Rich Johnston looks at how Marvel NOW! is being promoted, and how it’s selling through, now that the first issues are actually out in the world:
Nevertheless, a private poll of around eighty retailers found that none have encountered an amazing response to the Marvel NOW books, a good chunk have seen existing customers interested in the books, but most have either encountered less than expected sales – or terrible sales on the books.
Bear in mind: There are only four Marvel NOW! branded titles out there right now – the new Uncanny Avengers and A+X and the relaunched/newly-branded Red She-Hulk and Wolverine and The X-Men – so there isn’t really a lot of information to actually go on just yet. I’d argue that, despite the hype, the “big” titles in terms of those readers are anticipating are due over the next couple of months as All-New X-Men and Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers hit stands; Uncanny Avengers feels like the only “big” launch of the line to date (which does raise the question, “Why launch a brand with one big book and three smaller titles, instead of more big ones up front?” of course).
Nonetheless, something that Rich points out in the article is worth paying attention to:
DC also had a more successful marketing campaign and got new and lapsed customers back into comic stores in their droves. DC relied on making comics returnable, even though, for the first few months, very few were returned. It gave the retailer confidence to try and find a ceiling for sales… one that they constantly underestimated. For Marvel, retailers were given an incentive to order staggering amounts of comics, but the marketing campaign didn’t convince enough people to walk into their store and pick up a couple of comics.
I’ve been thinking about the differences between the launch of the New 52 and the launch of Marvel NOW!, and the lack of both sustained media blitz a la New 52 – which was everywhere for the month of September, as the books were coming out, with previews not only in the comics media but also previews in mainstream magazines from Marie Claire to Complex – and retailer returnability seem to me to be massive absences in the Marvel plan. Far more than the comics themselves, I’d argue that DC’s ability to get the word out to the “real world” about the relaunch, and ability to essentially make ordering the books as close to risk-free as is possible/likely are what made the New 52 launch as successful as it actually was. Which isn’t to say that Marvel NOW! as a promotion won’t be successful for Marvel, because I think that it will – but I doubt that it’ll be as successful, at all.
(There’s also the fact that the New 52 was easier to promote to newcomers: “If it comes out in September, it’s all-new and you can start right here!” is a far simpler message than “If it comes out between October and March and has this logo on the cover, it’s all-new and you can start right here, but we might make references to this thing called Avengers vs. X-Men which just finished as well as some other comics, but you can always get those collections if you really want,” when it comes down to it.)
In addition to all of that, don’t forget that the two newly-launched books for the line that are actually out, Uncanny Avengers and A+X, have been hit with delays and changes by their second issues, something that can’t raise too much confidence when it comes to reliability of future shipping from retailers or customers. But that may be an entirely different complaint altogether.
Does all of this mean that Marvel NOW! is a failure? Not in the slightest: Uncanny Avengers had orders above 350,000 apparently, which is massively successful, and anything that’ll lift the average monthly orders of books like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor on a regular basis has to be seen as a good thing. But I can’t help but feel as if it’s not as much as a success as the House of Ideas might’ve been hoping for, either…
November 2nd, 2012 at 1:18 pm
I saw this on BC and immediately thought, Graeme is going to link to this article. I mean, it’s got everything a Graeme article could want. Anti-Marvel conjecture? Check. Unfavorable comparison to DC? Check. Easy spot to whine about delays? Check. It’s perfection!
There’s been 4 (four) Marvel NOW books. One is a big hit, sold 350,000 copies, it’s their flagship title. One is a continuation of a poorly performing series that highlights a relatively unknown character -a gamble in any economic climate. One is a one-shot that acts as a preview for upcoming books, and one is an add on to Marvels successful summer event that is the definition of “non-essential” reading – something the market clearly shows readers dont want. Aside form Uncanny Avengers, how many of the titles teased and promoted as major Marvel NOW titles are out? What’s that? None, you say? Well what a perfect time to say the marketing failed to get people in stores! Just like the marketing for the new Lincoln movie failed to get people in theaters last weekend! What? It comes out this Christmas? Who cares, screw em! We have comprehensive data, from a private poll of 80 (80! Almost two per state!!!) who say these phantom books aren’t selling, so why bother with the fact that they aren’t on shelves yet!
But my favorite thing about this post HAS to be the part where Graeme says:
“Far more than the comics themselves, I’d argue that DC’s ability to get the word out to the “real world” about the relaunch, and ability to essentially make ordering the books as close to risk-free as is possible/likely are what made the New 52 launch as successful as it actually was. ”
Not because I disagree, but because just last week, he said this:
“In other words: Yes, DC may have won the dollar and market share for last month, but that doesn’t mean that they should necessarily feel happy with the way things are going over there.”
That’s from a post regarding the fact that outside its top 15 or so books, the mid to lower tier DC books aren’t selling anything. I’m sure that’s the success Graeme is talking about! At least you made it through without being depressed!
November 2nd, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Tyler -
Respond to his argument critically and logically. I understand what a loyal Marvel Zombie you are and feel protective over your Mania, but Graeme is coming from a place of caring whether you like it or not.
November 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 pm
I dd respond to his argument critically and logically. What you aren’t doing us responding to mine critically and logically. If you want to do that, go for it! If not, bizzle on somewhere else.
November 4th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Hey, Tyler, you compare two quotes by Graeme, but they’re referring to different things.
The quote from this column is a reference to the first few months of the new 52, when DC hyped the hell out of it in the mainstream press and when all of the books were returnable.
The second quote is referring to numbers from last month — a year after the relaunch.
Cherry picking information is exactly what you’re accusing Graeme (or, actually, Rich) of doing, but you’re doing the same thing.
November 4th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Hey Kyle, i’m aware of where the quotes came from and what context they were used in, being that i found them myself. I don’t see how the quote from this column is qualified by referring only to the first few months of the DC relaunch, as you say it is, merely that their marketing made the relaunch a success. Then, in another article, which is an article on the overall health of the line, Graeme clearly casts his doubts on how things are going “over there” at DC. So, yes, I did “cherry pick” my quotes, but they are related, given that he is referencing both times the success of the DC line.
You could make an argument that what you say, that this article refers to only the first few months of the DC relaunch, is implied, due to the fact that, if Graeme’s previous article is to be believed, things are not nearly as good at DC now as opposed to last September. But that’s not explicitly stated, and even if it were, it leads to splitting hairs on how one views the term “success”.
I highlight them to show that there is clearly a narrative formed in Graeme’s blogs when talking about Marvel, especially Marvel NOW, and i am not the only poster to point it out recently. The rest of my argument (bitching about how poorly Marvel NOW is performing when it’s not on the stands) stands.
January 28th, 2013 at 5:35 pm
They want lapsed readers back then 1 retcon back to 1999 2 forget the dark edgy cynical bs unless it is the character 3 get off the avengers kick and write the other lines especially x books and the supernatural story lines 4 fire the big name writers for writers who love the books and characters 5 no more universe spanning crossovers I f I want to read fill in the blank that is not Iron man I don’t want to see his tin butt in the book I don’t care if he’s pushing registration or charity he doesn’t belong. Don’t see cyclops or ghostrider crashing his book now do we? 6 bring back Jean grey preferably with out the phoenix and let her be Jean simple as that. 7 New characters who aren’t just reconstituted old characters. 8 Story not events each book should tell ITS OWN story not some one elses that tells me the writer doesn’t want to write my title he wants to write the other one. 9 no more guest star writers in main continuity that simple. 10 stop catering to the hip and cool it isn’t either neither are we and we came here for a unique story not edgy whiny crap that we can get on any tv show. 11 no one really likes shield deal and move on. 12 stop killing main protagonists needlessly. Its like seeing a washed up actor in a teeny boper movie every one knows he has no hope then same with the pointless deaths to sell titles. 13 the thunderbolts are not cool they were cool as villains leave that the way it is it works. 14 continuity dont break it 15 write the issue the tpb will come from the building blocks. 16 look for new talent thats undiscovered visit a few fan fic and rp forums hell you’ll find better writing there than morrison fraction and many others who love the characters and genre. 17 adult doesn’t mean swearing and boobs and guts its presentation pure and plot. Its dealing with deeper issues. You were there 14 years ago go back. 18 collectors they make you money and sink 100′s into books a month. 19 new storylines stop barfing up the same old stories again and again. See the comments on writers there. 20 fire Joe Q completely or failing that move him out of having any impact on the books.