To many comics coming out

[shooshoomanjoe]

How does it hurt???

Remember the comic book store is NOT the only place to get a comic book.

If it was a LOT of books (mainly POC, LGBTQ, women, odd ball titles & C-Z list white guys) would be in trouble and at the mercy of cherry picking comic book stores.

Too many good books will get lost when they flood the market.

[shooshoomanjoe]

What you describe is how Marvel was for 3 decades. The books were connected, they all shared the same Universe, but there wasn't a massive story line through all of them. Even with the occasional event like Secret Wars, you could read most, but not all Marvel books and keep up. While the individual books you like were largely independent, they still converged at times, but not to the extent that crushed what was happening within their pages.

This is why I loved Shooter's EiC stint at Marvel. I loved how everything tied together (he did the same with New Universe and Valiant) and it just felt like one actual shared universe. It's a shame that he couldn't get the capital to buy Marvel in the late '80s.

[Kirby101]

You have the whole Marvel Universe for $70 a year. Follow the branches you actually want, and the trunk of the tree will come up in 6 months. It's never been easier.

Yeah, but they're not on PAPER!!

[cranger]

You have the whole Marvel Universe for $70 a year. Follow the branches you actually want, and the trunk of the tree will come up in 6 months. It's never been easier.

I am curious how much opinions change based on how people read. From people who are there every Wednesday picking up floppies to people who trade wait to people who binge on Unlimited to people who read for free (at the library, of course, not one of those naughty sites.)

[Daniel22]

Not at all! I like Spider-Man and the Avengers as much as the next guy but I also love Squirrel Girl, Ms Marvel, Meet the Skrulls and tons of other books. Those smaller books don't get made if Marvel only published a small number of titles. I wouldn't have gotten nextwave, Avengers Academy, Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Gillen's Journey into Mystery, King's Vision...

[Omega Alpha]

Not at all! I like Spider-Man and the Avengers as much as the next guy but I also love Squirrel Girl, Ms Marvel, Meet the Skrulls and tons of other books. Those smaller books don't get made if Marvel only published a small number of titles. I wouldn't have gotten nextwave, Avengers Academy, Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Gillen's Journey into Mystery, King's Vision...

Usually, Marvel's best titles are in these smaller side titles.

[CaptCleghorn]

Usually, Marvel's best titles are in these smaller side titles.

That's a flaw with Marvel (and DC as well). The big two are selling universes and keep a much tighter reign on "main" titles needed to tell the overall story. The more fringe titles are often allowed more leeway and original thought showing them to be titles that a writer wants specifically to do and not A-listers that are seen as rewards and accomplishments.

[kilderkin]

This is why I loved Shooter's EiC stint at Marvel. I loved how everything tied together (he did the same with New Universe and Valiant) and it just felt like one actual shared universe. It's a shame that he couldn't get the capital to buy Marvel in the late '80s.

In many ways marvel has never felt do splintered to me as a reader, for me the books feel wide apart from each other as for the characters, rather than they live in the same world

Which is weird considered that they have events every few months that are littered with loads of characters, but it just doesn't feel like a shared universe to me any more

[Daniel22]

Usually, Marvel's best titles are in these smaller side titles.

Agreed. This is the case in DC too, now that I think about it. My favorites are Secret Six, Mister Miracle, BQM's Batgirl, Dini's Zatanna, Ostrander's Spectre, Ennis' Hitman and Demon, Spurrior's Black Ring saga... I doubt any of those get made under a super tight publishing slate.

To me, the big titles are rarely if ever the ones I can't WAIT to read. They feel safe and standard a lot of the time. I'm rarely really surprised of intrigued because certain things aren't going to happen, and even if they do they will get reversed eventually. But when Hopeless dumped a bunch of D list characters (and X 23 ((and Darkhawk, I GUESS))) and original creations on a Battle Royale island in "Avengers Arena"? I had NO idea what was going to happen next. People might really die. I might find out surprising things about them and their past. "Salvation Run" and "Secret Wars" were fun and all but Spider-Man and the Joker aren't going to change, not really and not for long.

[comicscollector]

One can just read Amazing Spider-Man and that can be the only Spider-Man comic book to read all the months.That have been the essential Spider-Man comic book.
Don´t see as there being too many comic books being published by Marvel,sure this year i am getting a few more comic books that usually but it´s not every year that Marvel makes special comic books because of their 80th aniversary as Marvel Comics#1000 with a creative team larger that all the members of the X-Men teams together.