Biggest Spider-Man News of 2014?

[Dog]

Well, yeah, but we don't know how that will play into the Spider-Man stories.

We also have no idea what will happen in "Renew Your Vows," yet that's winning the damn poll!

[Phantom Roxas]

That's true, and I'm happy about that. It's great how one image like that can generate so much hype.

[John Ossie]

Just hope Renew Your Vows is worth all the hype now the reason I didn't vote for it is because I felt that it could be 2015's biggest Spider-Man news thing (whatever happens).

[Kevinroc]

Yes. Having 2014's best selling comic for the entire industry will be a crushing defeat for the book.
And, come January, only being the 2nd best selling comic of the 21st Century will be the biggest dishonor of all. :-D

One of the things I love about the internet is how-- during BND-- there were multiple threads about the sales for this book, and how they spelled certain DOOM for the title.
BS graphs were made comparing the Civil War tie-in issues of the JMS run to TWO-THIRDS of the totals of the BND run (purposefully throwing out the TOP THIRD of BND's sales!)... and these were repeatedly brought up as more "proof" to the "low quality" and "poor reception" the book was receiving.

During the Big Time era, stores were running out of copies and close to HALF the run had to go back to press for 2nd printings. It was one of the few Big 2 titles that, in aggregate, was going up in sales. And when I'd point that out, the same people who regularly posted in the doom-in-gloom-BND-sales threads tried a new tactic: Why was I only focusing on sales? Obviously it was because I didn't care about the book's quality. :-P

And with the Dying Wish arc-- and through the entirety of the Superior Spider-Man run-- the Spider-Man book became Marvel's best selling ongoing title, a perennial of the Top 10, often doing this twice a month. And then the NEW metric was, "If it were really good, it'd be outselling Batman (the #1 book in the entire industry)."

And when it launched as the best selling issue of the 21st Century, the even NEWER line of spin was, "Well, the Transformers movie did great-- and it sucks. Selling great doesn't mean anything." :-D

Ohhhhh how far we've come since the BND Sales Chart days of CBR.

You guys are a hoot.

I have been thinking about going to an open mike night at a comedy club.

It's totally cool that you're very proud of the sales of ASM. And you have a lot to be proud of. This isn't the Olympics. Getting the silver is totally cool. And I get why people on a comic book message board would say a Spider-Man comic selling well is the "Biggest Spider-Man Story of 2014."

Film is a bigger medium than comics. And in a year that saw the release of a Spider-Man movie, as well as stolen information about the future possibilities of Spider-Man movies, well, I think those are bigger Spidey news stories than the stuff about the comics.

I know there are still a number of people posting on message boards that want to use whatever they can to declare BND or Big Time or what have you a failure. And I know Marvel has been happy about the Spider-Man comic sales figures. If they weren't happy, you wouldn't still be on Spider-Man.

I wasn't trying to diminish the success of your Spider-Man run. And I apologize if I did. That wasn't actually my intention (although in hindsight, I can see how you may have interpreted it that way.)

[Mister Mets]

I have been thinking about going to an open mike night at a comedy club.

It's totally cool that you're very proud of the sales of ASM. And you have a lot to be proud of. This isn't the Olympics. Getting the silver is totally cool. And I get why people on a comic book message board would say a Spider-Man comic selling well is the "Biggest Spider-Man Story of 2014."

Film is a bigger medium than comics. And in a year that saw the release of a Spider-Man movie, as well as stolen information about the future possibilities of Spider-Man movies, well, I think those are bigger Spidey news stories than the stuff about the comics.

I know there are still a number of people posting on message boards that want to use whatever they can to declare BND or Big Time or what have you a failure. And I know Marvel has been happy about the Spider-Man comic sales figures. If they weren't happy, you wouldn't still be on Spider-Man.

I wasn't trying to diminish the success of your Spider-Man run. And I apologize if I did. That wasn't actually my intention (although in hindsight, I can see how you may have interpreted it that way.)

The Silver/ Gold comparison doesn't quite work.

It's more like a gold medalist's response when someone breaks his record in the next Olympics.

Slott will still have the best-selling comic of 2014.

[Kevinroc]

The Silver/ Gold comparison doesn't quite work.

It's more like a gold medalist's response when someone breaks his record in the next Olympics.

Slott will still have the best-selling comic of 2014.

That's true.

(If I'm being honest, I didn't care for some of the later Superior and the early Amazing vol. 3 stuff. But that's just my perception and I would never claim that this was a sign of the larger audience. I am enjoying Silver Surfer, though.)

[emac1790]

Yes. Having 2014's best selling comic for the entire industry will be a crushing defeat for the book.
And, come January, only being the 2nd best selling comic of the 21st Century will be the biggest dishonor of all. :-D

One of the things I love about the internet is how-- during BND-- there were multiple threads about the sales for this book, and how they spelled certain DOOM for the title.
BS graphs were made comparing the Civil War tie-in issues of the JMS run to TWO-THIRDS of the totals of the BND run (purposefully throwing out the TOP THIRD of BND's sales!)... and these were repeatedly brought up as more "proof" to the "low quality" and "poor reception" the book was receiving.

During the Big Time era, stores were running out of copies and close to HALF the run had to go back to press for 2nd printings. It was one of the few Big 2 titles that, in aggregate, was going up in sales. And when I'd point that out, the same people who regularly posted in the doom-in-gloom-BND-sales threads tried a new tactic: Why was I only focusing on sales? Obviously it was because I didn't care about the book's quality. :-P

And with the Dying Wish arc-- and through the entirety of the Superior Spider-Man run-- the Spider-Man book became Marvel's best selling ongoing title, a perennial of the Top 10, often doing this twice a month. And then the NEW metric was, "If it were really good, it'd be outselling Batman (the #1 book in the entire industry)."

And when it launched as the best selling issue of the 21st Century, the even NEWER line of spin was, "Well, the Transformers movie did great-- and it sucks. Selling great doesn't mean anything." :-D

Ohhhhh how far we've come since the BND Sales Chart days of CBR.

You guys are a hoot.

DAN SLOTT! COME ON DOWN!

You're the next contestant on Moving the Goalposts!

[deadboy80]

Renew your vows for sure. Depending on how long term this is, it could be huge. Hope its for the long haul.

[John Ossie]

Thing is I feel like it's only for Secret Wars rather than the long haul - we'll find out soon enough if it is for the long haul or not.

[cyberhubbs]

Thing is I feel like it's only for Secret Wars rather than the long haul - we'll find out soon enough if it is for the long haul or not.

Not even a single doubt in my mind.

Doesn't mean it won't be an enjoyable story to read, though. Just that folks are gonna feel mislead when the marriage doesn't stick around afterward.

[John Ossie]

Yeah I'm hoping for an enjoyable read and nothing else (I'm not going to get my hopes up even though I'd like the marriage to come back). But yeah, I agree with you that people are going to not be happy if(or more likely when) it turns out to be just for a story arc.

[emac1790]

Not even a single doubt in my mind.

Doesn't mean it won't be an enjoyable story to read, though. Just that folks are gonna feel mislead when the marriage doesn't stick around afterward.

This may sound cold, but if a fan thinks that RYV is not just a part or tie-in to Secret Wars and the marriage will return after it's all said and done, it's their own fault if they become disappointed after things don't work out the way they want them to.

Bottom line, Marvel likes to "troll" their readers. If a fan doesn't understand this by now, they never will.

[emac1790]

BTW; I picked the second option on the poll. Why? Because, if only going by posts on the message boards, Spider-Man is the worst it's ever been. Yet, ASM #1 is the best selling book of the year.

Go figure.

If this doesn't tell you that message board posts are not universal, I don't know what will.

[cyberhubbs]

This may sound cold, but if a fan thinks that RYV is not just a part or tie-in to Secret Wars and the marriage will return after it's all said and done, it's their own fault if they become disappointed after things don't work out the way they want them to.

Bottom line, Marvel likes to "troll" their readers. If a fan doesn't understand this by now, they never will.

It's weird to put this solely on Marvel. TV commercials are the same way, sometimes cutting together scenes from a show to make you think one thing while the actual content tells you differently. But the former gets your ass on the couch to see how it turns out.

The running argument that Marvel trolls its readers just seems to ignore the broader usage of misdirection in media. Whether or not that's a bad thing remains up in the air, I think.

[emac1790]

It's weird to put this solely on Marvel. TV commercials are the same way, sometimes cutting together scenes from a show to make you think one thing while the actual content tells you differently. But the former gets your ass on the couch to see how it turns out.

The running argument that Marvel trolls its readers just seems to ignore the broader usage of misdirection in media. Whether or not that's a bad thing remains up in the air, I think.

That's why I put troll in quotes. It's all done to sell a product. Want people to buy Secret Wars? Tease something the fans care about.

It's not just Marvel who does that. Most companies or people trying to sell something does this to varying degrees.

So yeah, I agree. Misdirection in media. The question becomes, when are people going to stop being misdirected? The answer seems to be, never.