Marvel.com Blogs - Blah Blah Blog by Tom Brevoort

web marvel.com

BLOGS HOME|COMIC BLOGS|VIDEO GAME BLOGS|OTHER BLOGS|MARVEL NEWS

Reader Questions 4
2009-05-29 18:01:42

For some strange reason, the Blog server seems to have eaten the answer to yesterday's last question. So we'll start with that one again today, and then forge ahead into new question-answering territory!

>when are we going to see a follow up to the marvel mystic arcana series? and, though I doubt I'll get a real answer, when will we see the real scarlet witch again in more than just a cameo?

Posted by piperdg on 2009-05-23 11:44:41>

Depends on what you mean by a follow-up to MYSTIC ARCANNA, piper. There's currently some very crucial mystic stuff going on in the pages of NEW AVENGERS that'll be of consequence to the mystic portion of the Marvel Universe in the months to come. As for Wanda, as I believe we've mentioned in the past, she plays a central role in the AVENGERS project that Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung have been working on these long months, and which you should hopefully see in 2010.

>I am very excited about the Spider-man: Mary Jane You Just Hit the Jackpot solicits in the August catalog. I was especially excited, and a bit surprised, to see the excellent Parallel Lives graphic novel included in this collection. I was not expecting to see a book that celebrates the Peter/MJ relationship and marriage released in the current Spider-man environment. You can consider at least one copy of this TPB already SOLD!!

The obvious question becomes... is this an indication that Marvel is softening on their stated position that 'the marriage never happened'?

Posted by tomek97 on 2009-05-23 15:38:34>

No. Seriously, no. We're not going to hesitate to reprint stuff from those years as the opportunity strikes, but we're not going to be going back to a married Spider-Man either.

>1. You said a while ago that if Avengers were renumbering, it would pick up with New Avengers. Considering much of the Mighty Avengers press is how it's going back to Avengers-y stories (spotlighting how New Avengers has a very, very different style than the classic Avengers), do you still feel that way? Even when Bendis was launching Mighty Avengers, it was pitched as a book intended to have more of a classic Avengers feel. >

Numbering isn't about the feel of a series, it's about successive monthly issues. NEW AVENGERS was the successor title to AVENGERS--it's what replaced AVENGERS on the publishing roster. So that's the book that carries forward with the aggregate numbering. MIGHTY came three years later, so despite the flavor or the tone of the title, it's not a direct continuation of AVENGERS. It's a spin-off title. As is DARK.

>2. Can you explain some of the reasoning behind the concept of New Warriors v.4 (which IIRC, writer Kevin Grevioux was told to use). Why did a book spinning out of Civil War feature a bunch of depowered mutants (seemingly fallout from House of M) and next to no connection to the original New Warriors? While at the same time, those characters were being used in a very CW-relevant manner in Avengers Initiative. Seems like NW was really set up to fail. I know Marvel obviously wanted it to succeed, but linking depowered mutants with a property that wasn't ever an X-franchise just seemed awfully bizarre to me. Does the failure of v.4 mean it's going to be that much harder to get a Counter-Force (now back to New Warriors) series anytime?

Posted by motteditor on 2009-05-23 17:13:34>

Nobody around here loves the New Warriors more than I do, Mott. I was the last editor of the original series, and I've used the individual characters in many of my titles over the years. So let me tell you, straight up, that linking a new NEW WARRIORS series to the X-MEN corner of the Universe could only have been a benefit--while there's a certain amount of NEW WARRIORS nostalgia, it was never a property that was a top-seller. Revivals of one sort or another have been tried on multiple occasions (there's a reason why Kevin's run was v.4 after all) and none of them ever worked out. So trying something new with the concept seemed like a feasible idea, especially since it was an idea that grew directly out of the conclusion of HOUSE OF M and DECIMATION, and so was rooted firmly within the larger Marvel U. Kevin's NEW WARRIORS was hardly set up to fail, but the way this business works, you take your best shot, and some things stick and some things don't. As for Counter-Force, while we might have used the New Warriors name for them had it not been in play elsewhere, that hasn't stopped them from becoming a prominent element in AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE--one that's only going to grow to greater prominence in the next few months. I honestly don't know that I see a real need right this second for a COUNTER-FORCE series, but if there were one, the fact that a totally-unrelated NEW WARRIORS book had ended wouldn't have much bearing on that.

>I have one question, and one question only: When will MDCU finally contain every last Marvel comic (Hopefully in complete chronological and/or publication) order?

Posted by Soul Fire on 2009-05-23 17:43:57>

Given that we release somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 titles every month, and we've got a 70 year backlog, I'd say that it's going to take a relatively long time for absolutely everything to be available. But we are constantly adding to the MDCU library month after month, so it should continue to grow in size and depth steadily.

>1.) I have to ask about the classic guys. It seems to me that writers like Stern and Michelinie have written some well received stuff recently when Marvel finally gave them a chance again. Besides Stern's upcoming 3 parter with the Juggernaut in Amazing Spider-Man (with the great Lee Weeks!), what other projects are these guys working on? >

I'm not sure that David is writing anything for us at present, but Roger's got the lead story in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #7, the YOUNG ALLIES COMICS #1 70th Anniversary one-shot and a story in CAPTAIN AMERICA #600 coming out in just a few weeks. In fact, we sent all three of them to the printer earlier today.

>2.) Any chance of a She-Hulk and Her Lady Liberators series or a new season for Captain Brittain and MI:13? Both could work with Peter David and Paul Cornell writing and bigger name artists.

Posted by Dusty. on 2009-05-23 20:32:41>

There aren't any plans for a Lady Liberators series at the moment, Dusty, and as I'm sure you've heard, CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13 is ending as well. And I don't think the secret here is as simple as "bigger name artists". For one thing, you'd need to find bigger name artists who'd really want to work on these titles in the first place. And then, you've got the fact that bigger name artists also tend to be higher paid artists, and so a title circulating at the level of a CAPTAIN BRITAIN may not be easily able to cover the additional A & E costs against its budget. Finally, there's also a question of the best use of resources. If I've got a Big Name Artist who's available (and for some reason will do anything I tell him to, no questions asked), and his presence on a title will increase sales by let's say 25%, then it really makes better sense to place him on a more popular series. Not only is the amount of benefit immediately higher, but having top talent on those books is what keeps them top titles in the first place.

>I'm well aware of the fact that you know how good a book Captain Britain and the MI 13 is, so, keeping it simple...
Where sales THAT bad that you couldn't afford to publish a series this great?

Isn't sometimes quality enough to mantain the hope for a title to someday, somehow (promoting it, perhaps) boost sales? I mean, doesnt three regular Wolverine titles enogh money to keep less commercial projects on the market?

Posted by tanwer on 2009-05-23 20:50:18>

Boy, you CAPTAIN BRITAIN fans are really out in force this week. Tanwer, it all comes down to a return on investment--and that investment includes time and energy as well as just money. We publish a lot of titles, and we're constantly trying new things. And the reality of the marketplace is that some of those things are going to click, and some of them aren't. And some will click for a little while, and then taper off. There's no sin in that--it's an entirely democratic process in which you fans vote with your wallets and your feet. Now, any one book being unprofitable isn't enough to break Marvel, but the question is, where do you draw the line? If we keep CAPTAIN BRITAIN going, then shouldn't we also keep RUNAWAYS going? Or IRON FIST? Or SPIDER-GIRL? Or any of a number of other titles that have hit this level despite a dedicated and loyal core audience. At the end of the day, Marvel is a business--if we don't make money, they come around and turn all the lights out. Every series in our publishing line needs to earn its keep in one way or another. If it's a property we really believe in, we may run a given series into the red for awhile to see if we can't find a way to turn it around, but we simply cannot do that on every title that garners critical acclaim. It stinks, but the reality of the quirky, off-to-the-side series is that the very reason they appeal to so many dedicated reader is because they provide some stylistic hit that you just can't quite get from the rest of the line--but often that very style is what's off-putting to the broader audience in general. And that isn't a problem that can be solved simply by promoting it (and CAPTAIN BRITAIN got a heck of a lot of promotion around its Dracula storyline). Nor is it the responsibility of a WOLVERINE title to underwrite another series. Every title in our publishing line needs to carry its own weight, and that means that sometimes we have to make sad, tough choices.

More on Monday!

Tom B

pity
That's really a pity, Captain Britain was one of my favorite titles from Marvel. Too bad they can't do what DC is doing with their backup features. Weird that it got an annual even if it wasn't doing well.

Oh well...

Posted by beta-ray on 2009-05-29 21:51:05

Runaways is cancelled? I think that's news...

Posted by CylverSaber on 2009-05-30 07:02:52

I very much liked the idea of Hawkeye being Wanda' new champion, from the stunning episode by Bendis and Maleev, except that with the return of Mockingbird, this aspect vanished litteraly of the character' dimension...

About the cancellation of Captain Britain, I just want to say that if you're trying new things, you're trying them not very well - with all respect :
we had a cast of characters setting together and en route for the usual super-heroes routine, new threats after new threats and not the real opportunity to develop a particular identity, excepting the syndicated quotas of punch lines...
I guess we should have more minis before really start a new ongoing, and these minis can be the real field of experiments of what the title could be...

Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-05-30 08:43:13

...and by the way, that would be my penultimitate question :

I appreciated A LOT the late 'BEYOND' mini-serie and I'd like to know if there isn't a possibility to launch an ongoing actually, focusing about unusuals heroes and vilains teaming, under the same unusuals circumstances...it could be almost the 'twilight zone ' corner of the MU, and you could use all Steven R.Stahl' pitches, which will be less expensive and more interesting than 'renting' Geoff Johns...

friendly yours,

Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-05-30 09:03:21

mystic arcana
Tom
thanks for the response. As for what i meant by a follow up to Mystica Arcana, I was referring to the fact that the series left the facat that the structure of magic in MU still needed tobe repaired, and that Ashake was now in the 21st century. As for the informatino about the Scarlet Witch, thanks, but please forgive the fact that this is information is skeptically received since other marvel announcements have also talked about the return of the Scarlet Witch, only to turn out to be non-conclusive cameos or totally misleading.
piper

Posted by piperdg on 2009-06-01 21:10:11

Captain Britain & MI13
Hi Tom. While I do agree with a lot of what your saying about Captain Britain & Mi13, and sales of Marvel's second tier books in general, I don't find myself able to agree with the idea of CB&MI13 receiving a lot of publicity. This is a title which was never advertised in another Marvel book until the start of the current arc at #10. At which point it received a full page advert in (What I believe was limited to) one week's Marvel comics. That was all until the last two weeks, in which adverts for #14 have been in most of Marvel's output - beginning the week after its cancellation was revealed.

A lot of fans online (And there really hasn't been a forum out there which hasn't been discussing it) have reacted quite angrily about this. The bottom line is that this title has almost exclusively been marketed only through fans online and word of mouth. And from that point of view its sales were pretty impressive. It fought damned hard for a year to establish a solid readership without publicity, only for it to be cancelled as soon as it did.

I'd also note disappointment that the current Vampire State storyline is so strongly tied to Dark Reign, but not listed as officially being part of the event. Had it been wearing the Dark Reign banner on the covers I feel pretty sure that it would have added some quite substantial sales, and resulted in building upon the readership which it had fought for.

I really can't help but feel this book was can 6 months too early. With a bit of pushing this title could have expanded Marvel's foothold in other territories and built upon a very vocal and reliable fan base.

Posted by Captain 616 on 2009-06-02 03:25:38

Magical mayhem
The intention underlying the current storyline in NEW AVENGERS might have been to have dramatic developments concerning magic, but the storyline's premise is invalid in several basic ways, the most serious being that the Eye is a tool for invoking Agamotto, not an independently-acting talisman. There's also the historical fact, according to Marvel's own online database, that the Vishanti created the "Sorcerer Supreme" title and would, presumably, be concerned with any successor. The NA storyline tells readers that possession of the Eye confers the title and provides the title holder with the needed power. But, if the premise is invalid --? As I posted on the Marvel.com message boards:

NEW AVENGERS #53 is an excellent example of why a large number of readers hate Bendis’s stories. Most of the story was filler. The only significant plot developments in the issue were the Eye’s display of possible successors and, as usual, the last page, which showed Brother Voodoo with the Eye.

Madame Masque vs. the New Avengers lacked drama because there was no real threat. The Hood vs. Daimon Hellstrom lacked drama because there was no threat -- Hellstrom didn’t have the Eye -- and neither was a sympathetic character.

The plot also had serious problems. There’s no reason to think that Hellstrom’s powers would affect the Hood’s “demonic” form since Hood is powered by Dormammu’s magic, or that the New Avengers could defeat the Hood physically. Bendis also relied on the silly notion that Hellstrom would think the Hood was possessed by a Hellish demon because of the Hood’s appearance. Detecting Dormammu’s magic should have been elementary. Recall the HELLCAT miniseries. No subplots progressed. As mentioned in prior posts, the depiction of the Eye wasn't valid.

The “suspense” over who would get the Eye was similar to other gimmicks: Who was a Skrull? Who was Ronin? Were any of the returnees in SECRET INVASION human? The repetition has made the gimmick tired, a “Where’s Waldo?” for teenagers.

Brother Voodoo is a bad choice. The title “Sorcerer Supreme” signifies mastery of sorcery, not the potential to be a sorcerer.. Invoking voodoo gods is similar to sorcery but requires much less skill and knowledge. Compare Shuma-Gorath to the Black Talon as opponents.

The reader ends up paying $3.99 for the artwork, the Eye sequence, the panel in which Cap hits Madame Masque’s mask with a shot, the last page, and banter. That’s a bad deal.

SRS

Posted by Steven R. Stahl on 2009-06-02 13:10:38

New Warriors & Other Titles w/ Multiple Cance
Many of these titles have great initial runs that run out of steam, and then, they can never regain that level of success in follow-up attempts. Why not integrate these characters into more popular team books, boost the popularity of these characters and raise their status by making them important to the more popular characters and the teams they've joined, and have those more popular teams break into smaller teams after these characters have gained status as mainstays or fan-favorites even among the classic characters? Could that work? I know there'd be pride involved in previous team memberships, but wouldn't almost all like to become well-known Avengers instead of a team that just pales in comparison to the Avengers? Would it dillute the brand of those more popular teams or simply create more mainstays and potential for multiple titles under a popular name?

Posted by iceman1906 on 2009-06-03 03:57:34

MDCU
"I have one question, and one question only: When will MDCU finally contain every last Marvel comic (Hopefully in complete chronological and/or publication) order?"

They are already out there. You just have to know where to look. Where do you think Marvel got the idea?

Posted by cmcdjj37 on 2009-06-05 17:40:09

"No. Seriously, no. We're not going to hesitate to reprint stuff from those years as the opportunity strikes, but we're not going to be going back to a married Spider-Man either."

And this stance is why so many tens of thousands of fans are no longer reading.

Posted by jeffgamer on 2009-06-18 08:43:51

Regarding the Spider-Marriage
With all due respect, I think Mr. Brevoort should never say never when it comes to the Spider-Marriage. Marvel Comics thought fans would accept Ben Reilly as the real Peter Parker and that backfired. Besides, nobody thought the aftermath of the retcon of Spider-Man's marriage in "One More Day" would have the impact it did, as well as the impact it still has. I, myself, am not a fan of what's happened with Spider-Man and I continue to not read and/or buy the current Spider-Man comics because I do not support what has/is being done. It's a real shame, though. I'd love to buy the Spider-Man comics again. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to sound mean or disrespectful here. Far from it. But it's just that I'm still hurt that Marvel erased the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane, my favorite married couple in all of comics, from continuity. When the marriage returns - and I believe it's "when", not "if", because there are various petitions, fan letters, and now an Unofficial Spider-Marriage Fans Group on Facebook done by fans who support Spidey's marriage. Thank you for reading. 'Nuff said.

Posted by Stuart Green on 2009-07-14 21:25:42

Array

Enter a response to this blog post: