Wow! Awesome news - but it still isn't brand-new, is it? Interesting...
The Milligan/Allred story is, isn't it? Though by the sounds of things it still won't be what people want. Which is collections of the old stuff and then Gaiman and Buckingham finishing it off with new material. Not Milligan and Allred doing a Mick Anglo homage.
Though I am looking forward to that more than anything. If you were going to have a Marvelman in the Marvel Universe, there'd be worse ways than a Milligan/Allred full-bore Captain Marvel-esque take on the character.
Wow! Awesome news - but it still isn't brand-new, is it? Interesting...
The Milligan/Allred story is, isn't it? Though by the sounds of things it still won't be what people want. Which is collections of the old stuff and then Gaiman and Buckingham finishing it off with new material. Not Milligan and Allred doing a Mick Anglo homage.
Though I am looking forward to that more than anything. If you were going to have a Marvelman in the Marvel Universe, there'd be worse ways than a Milligan/Allred full-bore Captain Marvel-esque take on the character.
I was just beginning to wonder when @Chuck_Melville would be back on this thread...
Well, he's slipping, wherever he is! :)
While there are a number of new series launching or relaunching in January, Charles Soule's "She-Hulk" reaches its final issue with #12. Thankfully, the mystery of the Blue File will be dealt with, and the copy teases another opportunity being presented to Jen Walters, so maybe we're in store for a soft reboot?
While there are a number of new series launching or relaunching in January, Charles Soule's "She-Hulk" reaches its final issue with #12. Thankfully, the mystery of the Blue File will be dealt with, and the copy teases another opportunity being presented to Jen Walters, so maybe we're in store for a soft reboot?
bummer. Once again, a title that I love hits the chopping block. Poor Ms. Walters... no matter how strong she is, just can't carry her own book for very long. Fingers crossed this will dovetail into a relaunch.
I was just beginning to wonder when @Chuck_Melville would be back on this thread...
Mea culpa. I've been diverted by personal issues lately which have kept me from being a prompt poster these past several weeks... and I missed seeing the August numbers when they were posted. I have them now, and I'll have a new list up in a couple of days.
Right off the bat, I'll note two cancellations from Marvel: New Warriors and Avengers Underground.
New Warriors continues to come back due to fan demand, and then fans don’t buy it. I think it was very much a book of its time, and while the name has been copyrighted, whatever cache it has is long gone. To bring this book back and have it be a hit….well, I don’t even know if a superstar creative team would give the idea a chance. I don’t even see New Warriors trade paperbacks, which would signify demand in my eyes.
Avengers Underground was a continuation of a unpopular book, and it’s one of those books I wonder why they publish. I didn’t much care for the original idea, as it seemed like a stunt driven book that would rely on killing off C level characters rather than have a driving plot, and the first issue didn’t change my opinion. This “sequel” had limited appeal, and I don’t think it ever could have grown from the sales of the first series.
She Hulk surprises me. It'll be a great trade, but I hope all 12 issues will be collected in a single volume, not 6 x 2. Just pull the trigger and make a decent size tome. I suspect Marvel is canceling because Soele is getting too busy or he only signed on for 12 issues or something to do with Mr. Soele's availability.
New Warriors continues to come back due to fan demand, and then fans don’t buy it. I think it was very much a book of its time, and while the name has been copyrighted, whatever cache it has is long gone. To bring this book back and have it be a hit….well, I don’t even know if a superstar creative team would give the idea a chance. I don’t even see New Warriors trade paperbacks, which would signify demand in my eyes.
Avengers Underground was a continuation of a unpopular book, and it’s one of those books I wonder why they publish. I didn’t much care for the original idea, as it seemed like a stunt driven book that would rely on killing off C level characters rather than have a driving plot, and the first issue didn’t change my opinion. This “sequel” had limited appeal, and I don’t think it ever could have grown from the sales of the first series.
Neither of these cancellations was a surprise.
Avengers Underground disappoints me, even if it doesn't surprise me. i wouldn't call Arena unpopular, any more than I would call She Hulk unpopular. I, for one, thought it was fantastic, quickly surpassing its original premise and utilizing and developing it's cast very nicely. I wasn't the only one either, it regularly got good reviews. I'd call it criminally under-read. Undercover built on it in an interesting way and I have been enjoying that book as well. But I never expect anything new to go past 12-18 anymore so...
But if I can get another book with Deathlocket I'll be happy.
New Warriors continues to come back due to fan demand, and then fans don’t buy it. I think it was very much a book of its time, and while the name has been copyrighted, whatever cache it has is long gone.
The problem is they bring back titles called New Warriors, but never bring back the New Warriors comic that lasted 75 issues and people have nostalgic memories of.
If they got Nicieza & Bagley back on a New Warriors comic which starred the Richard Rider Nova, the Dwayne Taylor Night Thrasher, Firestar, Justice, Speedball and Namorita then they might have had a chance of tapping into that fan interest.
Of course, after four relaunches which weren't that, they have probably killed that fan interest anyway.
Yeah, I’m late. I apologize; personal stuff and all that. But I finally have the August numbers, so let’s run down the lists – quick, before they put out the September numbers already!
A quick look at the top of the list to start things off. Batman and Spider-Man still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the Big Events:
1 Batman 34 112,186 copies 2 Amazing Spider-Man 5 101,655 copies 3 Original Sin 7 91,291 copies 4 The Multiversity 1 90,551 copies 5 Superior Spider-Man 32 87,604 copies 7 Harley Quinn 9 71,522 copies 8 Amazing Spider-Man 1.4 66,431 copies 9 Guardians Of The Galaxy 18 60,657 copies 10 Batman Eternal 18 58,998 copies
Only two books over 100,000 copies; the Multiversity busts loose; Marvel keeps on sinnin’; and Spider-Man holds strong with not just one, but three separate books! (Batman does too, actually, if you count Harley Quinn’s book as a Batman Family title, which, surprisingly, is hanging on tightly to its place in the Top Ten.) Number 6 on the list was an independent title, which I didn’t look up (and should have, because now I’m curious to know, dang it). And just because I’m curious where he went after last month’s momentuous debut… just where is that little furry rascal anyway? Ah! There he is!
17 Rocket Raccoon 2 56,597 copies
That’s a 80.7% drop from last month! But that’s only to be expected given the enormous boost the first issue got from the heavy promotions and the movie. And 56,000 plus is not a bad number at all. It’ll be interesting to see where the book levels out.
Let’s move on to the dreaded Carousel of Cancellation Doom – those books most in danger of seeing cancellation in the near-future. (For those who like to know such things, the numbers in parenthesis indicate a book’s standing in the top 300 sales charts.) Let’s start with DC:
1 Star-Spangled War Stories 2 (172) leaps to the top of the list with only 11,724 copies sold, losing 37.5% since its premiere issue; hanging just above the cancellation mark, this book is more a zombie than its featured character. DOOMED! 2 The Infinity Man & The Forever People 3 (162) gets shoved out of the top slot, but still loses about another 2500 units this month, falling to just 12,390 copies sold. That’s a fall of 22.1% since the previous issue, and 50.3% since the first issue. DOOMED!! 3 Constantine 17 (141) drops a bit, but holds onto its slot. At 15,647 units, it slips 2.8% this month, and by 23.2% for the past six months. The freefall seems to be slowing, and the TV show starts this week. 4 Batwoman 34 (132) enters the lists with 16,909 units. A monthly drop of 29.3% and a six-month drop of 18.2%. Seems to be moving down rather quickly... 5 Swamp Thing 34 (128) is slipping more slowly now, down to 17,570, losing only a very few hundred units. Down by only 1.9% this month, and 8.2% for the past six. Not yet dead, but sales seem to be getting moribund. 6 Aquaman & The Others 5 (123) returns to the lists with 18,639 units. Falling this month by 9.2%, six-month slide of 45.3%. Not yet dying, but teetering.
Three books on the list – that’s half of them – haven’t even yet reached their sixth issue; it’s doubtful that two of these will even get that far.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel:
1 Miracleman 9 (136) clings mightily to the top slot here, and isn’t budging an inch, except to lose more sales. 16,466 copies; 6.7% drop this month, and 36.6% for six months. 2 Elektra 5 (131) falls deeper with 17,209 units sold. That’s only a 10.0% drop since last month but a 63.9% loss since the first issue. DOOMED! 3 All-New Invaders 9 (122) jumps on the list with 18,666. A 6.0% drop this month, and 42.2% decline for the past six months. 4 Savage Wolverine 22 (120) isn’t dead yet, but he slips beneath the 20,000 mark with 19,124; a drop of 4.6%, six month fall of 24.1%. The drop seems to be slowing down a wee bit. 5 Secret Avengers 7 (118) manages to do something no other book in the Calvacade has managed to do: it moves up!! Not much, granted; only by 3.0% to climb back up to 20,017 units sold, but that’s more than any of the others have managed. Furthermore, the six-month tally balances at an even zero! Not bad! There may be hope for this title yet. 6 All-New Ghost Rider 6 (115) veers erratically closer to oblivion by dropping 5.2% to 20,679 units; a six-month decline of 15.4%. Not really in danger yet, but I’d still worry. I understand there’s already a change of creators on the book, which is never a good sign.
Five of the six Marvel titles in the above list have not yet reached their tenth issues; three of those are either about to reach or have just passed their sixth issue. The new titles seem to be fading away faster than the older titles.
Information here is based on numbers presented in monthly columns by Dave Carter and Jason Enright for The Beat.
Number 6 on the list was an independent title, which I didn’t look up (and should have, because now I’m curious to know, dang it). And just because I’m curious where he went after last month’s momentuous debut… just where is that little furry rascal anyway? Ah! There he is!
17 Rocket Raccoon 2 56,597 copies
That’s a 80.7% drop from last month! But that’s only to be expected given the enormous boost the first issue got from the heavy promotions and the movie. And 56,000 plus is not a bad number at all. It’ll be interesting to see where the book levels out.
Secret Avengers #7 (118) manages to do something no other book in the Calvacade has managed to do: it moves up!! Not much, granted; only by 3.0% to climb back up to 20,017 units sold, but that’s more than any of the others have managed. Furthermore, the six-month tally balances at an even zero! Not bad! There may be hope for this title yet.
I hate to say it, but I think the ONLY reason this issue saw a bump in sales was due to the fact that it had a Deadpool cover... no kidding. I hope Marvel doesn't do anything drastic in response, again.
Oh yes, and the sixth top-selling comic for August 2014 was of course, Walking Dead #130 from Image with 71,885 copies.
Apparently Soule's She-Hulk run was only supposed to be 12 issues anyway. (I think I read this in an Axel Alonso interview...) It's another one of those cases where they just didn't tell anybody that it was only supposed to have a modest finite number of issues anyway. Then again, apparently the most recent Ms. Marvel series was only supposed to be 7 issues, according to G. Willow Wilson, but they gave that the green light to keep going.
Swamp Thing will probably be canceled once Soule leaves with issue 40, which was the planned end of his run anyway. I'd love to see what any number of other writers would do with the world he's set up there, though...
Apparently Soule's She-Hulk run was only supposed to be 12 issues anyway. (I think I read this in an Axel Alonso interview...) It's another one of those cases where they just didn't tell anybody that it was only supposed to have a modest finite number of issues anyway. Then again, apparently the most recent Ms. Marvel series was only supposed to be 7 issues, according to G. Willow Wilson, but they gave that the green light to keep going.
Swamp Thing will probably be canceled once Soule leaves with issue 40, which was the planned end of his run anyway. I'd love to see what any number of other writers would do with the world he's set up there, though...
According to Soule’s blog, he was given a one-year, twelve-issue contract for She-Hulk. But if sales warranted, it would have been renewed. He says he has plenty more stories to tell, and is encouraging readers to keep on buying it in the hopes it can be revived.
I'll keep buying it, but I'm afraid 21,000+/- issues is barely cutting it these days. Sorry to see She-Hulk go. I do hope Soule wraps it up with a tidy ending and it gets collected in one single volume (which hasn't been Marvel's style lately...)
Looking at September's sales figures at http://www.comichron.com, I'd expect Mighty Avengers, Avengers Undercover, Elektra, Miracle Man, All New Invaders, Secret Avengers, All New Ghost Rider, Thunderbolts, or even Captain Marvel to see the axe before She Hulk. I'm not the one in charge though.
This book was part of a new wave of Marvel Now series featuring solo female heroines, and now it’s the first one to get canceled despite being one of the most critically acclaimed. I'm surprised that even though Marvel knows many readers wait for trades these days, they're cancelling even before seeing how her collected editions will sell... hmmm.
And also this week, and for the first time in Marvel Comics’ history I believe, Jen Walters and Matt Murdock have a courtroom face-off in She-Hulk #9, a momentous occasion that is overshadowed by this dispiriting news about issue #12 being the last. Too bad. Soule is a practicing attorney and has been a perfect fit for this character. I'm disappointed.
And also this week, and for the first time in Marvel Comics’ history I believe, Jen Walters and Matt Murdock have a courtroom face-off in She-Hulk #9, a momentous occasion that is overshadowed by this dispiriting news about issue #12 being the last. Too bad. Soule is a practicing attorney and has been a perfect fit for this character. I'm disappointed.
#9 was so great. Didn't want it to end. Can't wait for #10.
MiracleMan won’t get the axe, as it is a reprint series where the monthlies are subsidizing the cost of digitizing so as to reduce the costs for the hardcovers/trade paperbacks/omnibus, etc…
And also this week, and for the first time in Marvel Comics’ history I believe, Jen Walters and Matt Murdock have a courtroom face-off in She-Hulk #9, a momentous occasion that is overshadowed by this dispiriting news about issue #12 being the last. Too bad. Soule is a practicing attorney and has been a perfect fit for this character. I'm disappointed.
#9 was so great. Didn't want it to end. Can't wait for #10.
Soule is not afraid to let the other characters shine in this run. He's a great writer.
MiracleMan won’t get the axe, as it is a reprint series where the monthlies are subsidizing the cost of digitizing so as to reduce the costs for the hardcovers/trade paperbacks/omnibus, etc…
And it’s already time for the September numbers! And this time around – everything’s topsy-turvy at DC! We’ll get to that in a minute, but first let’s have a quick look at the top ten comics for the month:
A quick look at the top of the list to start things off. Batman and Spider-Man still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the Big Events:
1 Death Of Wolverine 1 261,975 copies 2 Death Of Wolverine 2 129,999 copies 3 Batman – Future’s End 1 127,823 copies (3D covers +15,157) 4 Harley Quinn – Future’s End 1 105,382 copies (3D covers +13,798) 5 Amazing Spider-Man 5 101,655 copies 6 Justice League 33 87,604 copies 7 Original Sin 1 71,522 copies 8 Detective Comics - Future’s End 1 66,431 copies (3D covers +10,797) 9 Justice League – Future’s End 1 60,657 copies (3D covers +11,631) 10 Batman/Superman – Future’s End 1 58,998 copies (3D covers +9,880)
Five books sell over 100,000 copies; Batman and Spider-Man maintain their grips on the top ten, but Wolverine muscles in big-time by dying, and the future comes to an end, throwing the numbers into disarray! Seriously, DC’s Future’s End event skews everything into incomprehensibility; every New 52 title that had a Future’s End issue this month had much higher than usual sales, skewing the Calvacade numbers like a clean break on a pool table. You’ll see what I mean when we look at the bottom six, but take a look at those top ten numbers for a minute. The FE books each have two figures after them, the sales for the regular copy, and then the sales for the 3D covers. If there’s any one thing that these numbers prove is that while a good story and swell art are nice things to have, you gotta have a gimmick and a big event to make the big sales.
So how skewed are those DC numbers? I’m not even going to try to run commentary on each issue this time. Here’s the raw data for the Top Six Losers at DC for September:
1 DC U: Future’s End 21 (79) 37,861 -0.3% -51.4% 2 DC U: Future’s End 20 (78) 37,990 -1.0% - 3 DC U: Future’s End 19 (77) 38,377 -1.0% - 4 DC U: Future’s End 18 (76) 38,778 -2.4% - 5 Star-Spangled War Stories – Future’s End 1 (80) 44,333 +278.1% +136.3% 6 Infinity Man & Forever People – Future’s End 1 (72) 45,586 +267.9% +83.0%
A brief explanation of the data: the number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; the first percentage quote is the drop (or rise) in sales from the previous issue, and the second percentage quote is the movement over six months (or, if the book has been around for less that that time, since the first issue). The folks compiling the data are considering the Future’s End issues to be a continuing part of the ongoing series of the same name, hence, for instance, Batman – Future’s End is considered a Batman issue, and sales movements are therefore linked.
Not one of these books is anywhere near DC’s cancellation point (10,000 copies); the poorest selling of the six is still way up at #79 on the overall sales chart! Pretty much everything at DC got a big boost in sales for the month as a result of the Future’s End event. But, because it’s a Big Event and involves a Gimmick, the sales for this month are a blip on the overall chart and don’t really accurately reflect the sales course for any of the month’s titles. Basically, it’s a stoner month: everybody got high and it felt good, but sooner or later the munchies run out and we’ll all bum out again. Bummer.
We’ll see where things fall out next month when regular sales resume as normal.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are still a bit more sane:
1 Miracleman 10 (153) continues to lose about a thousand copies a month. 15,409 copies; 6.4% drop this month, and 34.6% for six months. 2 Elektra 6 (147) trails close behind with 16,135 units. A 6.2% monthly drop since and a 66.2% loss for six months. STILL DOOMED! 3 All-New Invaders 10 (139) slips further down to 17,821. A 4.5% drop for the month, and a 34.8% decline for the past six months. I don’t think those “All-New” labels are really impressing anyone. 4 Secret Avengers 8 (134) moves a notch closer to oblivion by falling to 18,680 units. Where is Deadpool when you need him!? A 6.7% drop and a six-month loss of 45.1%. 5 All-New Ghost Rider 7 (133) skids below the Marvel Cancellation Line of 20,000, spinning down to 18,718. A big monthly drop of 9.2% and a six-month fall of 62.6%. Oh – this is so close to being called DOOMED…! 6 The All-New X-Factor series jumps on to the list with issue 14 (127), proving the “All-New” label is nothing more than a sinker . At 20,820 copies (a measly 1.0% monthly drop and an equitable 23.8% six-month drop), I wouldn’t have worried too much yet... but Peter David has apparently blogged that the series will end with #20. (No official confirmation from Marvel on that yet.)
Thunderbolts and Savage Wolverine are cancelled. And Rocket Raccoon is outselling most of the Marvel stalwarts, such as Daredevil, Thor, Hulk and Captain America, if you can believe that.
Information here is based on numbers presented in monthly columns by Dave Carter and Jason Enright for The Beat.
1 Miracleman 10 (153) continues to lose about a thousand copies a month. 15,409 copies; 6.4% drop this month, and 34.6% for six months.
Will this series dip below 10,000 before the Neil Gaiman issues even get reprinted (issue #17 I think)? It will be on life-support by the time the final issue (#24) gets (re)published!
MiracleMan won’t get the axe, as it is a reprint series where the monthlies are subsidizing the cost of digitizing so as to reduce the costs for the hardcovers/trade paperbacks/omnibus, etc…
I'll be buying this in Omnibus/Oversized HardCover format, because I prefer that format and because $5 per issue for padded reprint material is atrocious. Ideally I'd want them to just wait till Gaiman's new stuff is done and then publish it all at once. (Gaiman only had like 6-10 issues left, right? He only had to finish the Silver Age and then do the Dark Age story arcs.) But probably the first oversized format will just include the Moore issues, which is fine. I've read all this stuff so long ago and have most of the original issues and collections, but it'd still be nice to have it in a new edition, to see what the coloring looks like, and to read the stories without worrying about handling rare editions.
I'll keep buying it, but I'm afraid 21,000+/- issues is barely cutting it these days. Sorry to see She-Hulk go. I do hope Soule wraps it up with a tidy ending and it gets collected in one single volume (which hasn't been Marvel's style lately...)
Looking at September's sales figures at http://www.comichron.com, I'd expect Mighty Avengers, Avengers Undercover, Elektra, Miracle Man, All New Invaders, Secret Avengers, All New Ghost Rider, Thunderbolts, or even Captain Marvel to see the axe before She Hulk. I'm not the one in charge though.
Captain Marvel will not be canceled for the foreseeable future. Bleeding Cool had an article up about it a few weeks ago; right when they were announcing other Marvel series that were canceled, they said "...but not Captain Marvel, because the powers that be want to keep it around no matter what". It's a total affirmative-action move, because Marvel are trying to make it seem like this is their A-list #1 superheroine, even though the property has basically been among the company's lowest selling titles ever since it launched with its (first) #1 a few years ago. It's funny because Ms. Marvel is actually supposed to be a Captain Marvel fangirl, with a Carol Danvers poster on her wall, but Kamala's title outsells Carol's by quite a margin.
The series has sold horribly, and Kelly Sue DeConnick has NOT found a sizable enough audience to say so, but for whatever reason they want to keep her on the title. The few issues of Captain Marvel I've read... they ARE decent. I'm not saying it's a bad title at all. It's probably slightly above average, imo. But if I were a big fan of any other canceled Marvel title, I'd be up in arms. Captain Marvel sells terribly and the movie is years away, but they're going to keep that around no matter what, with the same writer who can't really create a fanbase aside from twelve people on Tumblr, even though the series (unlike Pretty Deadly, for example) has not really been critically acclaimed by anyone... but meanwhile She-Hulk and Ghost Rider and Elektra have to fight for their lives.
Captain Marvel has been losing about 500 print copies per month and is close to dropping under 20K. What I hear from other readers though is that like me they're reading CM on their tablet, not in print.
Completely agree though that the stories have been good, and that's it. Just kinda there, not bad by any means but nothing great. Having read some of KSD's other stuff, I'm not what the problem is, sometimes I think she's holding back or is just playing it safe.
I know the book isn't going to be axed but I have to wonder if replacing KSD as writer would do more harm than good in regards to sales.
Captain Marvel has been losing about 500 print copies per month and is close to dropping under 20K. What I hear from other readers though is that like me they're reading CM on their tablet, not in print.
Completely agree though that the stories have been good, and that's it. Just kinda there, not bad by any means but nothing great. Having read some of KSD's other stuff, I'm not what the problem is, sometimes I think she's holding back or is just playing it safe.
I know the book isn't going to be axed but I have to wonder if replacing KSD as writer would do more harm than good in regards to sales.
I saw an article (can't recall where) a couple months ago in which she and Matt Fraction talked about how she's never been invited to any of the Marvel retreats to plan story arcs, events, etc. So, I could easily imagine her not necessarily giving her best ideas to her Marvel work at this point.
Captain Marvel has been losing about 500 print copies per month and is close to dropping under 20K. What I hear from other readers though is that like me they're reading CM on their tablet, not in print.
Completely agree though that the stories have been good, and that's it. Just kinda there, not bad by any means but nothing great. Having read some of KSD's other stuff, I'm not what the problem is, sometimes I think she's holding back or is just playing it safe.
I know the book isn't going to be axed but I have to wonder if replacing KSD as writer would do more harm than good in regards to sales.
I saw an article (can't recall where) a couple months ago in which she and Matt Fraction talked about how she's never been invited to any of the Marvel retreats to plan story arcs, events, etc. So, I could easily imagine her not necessarily giving her best ideas to her Marvel work at this point.
Read the same thing and I remember being bothered by it.
Comments
Though I am looking forward to that more than anything. If you were going to have a Marvelman in the Marvel Universe, there'd be worse ways than a Milligan/Allred full-bore Captain Marvel-esque take on the character.
I think it's a playful conceit.
Pretty sure it's a new story as well.
Or not. Who knows with GMo?
"Trees" (Kept waiting and waiting for the damn trees to do something. After 6 issues, I'm giving up)
"Magnus: Robot Fighter" (Too convoluted. I have no idea who any of the characters are or who their allegiances are to.)
"Earth 2: Worlds End" (It's my own fault, really. After hating Earth 2, not sure why I thought this would be any better)
"Wayward" (Eh, just wasn't my cup of tea. Which may be the problem, since I don't even like tea.)
While there are a number of new series launching or relaunching in January, Charles Soule's "She-Hulk" reaches its final issue with #12. Thankfully, the mystery of the Blue File will be dealt with, and the copy teases another opportunity being presented to Jen Walters, so maybe we're in store for a soft reboot?
Poor Ms. Walters... no matter how strong she is, just can't carry her own book for very long. Fingers crossed this will dovetail into a relaunch.
Right off the bat, I'll note two cancellations from Marvel: New Warriors and Avengers Underground.
Avengers Underground was a continuation of a unpopular book, and it’s one of those books I wonder why they publish. I didn’t much care for the original idea, as it seemed like a stunt driven book that would rely on killing off C level characters rather than have a driving plot, and the first issue didn’t change my opinion. This “sequel” had limited appeal, and I don’t think it ever could have grown from the sales of the first series.
Neither of these cancellations was a surprise.
But if I can get another book with Deathlocket I'll be happy.
If they got Nicieza & Bagley back on a New Warriors comic which starred the Richard Rider Nova, the Dwayne Taylor Night Thrasher, Firestar, Justice, Speedball and Namorita then they might have had a chance of tapping into that fan interest.
Of course, after four relaunches which weren't that, they have probably killed that fan interest anyway.
A quick look at the top of the list to start things off. Batman and Spider-Man still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the Big Events:
1 Batman 34 112,186 copies
2 Amazing Spider-Man 5 101,655 copies
3 Original Sin 7 91,291 copies
4 The Multiversity 1 90,551 copies
5 Superior Spider-Man 32 87,604 copies
7 Harley Quinn 9 71,522 copies
8 Amazing Spider-Man 1.4 66,431 copies
9 Guardians Of The Galaxy 18 60,657 copies
10 Batman Eternal 18 58,998 copies
Only two books over 100,000 copies; the Multiversity busts loose; Marvel keeps on sinnin’; and Spider-Man holds strong with not just one, but three separate books! (Batman does too, actually, if you count Harley Quinn’s book as a Batman Family title, which, surprisingly, is hanging on tightly to its place in the Top Ten.) Number 6 on the list was an independent title, which I didn’t look up (and should have, because now I’m curious to know, dang it). And just because I’m curious where he went after last month’s momentuous debut… just where is that little furry rascal anyway? Ah! There he is!
17 Rocket Raccoon 2 56,597 copies
That’s a 80.7% drop from last month! But that’s only to be expected given the enormous boost the first issue got from the heavy promotions and the movie. And 56,000 plus is not a bad number at all. It’ll be interesting to see where the book levels out.
Let’s move on to the dreaded Carousel of Cancellation Doom – those books most in danger of seeing cancellation in the near-future. (For those who like to know such things, the numbers in parenthesis indicate a book’s standing in the top 300 sales charts.) Let’s start with DC:
1 Star-Spangled War Stories 2 (172) leaps to the top of the list with only 11,724 copies sold, losing 37.5% since its premiere issue; hanging just above the cancellation mark, this book is more a zombie than its featured character. DOOMED!
2 The Infinity Man & The Forever People 3 (162) gets shoved out of the top slot, but still loses about another 2500 units this month, falling to just 12,390 copies sold. That’s a fall of 22.1% since the previous issue, and 50.3% since the first issue. DOOMED!!
3 Constantine 17 (141) drops a bit, but holds onto its slot. At 15,647 units, it slips 2.8% this month, and by 23.2% for the past six months. The freefall seems to be slowing, and the TV show starts this week.
4 Batwoman 34 (132) enters the lists with 16,909 units. A monthly drop of 29.3% and a six-month drop of 18.2%. Seems to be moving down rather quickly...
5 Swamp Thing 34 (128) is slipping more slowly now, down to 17,570, losing only a very few hundred units. Down by only 1.9% this month, and 8.2% for the past six. Not yet dead, but sales seem to be getting moribund.
6 Aquaman & The Others 5 (123) returns to the lists with 18,639 units. Falling this month by 9.2%, six-month slide of 45.3%. Not yet dying, but teetering.
Three books on the list – that’s half of them – haven’t even yet reached their sixth issue; it’s doubtful that two of these will even get that far.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel:
1 Miracleman 9 (136) clings mightily to the top slot here, and isn’t budging an inch, except to lose more sales. 16,466 copies; 6.7% drop this month, and 36.6% for six months.
2 Elektra 5 (131) falls deeper with 17,209 units sold. That’s only a 10.0% drop since last month but a 63.9% loss since the first issue. DOOMED!
3 All-New Invaders 9 (122) jumps on the list with 18,666. A 6.0% drop this month, and 42.2% decline for the past six months.
4 Savage Wolverine 22 (120) isn’t dead yet, but he slips beneath the 20,000 mark with 19,124; a drop of 4.6%, six month fall of 24.1%. The drop seems to be slowing down a wee bit.
5 Secret Avengers 7 (118) manages to do something no other book in the Calvacade has managed to do: it moves up!! Not much, granted; only by 3.0% to climb back up to 20,017 units sold, but that’s more than any of the others have managed. Furthermore, the six-month tally balances at an even zero! Not bad! There may be hope for this title yet.
6 All-New Ghost Rider 6 (115) veers erratically closer to oblivion by dropping 5.2% to 20,679 units; a six-month decline of 15.4%. Not really in danger yet, but I’d still worry. I understand there’s already a change of creators on the book, which is never a good sign.
Five of the six Marvel titles in the above list have not yet reached their tenth issues; three of those are either about to reach or have just passed their sixth issue. The new titles seem to be fading away faster than the older titles.
Information here is based on numbers presented in monthly columns by Dave Carter and Jason Enright for The Beat.
I hate to say it, but I think the ONLY reason this issue saw a bump in sales was due to the fact that it had a Deadpool cover... no kidding. I hope Marvel doesn't do anything drastic in response, again.
Oh yes, and the sixth top-selling comic for August 2014 was of course, Walking Dead #130 from Image with 71,885 copies.
Swamp Thing will probably be canceled once Soule leaves with issue 40, which was the planned end of his run anyway. I'd love to see what any number of other writers would do with the world he's set up there, though...
Looking at September's sales figures at http://www.comichron.com, I'd expect Mighty Avengers, Avengers Undercover, Elektra, Miracle Man, All New Invaders, Secret Avengers, All New Ghost Rider, Thunderbolts, or even Captain Marvel to see the axe before She Hulk. I'm not the one in charge though.
This book was part of a new wave of Marvel Now series featuring solo female heroines, and now it’s the first one to get canceled despite being one of the most critically acclaimed. I'm surprised that even though Marvel knows many readers wait for trades these days, they're cancelling even before seeing how her collected editions will sell... hmmm.
And also this week, and for the first time in Marvel Comics’ history I believe, Jen Walters and Matt Murdock have a courtroom face-off in She-Hulk #9, a momentous occasion that is overshadowed by this dispiriting news about issue #12 being the last. Too bad. Soule is a practicing attorney and has been a perfect fit for this character. I'm disappointed.
A quick look at the top of the list to start things off. Batman and Spider-Man still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the Big Events:
1 Death Of Wolverine 1 261,975 copies
2 Death Of Wolverine 2 129,999 copies
3 Batman – Future’s End 1 127,823 copies (3D covers +15,157)
4 Harley Quinn – Future’s End 1 105,382 copies (3D covers +13,798)
5 Amazing Spider-Man 5 101,655 copies
6 Justice League 33 87,604 copies
7 Original Sin 1 71,522 copies
8 Detective Comics - Future’s End 1 66,431 copies (3D covers +10,797)
9 Justice League – Future’s End 1 60,657 copies (3D covers +11,631)
10 Batman/Superman – Future’s End 1 58,998 copies (3D covers +9,880)
Five books sell over 100,000 copies; Batman and Spider-Man maintain their grips on the top ten, but Wolverine muscles in big-time by dying, and the future comes to an end, throwing the numbers into disarray! Seriously, DC’s Future’s End event skews everything into incomprehensibility; every New 52 title that had a Future’s End issue this month had much higher than usual sales, skewing the Calvacade numbers like a clean break on a pool table. You’ll see what I mean when we look at the bottom six, but take a look at those top ten numbers for a minute. The FE books each have two figures after them, the sales for the regular copy, and then the sales for the 3D covers. If there’s any one thing that these numbers prove is that while a good story and swell art are nice things to have, you gotta have a gimmick and a big event to make the big sales.
So how skewed are those DC numbers? I’m not even going to try to run commentary on each issue this time. Here’s the raw data for the Top Six Losers at DC for September:
1 DC U: Future’s End 21 (79) 37,861 -0.3% -51.4%
2 DC U: Future’s End 20 (78) 37,990 -1.0% -
3 DC U: Future’s End 19 (77) 38,377 -1.0% -
4 DC U: Future’s End 18 (76) 38,778 -2.4% -
5 Star-Spangled War Stories – Future’s End 1 (80) 44,333 +278.1% +136.3%
6 Infinity Man & Forever People – Future’s End 1 (72) 45,586 +267.9% +83.0%
A brief explanation of the data: the number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; the first percentage quote is the drop (or rise) in sales from the previous issue, and the second percentage quote is the movement over six months (or, if the book has been around for less that that time, since the first issue). The folks compiling the data are considering the Future’s End issues to be a continuing part of the ongoing series of the same name, hence, for instance, Batman – Future’s End is considered a Batman issue, and sales movements are therefore linked.
Not one of these books is anywhere near DC’s cancellation point (10,000 copies); the poorest selling of the six is still way up at #79 on the overall sales chart! Pretty much everything at DC got a big boost in sales for the month as a result of the Future’s End event. But, because it’s a Big Event and involves a Gimmick, the sales for this month are a blip on the overall chart and don’t really accurately reflect the sales course for any of the month’s titles. Basically, it’s a stoner month: everybody got high and it felt good, but sooner or later the munchies run out and we’ll all bum out again. Bummer.
We’ll see where things fall out next month when regular sales resume as normal.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are still a bit more sane:
1 Miracleman 10 (153) continues to lose about a thousand copies a month. 15,409 copies; 6.4% drop this month, and 34.6% for six months.
2 Elektra 6 (147) trails close behind with 16,135 units. A 6.2% monthly drop since and a 66.2% loss for six months. STILL DOOMED!
3 All-New Invaders 10 (139) slips further down to 17,821. A 4.5% drop for the month, and a 34.8% decline for the past six months. I don’t think those “All-New” labels are really impressing anyone.
4 Secret Avengers 8 (134) moves a notch closer to oblivion by falling to 18,680 units. Where is Deadpool when you need him!? A 6.7% drop and a six-month loss of 45.1%.
5 All-New Ghost Rider 7 (133) skids below the Marvel Cancellation Line of 20,000, spinning down to 18,718. A big monthly drop of 9.2% and a six-month fall of 62.6%. Oh – this is so close to being called DOOMED…!
6 The All-New X-Factor series jumps on to the list with issue 14 (127), proving the “All-New” label is nothing more than a sinker . At 20,820 copies (a measly 1.0% monthly drop and an equitable 23.8% six-month drop), I wouldn’t have worried too much yet... but Peter David has apparently blogged that the series will end with #20. (No official confirmation from Marvel on that yet.)
Thunderbolts and Savage Wolverine are cancelled. And Rocket Raccoon is outselling most of the Marvel stalwarts, such as Daredevil, Thor, Hulk and Captain America, if you can believe that.
Information here is based on numbers presented in monthly columns by Dave Carter and Jason Enright for The Beat.
@Chuck_Melville - after reviewing October's numbers, it took me a minute to figure out Walking Dead's tremendous sales numbers (325K+)! Then I remembered Rocket Raccoon.
The series has sold horribly, and Kelly Sue DeConnick has NOT found a sizable enough audience to say so, but for whatever reason they want to keep her on the title. The few issues of Captain Marvel I've read... they ARE decent. I'm not saying it's a bad title at all. It's probably slightly above average, imo. But if I were a big fan of any other canceled Marvel title, I'd be up in arms. Captain Marvel sells terribly and the movie is years away, but they're going to keep that around no matter what, with the same writer who can't really create a fanbase aside from twelve people on Tumblr, even though the series (unlike Pretty Deadly, for example) has not really been critically acclaimed by anyone... but meanwhile She-Hulk and Ghost Rider and Elektra have to fight for their lives.
Completely agree though that the stories have been good, and that's it. Just kinda there, not bad by any means but nothing great. Having read some of KSD's other stuff, I'm not what the problem is, sometimes I think she's holding back or is just playing it safe.
I know the book isn't going to be axed but I have to wonder if replacing KSD as writer would do more harm than good in regards to sales.
/Yeesh...