Would a clean slate reboot really be that bad?

[Marvel_Is]

Most people seem to be against rebooting, I'm still for it. I wish the sales on comics were through the roof and the idea of a total reboot wouldn't even be considered. This is not the case. I am afraid that at some point Disney is going to decided that comics just are not worth the resources, and will pull the plug on publishing all together. All Disney cares about is profit, history and tradition mean nothing. If Disneyland/world stop making money they will be bulldozed and rebuilt from the ground up. (I know this is highly unlikely but if the profits go, they go.) If Marvel and DC continue to focus only on the hard-core fans circulation will dwindle. $5 per copy comics are coming. How many of you are willing to pay? No matter the number it will be smaller. At some point Marvel will realize they are not bringing in enough new readers to sustain profits. I believe the reboot will happen, regardless of our opinion.
I hope I am wrong and that new readers start to flock to comics- all comics not just Marvel. I don't see this happening. I would much rather have a rebooted Marvel then none at all.

Sigh. It's already been established (time and time again) that we hardcore fans are willing to pay that and more. Some of us (me) even up to $20 an issue.

[emac1790]

According to some, this would be like the 5th or 6th time Marvel was suppose to reboot. Maybe 7th because some say Marvel Now is a reboot.

I'll believe it when I see it.

And a reboot would be half-assed because that's what happens when you try to please everybody.

I wouldn't say a reboot will lead to better books because there are good books out now. Just like there were some good books that DC had out before the Nu52. It's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Some books are bad so start everything over?

A reboot might bring in new fans, but it's a short term solution to a long term problem. Want comic to sell 100000+ copies a month, make it easier to get comics in kid's hands. That means selling them in more places, not just LCS and writing more all-age books. Example, a 5 year old likes Batman and Spider-Man. His parents thinks he's too young to see the latest movies. Where and how do they find the LCS? Is it close to where they live? Let's say they find the LCS. The books are 4 or 5 bucks and one has a Joker with no skin on his face and the other has cartoon characters brutalized and murdered. Then the parents find out that this is just one part of a 6 to 12 part story. The could spend up to 60 bucks for one complete story.

Wouldn't it be easier to buy Super Smash Brothers for 45 bucks and the whole family plays the game?

[Tiamatty]

The problem with using a reboot to solve problems is that the characters may get a fresh start but you’re left with the same creators and editorial that caused the problem in the first place so much of the time the new version is even worst than the old version. We just saw that with DC.

Also, a lot of long-time readers are stuck with nostalgia that has them want the stories they grew up with, without realizing that a major reason they loved the stories so much at the time was because they were growing up with them, and that they can't get back the feelings they had then, and so are going to have a hard time enjoying more modern stories. This is a major source of the mindset of there actually being a "problem" with modern comics.

[Chainsaw Vigilante]

Yes. I know the past ten plus years of Marvel have become convoluted, but erasing the previous 60+ years to fix the past ten is asinine. Re-boots and massive continuity fixes have been DC's thing for decades; Marvel just needs a re-working, not a re-boot, but I wouldn't trust 99% of writers and editors to do such a thing justice. Marvel stories have actually appeared that have given perfect excuses to fix continuity and character screw ups (remember the Pacheco penned FF run that quietly re-booted the multiverse via the Galactus/Abraxas storyline, which was a perfect place for a re-working at the wrong time in Marvel; there was also Avengers Forever, there was even a recent one I think involving The Hulk and time travel- though ignoring the time travel rules Marvel had in place since the 60's), but they were never run with company wide. The Ultimate universe was the equivalent of a re-boot and while that started out nice and it, it didn't stay there for long, and (almost) no one wants to see the Ultimate universe 2.0.

[Viteh]

If they do reboot, expect classic stories to be major events within the first year. "All New Dark Phoenix Saga" "All New Kree-Skrull War" "Wolverine & Spider-Man vs the coming of Galactus"

[Turn the Page]

I'm not really pulling for a reboot, but I would love it if any and all traces of alternate futures and timelines were wiped out. Marvel needs to cut back on the time travel shit, and maybe trim back on all the multiple Avengers and X-Men titles

[Dr. Skeleton]

I just want everything that happend in Clone Saga to be wiped out and I'll be happy.

[dragonmp93]

I'm not saying just have a strict retelling of all the classic stories. Start telling new stories without the confusion of 50 years of convoluted history. I t takes what, half an issue to tell the FFs origin and set up the status quo? Black Panther could be in issue 2. You could have a New Warriors series (you wouldn't call it Young Avengers with Wiccan and Hulkling in the first wave of titles. What I'm saying is do what Ultimate Marvel started out as, with out being half-assed about it. If we want comics to survive and thrive the publishers have to be willing to make major changes and investments. We as fans will have to be willing to accept some things to. Try handing a random issue of Avengers or X-men to someone who dosen't read comics. See if they can figure out what is going on. If we want a robust comics industry we need to be willing to let the past go and embrace the new. You will not be losing any characters or stories. There they are, in your long boxes, on your book shelves and computers. This industry needs new paying comic book readers, and providing a fresh start at Marvel would be a huge start.

To be sincere, the only way you would have a problem like that, if you are trying to explain the marvel universe to someone who never ever had heard of them or had interest in them.

Your missing the whole point. A total restart does not mean you have to star off with everything as it was in the begining. Nothing is saying Luke Cage and Black Panther can't start up around the same time as the Fantastic Four or Avengers or that teen heroes like Ms. Marvel, the Runaways, or any others can not be there from the start or soon after. What your talking about is restablishing everything right back to the way it is now, and there is no reason they would have to do that. A reboot is not just to rehash everything the way to was it is to take things in new directions without having the past weighing it down. Sometimes an idea works for a little while and then afterwards you realize it is really dragging things down. How do you come back from having a literal army of Avengers without it coming off as stupid? How much better could the FF be if they were just back to 4 adventures without having kids to permanatly tie them down? A kid who has stayed 5-7 years odd for nearly 50 years now. Years and years of baggage just weigh any character down after a while, and sometimes the best remedy is a fresh start.

Your point about Larsen has zero bearing on this. He has been in total control of his own little (and let me stress that little) comic universe which is not what you have in Marvel or DC you have hundreds of writers all adding their touches for good or bad over the decades. Two completly different animals.

Well, given what happened with DC's New 52, i dont have much faith in that Marvel is going to do something better if they reboot.

Lets face facts, comic sales are pitiful. A reboot could be one of many things that would help bring in new readers. Lower the prices, don't exploit one character or franchise in a dozen publications, stop going from one giant crossover to the next, and if your going to kill a character kill them.
If new readers knew that could start and follow a series fresh, without having to digest years of continuity or follow 24 other titles to get the story I believe this could help circulation. Marvel (and DC) cannot just keep doing the same old things.
We can complain about stories and characters that will be "lost" but we need to realize that if comics cannot start bringing in new readers the whole industry could be lost.
Many things need to be done for the future of this industry. I highly doubt that whatever profit publishing comics brings in amounts to anything as far as Disney is concerned. At some point these comics are going to become a net loss for Disney, and they will be gone.
Start fresh. Tell the world "Here is where the story begins" get the comics out in public view, at a price people will pay. Most importantly hire great writers and artists to tell great stories unencumbered by the weight of the past.

Even if you don't agree with the total reboot (and I can see many don't) I think we can all agree that something needs to done to make these comics we love more appealing to a mass audience. Otherwise we could end up these boards with only one topic "where did all the comics go?"
P.S. To the person who said Ultimate Marvel sucked. It did not. USM, UXM and Ultimates were freaking awesome when the began. USM is still pretty good now.

Well, Ultimate Spider-man is the only reason of why the Ultimate Universe still exist.

Terrible idea and I can't really figure out what books would actually benefit. Any of the fringe (but good selling) books like Ms. Marvel, Deadpool or Rocket Raccoon? Nah they'd be hurt if anything.

Does Spider-Man really need another 'fresh start'? No way would fans stand for him being in High School and living with Aunt May again.

Avengers is riding pretty high right now so I'm not sure what a reboot would do for them?

Rebooting X-men we would see what we're seeing over at DC an angry fanbase wondering when their character is going to get out of limbo.

Really the only team I can see benefiting is the Fantastic Four, and if that's the case just have them reboot and leave the rest of Marvel out of it.

To be sincere, i dont think that my stomach can handle even him going back to being a freelancer photographer at the daily bugle again, given that nowdays he is a "#$%&%$# CEO for god sake.

Most people seem to be against rebooting, I'm still for it. I wish the sales on comics were through the roof and the idea of a total reboot wouldn't even be considered. This is not the case. I am afraid that at some point Disney is going to decided that comics just are not worth the resources, and will pull the plug on publishing all together. All Disney cares about is profit, history and tradition mean nothing. If Disneyland/world stop making money they will be bulldozed and rebuilt from the ground up. (I know this is highly unlikely but if the profits go, they go.) If Marvel and DC continue to focus only on the hard-core fans circulation will dwindle. $5 per copy comics are coming. How many of you are willing to pay? No matter the number it will be smaller. At some point Marvel will realize they are not bringing in enough new readers to sustain profits. I believe the reboot will happen, regardless of our opinion.
I hope I am wrong and that new readers start to flock to comics- all comics not just Marvel. I don't see this happening. I would much rather have a rebooted Marvel then none at all.

To be sincere, even if the sales were awesome, if a reboot implied the possibility of a temporary boost on their sales, they still would consider it.

And what would stop them for rebooting the whole thing every time that the boost runs out ?.

[Daymare]

Just send them all to Gwen's universe, dress them all in hoodies and chucks and you have a sure fire winner before the first issues are even printed!

[Imraith Nimphais]

The problem with using a reboot to solve problems is that the characters may get a fresh start but you’re left with the same creators and editorial that caused the problem in the first place so much of the time the new version is even worst than the old version. We just saw that with DC.

Agreed!8910

[Jon-El]

Can the fanbase be rebooted? Lol

Seeriously, I just think comics work best when there's regular turnover among readers. If you've been reading 15 + years & have possibly read reprints of older material, at some point it becomes tough to find fresh stories. I read for over 20 yrs so I get being a longtime reader. I'm not sure having longtime readers as your main audience is the best thing though.