Neither Marvel or DC can apparently get a big event done on time
Today’s announcement of the delay of “Secret Invasion” #8 until Dec. 3, combined with the late shipping on “Final Crisis” and the replacement of the artist on the final issue, leads me to conclude that neither Marvel or DC can handle the number of events they are trying to publish back to back.
Last night, I read Marv Wolfman’s introduction to one of the “Teen Titans” archives, in which he said, during his run, he tried to mix up “big event” storylines with smaller, character-based storylines. He felt this made the book more compelling to readers, and, since he stayed on the book as the writer for 16 years, I’d give some credence to his opinion.
What do you think? Do you care if your “event books” are on time? Does late shipping screw up your enjoyment of other books in the same “universe”? Or if it’s good enough, does it matter?
– Matt Price
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Comments
I am just tired of all of these giant cross over events. Most of these could have been handled in about half the issues it is taking. Plus, there are so many other titles tied to it that are late. Why is it that when Messiah Complex came out, all of the different X-Books could handle getting the story done on time, but when you do a miniseries everything is late.
Plus this is just focusing on Marvel and DC. Top Cow is trying to do a miniseries for Witchblade. It is a three or four part story that should have been finished about two months ago. It has been so long since it came out I don’t even remember what is going on.
If X-Men and Superman can have crossovers in their own titles and get it out in time, then these mini-series need to get on the ball or lose the support of fans for these events.
I have hit an apathetic point when it comes to late comics. It really annoyed me that House of M and Civil War was late. I could give Marvel a pass on House of M, but a year later, they didn’t have the bugs ironed out? DC as well.
The only book that hasn’t affected me that way because it was late has been Legion of Three Worlds. My favorite book of the year.
Back to the point, a book would have to be so good, for me to forgive a late shipping date, and to continue so would actually make me end up dropping the book.
I would like to point out that Colin doesn’t actually BUY event books, he just reads mine, so he wouldn’t know it was 2 weeks late unless you told him. Every week I hand him a stack of comics and say, “Read these”. And sometimes he does.
I find these mostly hilarious after Bendis said on CBR the other day that SI would be the only event book to make it’s mark.
That said, who cares? It’s two weeks! If they hadn’t said anything, would anyone have really even cared? Does it upset the balance of the universe? America is literally crumbling into economic ruins, and we’re concerned with a comic coming out two weeks late? How about we be concerned that comics are costing more than gallon of gas!
Final Crisis is laughable because Didio and Co said, “no way, it’s all ahead, no shipping problems” and “nope, JG is on it” and they parade him around at every convention and say “all is fine” and then subtley slip in that, oh, um, we’ve got eight artists coming onto Final Crisis.
Why not just wait? Why put out an inferior book? I personally didn’t have any problem with Final Crisis 4, art wise, and thought it was pretty seamless.
When you rush things, then things get pretty screwed up.
Marvel’s not immune, either.
But really, who cares if a book is one or two weeks late? Does it kill the story? No. You probably have bought enough other books in that two weeks to sedate you.
But when a book is months behind schedule… That’s when it gets frustrating.
And yet, we buy books even when they’re late or they suck. We feed them.
Nobody wins… but in this case, for SI, i don’t care if it’s two weeks late. The ending is the same. And i bet it’s a terrible one.
I think I’m still paying for the books that really keep me entertained and haven’t screwed up their continuity beyond all reason.
I’m not sure how I feel about late ‘event’ books. It was hard enough to take regular storylines being late like The Ultimates Vol. 1 and worse when the release of those titles did not coincide with the release of their annuals. Ultimates Vol. 2 Annual was just one big spoiler for the end of Ultimates Vol. 2 so it pretty much pissed me off. As far as event books, I suppose it is the same. How many revelations have taken place in ancilliary books and crossover titles before the main storyline actually came out? Plenty since 2004, more than ever should have happened. And worse, when you have situations in storylines that don’t make any difference in the rest of the universe, like when Magneto took over NYC in a single day at the end of Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men, and not a single other book has anything to do with it, or that business where the United States was occupies in the Avengers year long storyline… it’s the same problem. I’d take late books over storylines that don’t mesh with anythng else any day.