Warning – More Marvel Dissing Ahead

Filed in Opinion 9 comments

Just to start off with, I used to be super excited about reading the Marvel Previews every month.  “Oooh!  I can’t wait to read that!”  Where when I would read the DC ones, it was more “Oh, another issue of Superman, another Batman, yawn…”  But lately, I have been much more interested in what is going on with DC.  And this is before the relaunch talk.

This morning, I am doing my Previews order.  Because of my POS system, I really don’t look at the order form to get all of the incentive information.  It pops up when I am doing my order.  So this morning, I am doing the Marvel part of the order.  Their big response to the DC New 52?  Instead of 1 in 10 variants and 1 in 25?  They are doing 1 in 26 and 1 in 52.  Childish.  And I think it is starting to bite them.

They’ve been top dog for a long time, but I really do see that changing in September.  The stories aren’t as good anymore.  The art isn’t as interesting.  I’m not trying to make a blanket statement.  There are many bright spots.  The new Daredevil was great.  But my numbers for the new Ghost Rider are single digit already when ordering #3.  Many Fear Itself tie-ins, I am ordering 5 or less.  There is not a single Flashpoint mini that I have ordered (or sold) less than 25 copies of.  My lowest number for any of the new DC 52 is 50 copies.  (Yes, I realize that none of these numbers will hold, but even if they drop 75%, they will still be beating most Marvel books that are not called Avengers or have Wolverine in it).

Marvel is going to have to scramble to catch back up.  Stunts won’t do it anymore.  DC has been telling really good stories (Batman Family, Green Lantern Family) that getting people talking.  All I hear about Deadpool anymore is to drop it from people’s pull lists.  My numbers are actually declining on titles like Iron Man and Captain America in the middle of the big event.  Will Schism have any real impact on the X-books?  I doubt it. I already had 3 people drop regular X-Men because they are going back to the vampire well again for the next story arc.

I love Marvel Comics.  I grew up with their characters.  I was a Marvel Zombie.  I just hope that they grow up and become a real publisher, putting out great stories without the need for 20 tie-in series just as a money grab.

End of rant

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Posted by pghcomics   @   July 23, 2011 9 comments

9 Comments

  • pghcomics

    Even the Captcha isn’t working. I’m deleting 100 spam posts a day. Thinking about losing the site

  • SHAWN SISSON

    Well I just typed in another response, but forgot the CAPTCHA code at the bottom of the page and lost it again. I’m done posting.

  • pghcomics

    Quick point on DC New 52, DC is putting out 72 comics in July, so I don’t see 52 in September as flooding the market. There are only going to be a couple new ones in October, a Shade mini series and a Penguin one.

    Batman Inc and Morrison has really only hit that book. I haven’t seen it at all in Detective and I am behind on the other books.

    Some of the Green Lantern storylines could have been shorter, especially this last one, but I wonder if it was stretched a bit so that it wrapped up with the end of Flashpoint. But it has still been a good read and I’ve wanted to read the next one. I can’t say that for many Marvel books right now. All 3 Avengers books have felt like they were treading water, waiting for something for a while now.

    Snyder’s adding one book, but he’s writing 2 additional minis right now, so, hopefully it won’t be too much.

    I watched most of the CBR interview with Joe Quesada last night (skipped most of the movie related stuff) and found it interesting. He is rooting for the new 52 to bring in new customers for everyone. It was nice to read that. Sure, he threw in some digs, but, overall he seemed supportive. I did find it humorous to hear him say that they have never responded to anything DC does (Venom Flashpoint? Identity Disc? Still #XXX!), but it sounds like he has a lot of respect for Johns and Lee, so maybe some of the rhetoric will get toned down.

  • SHAWN SISSON

    I have to say I agree with what you say about Marvel in this post. I feel alot of it has to do with the writers. Fraction and Bendis’s writing has been going downhill for awhile now. Brubaker can’t write anything outside of a street level hero (this is considering Cap a street level hero). Jason Aaron on Scalped is awesome, but his Marvel work has left alot to be desired.

    On the flip side, I don’t really agree with your DC is better stories mentality. You specify the Batman Family and Green Lantern Family of books and while I would agree with the Green Lantern Family of books a few years ago, the quality of the Green Lantern books have been in a steep decline since about 1/2 way thru Blackest Night. The Batman Family of books all depends on if you like Morrison and the Batman Inc. idea. I personally think that the Batman Inc. idea shatters everything that made Batman a great character. This is a character that likes having people around, but would never admit it. So the idea of him going around the world to help/recruit/whatever all of these Bat related heroes is completely out of character. Detective I will agree is incredible, but with the new DCnU starting and Scott Snyder writing Swamp Thing, Batman, as well as American Vampire. I’m hoping he doesn’t start getting spread too thin and his writing suffers for it.

    As for the 52 #1 issues in Sept., I’m very excited for it. I’m hoping that some of the issues stick with me, but let’s be honest DC is doing a very Marvel thing in flooding the market. 52 books is alot and with them adding new titles in October too they are really putting a ton out there and as you yourself have said quantity doesn’t beat quality. I hope it works out for DC and gets new readers into comics, but I have some doubts that their boost will last past 6 months.

  • Dan

    Very true about X-Factor existing on its own. Marvel needs to consider that more often with other books. They don’t seem to understand that more is not necessarily better. I doubt the Spider Island tie-ins will sell well outside of regular books.

    Hopefully, DC won’t make the same mistakes.

  • pghcomics

    I agree, Dan. X-Factor has been great, but that has something to do with it really being left alone to tell its own stories. It rarely crosses over. X-Force has been a top book since it launched out of Messiah Complex. I did forget about Journey Into Mystery.

    I just don’t understand them sometimes. Next week we are getting a random Wolverine Deadpool one shot. Why? With everything else going on just from Marvel, why not hold that for a slow week when there isn’t an X-Men event book, and Ultimate event book, 2 Fear Itself tie-ins and the start of Spider Island?

    And in the current Previews – 10 Spider Island tie-ins while we still have Fear Itself and all of its tie-ins going on. This is what they refer to when they say event fatigue, not being tired of events.

    I really hope that DC doesn’t do anything for a year and let the writers grow their own stories.

  • Dan

    Marvel does need to pick it up in the stories department. The aforementioned X-Men book has been horrible with the exception of the Yost arc. Wolverine’s hell story has been going on too long. Legacy and Uncanny have been going nowhere. Schism has promise though so I will stick with it. The first issue had the feel of Second Coming.

    I’m not really feeling any of the Avengers books (except for Children’s Crusade) either. The Incredible Hulk’s “epic” conclusion is anything but. Cap has been OK; I expect things to get better with the new #1. Spider-Man is hit or miss and I really don’t feel any excitement for Spider Island.

    Books like Thunderbolts, X-Factor, and X-Force should not be forgotten while we hate on Marvel. Those are terrific in story and art. Iron Man has been real good also; those who dropped made a big mistake because the last issue was classic Tony. Journey Into Mystery and Mighty Thor are lots of fun.

    As for Fear Itself, it may not be as good as Flashpoint, but it is shaping up to be the story that we hoped it was.

    That said, I am excited for the DC relaunch. I plan to try lots of new DC books come September. To this point, I have been a Batman reader but nothing else (I do read Flashpoint though and its outstanding). The Bat books have been great and I expect more of the same. Kudos to DC for getting me to give more of their stories a try.

  • pghcomics

    Never feel bad about dropping books. Read what you are enjoying. Canterbury Cricket will be the breakout star from Flashpoint.

  • Chuck

    I happen to agree with most of what your saying. I have always been a marvel guy there was a time when i wouldn’t even pick up a dc book except for Batman. even now most of my pull list is mostly marvel but the dc books i do get i have really been enjoying them. the bat family an green lantern family have been great (for example the current Snyder run in detective comics is awesome i highly recommend it to any one reading this!) but as i update my comixology pull list i find myself canceling a few marvel books that i used to enjoy.(sorry colin). As for the
    X MEN / Vampire thing. if they are doing that again i will probably cancel that book to (sorry again colin!). not that i don’t like vamps cause i do (American Vampire which is also by Scott Snyder is very good i recommend the hard cover volumes that are out now.) but they don’t belong in an x- book. But I am looking forward to some of the new #1,s. I think for most of the new books this relaunch will do some good other im not so sure about. well see what happens.

    P.S. CANTERBURY CRICKET RULES!!!!!

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