For those who hoped that the Castle and Season One original graphic novels might be a sign that Marvel was finally getting over its institutional fear of the OGN format, Axel Alonso has some sad news for you:
Personally, I love the OGN format. But when you’re talking about the material we publish, the periodical format is still our best option.
The enormous marketing and publicity afforded to us by being a part of a national television show was a great help in garnering high sales on the “Castle” OGN, and we’ve been thrilled with the results. But at this time, [SVP for Sales & Publishing] David Gabriel informs me that there are no imminent plans to create any kind of OGN program, or even to look at doing any more OGNs.
I wonder if that’s some kind of comment about Marvel not feeling comfortable with its bookstore numbers without some kind of additional push? It’s a very odd thing to say, considering that the Season One books, which aren’t even out yet, are very clearly the beginnings of an OGN program for the publisher.
