keep thinking I should quit new books all together.

 

Ok, I can barely afford to collect my regular titles, and they release another X-title (Astonishing)...so I have to try it...I end up buying the variants for ridiculous amounts. It's driving me crazy, not to mention all the books I would LIKE to try.

 

It's to the point that it would be less stress to just buy Silver and Bronze back issues and consider my Marvel runs done at issue #500.

 

I already dropped a couple titles this month. I am just looking for an excuse. If Bendis leaves Ultimate SM or DD.........

[OldGuy]

But if you take an existing character and ditch everything about that character and start over again for no real reason (and you dump all over that character's greatest writer/artist while you are doing it)... that sucks IMO.

 

Hmmm... sounds like what they are doing to Avengers...

 

Yup, and with "Strange" as well. What they needed to do with Strange was call it "Ultimate Dr. Strange, because it has nothing to do with the Dr. Strange I know.

[ninanina]

I just keep thinking I should quit new books all together.

 

Ok, I can barely afford to collect my regular titles, and they release another X-title (Astonishing)...so I have to try it...I end up buying the variants for ridiculous amounts. It's driving me crazy, not to mention all the books I would LIKE to try.

 

It's to the point that it would be less stress to just buy Silver and Bronze back issues and consider my Marvel runs done at issue #500.

 

I already dropped a couple titles this month. I am just looking for an excuse. If Bendis leaves Ultimate SM or DD.........

 

Wow, that sure sounded like the mid 90's just before the big one.

[FFB]

I liked Warlock. I wish it wasn't a Marvel book cause it won't make it past 6 issues. It and She-Hulk are the rare exception with the new, take a chance, books Marvel has tried in the past few years.

 

As much [!@#%^&^] as everyone gives Marvel for putting out 25 X-titles and 10 Spidey titles, the fact is it has tried new stuff, its managed some good new stuff, and without fail, there is little that makes it beyond 18 issues. Runaways. Sentinel. She-Hulk. Now Warlock. People just don't care. Fewer and fewer folks buy comics, especially the good ones. Just the way it is.

 

It doesn't seem to be hurting sales of Thor or Loki.

 

The bottom line is that people will buy comics that are good and they won't keep buying comics that are not.

[Jgel]

I like collecting new books. I enjoy going to the LCS on Wed, or getting a box in the mail, but lately with all the variants and new books Marvel is releasing, I just keep thinking I should quit new books all together.

 

Ok, I can barely afford to collect my regular titles, and they release another X-title (Astonishing)...so I have to try it...I end up buying the variants for ridiculous amounts. It's driving me crazy, not to mention all the books I would LIKE to try.

 

It's to the point that it would be less stress to just buy Silver and Bronze back issues and consider my Marvel runs done at issue #500.

 

I already dropped a couple titles this month. I am just looking for an excuse. If Bendis leaves Ultimate SM or DD.........

 

I did the same thing a few years ago. NO MORE NEW BOOKS. If a title comes out that you thinhk you might like. Try the trade.

[DKB]

Thor and Loki are...Thor and Loki. Thor has had a book for a good decade longer than I've been alive, so him having a book that sells isn't a stretch. Besides, the rumor of him dying at the end of the current series has plenty to do with the current surge in popularity.

 

Uncanny hasn't been good for 10 years or more. Its been downright horrible for 4 or 5 years. Yet it chugs right along at the top of the charts. Sleeper is one of the best books out there, its barely scraping by. Quality has the same or less to do with sales than subject matter.

[OldGuy]

Uncanny hasn't been good for 10 years or more. Its been downright horrible for 4 or 5 years. Yet it chugs right along at the top of the charts. Sleeper is one of the best books out there, its barely scraping by. Quality has the same or less to do with sales than subject matter.

 

Yes, you're right. Popular isn't the same as good. Britney Spears is popular and sells a lot of CD's, but that doesn't mean she has talent. Recent (last 4-5 years) Uncanny X-Men is the comic book version of Britney Spears.

[valiantman]

Popular isn't the same as good. Britney Spears is popular and sells a lot of CD's, but that doesn't mean she has talent. Recent (last 4-5 years) Uncanny X-Men is the comic book version of Britney Spears.

 

Uncanny? Really? I would think that since Britney is just the latest "re-boot"

of the decades-old-formula (good looking girl sings and dances for young males)

she would be more like the other comics that masquerade as "popular new ideas".

Perhaps my point would be more clear if we just called her "Ultimate Britney".

You know... the package is nice... but the content is fluff.

[rob_react]

Popular isn't the same as good. Britney Spears is popular and sells a lot of CD's, but that doesn't mean she has talent. Recent (last 4-5 years) Uncanny X-Men is the comic book version of Britney Spears.

 

Uncanny? Really? I would think that since Britney is just the latest "re-boot"

of the decades old formula (good looking girl sings and dances for young males)

she would be more like the other comics that masquerade as "popular new ideas".

Perhaps my point would be more clear if we just called her "Ultimate Britney".

You know... the package is nice... but the content is fluff.

 

That would work if Ultimate X-Men wasn't a consistently good read.

[valiantman]

Popular isn't the same as good. Britney Spears is popular and sells a lot of CD's, but that doesn't mean she has talent. Recent (last 4-5 years) Uncanny X-Men is the comic book version of Britney Spears.

 

Uncanny? Really? I would think that since Britney is just the latest "re-boot"

of the decades old formula (good looking girl sings and dances for young males)

she would be more like the other comics that masquerade as "popular new ideas".

Perhaps my point would be more clear if we just called her "Ultimate Britney".

You know... the package is nice... but the content is fluff.

 

That would work if Ultimate X-Men wasn't a consistently good read.

Good point... Ultimate Britney = Ultimate Spider-man.

Ultimate X-Men must be more like... uhhh... Aerosmith?