New high (low) for Marvel?

[Perry]

So I just took a peek at Marvel's July solicits and I was impressed (saddened) by how long it took me to scroll down to the last title. So much so that I did a little addition. Now please note I may not be the best at adding things at 6 AM with  almost 100mgs of morphine and only one half cup of coffee in the system, so please note that I may be off by one or maybe even two titles. I make no factual statement that these numbers are accurate ... but they are pretty close if not
 

Marvel (again, according to my drug laden, coffee deficient mind) is putting out about 71 regular titles in July. Now that is not the total number of titles they are releasing for that month, but let's just stay with the number for a minute before moving on to the slightly higher number. Think about that 71. And just to reiterate that is just their regular, no frills, hero only titles. That equates to just under 18 titles a week, just for those titles. And that is if they separate them equally.

Now at $4 a pop for a single Marvel comic, that is obviously leading to the cannibalizing of their own titles. I mean hey, if you have 9 or 10 Spider related titles are some of them not gonna suffer? If you put out two Iron Man titles a month, is it any wonder that great titles like Weirdworld can't be supported.

You know your audience Marvel. You know people are not going to stop buying the main titles, that's why you have 45* Avengers titles (* exaggeration for point), so you know books like Red Wolf, that do find a small audience, will not last because you throw so much competition for the dollar out against it. Then just to make matters worse for those low selling, yet often times much better titles, you throw out another event to eat into their already low sales even further. I understand that you are trying to overshadow the competition by having more of your pictures on the wall, but you are also just destroying any chance for some good titles to have a remote chance at surviving. I just don't understand the business model of self destruction by supersaturation.

Maybe it is just that you want to employ some artists and writers for 6 to 8 months? Maybe 

Okay back to the numbers. Like I said, Marvel is pushing 71 titles out in July. But that is not including the ten True Belivers titles that only cost a little bit and are reprints. but if you add in the:
8 - Civil War titles (main and tie-ins)
5 - Star Wars titles
5 - All ages/kids titles
1 - Mark Millar Icon title
1 - S. King Darktower title ... suddenly you are up to 91 titles all trying to find a home. 23 titles a week. And if you choose to include those True Believers ... for those even worse at math than myself, that is 101 titles in July ... is that the highest they have published in a month? That is the main reason for this post. I just wanted to ask that question and ended up getting sidetracked.
 

However, I am honestly shocked that any creator is using Marvel's ICON line. Other than Bendis that is who is almost head of Marvel now 

Also, I have no idea how many titles DC is pushing out when all is said and done with their Rebirth thing, but I honestly fear for the same thing happening to them, as far as cannibalizing, with them doing bi-weekly shipping on most of their top titles. I mean, that is just not a good thing, in my eyes. But who knows, maybe it will work with that $2.99 price tag, but ...
 
 

[Jeff]

It's not sustainable especially with all the crossover events.  It's one of the main reasons I switched to MU.  I just can't afford them all anymore.  Maybe that's theer plan?  Force everyone to switch to digital and save on printing/paper costs?

Who knows.  It's definitely not my comic world anymore.  I can't figure out what the heck DC is doing with Rebirth.  Bringing back Pre-52 Superman but keeping Post-52 characters?  Sounds like they are throwing continuity out the window but pretending to keep it?

I honestly enjoy Image's titles more than anything these days.

[Jimmy T]

Who knows.  It's definitely not my comic world anymore. 

Dammit.

I spend alot of time writing out and long overblown posts all the time. I blather on and on too much, while goodman Jeff posts now and again, but never with my over blown verbiage.

Why?

cuz he nails everything I think and try to say with that one line up there.

Damn. Jeff won the <comic>internet for me today.

[Jimmy T]

Coming back to this, I realize that right NOW is a major breakline point for me with Marvel.

On Unlimited, the new #1s post Secret Wars are coming out. (I'm fortunate that I bought my secret wars HC and finished reading it!).

But, this All New All Month This Month Only Marvel is beginning their push towards what Perry is talking about.

I just read through those solicits-and there is nothing about a super line wide story-again, 6 months after the last one-that interests me IN THE SLIGHTEST. Particularly when the main even is written by Bendis. (and the leaked first issue was reviled wherever I read about it).

As Jeff said, its not my comic world anymore. I may need to amend it as "...my <Marvel> comic world anymore...."

[Perry]

As Jeff said, its not my comic world anymore. I may need to amend it as "...my <Marvel> comic world anymore...."

Well, truth be told, it wasn't really much of a "Marvel comic world" for you anyway  Not like you were buying 20 titles from them like you were DC
 

But yes, Marvel is just drowning out a lot of their own properties by having way too many options at a very high price point. People are not buying like they use to, but those two factors of too much cost and too many options only hurts them ... well Marvel fans.

But don't confuse my anger at their decision of product abundance with a declaration of not buying the books that I enjoy from them. While it is true that some of their titles are dead before the begin (if for nothing else the reason I stated earlier ... Marvel drowning them out) and some are just bad or not for me, and yet others still are just boring as all Hell (sadly most of the X-Books), they still have some top notch books.

Just going alphabetically with such books and not counting the SW stuff:
Black Widow, Daredevil, Iron Man (both), Karnak, Mockingbird, Moon Knight, Power Man & Iron Fist, Thor, Ultimates, Vision and Weirdworld are all good, very good to great damn books. Those 12 titles are just powering through to the top of my reading list each month. So if you're not reading them I think you guys are missing out. And I think that is the problem. Most of these books haven't even hit MU yet, so ...
 

But look, I want, and hope to have once ReBirth hits, about 15 titles from the big two that I read each month. Right now DC is giving me absolutely nothing other than some okay Bat books, but I hope that changes. And if I can get 15 good ... really good titles from both DC and Marvel ... that is a good thing. I get that from Marvel now, just waiting on DC.

And yes, I enjoy more Image, Dark Horse and IDW books titles than that, but those guys are not dealing with characters from the same universe that are older than most all of us either. It is easy to grow tired of the bog two when you have dealt with them for 400 years
 

[Jimmy T]

All I can really say, is that this new Marvel world is certainly at a tipping point for me. 

I don't think I have anything I can constructively add. I like your words, Perry, but I'm tired and can't make good words back about it.

I do know that for my complaining, there are more Marvel titles that I do like when I actually count, so it surprises me. I enjoy following Cap now. If I can get more, cool! Thor has been great to read. I'll for sure check out Avengers titles, but I'll proably be disappointed.

This stuff with Inhuman-terrigen-to Mutant stuff I have no curiousity about on the onset.

Uh...and I can't remember much else right now.

[Perry]

I think your ... dissatisfaction (?) ... if I can be so bold to call it that ... is tied to ... well, I can't remember the name of it now 

Crap, I really can't think of it, but it is when the main or head of a group or group of works is not that good and it brings the other parts of said group down, even though they could be much better than the head of the group.

I mean, look at both Marvel and DC ... Marvel's big, recognizable titles of the past: Spider-Man and X-Men are not on the best of the best list for most readers and seem to be just an after thought. DC's most recognizable titles: Batman and Superman, well, yes Batman is still okay, but not overly discussed aside from one book, while Superman and all of his titles have just suffered feelings ranging from apathy to disgust.

Those iconic books produce emotional attachments and when they fail to meet expectations or leave us feeling like they are not "pulling their weight" (so to speak) it brings all the other titles down. The gloom shrouding the good casts a shadow over the rest making the entirety of the product bad. To us.

There is a term for this, where major items bring down the rest and I just can't think of it.
 

Of course, it could be something else as well.
 
 
 
 

[Jeff]

Who knows.  It's definitely not my comic world anymore. 

Dammit.

I spend alot of time writing out and long overblown posts all the time. I blather on and on too much, while goodman Jeff posts now and again, but never with my over blown verbiage.

Why?

cuz he nails everything I think and try to say with that one line up there.

Damn. Jeff won the <comic>internet for me today.

You know, I almost wish they would just blow everything up and start over with new origins instead of trying to maintain all the different versions/worlds.  At least then I could enjoy new interpretations on their own merits.

[Perry]

You know, I almost wish they would just blow everything up and start over with new origins instead of trying to maintain all the different versions/worlds.  At least then I could enjoy new interpretations on their own merits.

And I totally understand that feeling, but at the same time I really like that most all of Marvel's character's history are intact. There is something good about not having to worry about what Superman* I am looking at

*Side note: I almost said Superboy there. Wonder way. He is in my head for some reason 

Now Marvel is "cheating" the no reboot stance with their "this is the 8th iteration of the Marvel Universe" verbage, allowing them to "reset", without using the actual term "reboot", but in a way, a small way, that is accurate (Other than Heroes Reborn which was an Event trick if you will).

I like that Miles (a Spider-Man that is perhaps the best Peter Parker in 20 years) came to this Universe by way of an action not by way of a reboot where he just showed up.

Plus, and I know this is going to sound racist as hell, but I am also happy that the Marvel heroes are not just suddenly a different color because, ya know, why spend the time to make a new character when you can just turn someone black.
WALLY !!!!
 
But, at the same time, when you reboot a universe it IS a good great time to bring more "color" into your universe. It just makes sense. People want to be represented and it is happening, luckily.

But again, in comparison, I still prefer the way Marvel's Spider-Man is black now with a name all his own to the way Kid Flash was changed. And yes, I would be fine if Peter stopped being Spider-Man and let this new kid take the role. That is how things are suppose to happen. I just don't see why you couldn't make a great black, speedster ... AAGGGHHH, I am going down a bad road here. Sorry. Not trying to bring that shit up again.
 

But yes, I can see how you would think that way, Jeff, but I also think that after a few years or months even, the feeling would be the same.