A quiet confirmation for a fact that many have suspected for awhile: Tom Brevoort addresses the fate of Marvel’s CrossGen revival over at his Formspring, noting that “ROUTE 666 and KISS KISS have been shelved for the time being.”
The two titles, announced at last year’s Fan Expo Canada, had originally been due to launch in December 2011 and February 2012 respectively, but were said to be moved to later in 2012 last November. The “shelving” of the titles should come as little surprise; despite the high quality of books like Ruse and Mystic (The latter of which was possibly my favorite Marvel book of last year, next to Daredevil), the line didn’t fare well in the direct market with the final issue released, Mystic #4, only selling an estimated 6,000 copies in the US.
March 7th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Obviously, a smart move on Marvel’s part, and not entirely surprising.
It’s a vicious cycle, really. It’s going to take more than four or six issues for a non-superhero book to catch on, but during that time the books will probably lose money.
Actually, a pretty good reason why other genres crop up in indie books more often — the bottom line’s not so high.
March 7th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
6000. wow. using the same amount that was spent strictly on distribution, i bet you could sell more door-to-door in a month.
March 7th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
remember, there are more than 300000000 people just in usa. they sold 6000.
March 7th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
I’d rather have the unpublished final issues of the original series myself… Ah well.
March 7th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
how many stores compromise the direct market? anyone know?
March 7th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
I’d bet their are some pricey old comics that have more than 6000 copies extant.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:36 am
I wish they could try an Ultraverse revival sometime. But apparently, that will never, ever happen…
March 15th, 2012 at 2:55 am
I’m honestly surprised Marvel didn’t rerelease the tpb of the older series to go along with the new series, just to take advantage of the nostalgia.
August 3rd, 2012 at 2:03 am
There have been reports of American Oystercatchers eating Piping Plover eggs and chasing young chicks. The two species nest in close proximity to each other. Interestingly, the the oystercatchers set up their territories and start nesting before the plovers arrive. PACE University is conducting a focused study on this, looking at the extent of these types of encounters. NYC Audubon is working with a student from Columbia University to document human disturbance impacts on oystercatcher nest success. If you observe any interactions positive or negative please let us know!Thanks for your comments. -Susan
August 3rd, 2012 at 2:05 am
Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post writes that keeping three quarterbacks means someone else’s roster spot is in jeopardy.