I'm going out on a limb in saying Scooby Doo books probably are not the Direct Market's market. I'm not going out on limb in saying team-up is good and where are you is not good, but my nearly 4 year old don't give a poop and only cares about where are you.
Of the six DC bottom feeders Bug and Muttley are ending at 6. Two are Vertigo (I'm not sure how they work) and one is a new comers showcase (which might be a one shot don't know).
Things I ponder, Young Animals ( which I adore) if it doesn't sell to anyone else why is keeping it around? I'm hoping it is DC trying to get it to be Vertigo for a newer generation.
HB line which I have also liked. Who is the market (other than me)? Flintstones was great, Scooby Doo is good ( from what I have read), Jetsons has promise. But where is the market?
I agree with you on the Scooby Doo team-up. I expect it gets a lot of play outside the DM, but anytime I’ve read it (I have the first two trades and a few floppies) it has never disappointed - not once.
As for the Young Animals line, as I mentioned, I think DC is going to wait to see how their Young Animal/DC crossovers go in early 2018 before deciding what to do with YA going forward. Frankly, I see the plug getting pulled and maybe doom Patrol getting absorbed into the main line.
I also think DC has done a poor job marketing the HB titles. What would you have done?
I think mother Panic could get absorbed too; it's a Gotham book. I feel like the YA line is a lot like very early vertigo (first year). A toe in DCU, but mostly out. I've really liked it though.
As far as HB titles, I'm not sure what could have been done. I doubt I would have done Wacky Racers or Muttley and kicked the line off with future Quest, SD Apocalypse, and Flintstones. I've enjoyed a lot of what they have done. It's just a tough sale; you're trying to get a Riverdale audience from the Batman company. I just don't know what else you could do the quality has been mostly there.
I just want DC to keep experimenting. They always try interesting things to varying degrees of success and quality
I just want DC to keep experimenting. They always try interesting things to varying degrees of success and quality
Both Marvel and DC seem to go through cyclical periods of experimentation. Often out of desperation—see treasury editions, digests, hologram covers, etc.—but sometimes to push creative boundaries with the hopes it will pay off down the road. I think DC has by and large been more thoughtful and more lazer-focused when it comes to implementing these experiments over the decades. But even the best laid plans sometimes come to naught.
The Vertigo line has been hurting for a long time. They haven’t had any bona fide hits since Fables. And I don't expect any hits from them anytime soon, thanks to Image. So the YA line made a lot of sense as a way to try to woo those readers back. Way comes with a small, but vocal built-in audience and name recognition. But I think it's a case of “you can never go home again”. Vertigo happened organically, and with strong editing came together as if by magic and was all the stronger for that, whereas the YA books feel a bit derivative and forced to me—too deliberate. Part of what made Vertigo so great for so long too, was that there weren’t just weird superhero stories being told, but horror stories, and humorous stories (usually a darker humor, but still), and the YA books don’t have as wide a range of tone and genre.
Nevertheless, I'm glad they made the attempt, and given time, maybe YA will evolve into something more like what I'm looking for. I'm always open to either company stepping outside their comfort zones and taking a chance on something new(ish).
Kurt owns it lock, stock, and barrel. Now, I'm sure he has a contract with DC that says he will produce a certain number of issues which DC will then publish, but I'd be surprised if it was for more than a year or two at a time. My guess is that they have a contract for 12 issues, along with the collected editions of those issues, which they renew each year until either Busiek or DC decide not to do so. I think it's just more convenient for Kurt to keep it with DC because of the back catalog of TPBs.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
It isn’t just you @Hex! Most of these books are sucking wind. Curious, which one you still reading?
I'm in for the final issue of the Alreds' Bug, and Secret Warriors has grown on me. No big deal... I'm used to most of titles that I enjoy getting the axe.
More wild/sad news. Jim Starlin has cut ties with Marvel Comics after clashing with Tom Brevoort and is saying he will not complete his final Thanos trilogy with Alan Davis.
That is a real heartbreaker... I love Davis's artwork and always welcome a Starlin cosmic tale. I was looking art preview artwork for that this morning, and liking that Starlin was exploring Thanos' brotherly relationship with Starfox.
At this point, I kind of wish Slott would just stay on ASM forever. Marvel has already spent the last decade irreparably damaging their flagship character.
Ha! I would say that Straczynski did more than his fair share of "irreparable damage" to Spidey loooong before Slott got his hands on the character.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
Poor Defenders... never able to sustain an on-going title. Kudos for trying Marvel.
More wild/sad news. Jim Starlin has cut ties with Marvel Comics after clashing with Tom Brevoort and is saying he will not complete his final Thanos trilogy with Alan Davis.
That is a real heartbreaker... I love Davis's artwork and always welcome a Starlin cosmic tale. I was looking art preview artwork for that this morning, and liking that Starlin was exploring Thanos' brotherly relationship with Starfox.
Jim Starlin corrected this misreporting and says Alan Davis is working on the 2nd of the trilogy now and all three have been written and turned in. Updated story is here.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
Poor Defenders... never able to sustain an on-going title. Kudos for trying Marvel.
Maybe they could try going back to the original line-up?
Ha! I would say that Straczynski did more than his fair share of "irreparable damage" to Spidey loooong before Slott got his hands on the character.
If you're referring to "One More Day", JMS may have been credited as the writer but that was a Quesada mandate and Quesada even stepped in to finish the story when JMS walked away. The rest of JMS' run was very respectful to Peter and his supporting cast and was some of the best Spider-Man storytelling of the 2000's. In fact, most of the creators writing the Spidey line during that period (JMS, Paul Jenkins and Peter David) clearly had a deep love and respect for the character and his history.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
Wow.
Defenders existed to tie into the underwhelming Netflix show, and Walker & Greene's Power Man and Iron Fist had already trod that same ground immediately prior to this. With Bendis leaving, not sure why it needs to exist.
Luke Cage was hamstrung by a mediocre artist, much like Nighthawk was. And also suffered in comparison to Walker's own Power Man & Iron Fist.
America was a bit like RL Stine's Man Thing in that the writing felt like someone doing a bad impression of a comic.
Generation X suffered from New Warriors syndrome in that it just recycled a trademark, rather than made an honest attempt to recapture the heights of the most popular iteration. Unless you've got Bachalo on board, I'm not really sure there's a point in reviving this title.
Jean Grey was probably the best of the latest X-Men relaunch, but was only telling one long story that is just about over.
Iceman was like they just plucked the name of an X-Man out a hat and told someone to figure out a title for them. Not even as good as that bad mini-series he had in the 80s.
Hawkeye was a consistently good comic, and 16 issues was longer than the preceding two Lemire runs put together.
And Gwenpool's 25 issues is over-achieving for something that started as a variant cover joke. And getting cancelled is part of the character's arc at this point.
If you're going to check out any of these cancelled books, Gwenpool is my recommendation.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
Wow.
Defenders existed to tie into the underwhelming Netflix show, and Walker & Greene's Power Man and Iron Fist had already trod that same ground immediately prior to this. With Bendis leaving, not sure why it needs to exist.
Luke Cage was hamstrung by a mediocre artist, much like Nighthawk was. And also suffered in comparison to Walker's own Power Man & Iron Fist.
America was a bit like RL Stine's Man Thing in that the writing felt like someone doing a bad impression of a comic.
Generation X suffered from New Warriors syndrome in that it just recycled a trademark, rather than made an honest attempt to recapture the heights of the most popular iteration. Unless you've got Bachalo on board, I'm not really sure there's a point in reviving this title.
Jean Grey was probably the best of the latest X-Men relaunch, but was only telling one long story that is just about over.
Iceman was like they just plucked the name of an X-Man out a hat and told someone to figure out a title for them. Not even as good as that bad mini-series he had in the 80s.
Hawkeye was a consistently good comic, and 16 issues was longer than the preceding two Lemire runs put together.
And Gwenpool's 25 issues is over-achieving for something that started as a variant cover joke. And getting cancelled is part of the character's arc at this point.
If you're going to check out any of these cancelled books, Gwenpool is my recommendation.
Lot's of cancellations at Marvel are being announced, via the social media of the talent involved or just by the recent solicitations for March. Titles that seem to be included in the purge are Defenders, Luke Cage, America, Gwenpool, Generation X, Jean Grey, Hawkeye, and Iceman.
Wow.
Defenders existed to tie into the underwhelming Netflix show, and Walker & Greene's Power Man and Iron Fist had already trod that same ground immediately prior to this. With Bendis leaving, not sure why it needs to exist.
Luke Cage was hamstrung by a mediocre artist, much like Nighthawk was. And also suffered in comparison to Walker's own Power Man & Iron Fist.
America was a bit like RL Stine's Man Thing in that the writing felt like someone doing a bad impression of a comic.
Generation X suffered from New Warriors syndrome in that it just recycled a trademark, rather than made an honest attempt to recapture the heights of the most popular iteration. Unless you've got Bachalo on board, I'm not really sure there's a point in reviving this title.
Jean Grey was probably the best of the latest X-Men relaunch, but was only telling one long story that is just about over.
Iceman was like they just plucked the name of an X-Man out a hat and told someone to figure out a title for them. Not even as good as that bad mini-series he had in the 80s.
Hawkeye was a consistently good comic, and 16 issues was longer than the preceding two Lemire runs put together.
And Gwenpool's 25 issues is over-achieving for something that started as a variant cover joke. And getting cancelled is part of the character's arc at this point.
If you're going to check out any of these cancelled books, Gwenpool is my recommendation.
Three more titles announced that are being cancelled (according to the Beat)
Royals U.S. Avengers Uncanny Avengers
Royals and USAvengers already ended. But the stories continue elsewhere.
Whoops! Looks like TheBeat is behind the curve, again. I have to confess I’m not regularly reading much ongoing Marvel currently, other than Thanos which I found exceptional.
And Gwenpool's 25 issues is over-achieving for something that started as a variant cover joke. And getting cancelled is part of the character's arc at this point.
If you're going to check out any of these cancelled books, Gwenpool is my recommendation.
Gimmick that it is/was, I loved the hell out of Gwenpool. Hopefully she'll get some pants in the final issue.
If you're referring to "One More Day", JMS may have been credited as the writer but that was a Quesada mandate and Quesada even stepped in to finish the story when JMS walked away. The rest of JMS' run was very respectful to Peter and his supporting cast and was some of the best Spider-Man storytelling of the 2000's. In fact, most of the creators writing the Spidey line during that period (JMS, Paul Jenkins and Peter David) clearly had a deep love and respect for the character and his history.
uh, yeah... J. Michael Straczynski's Sins of the Past storyline showed us just how much "respect" he had for Gwen Stacy.
Glad you enjoyed the JMS era of Spider-man. It wasn't my cup of tea, and I couldn't have been happier when he left the title.
Please add Moon Knight to this group. I just read issues 189 & 190. I’d rather see the character get killed off then continue with this story. Suddenly my DCBS Order has dropped to 1 title.
Please add Moon Knight to this group. I just read issues 189 & 190. I’d rather see the character get killed off then continue with this story. Suddenly my DCBS Order has dropped to 1 title.
Please add Moon Knight to this group. I just read issues 189 & 190. I’d rather see the character get killed off then continue with this story. Suddenly my DCBS Order has dropped to 1 title.
You'll be paying more in shipping than the book.
For the last month or two of the series, I’ll pay it. Otherwise I’d never get the issues.
Given all of the multi-media entertainment options for young people today, does anyone ever wonder if floppy comic books could eventually begin to go the way of old time radio dramas? That they may soon disappear? These are not good sales numbers.
Everyone must wonder that, right? I mean, it feels inevitable. But at the same time, why the heck are there so damn many comics in Previews? And so many publishers? That makes me feel that it must not cost that much to break even on comic books. So even if DC / Marvel decide some day not to bother we'll always have the independent publishers that do it for the artform.
Comments
As far as HB titles, I'm not sure what could have been done. I doubt I would have done Wacky Racers or Muttley and kicked the line off with future Quest, SD Apocalypse, and Flintstones. I've enjoyed a lot of what they have done. It's just a tough sale; you're trying to get a Riverdale audience from the Batman company. I just don't know what else you could do the quality has been mostly there.
I just want DC to keep experimenting. They always try interesting things to varying degrees of success and quality
The Vertigo line has been hurting for a long time. They haven’t had any bona fide hits since Fables. And I don't expect any hits from them anytime soon, thanks to Image. So the YA line made a lot of sense as a way to try to woo those readers back. Way comes with a small, but vocal built-in audience and name recognition. But I think it's a case of “you can never go home again”. Vertigo happened organically, and with strong editing came together as if by magic and was all the stronger for that, whereas the YA books feel a bit derivative and forced to me—too deliberate. Part of what made Vertigo so great for so long too, was that there weren’t just weird superhero stories being told, but horror stories, and humorous stories (usually a darker humor, but still), and the YA books don’t have as wide a range of tone and genre.
Nevertheless, I'm glad they made the attempt, and given time, maybe YA will evolve into something more like what I'm looking for. I'm always open to either company stepping outside their comfort zones and taking a chance on something new(ish).
Wow.
Kudos for trying Marvel.
Jim Starlin corrected this misreporting and says Alan Davis is working on the 2nd of the trilogy now and all three have been written and turned in. Updated story is here. Maybe they could try going back to the original line-up?
Luke Cage was hamstrung by a mediocre artist, much like Nighthawk was. And also suffered in comparison to Walker's own Power Man & Iron Fist.
America was a bit like RL Stine's Man Thing in that the writing felt like someone doing a bad impression of a comic.
Generation X suffered from New Warriors syndrome in that it just recycled a trademark, rather than made an honest attempt to recapture the heights of the most popular iteration. Unless you've got Bachalo on board, I'm not really sure there's a point in reviving this title.
Jean Grey was probably the best of the latest X-Men relaunch, but was only telling one long story that is just about over.
Iceman was like they just plucked the name of an X-Man out a hat and told someone to figure out a title for them. Not even as good as that bad mini-series he had in the 80s.
Hawkeye was a consistently good comic, and 16 issues was longer than the preceding two Lemire runs put together.
And Gwenpool's 25 issues is over-achieving for something that started as a variant cover joke. And getting cancelled is part of the character's arc at this point.
If you're going to check out any of these cancelled books, Gwenpool is my recommendation.
(I know, he joined the book a little later, but close enough.)
Surfer, Namor, Strange, Hulk
Gargoyle is the Malenko of the Defenders.
I wouldn’t mind Valkyrie in that line-up. Would even welcome Nighthawk, Hellcat, and Gargoyle :)
I thought you were a DC-bro?
Royals
U.S. Avengers
Uncanny Avengers
Glad you enjoyed the JMS era of Spider-man. It wasn't my cup of tea, and I couldn't have been happier when he left the title.