The Marvel Implosion

[runawayboulder]

Thunderbolts is ending with May's issue #174. However a new title is replacing it with issue #175, because that has worked so well with Daredevil/Black Panther, Wolverine/Dark Wolverine, and Thor/Journey into Mystery.

T-Bolts will always live on in some capacity. Marvel has done stuff like this before to the book.

 

[hippie_hunter]

T-Bolts will always live on in some capacity. Marvel has done stuff like this before to the book.

But what's utterly baffling IMO is that unlike Wolverine, Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Thor, and Captain America is that Thunderbolts is selling horribly. The other books sold decently, so at least when Dark Wolverine, Incredible Hercules, Black Panther, Journey into Mystery, and Captain America & started, a decent chunk of their audiences stayed on for a bit before they crashed and burned. They also had events to lift them up. Thunderbolts on the other hand sells less than 20k and has been dropping almost 1k a month.

At the rate Thunderbolts is dropping, it will probably be around 17k - 16k before the name change. And it doesn't have an event lifting the replacement book. There is just no audience for the new book to latch onto.

 

[Drz]

Thunderbolts is selling 19k. Hard to believe Marvel would miss a chance at a brand new #1 as well.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Thunderbolts is selling 19k. Hard to believe Marvel would miss a chance at a brand new #1 as well.

The reason why Marvel has books like the Incredible Hercules, Journey into Mystery, and Black Panther take over other already existing books is because they know that without taking over a book without an established audience, the book will start off with horrible numbers. It's better to just take the existing audience than a non-existent one.

However, considering how Thunderbolts is below 20k, they might as well just go with a brand new #1.

 

[RockSP]

Damn you Non-Thunderbolts readers!!

 

[JewishHobbit]

A difference with Thunderbolts and the rest is that it's a team book. This could benefit the book if it starts to follow a character or characters that are more likable or with a bigger creative team.

Like if Bendis takes over the book and focuses on Luke Cage and brings in Jessica, Danielle, and Danny... it'd be a somewhat reasonable shift (with Luke being a cast member) and it'd likely see a sales jump and might even keep some of the Thunderbolts readers in addition to Bendis fans and such.

I mean, a rotating cast of Luke, Danny, and his family and then whatever Thunderbolt villains he pulls per mission and how that clashes with his need to keep the family safe and all that. I'd likely start buying the book.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Jeff Parker will continue writing the book, even as the title changes.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Then likely I won't pick up whatever it changes to. The title bored me to tears after about 6 issues post-Siege. He did a good job prior to that but something about the change in direction just didn't work for me. It's wierd because I love Luke and Juggernaut and like Ghost a lot. I don't know why it didn't really click but I just got real bored. Walker's art didn't help matters.

 

[Anubis]

Damn you Non-Thunderbolts readers!!

Hey, I was gonna buy it, but I ended up banging the white castle chick instead.

 

[CConn]

It's not that I don't want to read it, it's just that I'd rather read:

Action Comics
Animal Man
Aquaman
Batman
Batman and Robin
Batman Incorporated
Batman: The Dark Knight
Batwing
Batwoman
Dial H
The Flash
Green Lantern
I, Vampire
Justice League
Resurrection Man
Supergirl
Swamp Thing
Wonder Woman
Avengers Academy
Captain America
Daredevil
Defenders
Fantastic Four
Incredible Hulk
Journey into Mystery
Secret Avengers
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
Ultimate Comics Ultimates
Uncanny X-Force
Uncanny X-Men
Venom
Wolverine and the X-Men
X-Factor
American Vampire
Invincible
iZombie
The Manhattan Projects
Morning Glories
Saga
The Walking Dead

Instead.

 

[RockSP]

Like if Bendis takes over the book...

Then I'd be a non-Thunderbolts reader.

 

[runawayboulder]

T-Bolts got royally f-ed up by Fear Itself. It had to drop everything to tie in with that and got derailed pretty hard. It hasn't been the same since.

 

[JewishHobbit]

It's not that I don't want to read it, it's just that I'd rather read:

Action Comics
Animal Man
Aquaman
Batman
...
99 skip a few
...
Morning Glories
Saga
The Walking Dead

Instead.

That's funny... I don't want to read the majority of books I read. But I keep doing it anyway for some reason.

 

[CConn]

That's funny... I don't want to read the majority of books I read. But I keep doing it anyway for some reason.

I used to do that with some books. I bought like 48 issues of Jonah Hex even though I stopped reading at like issue 11.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I used to do that with some books. I bought like 48 issues of Jonah Hex even though I stopped reading at like issue 11.

Oh, I've stopped reading the titles I didn't like anymore. I'm just genuinely frustrated at the concept of buying overpriced, gimmicky comics (mostly Marvel), but after buying them 20 years it's hard to just stop.

 

[RockSP]

It's not that I don't want to read it, it's just that I'd rather read:

Instead.

I'm reading most of those (and the ones I'm not there is something else in its place) and Thunderbolts too, darn you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mace Dolex]

Since I've stopped buying monthlies for about a good 10 years I'm not surprised at so many titles getting canned, a similar thing happened in the 90's when Marvel cancelled a whole slew of useless low selling spin-off titles, that's just more money in my pocket.

 

[Anubis]

So it's your fault. Get HIM!

 

[CConn]

Oh, I've stopped reading the titles I didn't like anymore. I'm just genuinely frustrated at the concept of buying overpriced, gimmicky comics (mostly Marvel), but after buying them 20 years it's hard to just stop.

I dropped all Marvel for a good 6 months to a year due to price gouging...and I wish I could continue, but dammit, titles like Wolverine and the X-Men and Uncanny X-Force are some of my favorite titles.

 

[RockSP]

Oh, I've stopped reading the titles I didn't like anymore. I'm just genuinely frustrated at the concept of buying overpriced, gimmicky comics (mostly Marvel), but after buying them 20 years it's hard to just stop.

Yeah I don't get that. If a book sucks drop it and try something else

 

[Themanofbat]

I used to do that with some books. I bought like 48 issues of Jonah Hex even though I stopped reading at like issue 11.

Ha... I think I bought Jonah Hex until issue #60 even though I only read the first couple of issues...

And I haven't read HellBlazer since issue #176... what's it at now... #280 something?

 

[Anubis]

Jonah Hex was awesome though.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Jesus Christ people, I at least actually read the comics I buy.

 

[DACrowe]

Marvel's imploding, eh? That's too bad. Honestly, I quit reading Marvel regularly after OMD. I read Spider-Girl until that got canned and the only official Marvel comics I've picked up in the last few years has been "The Death of Spider-Man" arc in USM and the Ultimates relaunch....but I've fallen behind that too.

Oh well. I'm sure Marvel will survive as long as they pump out blockbusters like The Avengers. At this point, Marvel is becoming as static as DC, so I see them doing the "New 52" reboot very soon.

 

[KingMob]

I'm honestly shocked that people actually buy books, and then don't read them. And then do that for years. Thats some crazy s***.