February Solicitations

[Dread]

Well, there goes my hope that no one would care if those ridiculously delayed books started getting finished and ignore them.

I'm sure Loeb cries himself to sleep on his bed of cash each night.

Especially after being fired from HEROES.

I can't believe after a delay of over TWO AND A HALF YEARS between issues, Marvel has the gual to ship ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK again.

I would rant about the subject, but in Dec. 2006 Paul O'Brien summed up my points at www.thexaxis.com :

The actual content is rather good, but the absurd delays have long since overshadowed that. This, perhaps, is the point that Marvel seem to miss: it is almost unimaginable that a book can run this late without either the creators having a total disregard for deadlines, or Marvel being utterly incompetent. The idea that a book can run over a year late because, hey, s*** happens, is a ridiculous one, and yet it's essentially the only explanation Marvel ever offer, usually in a slightly hurt "How dare you expect us to deliver books on time?" kind of a way. I don't like the company's attitude these days, and I don't like their attitude towards their customers. Bluntly, the standards of professionalism the company displays fall way, way below anything that I would regard acceptable in the way I deal with my own customers. It's not just a matter of enlightened self-interest; I'd be ashamed, because I take pride in doing my job properly, in meeting my deadlines, and in turning down the work I know I can't do even if I move heaven and earth. When I say I'll get something done by the first day of the new year, I damn well mean it. From all appearances, Marvel (and many of their higher-profile creators) feel differently, because they've been cossetted for years by a cottage industry that thinks it's a publishing giant, and encouraged by fans so desperate to believe that Comics Are Art that they'll accept the most ludicrous delays on the most absurd action comics as a sign of artistic integrity. This business needs to grow up.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

That is a pretty good summary of my feelings on the subject. The "comics as art" argument especially is one that bugs me. Yes, comics are art, but so are TV and various other forms of fiction, and it's downright unthinkable for TV writers to just blow off deadlines and throw the whole show's schedule out of whack. Movies and video games get the prerogative to be delayed because they're one-shots, effectively: you get the one movie and then you expect that to be all for a while. Comics and TV are periodical forms of entertainment, key word there being "period," as in a regular length of time between each installment. It's f***ing ridiculous.

 

[Franklin Richards]

Being a stage actor you can only imagine how unthinkable it is in my mind to miss curtain.


The show must go on.

 

[Blader5489]

I can't believe after a delay of over TWO AND A HALF YEARS between issues, Marvel has the gual to ship ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK again.

It has been two and a half years, that's exactly why Marvel needs to re-release the first two issues. You can't just put #3 out there in a vacuum, three years after the story began.

 

[fifthfiend]

I wasn't reading many X-Men comics when they were around, so I never suffered at their hands. Rachel and Lorna, though... oh, how I loathe them. Except in X-Factor. I liked Lorna then. But now she's all crazy and a long-lost child of Magneto and annoying. That's three strikes right there.

Lorna was cool when she was like, the randomly green-haired chick who was basically down to earth and incidentally had Magsy-powers. This "oh they're kind of similar in one random respect, let's make them family" **** is maybe even dumber in this case than when they did it with Nights and Misty, and that's saying something.

 

[Dread]

It would have been better to just assume your fans are not suckers and give it up, like DAREDEVIL: TARGET #2. Or that 12 issue run by Bryan Singer on Ultimate X-Men that Wizard kept promoting for about 2-3 years. Remember, both Vaughan and Kirkman were brought on Ultimate X-Men to "fill in" until the Singer run.

Granted, it's Ultimate, which is a line on it's last legs. An 8-9 year run with a title that still can sell within the Top 30 could be seen as an accomplishment, but Marvel has no idea of perspective. Joe Q still has that "new boss" mentality that no history that came before his is relevant and "this time" everything will be different.

 

[Dread]

Lorna was cool when she was like, the randomly green-haired chick who was basically down to earth and incidentally had Magsy-powers. This "oh they're kind of similar in one random respect, let's make them family" **** is maybe even dumber in this case than when they did it with Nights and Misty, and that's saying something.

I agree, which is why I said in a past post that many X-characters have been retcon'd, complicated, or emo'd into oblivion. The need to connect everyone has been more ridiculous than having a father who wears a sash and is a space pirate.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I like Corsair. Space pirates are never bad.

 

[Blader5489]

It would have been better to just assume your fans are not suckers and give it up, like DAREDEVIL: TARGET #2. Or that 12 issue run by Bryan Singer on Ultimate X-Men that Wizard kept promoting for about 2-3 years. Remember, both Vaughan and Kirkman were brought on Ultimate X-Men to "fill in" until the Singer run.

Granted, it's Ultimate, which is a line on it's last legs. An 8-9 year run with a title that still can sell within the Top 30 could be seen as an accomplishment, but Marvel has no idea of perspective. Joe Q still has that "new boss" mentality that no history that came before his is relevant and "this time" everything will be different.

Why would they give it up? It's not like he walked away from the project or never got into it the first place like your examples, Lindelof was just taking his sweet ass time in writing the damn thing.

But the scripts are done and all handed in, with Yu about to start drawing them soon, so I don't understand your point of contention.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Can't fault them for publishing it if they already had to pay the creators for their work. But it's sad that consumers will still buy it, and probably in pretty significant numbers. They're just going to tell Marvel that years-long delays are perfectly acceptable and encourage them to continue with that sort of behavior.

 

[Dread]

I like Corsair. Space pirates are never bad.

I always thought Corsair was goofy. It just didn't gell well with the X-Men for me.

Cyclops; orphaned after a plane crash, has a power that is a benefit/burdon, founding X-Man, mutant, fights for world that hates and fears him. Suddenly discovers he was orphaned because random aliens targeted random humans and his dad is a space pirate with the fashion sense of Erol Flynn from the MIRROR MIRROR universe. It was a bizarre character detail; My father, the space pirate. Cyclops was not a space character. It just seemed too comic booky. Like that annoying, "nothing in life is a coincidence" thing in comics. If you get junk mail, it is because alien robots did it, or something.

Why would they give it up? It's not like he walked away from the project or never got into it the first place like your examples, Lindelof was just taking his sweet ass time in writing the damn thing.

But the scripts are done and all handed in, with Yu about to start drawing them soon, so I don't understand your point of contention.

Marvel sees their fans as gullible suckers, and most fans enjoy being gullible suckers and bring the whole line down. There, I said it.

Marvel takes PRIDE with the fact that Lindelof will cite in his resume his comic book story, even if it took some ****ing five years to complete because he wouldn't DARE effect his "day job" for his "hobby job", because comic fans aren't very important. Marvel bends over backwards for any Hollywood hack faster than cheerleaders for Kobe Byrant.

And yes, as someone who buys New Avengers while hating nearly every issue to stay abreast, it is hypocritical. But at least I also support books like BLUE BEETLE.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk #1 and 2 all-new printing eh?



Go to hell!

 

[Blader5489]

Marvel sees their fans as gullible suckers, and most fans enjoy being gullible suckers and bring the whole line down. There, I said it.

Marvel takes PRIDE with the fact that Linelof will cite in his resume his comic book story, even if it took some ****ing five years to complete because he wouldn't DARE effect his "day job" for his "hobby job", because comic fans aren't very important. Marvel bends over backwards for any Hollywood hack faster than cheerleaders for Kobe Byrant.

And yes, as someone who buys New Avengers while hating nearly every issue to stay abreast, it is hypocritical. But at least I also support books like BLUE BEETLE.

Will you relax? Jesus, you sound like a nut.

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk isn't all that important of a story, it's just a fun little diversion. It's not hugely critical that the story is released on time, or at all. It would suck, yeah, but it's not like we'd be missing out on something big.

I think the fact that Marvel put an artist like Yu on Secret Invasion, to ensure that the book comes out on time, kind of proves that they're at least trying to avoid heavy delays with their stories--or at least the stories that matter.

And I don't think either Marvel or Lindelof will care that he can cite Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk on his resume. Frankly, I think "Co-creator, writer, and executive producer of six years of one of the most popular shows in television history" will stand out a little more than "I wrote a comic book where Wolverine and Hulk fight each other."

 

[Congo Jack]

The problem is the editors, or the Editor-in-Chief himself. If he can't finnish his own work by deadlines, he has no authority to criticize anyone else - and so it goes unpunnished. If it were Shooter in charge, heads would roll.

It would have been better to just assume your fans are not suckers and give it up, like DAREDEVIL: TARGET #2.

To me, it's EVEN more unprofessional to leave the thing unfinnished, unless Marvel were offering money back on the product.

Can't fault them for publishing it if they already had to pay the creators for their work. But it's sad that consumers will still buy it, and probably in pretty significant numbers. They're just going to tell Marvel that years-long delays are perfectly acceptable and encourage them to continue with that sort of behavior.

It's unfair to blame fans for late books (unless they use that damn excuse - "they're taking their time with it so it will be better"). Can't blame somebody for wanting a story that they like and bought it good faith that it would finnished on time to have an ending. There needs to be a better policy at Marvel regarding late books.

 

[Dread]

Will you relax? Jesus, you sound like a nut.

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk isn't all that important of a story, it's just a fun little diversion. It's not hugely critical that the story is released on time, or at all. It would suck, yeah, but it's not like we'd be missing out on something big.

I think the fact that Marvel put an artist like Yu on Secret Invasion, to ensure that the book comes out on time, kind of proves that they're at least trying to avoid heavy delays with their stories--or at least the stories that matter.

And I don't think either Marvel or Lindelof will care that he can cite Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk on his resume. Frankly, I think "Co-creator, writer, and executive producer of six years of one of the most popular shows in television history" will stand out a little more than "I wrote a comic book where Wolverine and Hulk fight each other."

It still is Marvel having little regard for deadlines or respecting their customers, and allowing any TV/movie writer to walk all over both them and their customers.

Marvel did move Yu onto other projects; they had to after the delays got to a year an issue. The fact that SECRET INVASION has been timlier than FINAL CRISIS is why it is outselling it greatly. But, simply being better than an even more inept EIC is not being brilliant. That is like declaring youself a genius for being smarter than Curly Howard.

I won't be supporting this, but retailers and customers will.

The problem is the editors, or the Editor-in-Chief himself. If he can't finnish his own work by deadlines, he has no authority to criticize anyone else - and so it goes unpunnished. If it were Shooter in charge, heads would roll.


To me, it's EVEN more unprofessional to leave the thing unfinnished, unless Marvel were offering money back on the product.


It's unfair to blame fans for late books (unless they use that damn excuse - "they're taking their time with it so it will be better"). Can't blame somebody for wanting a story that they like and bought it good faith that it would finnished on time to have an ending. There needs to be a better policy at Marvel regarding late books.

I agree on those points, but the fanbase sometimes needs to realize their dollars are all anyone ever listens to, and need to act accordingly.

 

[fifthfiend]

Can't fault them for publishing it if they already had to pay the creators for their work. But it's sad that consumers will still buy it, and probably in pretty significant numbers. They're just going to tell Marvel that years-long delays are perfectly acceptable and encourage them to continue with that sort of behavior.

It's unfair to blame fans for late books (unless they use that damn excuse - "they're taking their time with it so it will be better"). Can't blame somebody for wanting a story that they like and bought it good faith that it would finnished on time to have an ending. There needs to be a better policy at Marvel regarding late books.

Congo makes a really good point and I would also add that now that their sales are generally going down the ****ter oh, that's all the economy's fault.

If Marvel comes up with this or that excuse to call their ****ty behavior acceptable it's because Marvel wants an excuse to continue behaving ****tily, not because people wanting an end to the story they already paid for 2/3s of actually makes that somehow excusable.

 

[CaptainCanada]

But now she's all crazy and a long-lost child of Magneto and annoying. That's three strikes right there.

She stopped being crazy a while ago; back to two strikes.

Further purchases:

Classified Stuff: Thoughts Classified

Agents of Atlas #1 - They scored a pretty upmarket artist; that's a nice show of faith from Marvel.

X-Men Noir #3 - VL is a great writer, and I'll be very interested to see him tackle such a different style of project.

Incredible Hercules #126 - Ed McGuinness seems to have taken over covers; he's a good choice. And, hey, it's 3.99 and actually has more stuff in it! Doing a definitive new origin for Herc is a good idea.

She-Hulk #38 - Oh Marvel solicit writers, you really do hit it out of the park on occasion. And the economic downturn claims another low-selling title.

Guardians of the Galaxy #10 - I'm still unclear about exactly how WoK is going to be structured.

Also, Inferno in a big hardcover is a nice release.

Maybe:

Models, Inc. #1 - Heh; looks fun. Tobin seems to really like Millie.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm sure she's still a crazy b****.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

No sir. Sane as can be.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, I'm not gonna believe you because you're you.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Haven't lied to you yet.

She's not as interesting now that she's sane though. I miss her crazy

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You would.

 

[Congo Jack]

Random thought: Ed McGuinness's cover to ULTIMATE X-MEN #100 is fantastic! Not that I read the book, but that's a great cast: Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Beast, Wolverine, Colossus. Ah, a little Jean Grey goes a long way.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

You would.

Um, yeah!

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Random thought: Ed McGuinness's cover to ULTIMATE X-MEN #100 is fantastic! Not that I read the book, but that's a great cast: Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Beast, Wolverine, Colossus. Ah, a little Jean Grey goes a long way.

I know! Got me a new avatar out of that betch