Has Marvel addressed The 'Nam's continuity?

[shooshoomanjoe]

Now that Marvel's Vietnam War characters have been retconned to take place in the Sin-Cong conflict, has they said anything about the 1980s The 'Nam series? Is it out of continuity or does the entire series now take place in Sin-Cong?

[Digifiend]

Out of continuity. It's set on Earth-85101.
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/The_%27Nam_Vol_1_1

[Ultimate Captain America]

What about the Vietnam war itself? Did it take place, even if with no named characters involved, or was it overwritten entirely?

[Jabare]

the Vietnam war happened

[Lukmendes]

What about the Vietnam war itself? Did it take place, even if with no named characters involved, or was it overwritten entirely?

It did happen, Busiek's Marvels mentions it:



(The Marvels#3)

[ed2962]

I didn't think it was ever in continuity ( I could be wrong)...

[shooshoomanjoe]

Out of continuity. It's set on Earth-85101.
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/The_%27Nam_Vol_1_1

Well that sucks

I didn't think it was ever in continuity ( I could be wrong)...

It was. Punisher and I believe Thor made an appearance. Also a soldier named Iceman showed up in Punisher's series.

[MRP]

Well that sucks



It was. Punisher and I believe Thor made an appearance. Also a soldier named Iceman showed up in Punisher's series.

It was never meant to be in Marvel continuity. When it launched, it was a war comic relating the experiences of the creators in 'Nam in comic form. After they left, Marvel didn't know what to do with the book, so started introducing elements of the MU in it, especially using it to capitalize on Punisher''s popularity at the time to tell the story of Frank's experiences during the war, so it got shoe-horned into Marvel continuity as a means to try to boost sales well into the series' run and lost site of what it was supposed to be about. Other creative teams after that, sort of ignored the Marvel stuff, but every so often when sales were lagging, they'd do a story or arc incorporating more mainline Marvel heroes. It was always a bad fit and always felt forced.

-M

[Kurt Busiek]

What about the Vietnam war itself? Did it take place, even if with no named characters involved, or was it overwritten entirely?

Of course it happened. It's a major world event.

I mean, when Marvel decided that Reed and Ben had no longer served during World War II, that didn't mean WW2 no longer happened. Just that it happened with a very, very minor change in the cast of participants.

Same for Vietnam. Taking Flash Thompson and Jim Rhodes -- or even, I dunno, Wong Chu and Half-Face -- out of the Vietnam War would not prevent it from happening. After all, in the real world it managed to happen without any of those guys.

Same for the Marvel Universe.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

It was never meant to be in Marvel continuity. When it launched, it was a war comic relating the experiences of the creators in 'Nam in comic form. After they left, Marvel didn't know what to do with the book, so started introducing elements of the MU in it, especially using it to capitalize on Punisher''s popularity at the time to tell the story of Frank's experiences during the war, so it got shoe-horned into Marvel continuity as a means to try to boost sales well into the series' run and lost site of what it was supposed to be about. Other creative teams after that, sort of ignored the Marvel stuff, but every so often when sales were lagging, they'd do a story or arc incorporating more mainline Marvel heroes. It was always a bad fit and always felt forced.

Back when I was a Marvel Sales Department staffer, I was the guy who suggested the first "Punisher Invades the 'Nam" arc.

Editor Don Daley was looking for ways to make the sales go up, and I said, "Well, I know a way that would work, but it's a continuity violation..."

But those stories weren't meant to happen in the regular THE 'NAM continuity, at least not back then. They were just special arcs of the book that took place in the Marvel Universe, while the main run didn't.

And they worked -- that first arc tripled the sales of the book, and while they dropped down afterwords, they didn't drop back down to where sales had been before. So those 5 issues of Punisher guest-appearances probably resulted in the book lasting two years longer than it would have without them.

But at least while I was there, they weren't supposed to be in the same continuity as the main series.

kdb

[MRP]

Back when I was a Marvel Sales Department staffer, I was the guy who suggested the first "Punisher Invades the 'Nam" arc.

Editor Don Daley was looking for ways to make the sales go up, and I said, "Well, I know a way that would work, but it's a continuity violation..."

But those stories weren't meant to happen in the regular THE 'NAM continuity, at least not back then. They were just special arcs of the book that took place in the Marvel Universe, while the main run didn't.

And they worked -- that first arc tripled the sales of the book, and while they dropped down afterwords, they didn't drop back down to where sales had been before. So those 5 issues of Punisher guest-appearances probably resulted in the book lasting two years longer than it would have without them.

But at least while I was there, they weren't supposed to be in the same continuity as the main series.

kdb

Thanks for the insight Kurt.

-M

[K7P5V]

For what it's worth, I still own the collected edition & LOVE the cover art from Joe Kubert

[shooshoomanjoe]

Back when I was a Marvel Sales Department staffer, I was the guy who suggested the first "Punisher Invades the 'Nam" arc.

Editor Don Daley was looking for ways to make the sales go up, and I said, "Well, I know a way that would work, but it's a continuity violation..."

But those stories weren't meant to happen in the regular THE 'NAM continuity, at least not back then. They were just special arcs of the book that took place in the Marvel Universe, while the main run didn't.

And they worked -- that first arc tripled the sales of the book, and while they dropped down afterwords, they didn't drop back down to where sales had been before. So those 5 issues of Punisher guest-appearances probably resulted in the book lasting two years longer than it would have without them.

But at least while I was there, they weren't supposed to be in the same continuity as the main series.

kdb

Thanks for the info. Always a treat finding out what was going on behind the scenes.