Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Spider-Man Comic Appearances for October 17, 2012

This week we have 10 new comic books featuring an appearance by the ever-lovin' Spider-Man.

Marvel Now is in full swing and picking up steam each week.  This week we get the teaser book for the event -- Marvel Now Point One #1 along with its 4 covers.

The latest issue of Marvel Super Heroes Magazine #4 is out and is interesting in that it sports a newsstand bar code.  I figure Marvel is shaving a few bucks here by printing the magazine mainly for bookstores and magazine outlets, and shipping some of those copies to comic shops.  It's probably cheaper, and I can't imagine comic shops are ordering heavy on this.

Here's this week's list...


  • Avengers Assemble #8
  • Dark Avengers #182
  • Marvel Now Point One #1
  • Marvel Now Point One #1 (Quesada Variant)
  • Marvel Now Point One #1 (Quesada Sketch Variant)
  • Marvel Now Point One #1 (Baby Variant)
  • Marvel Super Heroes #4
  • New Avengers #31
  • Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #16
  • Venom #26

On a side Spider-Man note, rumor has it Spidey will be killed off by the end of the year, so who knows what's in store after that point.  Who will be Spider-Man in the new Superior Spider-Man series starting in January (based on the clues so far, I thought maybe Spider-Man 2099, but the rumor mill is Alpha putting on the costume)?  Will the other Avengers know what is going on?

Will a bunch of fans take this as an opportunity to stop collecting Spider-Man comics all together?  I certainly know quite a few people with that plan in mind.  Between the abundance of variant covers Marvel floods the market with, and the prospect of killing off the character (even though we all know he'll come back eventually) - there will be collateral fan damage.  Marvel is likely banking on an influx of new buyers to replace them though.  The circle of life, I guess.

Enjoy your week.  Visit your local comic shop!

3 comments:

  1. It may be the "circle of life," but I don't think it holds true for comic readers. Long term new readers are not as common as long term existing readers.

    I started with ASM #185, and it was over 200 issues later before I even considered dropping the title. How many new readers today are going to give a comic a 200-issue trial? It was another 200 issues before I actually did drop ASM, and all Marvel books, cold turkey. While there's clearly something wrong with my brain that caused me to stick with a book for over 400 consecutive issues, while accumulating 178 of the 185 issues that preceded my starting to read the title, I think it would be impossible to find even a single reader in America who had started reading any long-running Marvel title in the year 2000 or before who is still reading that title or another long-running Marvel character today.

    If you start with Heroes Reborn/Heroes Return - how many people started reading Avengers with the Busiek/Perez #1 and are still reading it today? Or how many people started reading FF anywhere between #400 and #500 are still reading it today? There may be people who were reading those books then who are still reading now, because they'd already been reading it for several years. But how many people bought their first ever issue of Captain America or Daredevil after Heroes Return and are still buying those books now?

    Possibly the only long-term book I can see that may have retained some readership is Ultimate Spider-Man. There may be a fair number of people who bought #1 in 1999 who are still reading it today - but even so, I would wager that of those who boguht Ultimate Spidey #1 in 1999, that fewer than 25% of them are still buying Ultimate Spidey today. And how many of them will still be reading Ultimate Spidey in 2029 - if the book is even still around then.

    Every time Marvel gives a "jump on" point like Superior Spider-Man #1, it is preceded by a perfect "jump off" point like ASM #700. The only "jump on" comic I can recall that didn't create a "jump off" point at the same time is DC's Starman #29 in April 1997. And I would also wager that for every NEW reader who started ASM during Brand New Day that is still reading ASM now, there are 2 readers who had been reading ASM for more than 5 years who are no longer reading the book.

    I bought ASM monthly/weekly for 30 full years. How many people who started ASM in 2009 with Brand New Day do you think will still be reading it in 2039? In order for Brand New Day to be successful, Marvel needs to have gained 1+ reader for every lost reader, and for every year the lost reader was buying the book, the new reader needs to continue buying it for the same length +1 month or more. Personally, I don't think it'll happen. I'll be 75 years old in 2039, and I think I've got a better chance of still being around then than do either Spider-Man or Marvel.

    Sorry for a rant-ish post - it's not aimed at you, it's aimed at Marvel. I think the whole "circle of life" argument that new readers will replace old readers is a fallacy. Old radio listeners weren't replaced by new radio listeners, they were replaced by TV watchers. Old TV watchers won't be replaced by new ones, they'll be replaced by On-Demand or DVR viewers.

    If Marvel thinks a change like ASM #700/Superior Spider-Man #1 is a smart move that will pay positive long term dividends, I think they need to have their brains examined for tumors pressing against their judgment center, because that idea is as crazy as a 2.7-cent coin.

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  2. Rant on! I think you speak for the way a lot of people feel right now. In my own experiences, I'm hearing this same story from a lot of long-time collectors.

    I don't feel ass though Marvel has collectors in mind at all, but rather they're just trying to move the dial up in total sales no matter where those sales come from and how fast they will leave later.

    We stayed loyal to the character and the concept for so long, and the company behind it is really milking us dry. All in a down economy no less.

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  3. Also this week

    Avenging Spider-Man My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends TP
    Fear Itself Spider-Man TP
    Marvel Firsts Before Marvel Now TP (was 'Marvel Firsts ReEvolution')
    Venom The Savage Six TP

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