The sales estimates for February Diamond orders are up at ComicChron, and they make for interesting reading – Overall top 300 orders are significantly up on last year, even if publisher diversity is down (It’s not all Marvel double shipping, either, cynics; as John Jackson Miller points out, Dynamite alone have 25 more books charting than usual), making me wonder what exactly is going on in the market these days. I’ve been wondering that since the initial placements and order index was released, and it’s all because of one book: Marvel’s Defenders.
Yes, everyone keeps focusing on either Marvel being shut out of the top 10 for the second month in a row and the fact that Aquaman is outselling Uncanny X-Men, or that Marvel has claimed dollar and unit dominance for the entire top 300 despite that top 10 loss, showing up DC’s crumbling bottom end (Seriously, the Vertigo line is just falling apart, depressingly). But Defenders has gone from a top 10 book to #60 in the chart in just three months, which seems… well, completely crazy, really, right…?
Of course, that initial chart placing was somewhat false. Defenders #1 charted with an estimated 85,969 orders in December, sure, but that was including Marvel’s 50% overship of the issue, making the “true” order number somewhere in the region of 57,313, which would’ve made it a #16 book for that month, not a #8 book. But even so, February saw orders for Defenders #3 of 33,548, a 42% drop just two months later, without any change in creative team or end of storyline. If this rate of attrition doesn’t slow significantly, the title will be in the cancellation zone in another two months.
What seems particularly weird about this is that… well, on paper, Defenders should be doing so much better. It spun out of Fear Itself – Well, as much as anything spun out of Fear Itself – and is written by that title’s writer, Matt Fraction. More than that, it’s Fraction paired with Terry Dodson, and the last time the two worked together was on an Uncanny X-Men run that sold almost twice as many copies as Defenders is managing. Sure, there’s a “It’s X-Men” thing happening here, but Defenders isn’t entirely made up of unknown characters even if Doctor Strange, the Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer aren’t exactly household names for most of America.
There’s a weird defensive reaction I’ve seen from Marvel fans about Aquaman being in the top 10, which goes along the lines of “It’s one of the publisher’s top creative teams and a character that’s had a profile boost thanks to appearing in crossovers and event books, of course it’s a top 10 book!” But the same thing is true of Defenders – it even had the added benefit of launching out of previews in two of Marvel’s highest shipping titles in recent memory, Fear Itself #7 and Point One – and it’s not faring anywhere near so well. I don’t compare the two to say “Well, clearly Aquaman is awesome and Defenders sucks,” because (a) Defenders doesn’t suck, and (b) quality is never an indicator of sales anyway, as we all know by now. Instead, I bring it up because I’m confused; Defenders should be doing better. Any and all snark aside, I can’t help but feel that the fact that it’s being outsold by Teen Titans or Red Hood and the Outlaws is a sign that the direct market is in a really weird place right now, and a sign of concern for people who want to see something other than the already massive franchises come out of the Big Two.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:14 am
I’ve been hearing really good things about Defenders, but I can’t bring myself to dive in due to the price. In order to catch up digitally I’d have to drop $16 on four issues and that’s just too damn expensive for a book I’m not sure of. While Fraction is a high-profile creator, his recent work has been very disappointing, including Fear Itself which was a frustrating, muddled series that was only rescued from being terrible by Immonen’s wonderful art.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:41 am
I agree with Jason, I really think the culprit is the price point. Most the architects (with the exception of Hickman) are on titles that are $3.99. Title A + Marvel Architect does not = Sales Hit. This strategy clearly did not work with Moon Knight and Spider-Woman. I do not think Hickman has more “heat” than Fraction. Fraction and Hickman both have their strengths and weaknesses. Based on sales figures, Hickman’s FF titles are not dropping as fast as The Defenders.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:49 am
I’m not buying DEFENDERS and it’s partly the price point. I’m not willing to take a chance on 20 pages at $3.99 a pop. I may pick up the trade of the first arc when and if it comes out in paper back, if the price isn’t too outrageous.
But price isn’t the whole reason. I read the previews online of the first issue and thumbed through it in the store and found that the characterization of Dr. Strange was inconsistent with the character as I’ve known him for over forty years. As was the characterization of Iron Fist; just kind of … off. I understand that Matt Fraction holds that he can make whatever changes to these characters he wants to because he’s the writer and it’s his story. But I don’t have to buy it.
I want my comic book heroes to be heroic; people who have flaws but triumph anyway. I’m sorry, but I can’t reconcile the Dr. Strange who rescued a whole dimension from Dormamu’s oppression in Strange Tales with the guy who sleeps around and can’t keep his magic working. It just doesn’t work for me. Certainly not at $3.99 and probably not at $1.99.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:59 am
Come on — if it’s not an *established family book* (meaning “Avengers” or “X-Men”) — the $3.99 price point is going to tank the book right out of the gate.
How many experiments will it take for Marvel to realize that? Really?
And, yes, “spinning out of Fear Itself” probably isn’t the best way to market a book, either. So it has that going against it, too.
March 13th, 2012 at 10:00 am
“I… found that the characterization of Dr. Strange was inconsistent with the character as I’ve known him for over forty years.”
These types of comments are endlessly fascinating to me.
But that’s ok, that’s why God made horseraces. I’m enjoying Sketchy Steve and DEFENDERS in general and will be mucho-bummed if it doesn’t get a chance to get even weirder. Having said that, I agree it should be a buck cheaper.
But I wish everything was a buck cheaper.
March 13th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Defenders is a good title, but it’s certainly quirky. The least mainstream super hero title I’ve read in a while. It’s a quality read, but i don’t get the need to compare it to other titles in where they sell. As a huge X-Fan, i could care less that Aquaman is outselling X-Men. As long as the x-titles are a good quality, who cares where they rank?
Price point could be an issue. I suspect there are also a lot of people growing tired of Fraction’s writing after Fear Itself, I know i am. Defenders is the last title of his I’m buying. Obviously it’s harder to launch a title these days. More of my money goes towards books i HAVE to read (X-Force, Journey into Mystery) instead of trying to titles. You’re right though, on paper it should be doing well but the Defenders concept has never really caught on well ever.
Sean R-B, what about Dr Strange defeating Dormammu means he can’t get laid? Do one night stands make people not heroic? Not to mention just about every super hero ever goes through power fluctuations, i seriously cant think of one who hasn’t! You’re smart by voting with your dollar and not buying what you don’t want at least.
March 13th, 2012 at 10:10 am
I’m not buying Defenders because I don’t like the creative team. I just don’t think they are very good. The price point doesn’t help — I’m much happier reading Scarlet Spider or X-Force.
March 13th, 2012 at 10:49 am
I just thought the book wasn’t that good. Love Dodson, but Fraction seems complacent to me nowadays. I was rooting for it though, but price and quality didn’t match up, which means it got the dreaded drop.
March 13th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Defenders is great… but that price makes it hard, even with Dodson art, to keep on buying monthly. I might check out at the end of the first story arc and just buy in trade (trades if we’re lucky)
March 13th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Tyler,
It’s not that I think a person who gets laid can’t be heroic at all. It’s that I think this behavior isn’t consistent with what we’ve been told about Dr. Strange over the course of time. If Fraction had wanted to use a mystic who has casual sex with his students and isn’t confident in his powers or his place in the universe, I’m sure there are others out there he could have used who would be consistent with that. Or he could create a new character with those traits. It just doesn’t ring true with Dr. Strange. And, of course, then they couldn’t sell it as The Defenders starring Dr. Strange.
If you’re enjoying it, great. More power to you. I’ll read something else that I will enjoy.
March 13th, 2012 at 11:37 am
Sean – Dr. Strange has less power cause he’s not Sorcerer Supreme anymore. He’s lost access to a lot of his magical artifacts and connections, it makes sense that his powers would be reduced.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
With no consideration for cost or whatever sales level Marvel consider “successful”, and given the sales volume we have so far for this book, I would say no that this book is not a success.
I am reminded of what happened when Blue Beetle debuted during Infinite Crisis. Issue #1 entered the Top 10 selling almost 100,000 copies but once it hit the street, sales plummeted so that by issue #6 it was selling less than 30,000 units monthly. Even tho I loved the book, I think perhaps we have the same situation here, namely a recognizable and desirable concept that for whatever reason did not match the expectation that the consumer placed on the product that actually reached their hands.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Sean R-B,
So you’d prefer static characters that never grow or change or go through new experiences? I’m not picking on you, I’m genuinely curious.
Strange was always a character who was just there, in my opinion. He’d show up in other characters titles whenever there was a mystic threat, be a good hero, and then leave. His own titles were sporadic and never of great quality in the 90′s.
I’ll admit i’d rather see a more powerful Dr Strange, as the whole mystic side of Marvel is lacking right now and I’d rather see him engaged in that rather than slumming with the New Avengers. But I enjoy the humanizing of Strange in Defenders, it makes him more appealing and his dealings with Dormammu et al that much more fantastic.
March 13th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
As with all new series that are priced at $3.99, the price point kept me from buying Defenders. It’s just too much to pay for so little entertainment value. I would have gladly bought it at $2.99, however.
By the way, I wonder if the Dodsons are gone for good on art.
March 13th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
I won’t even torrent these anymore Matt Fraction has really lost it.
March 13th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
I will say, the bit with Doc having that one-night-stand is addressed in issue #4, and the idea that it might be somewhat out of character or inappropriate is specifically addressed in a way that I found completely satisfying. Doc acknowledges that the behavior was uncharacteristic, tries to understand why it happened, and also deals with the consequences of the act (hint: magic is involved on a number of levels). One of the best Doc stories in years, maybe even since THE OATH.
March 14th, 2012 at 7:43 am
I agree with Tim, Defenders #4 was a phenomenal one-and-done story. Michael Lark should really be ongoing.
March 14th, 2012 at 8:06 am
Zach: Yes, I’m aware of the good doctor’s loss of power and I’m okay with that. When Lee and Ditko created him, he was much less powerful than he became in the ’70s under Steve Englehart. My issue is less with his current power level and more with his questionable morality.
Tyler: No, I wouldn’t prefer static characters that never grow or change or go through new experiences? I do, however, want them to react in a reasonably consistent manner to those changes and new experiences. Since Bendis (whose writing I typically liked a lot up to the last couple of years) got ahold of the character, and in subsequent appearances scripted by others, I don’t think Marvel has treated Dr. Strange very well or presented him in a light that would attract many readers. Your mileage may vary, and that’s okay, too.
Tim O’Neil: It may be that Issue #4 explained everything in a convincing and artful manner. The problem is that I (and I suspect a lot of other potential readers) wasn’t willing to spend four months and just about $16 to get that explanation that we were never sure was going to come in the first place. If you’re writing a 120 page trade, then it’s probably alright to start the story with some odd behavior and explain it by page 90. But monthly comics are supposed to be written in a way that is satisfying to the casual reader as well as to the die-hard fan. At $4 a pop, that’s especially important. To my way of thinking, that didn’t happen with The Defenders.
March 14th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
WAAAH!!! Fraction’s ruining my character with his grim n’gritty reboot!! Wahh!! I want my 1-dimensional flawless paragon characters!!
March 15th, 2012 at 6:57 am
Tenebrous: Wow! Talk about missing the point of the conversation completely. Or just trolling?
Someone else, somewhere else put my objections to the way Fraction is handling the characters in Defenders much more articulately than I have here by saying that if it were a comic about magic guy and kung-fu guy it would probably be okay. But since he’s using Dr. Strange and Iron Fist, the character inconsistencies don’t work because they don’t build on or utilize what has gone before.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:13 am
I really disliked the first three issues. Thought the characterizations were way off and the attempts at humor were really annoying. The fourth issue had a more serious tone and was much better.
March 29th, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Has anyone else seen the kids with Seal lately? I haven鈥檛 but I simply wondered.