Are you Happy with the Current Marvel Climate?

[Miles To Go]

Anything happening with Wally West? I would really love to find him being used well again

That ain't happening anytime soon

[Prof. Warren]

There are books I like
There are books I don't like
There are books which seem ok but I don't have time or budget for.

rise and repeat for the next dozen threads that beat this drum.

Yup.

I didn't cast a vote in this poll because I prefer to vote with my dollar.

That's where reader's voices are actually heard.

[DragonsChi]

Yup.

I didn't cast a vote in this poll because I prefer to vote with my dollar.

That's where reader's voices are actually heard.

Thats noble of both of you. But the purpose of this thread is to hear and see the concerns of those who are, were, and no longer purchasing Marvel comics.

If your not interested in voting or commenting then unfortunately there is no reason to be in this thread. We all know the almighty dollar makes the final determination, so there is no reason to inform us of that. However, if you have something to add , good or bad, please do.

[steeplejack2112]

>Bendis is still Top Dog

Nope, I can't say I'm liking Marvel very much at the moment... Well, technically I haven't liked Marvel for a few years now, but Ree-Ree was just the final nail in the coffin. I could put up with Manchild Strange, Vincent Cassel Doom, even Jane!Thor, but Manchild Tony + "muh Secret Origin" + Ree-Ree + "muh Mystery Coma" + "that one issue where Bendis' daughterfu takes over an entire country" just... they pushed me over the edge.

UGH!!!! How the hell is that guy even a big name at Marvel anymore? He was okay when he first broke out, but now I can't stand anything by him. I dropped Iron Man after RiRi took over. I might pick it up again. Even before that though, Bendis' Iron Man run was boring as ****. Everything he writes is boring. There's no action. I hated Civil War II because every issue consisted of people standing around arguing or talking. His Spider-Man book is like that as well. Enough with the drawn out character development. Action would be nice.

[steeplejack2112]

Anything happening with Wally West? I would really love to find him being used well again. I used to really love Harley Quinn but haven't been able to get into the new Harley, too Deadpoolish for my taste. Has that changed? I want some Harley tales in the vein of the classic. Also, how is Deathstroke? I have heard a few good things and have thought about giving it a try.

Other than that, what has been good? I am always up for trying something new.

I don't read all of the Superman titles, but as my favorite character, I have been loving both Action and Superman more than I have in quite some time. The New 52 pretty much killed the character for me. Other favorites right now include Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, Aquaman, and Batman Beyond.

[Prof. Warren]

Thats noble of both of you. But the purpose of this thread is to hear and see the concerns of those who are, were, and no longer purchasing Marvel comics.

If your not interested in voting or commenting then unfortunately there is no reason to be in this thread. We all know the almighty dollar makes the final determination, so there is no reason to inform us of that. However, if you have something to add , good or bad, please do.

The question of the thread is "Are you Happy With The Current Marvel Climate?"

I commented to that effect. As did pageturner.

As this poll has only garnered a piddling 188 votes so far after being up for some time, a number so minuscule that you couldn't even call it a drop in the bucket - more like dry spit in a bucket - it's probably not a bad thing to remind people that voting with their dollar is what really matters and what really sends a message to publishers.

[DragonsChi]

The question of the thread is "Are you Happy With The Current Marvel Climate?"

I commented to that effect. As did pageturner.

As this poll has only garnered a piddling 188 votes so far after being up for some time, a number so minuscule that you couldn't even call it a drop in the bucket - more like dry spit in a bucket - it's probably not a bad thing to remind people that voting with their dollar is what really matters and what really sends a message to publishers.

Yes, but a dollar or lack there of vary rarely gets to the root of the why an art form succeeds or fails. This thread has multiple people saying what they do and they do not like. If you read through it a lot of it is very similar. Whose to say someone at Marvel or even another company entirely will not look into this thread, use the information and then some how facilitate a means to grab us? It's possible.

Either way this conversation is veering off course of the topic. If you choose not to vote it's your business.

[Yagamifire]

As this poll has only garnered a piddling 188 votes so far after being up for some time, a number so minuscule that you couldn't even call it a drop in the bucket - more like dry spit in a bucket

188 people vs Marvel's monthly sales is actually HIGHLY statistically relevant...y'know, cuz Marvel moves so few units.

Holy crap though you sound SUPER triggered by how absolutely blown out Marvel is getting in this poll.

[Conn Seanery]

Folks, keep it about the comics (as the OP originally intended). And just because you don't like a comic doesn't mean you get to speak rudely or insultingly about the creators involved. Keep it civil.

[Shinglepants]

Overall, I'm pretty happy.

The Good
Plenty of great books. Thor, Ultimates, Silver Surfer, OML, Ms. Marvel etc. Vision was a damn masterpiece.
Lots of great artists with a lot of different styles. Dauterman, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Del Mundo, Immonen, Samnee and Burrows to name a few.
They reinstated the free digital code, good move.

The Bad
Movie synergy sucks. All evidence suggests that the films aren't bringing in extra readers. Why they feel the need to align with them is something I don't understand.
I'm not a massive F4 fan but even I appreciate there is a hole and they need a big come back.
I just picked up the first 2 issues of Mr. Miracle and holy smokes, the paper stock for DC covers puts Marvels to shame.

The Mixed bag
I appreciate that Marvel is trying to diversify their line, and I applaud them for it. However, they seem to have had too many misses and too many early cancellations. If you are going to give a book a chance, have the conviction to follow through with it. Otherwise be a little critical about what your putting out. Too many Novas, GLA, FoolKillers and Madcap's.

[JamJams]

I vote yes.
The direction Marvel takes is always fine with me. I'm not picky about who wears what spandex or calls themselves whatever codename. But the individual stories end up not being that great because as soon as there is a creative swap (due to a replacement on that comic or the characters appear in another comic) everything that has been happening in those stories is ignored or altered in order to make the story they want to tell work.

[CaptCleghorn]

The question of the thread is "Are you Happy With The Current Marvel Climate?"

I commented to that effect. As did pageturner.

As this poll has only garnered a piddling 188 votes so far after being up for some time, a number so minuscule that you couldn't even call it a drop in the bucket - more like dry spit in a bucket - it's probably not a bad thing to remind people that voting with their dollar is what really matters and what really sends a message to publishers.

There's a common misconception that posting to a comic book forum is a message to a publisher. People post to complain about books they hate and to laud books they love. We do it here because we often find people who agree with us. I don't expect a thing I say here to get to Marvel. I say it to trade and exchange ideas with people who have the same interest I do.

This poll is unscientific. It is a small sample from a restricted pool. I do this for a living, so I do have a clue. It, like top X lists, are meant to spark conversation, not to make any definitive statements.

[Cap808]

Sadly, I don't think I can be happy again with Marvel until Richard Rider, Nova Prime, is once again relevant in Marvel Cosmic, or better yet, Marvel's mainstream.

[skyvolt2000]

And I can't really figure out how Foolkiller's number of previous issues explains away the fact that no one wanted to read them. No one knows who these characters are, and like Marvel always does, they figured they'd just throw everything at the wall and see what stuck. I imagine the thought process was something like this.
1. Deadpool made significantly more money than we ever could have imagined.
2. We need to push Deadpool harder than he's ever been pushed before.
3. We need a Deadpool franchise.
4. Quick! Call all of our D-list writers! We need four more books on the shelves that are tangentially related to Deadpool immediately!!

They never stopped to ask the question, "Does anyone want this?" The answer is a resounding 'no,' in case you're curious.

If we go by your attitude a guy named Peter Parker would not be around. Along with the X-Men, New Warriors and many others.

In fact who asked for Image, Milestone, Valiant or IDW?

Who asked for a book about flying fat girl named Faith? A black kid named Virgil O Hawkins AKA Static? Who asked for a diverse X-Men team after the lily white one failed to sell?

I don't fault a company with 70+ books a month for trying something.

Yes I would try to spread out Deadpool into a bigger franchise. No one cried when Batman, Superman or Spider-Man did it. So why fault them for Deadpool? If they succeeded-would have made a bigger need for Marvel to get those Deadpool movie rights. It at least could have forced some more talking and dealing.

Funny that Marvel is the only company that is forever accused of throwing stuff on the wall Like DC hasn't been tossing.

[TheFerg714]

If we go by your attitude a guy named Peter Parker would not be around. Along with the X-Men, New Warriors and many others.

These examples are totally different than the Mercs for Money and you know it.

Who asked for a book about flying fat girl named Faith?

A lot of people. She was a breakout fan favorite from Harbinger, and her mini-series was successful, so she got an ongoing.

Who asked for a diverse X-Men team after the lily white one failed to sell?

Wait... so you really think that the X-Men stopped selling as well as they did in the 90's because they were all white?

I don't fault a company with 70+ books a month for trying something

The answer to the conundrum of "how to we produce 70+ comics?" is not "let's just try something random and see what happens." The answer is to STOP FLOODING THE MARKET! How about, I don't know, maybe just not publishing books that nobody's gonna buy just to fill up shelf space? Maybe, instead of forcing stupid ideas into stores, they could put a little more effort into their staples like DC has done recently.

Yes I would try to spread out Deadpool into a bigger franchise. No one cried when Batman, Superman or Spider-Man did it. So why fault them for Deadpool? If they succeeded-would have made a bigger need for Marvel to get those Deadpool movie rights. It at least could have forced some more talking and dealing.

Ok, just for fun, let's look at today's Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man franchises, and see what makes those lineups better than what Marvel tried for both Deadpool and Daredevil recently.
Batman: Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batgirl, Batwoman, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, and Batman Beyond
Superman: Superman, Action Comics, Superwoman, Supergirl, Super Sons, New Super-Man
Spider-Man: Amazing, Spectacular, Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man/Deadpool, RYV, Ben Reilly, Venom
^Every single one of these franchises has had years to grow and cultivate a following. When you want to create a line around Deadpool, you don't shove 5 books into the customer's face and expect to make any money off of that. What kind of comic buyer goes into the store and thinks, "huh, I have a little extra disposable income, I'm gonna check out what these random Z-list, tangentially-related-to-Deadpool, characters are up to, and then I'm going to keep buying them all every month." No one does that. It's hard enough to create one spin-off title for a superhero, let alone five. On another note, Marvel did the same thing to Daredevil. Kingpin, Elektra, and Bullseye were all canceled within 6 issues because no one wants to buy 3 spinoff titles, when all they're really interested in is Daredevil. And then they did it again with Defenders... Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and even Daredevil and Defenders are selling pretty terribly. Somehow Jessica Jones has risen to the top, but my point is, Marvel needs to show a little restraint.

Funny that Marvel is the only company that is forever accused of throwing stuff on the wall Like DC hasn't been tossing.

Not sure how many times I'm going to have to say this, but you're the one comparing the companies. Personally, I think DC is doing literally everything better than Marvel, but just because DC has made mistakes doesn't solve the mistakes that Marvel has been making.