Axel Alonso talks up Marvel NOW! by talking “$#!#” about the Distinguished Competition:
And a couple things I want to emphasize: Marvel NOW! starts with the creators, so don’t expect writer shake-ups across the line by the fourth or fifth issue, or half the titles to get cancelled and replaced by a new #1. We aren’t throwing $#!# at a wall, seeing what falls off and then replacing it with more $#!#. [Laughs] We’re building books we expect to last. Retailers that order them, and fans that read them, will be purchasing new ongoing titles, not limited series. Also, Marvel NOW! unfolds across four months, not one. Each week, we will be offering at least one new entry-point into the Marvel Universe for readers — old, lapsed and new. It’s a patient rollout that demonstrates respect for the fan and his wallet.
Those words are definitely going to come back to haunt him if writers leave titles early – See Zeb Wells on Avenging Spider-Man or Jonathan Hickman on Ultimate Comics Ultimates for Marvel examples, although both cases were later than some of the New 52 shake-ups – or titles are cancelled earlier than #8 for sales reasons…
July 9th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Is that seriously the new Captain America uniform in the illustration above? No… really? Blah. That is one busy, ugly-looking design. Kirby and Simon’s design was sleek, eye-catching, and told you everything you needed to know about the character. This one looks needlessly cumbersome and far too much like heavy armor. It just doesn’t make sense for Cap, who is one of the premiere acrobats and the best hand-to-hand combatant in the Marvel Universe.
I’m not against updating or changing characters’ looks; I mean it’s been done many times through the years. But it really ought to make sense in terms of the character, not just because it looks “kewl”.
July 9th, 2012 at 10:33 am
So instead of trying new books that aren’t guaranteed to sell well, they’re sticking to guaranteed money-makers like The Avengers.
July 9th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Yeah, Will is on the money there.
While I think it was a mistake for DC to abandon their non-superhero books after less than a year (I understand why, of course), at least they tried it (and are still trying). Heck, the biggest strength of the New 52 was it’s mixing of genres.
DC’s insistence on 52 books is insane, though.
At this point, it makes no sense to look for anything outside the superhero genre from the Big Two. That’s what they do best and that’s what sells best. But it would be nice to see them take more chances every once in a while.
July 9th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
And yet, SAGA and THIEF OF THIEVES from Image seem to be doing spectacularly well with several reprints of each issue. So, I don’t think the non-super hero books have to be considered poor sellers. DC and Marvel just don’t seem to know how to do them well or are too risk averse to do them well. I’d love to see a new Adam Strange comic or some kind of private detective title with one of DC’s Sam Spade type characters. But do it with top of the line writers and artists who can tell a clear, compelling story.
Other than Daredevil, I haven’t been following much at Marvel – they’ve sort of abandoned my demographic, I’m afraid. But when I gave the non-super hero books at DC a try at the beginning of the New 52, what I noticed most about them was that the art was confusing and muddy and the characters were either bland or completely unlikeable. That’s not going to sell books, leotards and capes or not.
July 9th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
“We aren’t throwing $#!# at a wall, seeing what falls off and then replacing it with more $#!#.”
Again, Marvel has rebooted/rebranded titles so many times in recent years that throwing shit at the wall is EXACTLY what Marvel has been doing.
July 9th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
@Sean R-B If I had to hazard a guess, I would say the cut off point for what makes an Image book a success is much lower than the cut off point for Book Two books. It’s just a matter of the number of people they have to pay with the sales.
Those books also had the added benefit of being from well known creators.
A non-superhero book would need a while to really catch on, but the Big Two have numbers to meet, so they really can’t let a book sit around. A book like the Walking Dead probably would have been canceled after six issues.
July 9th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Anyone else put off by Marvel’s trash talking? Yes, DC is guilty of some of what Axel is saying. But it always strikes me as childish to poke fun at the competition instead of just doing better comics.
Then again, I like that DC has been stretching its boundaries a bit. No evidence yet that Marvel will be doing that.
July 9th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Very funny Axel Alonso talk about books that last.
Marvel relaunch series ALL THE TIME. They relaunch it with new #1, and then revert for original numbering. Then relaunch again with a new #1…
This happens if unbelievable frequency from the last 10 years.
I found a very bad taste try to promote himself by talking shi!# about competitors while keep doing the same old thing over and over.
July 10th, 2012 at 12:31 am
You guys must not be reading the DC execs column. They talk trash about Marvel every month.
July 10th, 2012 at 8:29 am
At least DC is willing to try new things. I would say $#!# like “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing” was probably not expected to stick, but DC is mighty happy it did.
July 10th, 2012 at 9:18 am
If this is indeed the approach that Marvel will take, then I think I prefer it to DC’s. The scale of what DC did was intimidating for me and I still haven’t picked up more than a couple issues of the relaunch. It was also clear to me that this was a corporate decision and not a creative one (rather, the decision leaned heavily toward corporate). Marvel’s decision are also corporate–I have no illusions about this–but they do seem to emphasize the creators more than DC does.
Over the years, I think Marvel has concentrated more on putting the right people on the right books, and that seems to be a core part of their message for the upcoming months.
July 10th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
The “Big Two” must be hand in hand as to “reboot” or “revamp”. Come on, can’t they keep the original charaters, stick the best writers and artists on the book and give us great book to read, instead of continously change costumes, origins, etc. The current photo above clearly shows that Marvel wants to create an “Ultimate Universe” in the current one.
I abandoned DC with the new 52, I think I might be doing the same with Marvel if the new costumes and the new direction fail to impress. I have to agree with Sean R-B, with regards to Image or any of the independents. Image has made a major comeback with their titles, but still lack in some areas including keeping onschedule. Overall the independent books are almost better than the Big Two. I guess we will have to see what October brings and see if this spur more speculative buying.
July 15th, 2012 at 11:26 am
MARVEL NOW is what?
Oh, it is combining good writers and artists on important character books with stories that new and old fans can jump on-board with……….So, Marvel, what you are saying is that right now you place a mixture of mediocrity in your books with stories that have no rhyme or reason.
MARVEL NOW reality!
This is the Jim Shooter 1980′s all over again. Back then DC started a reboot, using a 12 issue Maxi-Series, Crisis on the Infinite Earths that was new, exciting and changed the status quo. Marvel/Jim Shooter panicked and had to throw something together quick and out came Secret Wars, one of the worst stories ever. It really changed nothing except a black costume for Spiderman and a sequel that exceeded the poor writing of the first.
DC did the New 52 and it is generally a success and has created buzz. Marvel is scrambling again so out pops MARVEL NOW!
Marvel, you have great characters with so much potential. You also have the two best movies of the summer. Don’t make everything a Special Event to compete with the other guys.