Starting off with new number ones does indeed suck for us, the buyers of a title, but you can't just push aside the money generated from having that "#1" on the cover. Sales can jump 100% easily when a relaunch or renumbering occurs. For business's to not use that proven sales technique would be crazy.
When you are trying to increase readership (and thus increase profit) what do you do? You try to get more readers. A way to do that is to give them the perfect "jumping on point" and nothing says that like a big ole number 1 in the corner. As far as pissing off the 'current readers', such as us, they have us already. We will buy those number ones of our favorite titles and/or characters because they are our favorite titles and/or characters, but providing an entry point is a sound way to pull the readers they don't already have into giving 'your' title and/or character a try.
I don't like it, but I just can't blame a business that is doing no real harm to animals or people, for trying to make money.
I take over Marvel or DC ... I do 7, 10 or 12 issue runs on everything. EVERYTHING. As soon as an arc is over ... BAM ...
LOOKY, LOOKY ... A NEW NUMBER ONE !!!!
Look at LOCKE & KEY. A perfect example of how having a continuing story reset itself in chapters, can still be an effective and enjoyable product.
You are still going to get the readers you already have and you may ... may gain one or two more that happen to walk into a LCS, but with Barnes & Noble now taking monthlies and putting them back on the shelf (YAY), there is an even a better chance for grabbing new readers, getting those customers to feel a little at ease grabbing an issue #1 entry point, rather than a book with 587 past issues of potential confusion to muddle through. Yes, I know, it is no different as the stories still have the history behind them, so anyone picking up a new, shiny number one is still going to have a learning curve, but if it is really no different, then why should we, the ones that know how fun comics can be, worry about what number is on the issue?
Again, I don't like the renumbering, but I certainly understand it. I think this really pisses off the collectors more than the readers. That is not a jab at anyone
, I can understand why Jeff (and others) would like to see their runs stay as ... well ... runs. It is nice to look in those comic boxes and just start counting off issues without any breaks, I do get that, but for the guy that just likes to read stories with good art, characterization and dialog, the numbers are not that important.
And like Jeff said, it will return to it's "original" numbering as soon as this mini-event "SCHISM" is over.