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Everyone do yourself a favor and please pick up Vision, there’s two issues out so far (third issue hits on 1/6) and it’s really something different, but not odd for odd’s sake, just a unique narrative voice with great art too.

‘The next step will be anniversary relaunch issues: “look, it’s the 10th relaunch of this series, let’s celebrate it!”’

This is a hilarious and oddly foreseeable eventuality, and, given the sales on the current volume of Captain America (the ninth, by your count), one Marvel could have the opportunity to inaugurate in only a matter of months.

While I think the general idea of evaluating the benefit of the relaunches is sound, I do think that expectations for upticks on books from this particular relaunch might not need to be high. Marvel didn’t relaunch individual books based on the need to gain sales for that book. They relaunched everything, pretty much just on the basis of “we’re only going to do Secret Wars for a couple of months”. So while they may have taken the opportunity to rearrange some creatives, the only reason a lot of them relaunched was just because everybody was doing it. Peer pressure, as it were. What this DOES tell us is how relaunches (regardless of reason) are not as effective as they used to be.

Tom King’s work, including Vision and Omega Men, seems to be developing a habit of garnering critical praise but netting minimal sales. I think a part of this is the character driven marketing the big two are pushing. Few people are going to pick up a book that focuses on a C/D list character if you market it on the strength of said character.

If the big two marketed these no-name books as TOM KING stories, and pushed the hell out of him rather than their small potato properties, it’s possible that they’d see sales rise.

Wasn’t The Vision in that last Avengers movie?

Conventional wisdom probably dictates that The Vision charts higher than Tom King at this point. And Marvel is generally more likely to push their stable of characters over an online favorite.

I lived and participated (slightly) in the 90’s speculator bubble. Looks like it is happening again but this time, I am not buying multiple copies of every #1. Guess I learned a little something in my youth.

Tom King did write the digital smash Injustice Gods Among us based on the video game. true, but he is a best selling author.

@Tim – that logic just doesn’t hold up. Media ties in having varying effects, particularly when there’s media that’s just based on one thing (Watchmen, Walking Dead) vs media that’s based on multiple series (most superhero stuff).

I’m pretty sure it was Tom Taylor that wrote the video game comic. And a quick web search suggests that the best selling author is another person altogether.

On MIRACLEMAN: “Renumbering the title for each reprinting period has done wonders for it.”

We were just discussing this at our store ordering meeting today, as we’re being asked to order #1 & 2 of “MIracleman by Gaiman & Buckingham: The Silver Age”, where the NEW NEIL GAIMAN COMICS will be printed as issue #3 (and forward) of that series.

Interest is pretty low in the reprints (we’re somewhere in the 20 copy range at the main store), but I don’t see how I’m expected to order up on #3? How many people are going to jump on at that point? I actually think more people would grasp it if it was #25, honestly — I mean “#3” will be Neil’s ninth issue of MM, right?

Re-serializing MM was almost certainly a tactical mistake — the early issues just aren’t very good, in the context of 2015, and it created a fair amount of ennui about the character as a whole. In retrospect, they really should have just gone straight to book, monthly on the first four volumes, then did “New” MM as a #1 from the material that was supposed to be in #25 originally, and done a “#0” bumper of #23 & 24 — then they would have had some real excitement. Not now, though.

-B

There is also the question of Rey’s background. Is she Luke’s daughter? And iif so, who is the mother? Is she Han and Leia’s daughter? None of the above?

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With the exception of the usual suspects, the cool thing about VII that also kind of saves Hollywood is that it resurrected the experience of going to the movies. Not only because of the cheering, dressing up, and general Hollywood feel it gave to Anytown, USA, but also because it seemed like the first time in forever that audiences, studios, and the media (!) were all together in preserving the experience for the theatergoer. Oh, the Internet tried weakly with its avatars and listicles, but it failed in the face of such monumental numbers, both critical and box office. The experience — which is what Star Wars is — delivered. because we recognized that it can only really work in a darkened movie theater.

:”Among the other films that are part of this bold strategy …”

I hope you were being sarcastic, Heidi, because it’s not a bold strategy. It’s the safest and most conservative strategy possible. Stick to proven formulas and give ’em old and familiar characters. Pander to nostalgia whenever possible. Yeah, that’s taking chances!

Before long, this Onion satire may become reality: “MPAA adds new rating to warn audiences of films not based on existing works:”

http://www.theonion.com/article/mpaa-adds-new-rating-warn-audiences-films-not-base-51651

Could it every be possible for someone like Abrams to be like -I am not going to spend almost a billion dollars on some sci fi movie, while kids are starving, and jobs are being out-sourced just because the labor is cheaper, as people obsess on how others are different and then how to be a bigot and act pretentious about being a ‘hater’., so Abrams then invests in new institutions, and places were people can regain hope that work ethic, education, and cooperation will again have ‘value’, and training, and assistance is available for everyone… -like that is an ‘impossibility, since no one know about anyone that can provide hope, yet we know all about a brands that use the word ‘hope’ in their movie scripts. Wow, I am an ‘American’.

Could it every be possible for someone like Abrams to be like -I am not going to spend almost a billion dollars on some sci fi movie, while kids are starving, and jobs are being out-sourced just because the labor is cheaper, as people obsess on how others are different and then how to be a bigot and act pretentious about being a ‘hater’. So Abrams then invests in new institutions, and places were people can regain hope that work ethic, education, and cooperation will again have ‘value’, and training, and assistance is available for everyone… -like that is an ‘impossibility, since no one knows about anyone that is real that can provide hope, yet we know all about brands that use the word ‘hope’ in their movie scripts. Wow, I am an ‘American’. This movie was OK… K-Ren-dawg lives of course… Harrison Ford is like “thank God, Im out of this, no more, fini, baby!” I agree. The merchandising, the merchandising, the off-shore banking, and the USA is the number one consumer of cocaine, Oxycontin, and heroin. Imagine if the funds from Star Wars went towards addiction treatments, and just training a new work force -USE THE ‘work’ FORCE, LUKE!

I haven’t read this, since I don’t want spoilers (I’m glad it had a warning in the headline), but why not just wait until the movie opens before posting ANY spoilers? What’s the rush to spoil about?

Hey Jim. if you read the intro it states: Please note: no portion of this review discusses anything that would qualify as an actual spoiler for the film, nor does any portion of the review detail anything more than you’d see in a typical movie review. But for some, less is more until you’ve see it.

Defining a “spoiler” for this movie is hard, since the studio has let out almost 0 details about plot, which makes everything new information. Is basic plot a spoiler? If so, minor spoilers if you follow in the final portion. Nothing that would be considered a spoiler in literally any other movie.

Thanks for the clarification, Hannah. I didn’t mean to single out your review. Over the years, I’ve had a few movies ruined by overly-descriptive reviews (I’m sure we all have), so I guess I’m a little gun-shy.

I actually LOVE your multi-tiered review system. I wish more media outlets would adopt it.

Among other outlets, spoiling movies has become so systemic that DVD packaging itself has become a spoiler (the DVDs for the original Planet of the Apes or Close Encounters of the Third Kind are perfect examples).

I read your “Level 1” review, and I’m glad to hear that you liked it. I look forward to reading the rest after I see the movie on Friday!

No worries! I’m glad it worked for you and hope you enjoy the movie too!

[…] The prize for most innovative goes to Hannah Lodge at The Beat, which is helpfully divided to let you choose your own spoiler level. (It’s still not all […]

So What if I want to be spoiled? I want to know what happens to Luke Skywalker. Where do I go?

JC, you go to see the film, obviously.

I like this column by Criticwire;s Sam Adams: “No, not everything about Star Wars is a spoiler.”

He writes: “Hollywood’s need to generate ever-greater levels of advance hype has led to even minor advance reveals being treated as world-beating exclusives: Get your first look at the new Batmobile! Black Panther’s costume, revealed! The first “official” photo of the new Ghostbusters, not to be confused with the on-set photo tweeted by the film’s director months ago!”

http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/no-not-everything-is-a-star-wars-spoiler-20151217

Elsewhere, Adams has written: “Spiler-free reviews are the death of criticism.”

this is good a movie

Everything here is exactly right! I think you’re the only other person I’ve heard voice this dislike for Attack of the Clones. It’s the absolute worst — for me, mainly, because it shows how badly Lucasfilm dealt with opportunities. Why didn’t we have Yoda Force-dropping a mountain on Dooku, leading him to shed a tear of regret for the now-lost peace and likely coming Empire? Because it was “cooler” to show him flipping around and battling Dooku with a lightsaber he didn’t need. The whole trilogy is made up of barely-strung-together “wouldn’t it be cool if?” moments that don’t tell a good story. All three movies are terrible but Phantom Menace is the best of them.

Thumbs up on the Irv Kershner love.

Also, “I love you.” I know.” Maybe the greatest improvised dialogue in movie history?

That Star Wars generations article was a fun, interesting read, but I do have one nitpick: there’s a “lost generation” from about 1980-1985 who had a very different experience from people born 1986-1999. This group was young enough to miss out on seeing the original trilogy in the theater, but old enough to have been in high school when the prequel trilogy came out.

My two-years-younger brother and I are in this “lost generation,” and I’ve had fascinating discussions with coworkers who are only 5 years younger than me who loved Jar Jar and the prequels while my brother and I (and high school classmates at the time) hated those.

Agree with you about Attack of the Clones. Phantom Menace was laughably bad, but Clones was deadly dull. A solemn snooze from start to finish.

“The Empire Strikes Back is a great movie, period.”

Yes. And it’s also the only SW movie that’s aimed more at adults than kids. So you can enjoy it for the rest of your life, without having to fall back on childhood nostalgia to excuse the lame parts. There are no lame parts in Empire.

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Dan, I don’t think Xavier is calling the new ASM a failure. He calls the title itself “successful.” I think he’s speaking to the diminishing returns of the constant relaunches the industry seems to be experiencing. Now that’s not a new argument, but it is an argument that the industry seems to be ignoring right now.

An Amazing Spider-Man #1 that sells fewer copies to stores than a Spider-Gwen #1 from just a few months earlier is a disappointment. Trying to pretend otherwise is kind of silly.

Mike

“the ASM #1 from last year (which was the first “ASM #1 in 25 years”

Dan Slott needs to check his dates, or his math. The Howard Mackie/John Byrne relaunch was in late 1998. But then, it is hard to keep track with all of Marvel’s renumbering…

Sorry, Carl. You’re right. Was typing too fast. I used “25 years” in an earlier post elsewhere and that was still on my mind.

*17 years.*

Still a good stretch of time though.

MBunge, I am nothing but impressed with Jason & Robbie’s success on Spider-Gwen, whether it’s their success out of the gate with Edge of Spider-Verse #2, the launch of Spider-Gwen #1 earlier in the year, or the relaunch of Spider-Gwen here. It’s a phenomenal team with a phenomenal take on the character. They deserve all the kudos and high sales they’re getting.

People can come up with whatever metrics they want to try to slam the current ASM book. Doesn’t faze me. We started out roughly in the low 50K zone. Over the course of 6 years we bucked industry trends and got our sales to go up. By the start of 2013 we regularly had both issues in the Top 10. And we’ve pretty much stayed there to this day. What’s silly is to try to paint that as a disappointment in any way.

There’s a good chunk of carry-over data missing (For example: ASM should have RYV and the previous series attached to the data), as well as several of the percentage calculations.

But I think the better comparison vis a vis ASM might be #2 — in May ’14 ASM #2 sold ~124k, compared to ~111k here, or about 10% down. That, I think, clearly shows the diminishing return of the constant industry-wide relaunches.

-B

Yes, I’ll put back those Spider-man numbers back. with all those relaunches and SW mini interruptions, the back numbers can look a little messy. i’ll try to clean that up a little.
Opps, catch a mistake: that’s Mark badger in the Dr strange collection comment, not Mike, sorry about that..

And Dan, I don’t remember ever saying that ASM was in disarray or that I slammed the book. As Alex pointed out, I even said several times that the normal sales on ASM is quite high and very good and that the Spider-Man franchise is at higher level in years. But calling the #1 relaunch an amazing success, I’ll not say that. It can’t be all praise.
And who cares about the TOP 10 positions? Sales numbers are what’s important. A title with less tahn 100K can be number #1 on month and would have been # 12 once month before. that’s not important.

And big thanks to Alex for his editing and the rapidity whith which he did it!

I’d say the same carryover data also for Iron Man, and probably Inhumans. You’re missing % changes on Spidey ’99 #2, 1602 Angela #4, and Figment #2. Since that is Figment *2*, ‘d also probably add historical carryover from series 1, were it me.

But that’s nit-picking )

-B

Dan Slott thinks the last ASM #1 was boosted by the movie ASM2? If you want to talk about poor sales, that thing bombed domestically and led to the entire film series to be rebooted again. Not sure he really wants to associate that thing with his book.

Not sure why he doesn’t want to be satisfied with the fact he produces a generally good and high-selling monthly title. Whining over diminishing returns is quite petty.

Skottie, I’m not saying ASM2 boosted sales. We came out right before anyone had seen it. I’m saying that the millions and millions of advertising dollars that plastered Spider-Man’s face around the world– JUST when we releasing a new AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 played an ENORMOUS amount into the sales of that first issue. That climate got my dumb face on TV for interviews– and on Page 3 of the Daily News. It got the “triumphant return of Peter Parker” in the comics ONTO the news, in magazines, and all over. And a LOT of that was due to the HYPE of a big screen movie that was coming out. That’s not rocket science. :)

“The last publisher who tried this, Crossgen”

It’s amazing how many of Crossgen’s weird ideas Marvel has since reused. Remember Comicsontheweb.com, the original Marvel Unlimited?

“Spider-Man Renew your wows ”

Best typo ever. (If it was there in previous months, I completely missed it.

“67- INFERNO LTD
Even if it holds onto its audience a little better than other titles like it, it’s disappointing that it’s not selling much more than Little Marvel or Squadron Sinister.”

I was very disappointed by this one. Still finished it because I’m an addict, but just saying.

I wonder how different all these drops would have been in Secret Wars had marched on at its originally-planned, thunderous pace. The main book is still great, but my enthusiasm for the tie-ins has definitely been hurt. Compare it to Age of Apocalypse–four months of wall to wall excitement and then gone before anyone could take a breath.

OMG, that’s one typo, good catch Niels! :p
I apologize to Joelle Jones because “-if we forget her participation to Ultimate Spider-Man 150 years ago.” could make you think she’s way older than she is :p

“Sure, there will be a lot of issue #1s launching, but with numbers like that, less than 250K for the relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man would be considered a disappointment.”

Xavier, can you please walk me through the math on this. How, in this market, would “less than 250K” be considered a “disappointment”? That seems like a weird and arbitrary metric.

Well, seing that less than 6 months ago, a mini-serie starring spider-man crack the 200K (Renew your wows), the relaunch of the historic main title can’t be expected to do less than that with it’s #1, if not slightly better.
If the market is hard to live on in the long term, it still welcomes #1 with tons of variant very well, especially for a relaunch of an historic Marvel titles. the last time it relaunched, in 2014 it did 570K. The spider-man franchise has been doing very well since then, so saying that it is expected to sell at least half of what it did with its previous relaunch doesn’t seem to me like a bold statement.

With the sales on the RYV, and the many variants offered , it would be surprising if Amazing SM #1 didn’t top 250,000 copies. While I’ll agree with the metric, perhaps “disappointing” isn’t the correct adjective. More than likely, it’ll be the other half dozen SM family titles that will face the challenge of longevity.

Star Wars Journey was a four issue mini not two.

I believe Groot ends with issue six.

I find Dan’s “in this market” note utterly perplexing — market conditions are a *direct result* of Marvel and DC’s actions over the last few years. ASM (2015) #1 shouldn’t sell appreciably worse than ASM (2014) #1 did! If it does, I would submit the problem is the publishing plan, not the market’s reaction to said plan.

Dan Slott said:

” How, in this market, would “less than 250K” be considered a “disappointment”? That seems like a weird and arbitrary metric.”

Mr. Slott,
A couple of questions:
1) What do you feel would be the best metric?
2) What were your expectations for the sale of the new #1, and were they met?
3) Do you think that there has been an appreciable change in “this market” since the last Spidey #1, and, if so, what is it?

Thanks in advance!
Phil

Everyone stay polite please! These are business questions!

Oh-oh. I thought I was being nice!

Phil

Poop–that was supposed to be “uh-oh”. grrr

Pity it’s just on variant covers most people won’t be able to get (and those who do will pay premium prices!). I hate that stupid trend.

Thanks for posting this. Late addition: I’ll be talking about the new RISE OF THE EMPIRE collection, the KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC Marvel Epic Collection and more at the Madison Public Library in Madison, Wisconsin, from 2-4 on October 10. That’s the central branch, at 201 W Mifflin St.

Everything good about Secret Wars has been outside everything Hickman-written. The 24-issue build-up (or 100+ issue build-up, to be more accurate) was the biggest waste of time in the world, and the main series itself is more Hickman gibberish, but the miniseries have all largely been fun (except Guardians of Knowhere, which is typical Bendis meandering garbage).

Easily Marvel’s best event in . . . geez, I don’t know, since Infinity Gauntlet? Age of Apocalypse? And entirely in spite of anything Hickman has written.

Really? I would say that’s damning with faint praise. I’m finding the only SW books of any interest (apart from the main series — which I think is pretty decent) are the ones that have zero to do with any of the main MU characters (like the Hank Johnson book and maybe Weirdworld). The rest of these expensive “what if?” stories have been fairly dull reading and I regret purchasing most the ones I did and don’t feel I missed anything on the ones I didn’t.)

Marvel relaunching everything with shiny new, more expensive #1s next month will certainly keep them at the top, though.

Oh yeah, I’m not paying for them.

But so far I’ve enjoyed Starlord and Kitty Pryde, Secret Wars 2099, Master of Kungfu . . . Planet Hulk had no ending and barely any characterization, but it was a really fun premise. I’m thrilled that Marvel is encouraging its writers to be as imaginative and playful as they want during this event, given how stringently the main Marvel U. seems to be forced to line up with the films.

why do say ms marvel is a cash cow? i am very curious. i admit im not sure how the business end of comics works. ms marvel gets so much hype, someone at marvel called her the 21st century spider man.
all i see is low sales. 30k a month sure doesnt look like great numbers . its good enough to stay afloat. its good enough to be a cult hit but the book is treated like a hit. if someone can explain why i’d be grateful. thank you

Critical praise doesn’t translate to a cash cow. I, for one, am kind of tired of everyone fawning over the series.

Regarding the Secret Wars event, I’ve enjoyed quite a few of the minis. 1872 is excellent so far. I also have enjoyed Where Monsters Dwell, Marvel Zombies, Thors, Hail Hydra and Red Skull.

Because Ms. Marvel has sold like crazy in trade.

No Pigpen in the Peanuts movie!?

Pigpen is in the third row, behind Violet and Patty, offering his popcorn to Franklin. Is that Shermie on his right?
No Molly or Rover? And is that Snoopy’s fiancee in the top row?

At least they don’t make a Jar Jar Binks costume for dogs or cats. Now *that* would be humiliating!

Wow, Checcetto’s art is really amazing. Thanks for the tip

Well, it’s obviously his wankin’ arm…

No, Harris can’t do this. He never finished War Heroes.

It is true that between War Heroes and Chin Music, Marvel was smart to make this a one-shot.

Robinson & Harris did a Starman story in JSA All-Stars back in 2003ish. Not quite “almost 20 years” but good news nonetheless. Trying not to buy every comic under the Sun, especially Star Wars related, when there are so many and I can read them on Marvel Unlimited. But I might break that embargo for a one-shot.

This comic will make Threepio as cool as Chris Isaak!

On the one hand, I was a big fan of Starman, so I’m interested in seeing Robinson and Harris re-unite.
But on the other hand, this sort of thing is exactly why I never got into all the Expanded Universe stuff. I dug the Star Wars films, and I loved the universe. Part of what I loved about it was the sense that there were all these untold stories in that big wide universe. But I never actually wanted to see those stories told! I could care less about what Luke did at Tosche Station or where Lando bought his cape or the Wampa’s childhood, and I don’t really need the back story of Threepio’s red arm.

I was just thinking about if Chin Music was ever going to be finished or not. I am going to guess no and it got swallowed up in the void like Real Heroes since like Hitch, Harris is working on other projects.

I remember Droids being one of the better 90s Dark Horse Star Wars comics. With the movie connection, the timing, the creative team, and the subject himself, they are going to sell a ton of these. A million dads will be buying these for their kids if not themselves, myself included.

“Hmm…not many females in that catalog, not even the ass-kicking Phasma.”

In the toy catalogue that you posted, she is on page 52. However, that image doesn’t look nearly as nice (maybe it’s a prototype?) as some of the images of the figure in a box that has been seen online where the armor looks a lot more chrome-like.

Ah, thanks. I wasn’t sure if that was her, or a more generic stormtrooper. (Because of the coloration.)

However, that image doesn’t look nearly as nice (maybe it’s a prototype?) as some of the images of the figure in a box that has been seen online where the armor looks a lot more chrome-like.