Continuous Marvel Title Restarts

[maklelin highbain]

With the upcoming issues of Uncanny X-Men (#21-22) stating, It All Ends Here. Is this another restart of the issues (returning once more to Issue 1) can anyone understand why Marvel thinks after so many years of trying this ploy that it will in some way increase sales? I recall the days when a title celebrated reaching a landmark issue number (i know they will presumably have a Legacy number if it does revert to issue 1). Also does anyone else find this practice as frustrating as I do?

[Snoop Dogg]

because it does increase sales and it doesn't affect the books and it isn't even confusing and it indicates jumping on points

[Chris0013]

I find it annoying. And then every few years we get Issue #600 (or whatever) as if it is the same as the original series.

As much as I hate the constant rebooting...I would be fine with one more that has every storyline end in Dec and the following Jan they all start up at one and do not do it again.

[MajorHoy]

. . . can anyone understand why Marvel thinks after so many years of trying this ploy that it will in some way increase sales?

Because it does still increase sales, especially when you throw in a gazillion variant covers to go with it. Now, for how long that "increase" will last is debatable, but unfortunately sales do decrease the larger the issue number is (unless you're talking those major anniversary numbers like #100 or #1000).
And whether the increase in order numbers is based on more readers buying an issue or the same number of readers who want multiple covers, who knows?

[U.N. Owen]

It's honestly a ploy for new readers, ignoring how comics suck at advertising.

A person wants to start at the beginning. That's how we're taught to follow stories, from the beginning. Even in stories with in media res, we start at the beginning of the book. For comics, an issue 600 might intimidate some readers who want to start from the beginning and our minds either let us take the challenge or run away from it. With a seasonal model with an issue 1, it is meant to be a jumping on point.


Mind you, I find this dumb because comics constantly advertise in all the wrong places.

[maklelin highbain]

because it does increase sales and it doesn't affect the books and it isn't even confusing and it indicates jumping on points

The sales may increase for for a single issue but then drop and stay static. For the best part of 60 years the consistently numbered issues worked essentially flawlessly. People buy them thinking there may be some added worth in a #1 which is simply for the most part not the case as they have saturated the market with continuous restarts. I had no issue (no pun intended) 34 years ago finding an easy jumping on point, when a new arc started, it was a system that wasn't faulty and when they did restart the titles from issue 1 (1997) they with a few years reverted to the original numbering only to fall foul of it again a decade or so later. There is also value in retaining the original (legacy numbering systems) as seen with Detective comics #1000 and Marvel are now even (a bit cheekily) releasing their own #1000

[Ultramorph]

Honestly, as long as the books are good and the new #1s don’t disrupt the story, I get why companies (not just Marvel) do it. It is annoying when the #1s feel the need to explain a character we already know, but there’s bigger fish to get mad about.

[maklelin highbain]

Honestly, as long as the books are good and the new #1s don’t disrupt the story, I get why companies (not just Marvel) do it. It is annoying when the #1s feel the need to explain a character we already know, but there’s bigger fish to get mad about.

wouldn't describe my feelings as 'mad' about it i just find it annoying. Listing and organizing my collection can be a ball ache with constant restarts and new volumes. It is the variants that increase sales as mentioned previously as opposed to number 1 issues. Any issue can have a variant cover

[Raye]

it's not just the variants that increase the sales, they increase them by more than would happen otherwise, but even after the variant covers finish after the first few issues, the book's sales are still higher than the previous volume. Yeah they will taper off over time, they almost always do, but the relaunch still helps give it a bump so it has a higher starting point.. Like it or not, it does boost sales, so they will keep doing it if they have a good excuse (new status quo, new creative team, whatever) that would make a good jumping on point.

edited to add, the most recent one i can think of that has sales numers so far, - Ms Marvel #38 had estimated direct market sales of 12,374, then the next month it got relaunched, as Magnificent Ms. Marvel with estimated sales of 27,706. it had 2 variant covers. But I doubt 2 variants alone can account for more than doubling it's sales. We'll have to wait for the full numbers for April to be released to see how much it drops off, but I bet you anything it will still be well above the 12k mark. It's a net gain of readers, for at least a while. That's why they do it.

[your_name_here]

I feel having current numbering and legacy numbering is a great balance at the minute.
Just feels like a new “season”.

I must admit, though, I don’t like when there’s a renumbering with the same creative team. There should be new number ones when there’s someone new at the wheel.

[WebLurker]

I hate the constant restarts, but it is what it is.

[Inversed]

For me personally, I'm fine with relaunches if they story is going in a fairly different direction than before, or if there's a new creative team taking the helm. Because I've always thought those two are the perfection indications of good jumping on points.

Ms. Marvel getting a relaunch makes sense because its a new writer coming on board so its a more accurate new starting point. Coates' Black Panther and Zub's Champions are examples of books that shouldn't have gotten relaunched because they're still continuing the same story with the same creator, so its just done for that early boost.

So if Uncanny gets a new relaunch, it having a new writer won't be as bad to me as opposed if they restarted the numbering but still kept Rosenberg, because then its literally just a continuation.

[DragonsChi]

I feel having current numbering and legacy numbering is a great balance at the minute.
Just feels like a new “season”.

I must admit, though, I don’t like when there’s a renumbering with the same creative team. There should be new number ones when there’s someone new at the wheel.

I feel the same way.

[catbellysqueezer]

I love relaunches and mini series. They are so convenient!

I can't stand the thought of jumping into a run at issue 683 or something. It bothers me.

[Anthony W]

because it does increase sales and it doesn't affect the books and it isn't even confusing and it indicates jumping on points

Or when to quit reading. Everyone wins!