Friendly Neighborhood would have to be the Second Coming featuring the defeat of MeFEASTo and a Peter clone to satisfy every ship to do exceptionally well when ASM is twice a month, we're in the middle of a Spencer bomb where he's doing near weekly issues for Hunted, we're having the linewide event with a Spider-Man mini, we have another Spider-Man mini with a fanservice premise, the popularity of other Spiders is on an upswing, and when FNSM isn't even covering supporting characters and villains ASM can't because Nick has some master plan for everyone (unlike Zdarsky who just turned Speccy into a Jonah book and Dan let that rock, and that's on top of a Spidey B-Book being more reasonable during Dan's run because he slowed down to like 18 a year.)
Except Prowler. You win Prowler, Friendly Neighborhood.
You have to ask yourself, "Does this book justify its own existence? Could Marvel be making more bread by putting resources into properties they're sleeping on right now instead of dipping the hot ones into the salsa multiple times and having the B-books just be selling OK? Are Peter minis where multiple creators can have a shot at telling their own hot story better than investing long-term on ongoings?"
as you can tell, i love satellite books
I don't blind date I make the direct market vibrate
Satellite books can be better then ASM ( see the death of Jean DeWolff PPTSSM107-110 as one example if this). But FNSM does not cut it. I think most of us, have had enough of "Aunt May In Peril." For me it is especially true if Marvel uses a horrible disease that has effected millions like Cancer to give us a "Miracle Cure" & a " Double Down" on OMD. I have already stated that if they go in that direction, I am done with comics.
Last edited by NC_Yankee; 04-15-2019 at 11:38 PM.
I think there's space for a satellite book and I do like Taylor's FNSM. I think he should stick to the "down to Earth" premise. It seemed like that would be the book's distinction, but then Taylor basically ignored it by giving us Under York.
The disappointing performance of FNSM (and, to a large extent, last year's PP:SSM) should not indicate that readers do not want satellite titles. Rather, I think Marvel has just not figured out the formula that will get readers invested in those titles. I think it is safe to say that the two most popular satellite titles ever for Spidey was the 1980's run of PP:SSM and Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man title in the 1990's. In each case, the titles had a unique hook: during PP:SSM's 1980's heyday, stories were being told with a different tone (and cast) than one found in ASM at the time with Peter David's darker/grittier run being the highlight. Todd of course was at the height of his popularity and was rewarded with his own title to write (zzzz) and illustrate (yay!). It just seems that these last 2 launches don't seem to have a clear reason to exist and murky directives: both were promised as street level tales yet the majority of Zdarsky's run dealt with time travel/aliens and Taylor's overlong opening arc dealt with subterranean dwellers which, I suppose, is kinda street level, just a few miles below it.
This.
FNSM isn't doing it for me at the moment but I do love satellite titles. Some of my favorite Spidey runs have been in satellite books and, as good as ASM is right now, there's always room for another solid Spidey title. If FNSM fails to rally and ends up tanking, I hope Marvel will just try again.
I reread Superior Foes of Spider-man. and I miss it.
I used to love satellite books, but honestly the repeated restarts and cancellations got too old. The old system with Spectacular on 200+ issues and Web on 100+ was beautiful. It kept me buying everything, every month. But why would I buy a title that's going to last maybe 10, 20 issues? It messes up your whole collection, it's so ugly and unsatisfying. So I will NEVER buy another issue of a satellite. Doesn't matter what it's about, doesn't matter who the creators are.
Yup. Additionally, titles like "Tangled Web" and "Webspinners" also had a defined purpose; they may not have been huge sellers (nothing really was during that era as sales started to fall across the board in the wake of the post-speculator era) but they had enough success to last 22 and 18 issues respectively. Moreover, each produced several very well-received stories ("Severance Package", "Flowers For Rhino") that might not have found their way into a more "traditional" Spidey book so that is another way for Marvel to go if they wanted to.
Summed my thoughts completely with this. The books seemed more connected and the higher numbering (i.e. continuous run) made the books feel like you were missing a piece of the Spider-man life.
Now, satellite books are just quick #1 issue money grabs that you already know will only last 1-2 years max then its rinse, wash, repeat.
If a book - whatever it is - has a short run, it never bothers me so long as I enjoy the issues themselves. No one can predict how long a title will go. The number of books that stay in continuous publication is very low so I wouldn't pass on a book with a character I liked with a strong creative team just because it may or may not go the distance.
Last edited by Prof. Warren; 04-16-2019 at 11:00 AM.
I agree with you. Although you can do projections and forecasting, no one knows what comics will sell and which ones will not. Remember the first Spider-Man appearance was in an expiring comic (Amazing Fantasy #15). But poorly written comics like FNSM make it hard for Marvel to keep publishing them because there is a lack of demand. How does it apply to me? If there is a story I like in FNSM, I can pick it up in trades or at the local comic store instead if subscribing like with Spencer's Amazing.7
Last edited by NC_Yankee; 04-16-2019 at 10:52 AM.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is Marvel's 127th best-selling comic of the month, which suggests the weakness of satellites in the current market.
https://comichron.com/monthlycomicss...9/2019-10.html
If I was an editor at Marvel, I'd considering figuring out a way to increase production of Amazing Spider-Man (Nick Spencer has worked with co-writers before) rather than trying again with a satellite.
Sincerely,
Thomas Mets
There are too many satellites. They compete with each other for the same public.
I think the way forward might be minis like the MJ one that wrap back into the story (I presume it will, at least) or deal with hanging plot threads (Conway's Spiral during the end of ASM pre-Secret Wars). I'd read a mini on the Syndicate while ASM is busy w/2099 and Doom, for example, and I'd bet whatever the Kindred reveal is, a backstory mini would sell well (presuming the Gwen prequel mini doesn't turn into that).
Blue text denotes sarcasm