The current state of disarray at Marvel

[Tom Foolery]

I remember MCP would have multi-part serials that would start in various issues so you could never drop it or you'd leave halfway thru a story arc. Damn clever, Marvel. And it was bi-weekly.
Was it ad free? I'd have to go dig thru a back issue to see.
I know they tried to revive it back in 2006 or 7 but it only lasted 12 issues.

Marvel Fanfare started out as the premium format book by top notch creators, but I think by the end it was just a place for them to burn off inventory issues. They tried reviving it in the late 90s and it lasted 6 issues.
Presently, I think any concept that would've made it into an issue of Fanfare back in the day, would get inflated to a full miniseries and hyped to death. Why sell one issue when you can sell four or six with the same story, just decompressed.

And Marvel Tales was a reprint book. Trades have taken the place of reprint issues.

[jjreason]

I more just meant they have names for series ad infinitum that they could re-use. I think the MCP strategy could work - you give a main stream creator an ongoing series with a lesser known hero for 12 issues (oh, let's use Warren Ellis on Moon Knight as an example since we know that book can't last), then give some up & comers a chance at an Untold Tale of the Hulk or something to end the book & get some big company exposure. The odd time maybe get guest stars like Wegener & Clevinger if they could convince them to do another Mojo story.

[anarky]

MCP wouldn't work today, because an anthology title destroys the excuse of unnecessary #1 issues.

I remember MCP started as exclusively Wolverine-led, with three backups. At least one of these was usually also a multi-parter. Then Ghost Rider sort of took over the second story, and it was a flip book. Usually the other stories were lesser characters, but I know for sure of at least one Daredevil story.

DC tried this with Action Comics for a while, making it a weekly with a Green Lantern lead story (this was when there was no GL title), but the title was too associated with Superman and it didn't catch on, so it went back to a Superman monthly. Which is why it made it to much higher numbers than Detective Comics, which it was originally a spinoff from.

[jjreason]

MCP wouldn't work today, because an anthology title destroys the excuse of unnecessary #1 issues.

I don't think I'm alone in saying I really want them to get away from these... but it's too late. We're already confused about "which #1?" when discussing certain books as it is - they're already completely devalued.

[Tom Foolery]

Did MCP precede Action Weekly?
I thought it was the other way around. Action Weekly dubuted in the spring of '88 and MCP came out that late summer/fall.
Granted, being that close together, both ideas were likely on the drawing boards already. But Action came out first.

[anarky]

I could be wrong. I just know that when I got into comics hardcore, Action had switched back, and I assumed MCP had been going longer.

[anarky]

Aaaaand nada here. I don't know if it's because the local WM here is a real shithole or what. Were these with regular books or on some sort of special display?

[anarky]

Referring to the $5 Marvel trades. Wrong thread, but on my phone.

[Diabolical]

My Wm has a table full of mostly shitty discounted books. It was on that table.

[jjreason]

So in Hulk 9 the Hulk (going by Doc Green - basically turning into Peter David's Leader) goes to the Weapon X facility (now being used by the "All New" Xmen as headquarters), smashes down the door and basically strongarms Kitty into removing a tumor from his head. With her hand. He then teleports back to his own base. It's almost like they know it's bad as Kitty & Illyana remark about why he had to smash down the door. Quite possibly the worst Marvel comic I've read in the past year.

[Diabolical]

Marvel SVP Names 33 Comic Book Series Ending as a Result of 'Secret Wars' Event

Just how big will Marvel Entertainment's Secret Wars event be? The company's SVP of Sales and Marketing, David Gabriel, has offered a hint that goes beyond what fans have already learned about the end of the Marvel Universe as we know it — by naming the comic book series that will end as a result of the epic battle.
Talking to ComicBook.com, Gabriel said that, "in a perfect world, we'd have stopped every book with its April issue, putting out a nice clean May Previews catalog. Everyone would have seen upfront all those titles that had their finale, and all those titles that were starting fresh. But things don't always go so easily."
Creators were given the option to tell "Last Days" stories in their series — storylines taking place leading up to Secret Wars No. 1 — or stories that take place during Secret Wars itself, Gabriel said. The latter choice meant that their regular series would receive what Gabriel calls a "616 finale" (616 being the Marvel mythology designation for the "regular" Marvel Universe) and be replaced by a new series.
The series ending "over the next few months" according to Gabriel are: All-New Captain America, All-New Ghost Rider, All-New X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing X-Men, Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, Avengers, Avengers World, Captain Marvel, Cyclops, Deadpool, Elektra, Fantastic Four, Guardians 3000, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, Inhuman, Iron Fist: The Living Weapon, Legendary Star-Lord, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Nightcrawler, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, Secret Avengers, Spider-Man & The X-Men, Spider-Man 2099, Storm, Superior Iron Man, Thor, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverines and X-Men.
Given the cyclical nature of comic book publishing, it should be expected that many of the listed titles will be relaunched at some point in the near future. In the last four years, Captain America alone has been relaunched three times, for example. Oddly enough, Gabriel's list of books coming to a close doesn't name the series announced as running "Last Days" storylines, such as Ms. Marvel, Captain America and the Mighty Avengers and Loki: Agent of Asgard.
Gabriel went on to say that Secret Wars "will affect every title in some way shape or form," and that some series "may take a hiatus for a month or two (something the industry is accustomed to); some will reach their "616 finale'' some become Battleworld transformed; and still others… Well, we’ll get to those!"
Secret Wars launches in May, with tie-in issues in various comic book series beginning that same month.

[jjreason]

Jesus. Good luck to me getting all the books I want out of this deal before they sell out - I'll be basically faced with hitting the store every Wednesday due to my shop-guy's inability to get me all my books in any given week. ><

[Diabolical]

This makes it easy to permanently drop All-New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men and Deadpool. Hopefully those titles will all wrap things up. As much as I've liked them, I think I can easily let those go.
Guardians of the Galaxy will be the one I miss the most, and will possibly pick up if* it relaunches.








* "If" - who are they kidding. "When" is more like it.

[Tom Foolery]

It's the perfect jumping off point for much of Marvel.
I want to follow Hickman's epic story to its conclusion so that means getting Secret Wars. But deciding if and what to buy from the myriad choices upcoming makes me want to skip Secret Wars altogether and just look for all the series down the road.

[jjreason]

I wish Marvel's release calendar was more dependable, I would seriously go & map out exactly what I want, issue for issue, over the next 6 months then stick with it. Sadly it won't even be right for next week's releases, let alone next month's.