Comics were definitely happier, breezier and more confident in their own strengths before Hollywood and the Internet turned the business of writing superhero stories into the production of low budget storyboards or, worse, into conformist, fruitless attempts to impress or entertain a small group of people who appear to hate comics and their creators. -- Grant Morrison, 2008
trade-waiting - Ice Cream Man, Monstress
backlog - Blade of the Immortal, Mignolaverse, Promethea, X-Cutioner's Song
I'm kind of a little stunned it's cancelled after just three issues. I was enjoying it too, but thought it kind of an odd book and it wasn't what I was expecting from reading the initial solicits for issue #1.
Pisces is the third book on my pull list (fourth if you count Image United) that was cancelled. The first was Umbral (cancelled after issue #12 came out) though to be fair I was gonna drop it after issue #12 came out. Rise of the Magi though there seems to be some confusion. Issue #6 was cancelled but issue #7 is still on the release schedule for coming out September 2. Not sure what's going on but this book has suffered nothing but delay after delay. Issue #4 came out in September, and then issue #5 came out in January. Issue #6 kept getting pushed back and back and then I noticed today actually that it's been listed as cancelled but yet issue 7 is still scheduled. I don't know. Also, I don't think Secret Identities was supposed to originally end with the upcoming issue #7. It was pushed as a monthly and then with the September solicits, surprised everyone with the FINAL ISSUE tag. Mad about that one too.
Anyways, Intersect was just cancelled after 6 issues with 7 and 8 solicited and then cancelled. I wonder how bad the sales numbers were for Pisces that it got the ax after just three issues. Ouch.
I'm reading a few books that I really enjoy that it just seems like they're books no one is getting (though I'm probably wrong) and I keep wondering if they're gonna get cancelled before it gets to finish it's story in Birhtright, Low, Postal, Reyn, Southern Cross, The Tithe, and Wayward. Over at Dark Horse I love Rebels and am hoping Brian Wood gets to finish that. I loved Resurrectionists at Dark Horse too, but after 3 issues that got banished to digital first with the TPB coming out next month. Issue #7 hasn't been solicited yet at the website which is making me think it got cancelled after issue #6. The book was supposed to go a lot longer than 6 issues.
With a lot of books in the market, it's bound to happen that some books fall through the cracks and no one buys. It's the sad part of the business no matter how good the book is or not.
Last edited by Mjolnir; 07-15-2015 at 05:48 PM.
Intersect is dead as well? Huh, well I guess that is that.
As for Pisces getting cancelled, that's a shame also for Johnnie Christmas. I was hoping he do well after Sheltered. But man, cancelled three issues in and rest won't see the light of the day. Marvel's Ultimate FF (my pick for worst comic of 2014 by the way) was cancelled three issues in, but it at least got to finish out its story arc. Image is FAR harsher when it comes to canning titles than DC or Marvel surprising, since those two will let the writer wrap things up.
Opinions may vary in quality.
My big article on Mariko Tamaki's Hulk & She-Hulk runs, discussing the good, bad, and its creation.
My second big article on She-Hulk, discussing Jason Aaron's focus on her in Avengers #20.
Epic things: "TOPANGA" (GHA), Jaxson & Zefferson (PRO), Lucas (SHEL)
I've had the following cancelled mid-arc:
- Pisces
- Sundowners (Dark Horse is making available on TP, but that'd cost me more $ as I'd already paid for some of the singles)
- Where Is Jake Ellis?
- Mind the Gap (I believe Jim McCann had been having health issues, but I never heard anything official, then after over 6 months the remaining books were cancelled)
- others I'm probably not recalling
Several that finished out their arc, but not their story, such as Umbral.
Several that I wonder when they'll wrap given sales figures: Sex, The Bunker, The Life After, Letter 44. I think Low is still pulling okay numbers.
Last edited by comicfiend; 07-15-2015 at 09:08 PM.
Wayward is the first ongoing Image comic series I've ever bought/followed [well, actually I did read some of Hack/Slash and Walking Dead in their first omnibus/compendium volumes years before Wayward existed], and I really hope Jim Zub is able to finish his story without any risk of cancellation. It's also currently the only ongoing Image comic that I will be buying every single issue of it to support the comic for as long as it runs. I think it's doing well though, since it seems every issue always get good reviews on Jim Zub's website.
Top 10 Favorite Comics as of September 2019
Image: Unnatural, Isola, Monstress
Marvel: Magnificent Ms. Marvel
IDW: Samurai Jack: Lost Worlds
Other: Chuck Mullin's Bird Brain, Huda F's "Yes, I'm Hot in This," Nathan W. Pyle's Strange Planet, Dirk Manning & K. Lynn Smith's Hope, Samurai Grandpa
Yeah, I had read in either one of the letter's pages or in an interview Zub had said that if sales were great then his regular planned story would be either six or seven 5 or 6 issue arcs totaling under 40 issues. If sales weren't all that great then his plan B is tell a shortened version of his original plan. He's said he knows how Wayward ends, he just has two ways to get there depending on sales.
Like with Black Science, Rick Remender has said the complete story of Low will depend on sales. Black Science I think will finish under or around 50 issues with this original plan, and he sees Low finishing around that issue length as well, again, sales pending. If it starts to not look good, he has a shortened version he'll put out. That's what happened to Fear Agent. His original plan was to tell an additional two arcs so, but had to shorten up due to sales.Originally Posted by comicfiend
Last edited by Mjolnir; 07-15-2015 at 10:29 PM.
The only book that I've been truly burned on was The Mercenary Sea...the create team kept promising issue 8 was going to come out until they recently announced it was dead. I'm still crushed by that, as it was one of my favorite image books.
I never gave Pisces a second look, but for those who were resent and enjoying it, I'm sorry.
Black Magick #1
Black Magick #1 Magazine Size Variant
Chew #51
Drifter #9
East of West #23
The Fade Out #10
I Hate Fairyland #1
F*ck Fairyland #1 Variant
Invincible #124
Invisible Republic #7
Nailbiter #16
Ody-C #8
Paper Girls #1
Plutona #2
Rasputin #10
Rumble #8
Savior #7
Shutter #16
Southern Bastards #12
Spread #11
They're Not Like Us #9
Tokyo Ghost #2
Trees #14
I'd wager if sales are low enough, it's not even covering the production costs, and Image cancel it. Outside of that, the creative team aren't making any money, or projecting to, and can't do months of work for free.
That's my two educated guesses. Sadly, that's how it goes.
Pisces estimated sales were 17K for number 1 down to just under 8.5K for number two. Perhaps the drop for 3's orders was bad enough they decided to stop. I don't know, that's just a guess. I wouldn't expect such a substantial drop between 2 and 3 as 1 and 2, but it can happen.
Last edited by Joker; 07-16-2015 at 08:29 PM.
From Twitter:
Why is Peter Panzerfaust 24 & 25 not out yet??? Been waiting patiently for a while now @kurtisjwiebe @Jenkins_Tyler
Kurtis response: @mikelaneisme @Jenkins_Tyler we haven't made money on the series in a year. It's hard to commit full time hours to something for free.
Tyler response:
@mikelaneisme @kurtisjwiebe we will definitely get back to it, deeply sorry everyone has to wait.