Aloha,
I was waiting for a response

.No,gimmicks don't make for a successful comic book business, consistent growth in your business makes for a successful comic book business.That a fan can name the villains in the first 100 Amazing Spider-Man's has NO BEARING on whether that fan could run a comic book business or publishing company.The very same Special events that some fan boys complain about, those are the things that have kept Marvel Publishing at the top of the heap for the past 3-4 years.We all have the right to complain about lack of continuity and poor writing and I will always be one who complains about those things, but, the fact that Marvel publishing has made a consistent profit over the years shows that the opinions of some fan boys does not out weigh the likes or spending power of the majority who are reading Marvel comics.That's what gets me mad. The idea that some fan boys think that their opinion supersedes Business reality. My quote is from the Wall Street Journal and Marvel stock report(far more accurate than Diamond Distributors-subscriptions make more money for Marvel than third party distributors btw but not a part of their figures.
Fan opinions are never worthless, but they must reflect business reality. Just because you don't like a particular comic does not negate how it's doing.Anybody can knock Joe Q, but could you do a better job? If Joe Q, Tom Breevort, Steve Wacker or anyone else at Marvel was not producing-THEY WOULD BE CANNED!As much as we both may not like it, fan boys NO LONGER represent the majority of comic book buyers.
Spidey rules