Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Why Marvel killed the Ultraverse and keeps it buried.

Started by otherworldcomics,

31 posts in this topic

otherworldcomics

otherworldcomics

Posted
Posted

So a couple of weeks ago I got the Collectorz daabase programe to catalogue all my comics. I have about 40 boxes so it has taken me a while to get it all done. Still working through it all. Yesterday I came across some Prime comics. Hadn't seen them in ages but it made me remember the Ultraverse. It lead me to go on Youtube and look up the cartoon. All though very 90's, it wasn't that bad. It made me wonder if Marvel would ever bring back the Ultraverse. I mean, they bought all these characters, why not make some money off of them? And in this day and age of the New 52 and other revamps/relaunches, it seems to be a good time to do so. Then I started finding article after article like this: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/05/22/steve-englehart-how-5-doomed-the-ultraverse/

 

The essence of every article is that the Ultraverse creators had an ironclad contract that stated that Marvel would have to pay them a % for using the characters. In any other media that would reasonable. In comics however, it seemse publishers don't want to pay creators what the are reasonably due. I know under Ron Perelman Marvel was cut throat and well, pretty terrible. Putting out a lot of crappy books. Writers and artists fired or leaving all over. But today is a better situation.

 

So, what do you think? Should Marvel bring back the Ultraverse characters? What do you think is keeping them from doing so? Could they do it now?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
999ghosts

999ghosts

Posted
Posted

I loved Mantra. (First series). Marvel killed the book when they brought the second series out. Because Marvel couldn't have a male character trapped in a female body I guess.

 

I got all the Ultraverse books and although worthless to most, I love them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted
Yeah, Prime was great! :cloud9: I still have the hologram cover of Prime #1! :grin:

 

"Let's just say that I wanted to bring these characters back in a very big way, but the way that the deal was initially structured, it's next to impossible to go back and publish these books.

There are rumors out there that it has to do with a certain percentage of sales that has to be doled out to the creative teams. While this is a logistical nightmare because of the way the initial deal was structured, it's not the reason why we have chosen not to go near these characters, there is a bigger one, but I really don't feel like it’s my place to make that dirty laundry public.[1]"

 

Quesada quoted on the Prime wiki.

 

Possibility of revival PRIME

 

hm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HarveySwick

HarveySwick

Posted
Posted
Yeah, Prime was great! :cloud9: I still have the hologram cover of Prime #1! :grin:

 

:takeit:

 

:angel:

I'll keep that one forever. When I got that book when I was a teenager - :whee: I marveled at it every night. It could be worth nothing, but it's priceless to me! Brings me back to those days! :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Indrid_Cold

Indrid_Cold

Posted
Posted
It could be worth nothing, but it's priceless to me! Brings me back to those days! :grin:

 

Well put! Nostalgia is a significant factor in my hobby of collecting. Sure I may occasionally admire a book almost strictly for it's monetary value, but the stuff I treasure the most are the things I feel a personal connection with. I love a Starriors '84 set as much as a Wolverine '82 set. I just wish I could get both sets in 9.8 on the cheap!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Doc McCoy

Doc McCoy

Posted
Posted
I remember Marvel tried some kind of integration back around '95.

 

They did when Juggernaut and a couple of other characters crossed over to form the "All-New Exiles", it lasted about 5 issues.

 

Maybe that is the legacy of the Ultraverse, introducing the "All-New" concept into Marvel's titles. (shrug)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
otherworldcomics

otherworldcomics

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Yeah, Prime was great! :cloud9: I still have the hologram cover of Prime #1! :grin:

 

"Let's just say that I wanted to bring these characters back in a very big way, but the way that the deal was initially structured, it's next to impossible to go back and publish these books.

There are rumors out there that it has to do with a certain percentage of sales that has to be doled out to the creative teams. While this is a logistical nightmare because of the way the initial deal was structured, it's not the reason why we have chosen not to go near these characters, there is a bigger one, but I really don't feel like it’s my place to make that dirty laundry public.[1]"

 

Quesada quoted on the Prime wiki.

 

Possibility of revival PRIME

 

hm

 

Yeah, I saw this quote as well. It makes me wonder though as to what to reason is. And I always hate it when people say this kind of thing. If you aren't going to tell then just don't say anything. There's no point in letting us know you have information that you aren't going to share.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DeliBebek

DeliBebek

Posted
Posted

The only Ultraverse title I read as it was published was The Strangers. The collection of writers on the whole line was impressive. Larry Niven actually did concept work for the background of the Ultraverse. Artists Norm Breyfogle, Terry Dodson, and Aaron Lopresti were doing great work, too.

 

Reading some of them now, the stories weren't always great, but some of the concepts were very rich. Prime, for example, wasn't what you would think from any of the covers. There was a lot of story juice in the concept. The same is true for Mantra. Sludge was a fun read for the wordplay that was part of the main characters through processes. It came about at the wrong time. The industry was spiraling away from the speculation bubble, and then there was Ron Perelman (not Ron Perlman the actor)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DeliBebek

DeliBebek

Posted
Posted
I remember Marvel tried some kind of integration back around '95.

 

They did when Juggernaut and a couple of other characters crossed over to form the "All-New Exiles", it lasted about 5 issues.

 

Maybe that is the legacy of the Ultraverse, introducing the "All-New" concept into Marvel's titles. (shrug)

It lasted more than five issues, but I think Juggernaut left pretty quickly. Amazingly, Reaper, a throwaway character from the Mutant LIberation Front (Liefeld era New Mutants) was a main character in the group.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
otherworldcomics

otherworldcomics

Posted
  • Author
Posted
When Marvel deems the Ultraverse properties to be profitable is when we will see them again.

 

But that isn't going to make sense if you never doing anything with the property. Nothing is profitable if you don't try to sell it. If you bought Action Comics #1 for $1 but never sell it then your profit on it is exactly $0.

 

And though Mantra may have been a little contraversial here (Ranma 1/2 had already did this concept in anime/manga) I just saw a DX cartoon that basically does the same thing. So I think it will be something they can do now with no problem.

 

I just see a lot of cool concepts that could be updated and used effectively. Yeah, they did try to do a half-a job of intergration of the Ultraverse, but most of what was done sucked and crashed and burned shortly after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Logan510

Logan510

Posted
Posted
I remember reading some of the "Ultraverse" comics back in the 90's, it is probably a good thing that they stay dead.

 

Agreed. Aside from some nice art here and there, the books were generally pretty lame IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing