This list is so predictable from month to month. I can name 5 books that are easily better than FF or NA month in/month out. This list will be exactly the same for July except DD will be #1. Somethings gotta give eventually, things don't last forever.
In fairness, it could be considered embarrassing that FEAR ITSELF #1 was the only issue that sold over 100k, and that issues #2 and #3 have sold 95-96k, while USM #160 sold about 159k - or more than SIEGE #1 sold last year. Marvel literally gets more bang out of it's buck killing off characters now than they do in crossovers - at least for that initial month.
Marvel's top books are usually the ones they invest in the most promoting. Thus, Bendis' Avenger books, ASM, the crossover du jour and now FF.
That said, the drops per month in sales of the Top 100 or so have become steady and consistent. 2009 was a "standing pat" year and 2010 ended on a downer. 2011 has continued that trend. In that regard, perhaps it is understandable that DC did something which is clearly desperate with their NEW 52. You know what they say about desperate times. The problem is there is not a single person working at Marvel or DC in any position of authority who has anything close to a new, original and innovative idea that is grounded in current reality. The best they can offer is a copy of a strategy that worked in a prior decade. Whether that decade was in the 70's or 90's depends on how old they are.
It's not Aaron's greatest work but it's been fair. I'm looking forward to his Hulk relaunch more.
I liked Aaron's work on GHOST RIDER(S). I thought his ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE was hit or miss. I haven't reach much else from him. He's not on my **** list like some writers are on, though.
Based on this, I would say that Venom should go 2yrs easy, which is about as long as I expect Remender to stay. I can see this book going 6 months into a new creative team. This book has nothing going against it except for the day Flash is revealed to Peter as being Venom.
"2 years easy" is not a prediction I make on ANYTHING. I mean, not even relaunches of WOLVERINE titles last that long without a relaunch anymore. Still, as I said, VENOM is looking to be the healthiest ASM spin off in years.
The only good thing about Fear Itself so far......the trickle down effect.
In some cases. HERC #4 saw no boost whatsoever from it's FI tie in. In fact, while still selling over 18k (barely), it saw a slide of over 750 copies since May. In May, it shipped two issues and the second issue was a FI title that boosted sales by about 1400 copies just to get to 18,755. That alone is a number which is below Marvel's usual cancellation range of 19k for ongoing titles. HERC's boost will not likely improve upon where it fell at the start of May for long.
HEROES FOR HIRE is another title selling at 18k. It's FI issue is in June, but it will remain to be seen if it sees a boost. Unlike HERC, H4H is being canceled at issue #12, will exist as a one shot/mini for SPIDER-ISLAND, and then be relaunched as VILLAINS FOR HIRE at the end of the year. However, Marvel still plans to sell HERC with it's current numbering in October; by then it might be selling at MARVEL ADVENTURES levels.
Marvel seems to not quit on certain books, Pak/Van Lente Hercules material being among them. I don't know whether this has anything to do with critical appeal, a tenacious editor, or the simple fact that Marvel's publishing strategy is "bury 'em with books", so they know they'll just replace any title they cancel with two new ones anyway, so they are slow to outright cancel something these days. Perhaps HERC's trades are supplementing sales a little; the CHAOS WAR trade sold decently.
HERC is an interesting case. It's debut in April sold over 38k, and was the best selling Hercules issue since 2009. Yet sales tanked over 55% with issue two and FI at best has temporarily slowed the bleeding of a title that is DOA in terms of sales. The message I get are twofold; there is an audience for Hercules, but it is either overestimated, or something about the relaunch wasn't as appealing. Maybe fans don't like that Hercules is a depowered street hero in Brooklyn (even if he is still fighting similar threats). Maybe fans miss Amadeus Cho on the book; this is the first time in years Herc has been sold without his sidekick. In fact, the last time any installment of this saga was selling at 17-18k was in HEROIC AGE: PRINCE OF POWER, which starred Cho and had Herc absent. While Cho cannot sell a solo book on his own, maybe Herc can't sell one without Cho, either. They have been attached at the hip since 2008, after all. CHAOS WAR showed that Marvel can still get this material to sell above 24k, but they also promoted that story decently, and it had a lot of over the top god action. Maybe the lesson of HERC is not to fix what ain't broke.
It is a shame, because I don't mind HERC's status quo. Even if Herc is a little more boring without his brighter sidekick. I don't mind something different, nor did I think Chaos War would have counted as much if Herc wasn't somehow changed after it; ending an "all or nothing" saga with nothing lost or gained is something Thor does, and that never works, right?
Positive news for sure. Nova and GOTG lasted 3 years....? I can live with that for AA. They have given the go ahead for a year 2. In my perfect world, this book will go at least 75 issues.
NOVA lasted 3 years exactly. GOTG lasted for two.
75 issues may be pushing it. If sales are still at 23k by issue 24, then we can talk. I am very pleased it is hanging in there, even if it is a shame the best Avengers book sells the poorest.
Daken has been really good with Rob Williams (writer of the Ghost Rider relaunch). I don't plan on jumping ship from Daken DW just yet.
Good to know the WolverWaynes have some supporters. What? All Logan needs is a book for Jubilee, and for a new sidekick who became a villain, died, comes back, and then acts like a jerk. I guess that means Albert & Elsie Dee.
More observations:
- MYSTERY MEN, while a solid mini in terms of story, represents one of those, "what did they expect?" launches. It's a mini series by a creative team with little to no name power, which is a period piece, which is selling new characters. Thus, issue one of the mini sold at 16k. Dudes, not even Ed Brubaker could keep MARVELS PROJECT selling north of the Top 60 all the way through. It's second issue later that month sold below 13k, and sales by issue five may be very ugly. Like, BIG HERO 6 ugly.
- The final issue of NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT sells at barely above 11k. The water man just can't sell a book, and hasn't since John Byrne's day. Great idea to give him a FI mini, eh? Blood from a stone, folks. FEAR ITSELF: THE DEEP #1 sold at 23,400 copies.
- WOLVERINE: THE BEST THERE IS has fallen to 22k. How long will Marvel let the B-title of Logan's that nobody wanted, which has been ravaged in reviews, survive? Is the world screaming for two Wolverine books ATOP the books for his useless kids now? Did it EVER!?
- ANNIHILATORS #4 finishes at 21k. That's a little low for the space opera series, but then again, it starred characters who weren't Nova or Star-Lord.
- The best selling spare FEAR ITSELF mini is the one for Spider-Man, which sells in the Top 60 (at #60) with over 30k. The best selling FLASHPOINT mini was BATMAN: KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE, which sold in the Top 25. Most of those FLASHPOINT mini's sold within the Top 75. The same cannot be said for the spare FI mini's. FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #3 fell to the Top 90 with over 25,700 copies. It was #53 of the Top 60 in May. FEAR ITSELF: YOUTH IN REVOLT debuted at 24k and has fallen way below the top 115 with over 20k sold; I still contest that Marvel would have sold more copies had they simply titled it FEAR ITSELF: AVENGERS THE INITIATIVE or AVENGERS THE INITIATIVE: FEAR ITSELF, but Marvel like to make things harder for themselves. The word "practicality" is a curse-word in the bullpen. "YOUTH IN REVOLT" is such a lame title for anything. Instead of calling it X-MEN, imagine if I titled it FREAKS GETTING UPPITY, and you get my drift. This merely tells me whoever is in charge of titles of some comics is old enough to remember when William McKinley was shot.
- AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE has fallen to 30k, which is lower than the last two issues; by that schedule, this is the poorest selling issue of the year. It'll wrap in December, hopefully.
