There are 6 volumes for the Fantastic Four and 2 for FF (one Fanstatic Four produced by wildstorm)
What is it that they hate about the continuity?
There are 6 volumes for the Fantastic Four and 2 for FF (one Fanstatic Four produced by wildstorm)
What is it that they hate about the continuity?
They can support continuity and keep renumbering volumes. One does not necessarily negate the other.
But to answer your question: #1's sell.
It does make things confusing, though, particularly when they change names - or, with team books, launch multiple titles.
Together with the curse of periodic events and crossovers, it can make following a single series a needlessly complex affair.
It can get a little on the confusing side if you're not paying close attention, but historically First issues sell well and provide a brief boost in sales. I don't think it's too bad as long as trades are clearly labelled by creator runs, and the volumes feel like distinct series.
I think it's a mix of different things: They wanted new readers not to feel intimidated by an issue 364 (or whatever). If you want to get into comics and see #1, you'll probably think you'll understand the story. Also, they wanted to separate some overall arc that could have lasted for a while, or start a completely new feel from what they were already writing. I'm assuming all of this. They could also put a different adjective to differentiate the series (i.e. New, Extreme, Uncanny, Etc.)
I really appreciate the legacy numbering on the covers now under the current volumes number. It's a wonderful touch.
They do it for the sales boost. No other reason.
It's definitely a marketing gimmick, to take advantage of speculators who buy up all the new #1s and subsequent variant covers. Although, I do think Marvel is at last seeing diminishing returns over this practise. After so many relaunches the sales boost from a new #1 just isn't what it used to be.
money, people like buying #1 more than #647.
Reading List (Super behind but reading them nonetheless):
DC: Currently figuring that out
Marvel: Read above
Image: Killadelphia, Nightmare Blog
Other: The Antagonist, Something is Killing the Children, Avatar: TLAB
Manga: My Hero Academia, MHA: Vigilanties, Soul Eater: the Perfect Edition, Berserk, Hunter X Hunter, Witch Hat Atelier, Kaiju No. 8
As others have said, Marvel keep relaunching books because #1’s typically sell better. It’s all about money, a business strategy they use to keep the green flowing. #1’s also tend to have a lot of variants. How well this practice works is debatable, but, imo, it has outstayed its welcome.
What Star¬_Jammer said is true, they can support continuity while still renumbering volumes, but sooner or later, they won’t be able to do that anymore and the practice will bite them in the ass. The practice is not as lucrative as before, at least not according to what I’ve seen.
Continuously renumbering will, and has, hurt storylines or cut them off at the legs. It also damages the customers interest long-term, because if they know a series is just going to get relaunched, why should they be invested in the story or characters when everything is just going to be uprooted soon anyway.
A lot of series have a massive drop-off between the #1’s and the #2’s, sometimes over half, and from there the number typically declines steadily, with maybe an occasional rise here and there, until, inevitably, the book gets renumbered/relaunched due to low sells/orders. Then the cycle starts again.
I’m simplifying it of course, there are a lot more factors that go into it all, but as I see it, Marvel’s business practice hurts their brand and the industry, and is in part at fault for so many stores going out of business. They’ve dug themselves into a hole where the only reliable way for them to keep earning a lot of money, is to relaunch.
This is just my viewpoint on the matter, I may be wrong, so please don’t take anything I say as fact.
If you look, most comics now have their legacy numbering embedded as well. Note Immortal Hulk is labelled as #2/lgy. #719. Its not starting over so much as they are recognizing "seasons" to make it easier for new readers to jump on. Its a smart move, really. People are making way too big of a deal on it on this board as there's not been a reboot sense Secret Wars. If you want to blame storied being cut short its the crossovers more than anything.
Here is a cover where both numbers are featured.
Hulk isn't alone in this, Thor and other long runners are doing this as well. This idea that they are rebooting every year is basically false.
Last edited by GrandEleven; 09-23-2018 at 12:03 AM.
Number 1's sell better, also Number 1's are designed to attract new readers. A new reader is more likely to pick up a number 1 than number 721.
Strangely this is the opposite of what was done in the forties where they would give a new comic the numbering of a cancelled comic to make it look like the new comic was a long lasting comic.