Bought/Thought "Back from Vacation/Midterms suck" Edition Oct.25th

[Darthphere]

I rather not, youve read one Ennis comic (Post Preacher) youve read them all.

 

[Dread]

You know whats funny on Bendis's site he named MJ Goblin...

Spoiler

Demogoblin

I mean what the hell

Seriously. What. The. Hell. I mean, I kind of knew that Bendis' USM well had run dry, but this is like instead of hitting dirt at the end, you run into steaming bull feces.

Yeah, unless this arc really redeems itself, it may be time for Bendis to leave. USM's needed new writing blood, at least in a co-writer position, for at least a good year now IMO, and this just confirms it for me.

MO worth my $4. I know Dread complains a lot that it shouldve been a $1 like BNW and Countdown, but its samrt business why charge a $1 when you know theyll pay $4.

Whether it was "worth" $4 is beside my point. My point was that the one-shot was clearly intended as a preview more than a story in itself (not that the stories, aside for Guiding Light, weren't worth reading), I'm just saying that Marvel should have honestly treated the issue as a big advert, which means doing what they can to get it into as many hands as possible. The only way Marvel could prove me wrong is if CHOOSING SIDES sells at #1 this month. I honestly doubt that. I'm sure it'll sell decently, but like I said, I'd bet anything it'd sell another few thousand copies at least had it been cheaper. I feel Marvel should have treated it like an investment rather than a short term cash-in like they always do with, well, everything. I'm not saying it was a bombastic blunder, just noting how a B+ effort could have become an A+. But, Marvel has a hard time looking at the market or their own policies honestly and using that to their advantage. They live in delusion, from schedules on down. They live in "beliefs" and "facts" take a while to sink in, sort of like an administraion that bash shamelessly.

 

[hippy fascist]

I rather not, youve read one Ennis comic (Post Preacher) youve read them all.

Based on what's gone on so far this will equal preacher!

 

[Darthphere]

Impossible, and you know that.

 

[Darthphere]

Whether it was "worth" $4 is beside my point. My point was that the one-shot was clearly intended as a preview more than a story in itself (not that the stories, aside for Guiding Light, weren't worth reading), I'm just saying that Marvel should have honestly treated the issue as a big advert, which means doing what they can to get it into as many hands as possible. The only way Marvel could prove me wrong is if CHOOSING SIDES sells at #1 this month. I honestly doubt that. I'm sure it'll sell decently, but like I said, I'd bet anything it'd sell another few thousand copies at least had it been cheaper. I feel Marvel should have treated it like an investment rather than a short term cash-in like they always do with, well, everything. I'm not saying it was a bombastic blunder, just noting how a B+ effort could have become an A+. But, Marvel has a hard time looking at the market or their own policies honestly and using that to their advantage. They live in delusion, from schedules on down. They live in "beliefs" and "facts" take a while to sink in, sort of like an administraion that bash shamelessly.

But see, charge $4 for it, sell half the amount of comics Countdown and BNW did, and you still come out on top financially. Thats smart business. Though I agree, these one shots that are the supposed "Sorry CW is late" books, should be cheaper, seriously, it seems like highway robbery right now.

 

[Darthphere]

WTF? Mary jane is a Goblin?

 

[Dread]

WTF? Mary jane is a Goblin?

Looked more like a sasquatch to me.

But see, charge $4 for it, sell half the amount of comics Countdown and BNW did, and you still come out on top financially. Thats smart business. Though I agree, these one shots that are the supposed "Sorry CW is late" books, should be cheaper, seriously, it seems like highway robbery right now.

You're missing my point. My point was "SCREW present financial success for one bleeping second for once and think long-term. This special exists to hype the new ANT-MAN and THUNDERBOLT runs, as well as upcoming OMEGA FLIGHT & IMMORTAL IRON FIST, and their stuff with a random soap opera (for whatever reason). The goal is to advertise with a story like BRAVE NEW WORLD and that means getting as many copies into fan's hands as possible to increase the sales of at least 4 new or upcoming titles. NOT merely gaining a nice profit on a random one-shot to get more blood from the CW stone". Marvel didn't do that, and while I don't think it'll break them, I think it was a misstep. Why is DC willing to think long term with $1 specials but Marvel can't?

Of course, to be fair, many of the titles BNW hyped are sinking fast in sales anyway, but...

 

[hippy fascist]

Impossible, and you know that.

Call me whacky but why not try reading it and then make your judgement?

 

[Darthphere]

Call me whacky but why not try reading it and then make your judgement?

Because that would be a huge waste of my time and money.

 

[hippy fascist]

Because that would be a huge waste of my time and money.

you know not of what you speak

 

[Darthphere]

I know enough to tell you The Boys will never reach the awesomeness of Preacher.

 

[hippy fascist]

note to marvel: THIS is how you do a trailer!

http://www.darickr.com/boys/BoysPromo.wmv

 

[Darthphere]

Thanks Hippy, I want to read it even less now.

 

[hippy fascist]

Thanks Hippy, I want to read it even less now.

fine

we don't need you anyway!

 

[Darthphere]

Of course not, I can see by its enormous sales the book will do just fine without me.

 

[Castle]

I'll support the Boys cause, cause damn it is one fine book. I find myself every month opening the first page and laughing myself silly trying to figure out whats going on. I get home and its even better than I could imagine.

This book isnt worse or better than Preacher, this is Ennis getting the chance to do whatever he wants.

 

[hippy fascist]

Of course not, I can see by its enormous sales the book will do just fine without me.

it outsold the x-factor civil war tie ins 3:1

 

[iloveclones]

Good to know.

Also good to know that out of all of his stories, that's the only thing he sees as an "error". Interesting.

Anyway, some more additions:

- I was so busy being confounded by ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #101 that I neglected to mention yet another negative trait; yet another advert for ULTIMATE POWER that appears smack dab in the middle of a splash page. This is routine at it's worst; the ads are naturally programmed and planned to be inserted into the middle of the book's staples without nary a care to the actual interior art. For some books, it's seemless, but for others it's glaring. True, one could say that trying to figure out exactly which books are which would have taken time and effort from someone at Marvel. Fans, apparently, aren't worth going the extra mile. Much like with the high price of CHOOSING SIDES, this is an example of Marvel's short-game losing all sight of the bigger picture.

And, frankly, it's not like ULTIMATE POWER will have trouble selling. It's from a tag team of Bendis, JMS, and lord knows who else writing it, with Greg "Photoshop Soft Porn" Land on art. No way this doesn't sell within the Top 30, and if even THAT is below Joe Q's expectations, then I suggest medication if he ever wants to confront reality as EIC.

But, that aside, advertising a new series (or mini) is dandy, I just wish there'd been some care put into where it was inserted into the books so it didn't interupt a splash panel. Yes, I get that it would have taken perhaps "unusal" time and energy into placing an advert. But aren't we worth it? I mean, now I almost don't want to buy issue #2 out of spite. That's not a good reaction.

- Read through half of WIZARD #182 and will comment on some random thoughts:

1). The issue does have some moderate spoilers, although it's really nothing that hasn't already been speculated and debated on the forums. This includes looks at the "legacy of Iron Fists" that Brubaker is making in IMMORTAL IRON FIST (which at least is plucking at the straws of throwaway comments from the 70's as he works in his "resurrect a dead character/throw in a ridiculous retcon" formula for the 3rd time in a row; Hey, I'm looking foward to IIF, but I'll call Brubaker like he is), looks at DC titles as well as going over the fact that Spider-Man fights Iron Man in CW. The heaviest spoiler regards details about Stark's "50 State Inititive", which has only been mentioned in CW and supposedly will get a look in CW #5, shipping in about 2 weeks.

Spoiler

Apparently the 50-State thing is the Federal Government organizing and placing a super-team in every state across the nation that protects the populace and answers to the feds. On the upside, this answers the long known fact that outside of New York and occasionally California, there aren't too many heroes most other places in Marvel's America (or at least not B-List ones). The downside of course is that since the SHRA is mostly depicted as fascist at best, that could easily disorganize into a metahuman police-nation senerio (especially if Stark is willing to "grow" heroes like "Clor".

2). Every time I see an ANITA BLAKE ad or comic, I sigh and see that she's taking the formula Marvel could do with Elsa Bloodstone, and running with it efficiently. Will Elsa ever get the shot herself, or will she be stuck with Nextwave minis for the near future? Granted, 616 Marvel's not done "horror" well in ages, so maybe it's for the best.

3). Dan DiDio's response to the outcry of DC fans over what happaned to the Cassandra Cain Batgirl?

I'm not even a DC or Batgirl fan, but isn't this the philosophy behind EVERY single ****ed up thing that has been done to any character in any book, EVER? Whenever some character/title has gone under some bat-crap crazy retcon, twist, mangling or whatever, the writer/editor/whatever always goes, "Hey, we just did this to shake y'all up, make sure you were payin' attention, to get a reaction." Well, if I pulled down my pants and shat on your foot, I'd get a reaction, too. That doesn't make it art or something decent. Provoking a reaction alone is not a story, and I grow tired of ANY DC or Marvel comic that serves solely to provoke a reaction. An explosion does that. But an explosion isn't a story, and I won't pretend it'll ever be one.

Plus, most fans of a character want something to happen "with" them, not "to" them.

So, considering all the heat Joe Q gets, I figured Dan earned some equal time for that one. Now will people see that DC's not all a bed of roses either?

4). Their BOOK OF THE MONTH is AGENTS OF ATLAS. Good pick. It could use the exposure. Considering it's a mini, I still prefer BEYOND!, though, or DR. STRANGE: OATH. But, like I said, a good pick.

5). WIZARD proves every shallow fanboy stereotype about expectations of women correct by having a bit where they literally compare the rear ends of heroines. Prove them feminists right, fellas. Every time I feel butterflies in my stomach even mentioning my hobby to a girl, I'll thank idiots like Wizard who perpetuate the "myth".

6). I expected NAMCO to make a big deal about Voldo from their SOUL CALIBER fighting game series crossing over to join the THUNDERBOLTS, then I realized that the artist simply copied the design. Dude, we know video games are awesome and pencillers of the last 10 years or so have shamelessly admitted using them for "inspiration", but for god's sakes don't make it so obvious. What next? An Italian plumber in overalls who has the power to double his size and strength?

7). Whedon requires a 2 page article to explain what the hell is happening in ASTONISHING X-MEN, whose "Emma's tredding water aimlessly while we bide time for UNSTOPPABLE" arc hasn't finished yet. And Cerina from Wizard's message boards is another who saw the obvious; the beer can is what cured Logan's amnesia. Get it into your heads and admit the bit was awkwardly placed, like if I threw a Bugs Bunny routine into THE SHINING. Anyway, Whedon has some good thoughts about where he is going and about "events" in general.

Spoiler

Whedon confirms that Emma is behind the whole shebang and it may be some way to "test" the X-Men for the threat to come, and that Cyclops won't have his powers in the near future and that somehow will make him "the best he's ever been". Okay. So, Whedon's big plan to "rejuvenate" Cyke is to basically do the exact same thing that was done to Storm in the 80's, only without the mohawk. Gotcha. Very "original".

Hopefully it works out, though. I'm getting tired of waiting for ASTONISHING to stop being "good but overrated" and get downright awesome again.

Maybe Cyke will get a soul-patch. Or some piercings. We should have a poll to see what fashion statement he carries through his [BLACKOUT]"rejuvenation".[/BLACKOUT]

As for the Choosing Sides thing: aside from the pricing (which I'm with Dread on. They should have gotten that into as many hands as possible), I liked it a lot. And if Kolins gonna be doing Omega Flight, I'm definately there!

 

[Darthphere]

it outsold the x-factor civil war tie ins 3:1

http://www.newsarama.com/marketreport/sept06charts.html


X-Factor #11- 46

The Boys #2- #206


Yes, wow, thats the ticket! And that wasnt even a CW tie-in

 

[Red]

WTF? Mary jane is a Goblin?

Jump.The.Shark.

Spoiler

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

Jump.The.Shark.

Spoiler

I'm so glad I dropped this book ages ago along with Ult. X-men

 

[The Ether]

Jump.The.Shark.

Spoiler

That really looks more like a sasquatch to me

 

[Doc Destruction]

Because that would be a huge waste of my time and money.

You're sadly mistaken. It's a really great book.

 

[Darthphere]

Nah, probably not.

 

[Doc Destruction]

And I'm SO very glad I dropped Bendis sad ass writing a lonnnnng time ago.