Marvel's 52 Slashes?

monkey010101

Apologies if someone else has mentioned it before, but I keep seeing a Marvel Now poster with 52 slashes on it being posted online. Anyone got any ideas what its means. There's some speculation that this means a line wide reboot but i'm not sure thats likely. I've also heard that its a DC crossover and also that they are going to kill off 52 characters.
Any thoughts? I hope its not a reboot. Like Pants I've become a bit of Marvel convert lately and am really enjoying a lot of their titles.

WetRats

I think it's more of a victory taunt.

Greg

I'm thinking it's a taunt as well. I don't think it will be reboot. There is speculation that it is tied in with #1 First promo. I counted the names in the #1 promo, I keep coming with only 49 names, I could be missing some. Not counting on a DC/Marvel crossover either.

Mr_Cosmic

I thought I counted 52 names but I could have just been expecting it and making the mental error.

RickM

52 comics I'm not buying?
If they are really thinking of killing off 52 characters in one year, and are using that crass lack of imagination as something to brag about, you have to think the Big Two have completely lost their way. It would be a like desperate NBC promising that every one of their dramas and comedies this year would feature a character's wedding. Ugh.

hauberk

If it's a taunt, it's exactly the kind of sophomoric marketing (WTF isn't much better, but at least it's not tweaking the other guy) that has completely turned me off of the Marvel line. If it actually is something meaningful to their universe (or even just having someone drop a deck of cards in each of their books over the next year), then more power to them.

Until they stop the double shipping and $3.99/20 pages and take JRJR off of the books that I would be reading if not for shipping, price and him, make mine anything other than Marvel.

David_D

Whether it is 52 slashes or the WTF, I think it is always best to not let the promo department get in the way of enjoying the work. The same is true of TV- I remember when Homicide (one of the best damn shows on TV) used to have incredibly dumb promos. But the show was good. The promo department just did a good job of making it look dumb.

Chuck_Melville

It's a build-up to Marvel's version of WTF? -- except, because they don't want to seen as copying DC in any fashion, will be creatively labeled as WTH?

monkey010101

I can't help feeling that its a little dig at DC. 52 is too much of a coincidence.

Matt

It'd be nice if Marvel AND DC put as much effort into making consistent, quality (fewer) titles each month as they do with these gimmicky marketing BS that seems to turn off current readers instead of attract new readers!

M

Eric_C

No way its a reboot, no business sense in it after Marvel NOW!. No way it is crossover because it confuses the masses when it comes to a movie. Lastly, killing 52 characters makes the least amount of sense of all 3. I think just messing with DC is the only thing that makes sense.

SolitaireRose

Matt said:

It'd be nice if Marvel AND DC put as much effort into making consistent, quality (fewer) titles each month as they do with these gimmicky marketing BS that seems to turn off current readers instead of attract new readers!

M

Oh Matt...sales are at their highest levels since 1994 (dollar wise) and there are some GREAT books out there. I am madly in love with Daredevil, Hawkguy, Bendis's X-Men, Fraction on Fantastic Four, Hickman's Avengers, Thor and Captain America. And over at DC...well...I like their Showcase trades...

Ignore the marketing and buy the good books. It'll bring you happiness.

Torchsong

SolitaireRose said:

Ignore the marketing and buy the good books. It'll bring you happiness.

This. This. A thousand times....THIS!

For all that we bitch, I'm loving the hell out of: FF, Indestructible Hulk, Savage Wolverine, and X-Force...and on the other side Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Aquaman and Red Hood. Excellence in comics. Not just mainstream comics. Comics, period.

jaydee74

I saw it and thought nothing of it. Does nothing for me and I don't try to think about what it means. Is it for an event? I don't know and kind of don't care. These things just don't do anything for me.

luke52

Is it just me or does it seem that the role out of Marvels version of the New 52 - Marvel Now - has been going on for what seems like months and months and months now???

I'm all for ignoring the marketing of both DC and Marvel. It's just pretty hard to do that when its in your face all the time. I wish they could just concentrate on bringing out more quality books and less childish sniping at each other... Shame that'll never happen.

Nick

SolitaireRose said:

Matt said:

M

Oh Matt...sales are at their highest levels since 1994 (dollar wise) and there are some GREAT books out there. I am madly in love with Daredevil, Hawkguy, Bendis's X-Men, Fraction on Fantastic Four, Hickman's Avengers, Thor and Captain America. And over at DC...well...I like their Showcase trades...

Ignore the marketing and buy the good books. It'll bring you happiness.

When did Hawkeye become "Hawkguy?" I see this on a lot of forums, is he actually part Hawk now like Hawkman or own a real bird?

jaydee74

Hawkguy is what one of his tennants say and it seems more to do with how the guy speaks. He's saying Hawkeye but due to an accent or whatever, it comes out Hawkguy.

As for Marvel Now! feeling like it's been going on for months. Sort of. Mostly because it was not a real hard reboot. Nothing has completely changed. Origins or more or less the same. History hasn't changed. The biggest thing is that there seemed to be a musical chairs thing when it came to the creative teams and slightly changed titles like Superior Spider-Man instead of Amazing. Nothing overtly changed with the characters to the point where it would feel as new as the New 52. At least that's how I see it.

David_D

jaydee74 said:

Hawkguy is what one of his tennants say and it seems more to do with how the guy speaks. He's saying Hawkeye but due to an accent or whatever, it comes out Hawkguy.

As for Marvel Now! feeling like it's been going on for months. Sort of. Mostly because it was not a real hard reboot. Nothing has completely changed. Origins or more or less the same. History hasn't changed. The biggest thing is that there seemed to be a musical chairs thing when it came to the creative teams and slightly changed titles like Superior Spider-Man instead of Amazing. Nothing overtly changed with the characters to the point where it would feel as new as the New 52. At least that's how I see it.

Agreed. It was made clear from the beginning that it wasn't a reboot. Rather it is just a piece of branding- like The Heroic Age or The Initiative.

And, as it turns out, a creative team reshuffle that is making for a lot of great books.

David_D

luke52 said:

Is it just me or does it seem that the role out of Marvels version of the New 52 - Marvel Now - has been going on for what seems like months and months and months now???

I'm all for ignoring the marketing of both DC and Marvel. It's just pretty hard to do that when its in your face all the time. I wish they could just concentrate on bringing out more quality books and less childish sniping at each other... Shame that'll never happen.

I dont care for companies sniping at each other, either.

But, regarding this teaser, The time someone took to make this promo image was never going to be time spent on making books. Good ones or bad ones. It's a different department. And even the time editorial might spend liasing with the promo department was going to get spent on promos of some kind. I could see saying you want them to make better promos, but beyond that it is sort of like saying the accounts receivable department should stop what they are doing and just focus on making good books. You know what I mean?

luke52

David_D said:

luke52 said:

Is it just me or does it seem that the role out of Marvels version of the New 52 - Marvel Now - has been going on for what seems like months and months and months now???

I'm all for ignoring the marketing of both DC and Marvel. It's just pretty hard to do that when its in your face all the time. I wish they could just concentrate on bringing out more quality books and less childish sniping at each other... Shame that'll never happen.

I dont care for companies sniping at each other, either.

But, regarding this teaser, The time someone took to make this promo image was never going to be time spent on making books. Good ones or bad ones. It's a different department. And even the time editorial might spend liasing with the promo department was going to get spent on promos of some kind. I could see saying you want them to make better promos, but beyond that it is sort of like saying the accounts receivable department should stop what they are doing and just focus on making good books. You know what I mean?

Yeah I get you.

Personally I'm just getting a bit bored of this Marvel Now role out now. Maybe some more imaginative promos would keep my attention better.

Mr_Cosmic

I think Fraction points out in the letters column, or someplace, that his son says "Hawkguy" and that's where he got the idea from.

spid

On a side note every time I see that guy I imagine him speaking in Jamie D's voice.

SolitaireRose

On the Marvel podcast this week, they let slip that the slashes are from Wolverine's claws....

hauberk

SolitaireRose said:

On the Marvel podcast this week, they let slip that the slashes are from Wolverine's claws....

Does not compute. Unless he's using a random number of claws... 3 is not a factor of 52.