So, Marvel saw DC temporarily knocked them off the sales throne with the New 52. So it decided it wasn’t going to let that stand.
To wit, Marvel is announcing “Marvel NOW!”, which is not a Seinfeld reference. Instead, it’s a massive reboot across the entire Marvel universe to shake things up.
Not all of the changes Marvel is announcing are entirely unwelcome. But a lot of this does absolutely nothing to address the underlying problems that Marvel is facing creatively and as a company. If we want to stick with the DC analogy, this isn’t really the New 52: this is Marvel trying its very own DC Explosion.
Here’s why it may drive sales, but it won’t solve any problems.
The New 52 Didn’t Succeed In Bringing On New Readers
That’s really the first and most important thing Marvel needs to remember: the New 52 may have put DC on top of the sales charts, but it wasn’t because it brought in new readers. True, Marvel is riding a high DC can only dream of right now, with The Avengers being a billion-dollar hit and The Amazing Spider-Man looking poised to rake in the bucks.
But the New 52 largely brought back former DC readers who’d given up on the company. Which brings us to problem number two…
Marvel Desperately Needs a Reboot
Part of the reason the New 52 was so successful was the fact that it allowed lapsed readers to get back on the horse. Marvel NOW! is not going to do that. It spins directly out of a twelve-issue limited series with multiple tie-in issues across all of Marvel’s X-Men and Avengers books, of which there are what feels like dozens. Worse, this limited series also has two other tie-in series, one of which is a digital exclusive. To fully know what’s going on you’ll need to invest either $200 or more in comics or spend an hour or two on Wikipedia. How the hell is that friendly to new readers? Or old readers? Or anybody?
Marvel should know better, too, in light of the success of the Ultimate line of books. Those actually brought in new readers.
It’s Another Continuity Snarl
Yeah, yeah, yeah, NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME. Blow it out your alimentary canal, Marvel. You promise us nothing will ever be the same like clockwork, every year. Sure, X-Men and Avengers may be stuck on the same teams for now. But we all know that status quo is God and eventually these teams will be back together in their classic line-ups. One of the new books Marvel is launching is the original sixties line-up of X-Men, for God’s sake.
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Exactly the reason I stopped collecting comic books when I was a teenager. I can’t emotionally invest in something with no consequences that starts over every few years.
But nothing is starting over?
This.
Wait … says the wrestling fan? Vince McMahon is basically a comic book character, the way he keeps being killed and coming back to life and being fired and coming back to power and stuff.
I don’t see how this is any different than a major event. No character histories are being rewritten, it’s entirely a branding change. Hickman on Avengers should be great, and the Uncanny Avengers premise is promising. They need to change those costumes though, and quick. I guess details are kind of slim on how this is going to affect current titles, but I’m so bored with the current slew of Avengers books that I’m happy they’re shaking things up. Just lose the goddam panels where each Avenger talks into the camera like they’re on the Office, and I’ll be happy.
They do seem to be stretching Hickman thin, however. Bi-weekly Avengers, monthly new Avengers and all the other stuff he’s doing.
the total universe reboot is so obnoxious because, as someone who has exclusively read the X-books since Spiderman alienated me in the 90s and GIJOE got cancelled, I DON’T WANT YOU FUCKING WITH MY X-FACTOR AND MY X-FORCE. get your Secret Wars XVIII out of the way and let me read my damn stories.
From what I understand, X-Factor is in no danger.
I get that. But if the idea is “RECRUIT NEW READERS”, where are they supposed to start?
The pricing is the exact reason I just do not care about this (or a lot of Marvel comics anymore). As prices rise, I buy fewer and fewer books. Marvel will probably use this as an excuse to raise every book to at least $4 (Seeing some at $4.50 or $5 wouldn’t surprise me), at which point I guess I will have to only get few of the comics a month. Add that to the fact that all of this just sounds so…boring.
can we stop talking about pricing for a second and start talking about how bendis decided that out of all of the characters who have ever existed in the x-universe, he wanted to use a time travelled original 5?
Can we talk about how enormously, monumentally stupid this comic is going to be? Also, to balance the hate, Ultimate Spidey 12 is the best bendis issue since early dardevil and just a great, great comic.
Honestly, most of what Bendis writes makes me green with rage.
This is pretty much where I check out. For the last 10-15 years I’ve been collecting 20-30 books a month (yeah I know) and I just can’t do it anymore. Next trip to the shop I’m going to cut most of the Marvel and DC books. I’ve got a closet full of awesome comics from the 80s that I haven’t read in years. Maybe I’ll check back in when Marvel comes up with a digital subscription plan that doesn’t molest my wallet.
So wait, you’re saying that this Marvel Now! will be just another Initiative/DarkReign/Heroic Age? I’m shocked.
DC Comics stop “holding the line” months ago. I see just as many 2.99 Marvel books as I do DC. Also, what’s with all the snark? All I’ve dealt with all week is people shitting on books from TALENTED, PROVEN writers and claiming they are “done” with Marvel, even though this is less change than the “new 52″. It’s not comics that are making me question my love of the medium, it’s the “fans”.
Don’t buy the books, whatever, I’m just tired of everyone being so god damned negative over COMICS. (Sorry it’s been a rough week)
The constant events and reshuffling are, in my opinion, hurting the comics. The writers they have lined up could be the best in the world, but from what we’ve seen of these editorial mandated events they bring out the absolute worst in the creative teams. I don’t want more Avengers, I want Thunderbolts uncanceled.
If the only way you can get through to the big two is not buying their books then I’m finally going to stop buying their books. If I’m in the minority so be it, at this point in my life it’s just easier to quit that deal with all the BS. (man that makes me sound old and cranky)
There are many more $3.99 books for Marvel then there are for DC, that’s just pure facts. Just look at any monthly solicit. Marvel has even more or less admitted that they will continue to increase prices as far as the fans will allow, and since many fans will bitch but then buy the books anyway, (because lord forbid they have a whole in their COLLECTION!) I can easily see ever book launched be $4 or more. No one here has said they were “done” with Marvel, but their track record over the past few years when it comes to stunts like this have not been….good. Also, the TALENTED PROVEN writers thing is kind of dumb. John Byrne was one considered “talented and proven”, so was Chris Claremont, so Neil Adams, and hundreds more. None are worth spit now. No to mention that many of these writers are probably going to be crushed under mandates from the top. Some may be good writers when left to write on their own, but that definitely will not be what this is. Also, the only thing Bendis has proven is that I will save money not buying whatever book he writes.
Is that Ultimate Nick Fury?
*sigh* although, we all knew it was happening eventually.
And why a “relaunch” when it is just the typical roster shuffling? How can something be issue #1 when everyone involved has a running back story and the book itself has been running non-stop for like 50 years?
No, it’s not. It’s his son. Not that that answer is better. It’s just more correct.
Noise, I laughed at your comment for a solid minute.
Yeah… Unfortunately I almost couldn’t type that with a straight face :\
I’ve always been more of a DC person, just because I grew up with the DCAU, but when the New 52 launched last year and I started regularly picking up monthly issues for the first time in my life, I thought it might be a good time for me to get more into Marvel as well. But when I looked at the shelf, it felt like every Marvel comic was branded with “Fear Itself,” which I knew was Marvel’s current big event at the time, and honestly, it kept me away from them. I wasn’t about to start picking up books partway through said event, and it feels like Marvel is ALWAYS in the middle of one. For me, it’s kind of unappealing, because I want to read a comic about a character, and I find this massive events change the focus of what the comic is about. I would love for Marvel to let each comic run their own stories, independent of one another.
I stopped with Marvel a few years ago when every book went to $4 and there were 10 Avengers and X-Men books on the shelves. Add the events to those number of books and it was easier to give up. I don’t understand why 1 or 2 X-Men or Avenger books were good for 20-30 years but now that needs to change? Marvel needs to exhibit a little more quality control than just flooding the shelves.
You guys act like it’s so hard to read comics. It would be hilarious if it didn’t give me such a headache.
You love a medium, you find it frustrating when it goes wrong.
“Goes wrong” is subjective. Hell these books haven’t even come out yet. I have to fight these negative attitudes every day. Just once I’d love to see customers just wait and see. But everyone acts like I’ve already stolen their 3.99.
The books may suck. Personally as I’ve stated with the talent involved I don’t see it happening. That’s my opinion though, and I know I’m in the minority when it comes to comics on the internet. I just want everyone to calm down like this is the end of comics as we know it.
Another cheap idea to sell more comics.Let’s see if it works.