Was Marvel right to cancel the FF because the movie ?

[Michael P]

I doubt they did cancel it because of the movie. I think they're just giving it a break, like they did with Thor for a while.

[Sardorim]

It is well within their rights so...

[Spidey616]

[Spider-jam]

Thor was once cancelled a whole year. And then he came back.
I think that F.F. will return too in a few months.

[ZNOP]

I just saw the Fantastic Four commercial 5 minutes ago... It wasn't canceled!

IGN review 08/06/2015.

Oops... I misunderstood the title of this thread.

[idisestablish]

Not all these titles are new properties they are trying to get on their feet- using as basis March 2015, since April had #645, the last issue, titles selling less than F4 included Daredevil and Hulk, as well as Moon Knight, Captain Marvel and Black Widow, which hardly count as new properties.

And the fact that FF is around for more than 50 years and has sold better before is proof that it has the potential to sell much more- not that long ago, when Hickman and Fraction were writing, there was demand enough for two Fantastic Four books- which would indicate a need to change of writer, or a relaunch, not cancellation.

Again, people, stop believing everything some corporate middle-management tells you.

Yes, as I stated in the post prior to the one you quoted, it's not that the sales are bad per se, but just that they are below expectations for such a significant series. As another posted pointed out, this is the same exact thing they did with Thor a couple of years ago. You're talking as if Marvel has given up on the franchise and written it off as a loss. It's a marketing ploy. They will have a new writer and a new relaunch, but they're going to make people miss it first and make ensure that readers will be lined up to buy the new one when it comes out.

[Ascended]

Ive never understood the logic of this mindset.

We know that movies and cartoons and games and whatnot have virtually no impact on comic sales. And comic sales dont influence movie ticket sales. And as far as I am aware, Fox doesnt get a cut of any comic sales for properties they have movie rights for. So Marvel cancelling the FF has absolutely zero impact on Fox. And comic sales are such small potatoes, why would Fox care even if they did get a slice of FF comic profits?

So the idea here is that Marvel cant make a FF movie...so in retaliation they shoot themselves in the foot by taking the franchise off the shelves for a while? Well, businesses have made dumb decisions like that before, but....I just dont see it. I mean, in this bad-blood feud, what does Marvel have to gain or lose from dropping the comic? Nothing that I am aware of. So am I supposed to believe that this is just a corporate temper tantrum?

And we're talking about a high profile franchise that, historically, has sold a whole lot better than it does now. And Marvel has certainly tried different things to elevate the FF; hell even Secret Wars is a FF-centric story. And those things havent caught on. So taking them off the shelf makes sense to me. Give the property time to breath, use the characters elsewhere, and when the time is right, bring the title back with a shiny new #1 on the cover. Historically, this approach works.

As for other titles selling less and sticking around....different books have different expectations. Different creators have different pay rates. You can't expect something like Ms. Marvel or Loki to sell as well as Spider-Man, nor can you expect a lesser-known talent to be paid as much as Fraction, Hickman, or Robinson.

Im not going to take some corporate spin-master's word for anything, but Im also not putting any stock in the word of some random, angry internet poster.

[Omega Alpha]

Yes, as I stated in the post prior to the one you quoted, it's not that the sales are bad per se, but just that they are below expectations for such a significant series. As another posted pointed out, this is the same exact thing they did with Thor a couple of years ago. You're talking as if Marvel has given up on the franchise and written it off as a loss. It's a marketing ploy. They will have a new writer and a new relaunch, but they're going to make people miss it first and make ensure that readers will be lined up to buy the new one when it comes out.

Except that Thor was NOT supposed to have a 3 years hiatus. Originally, Neil Gaiman was supposed to take over pretty much right away, but then he had to leave, and then someone else was suppose to take over (Millar, I think, but I'm not sure) and then couldn't, and only then it was JMS, and at that point they decided to wait a little more because of Civil War, which wouldn't be doable with Thor around.

[The_Last_Czarnian]

let's leave Matt's personal problems out of this, hey?

That's f-kin' priceless.

[Captain Wessex]

thank you. I'm here all week. Try the veal.

[MarvelMaster616]

It would be one thing if Fantastic Four was canceled while it was a top 20 seller. That would be a clear sign that Marvel is being extremely petty, willing to cut off their nose to spite their face. But the fact remains the series had been subject to declining sales for the past few years. It's not like X-men, which has a larger core of characters to draw from and multiple titles that reliably sell. So while I do think the movie rights had something to do with it (see the pitiful sales of the Inhumans series), I don't think it's as ominous as some are making it out to be.

[Byakko]

Well the poor reception/bomb of the movie basically just poisons the brand even further. It'll definitely help Marvel in negotiations for movie rights, that's for sure. Basically if the only hope for the franchise to succeed as a film is to be linked up to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe to even make a profit, then that's going to be Marvel's linchpin.

[Starter Set]

I doubt they did cancel it because of the movie. I think they're just giving it a break, like they did with Thor for a while.

Pretty much this. F4 never was a huge seller anyway, nothing new about it. As the concept being out of date, if really 4 super powered people (working as a family) having crazy and fun adventures in space, other universes, other dimensions and through time is an out-dated concept, well, it's really sad.

[tg1982]

Assuming that was the reason. Then..yes, apparently they were right to do so. Good job, bullet dodged.

However, it may be a factor,and if so, I'm sure that's not the only reason it was cancelled.

[robreedwrites]

Oh, my sweet summer child...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...scourge-720363

http://www.avclub.com/article/marvel...stic-fo-210241

http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/fanta...ed-marvel.html

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/10/...stic-fourever/



And again, FF was selling more than Daredevil and Hulk and Captain Marvel, just to name a few.

I appreciate the Game of Thrones reference.

I've actually read all of these and they don't really address my main issue with the theory, which is that if Ike Perlmutter is such a penny-saving guy, why would he cancel a book while he's making a profit on it? Yes, he hates Fox. But cancelling the comic irks who, exactly? Who at Fox cares if Marvel is still publishing a comic book based on a property they have the film rights to?

Once again, I completely understand why Marvel would be mad at Fox about the Fantastic Four situation, but cancelling the Fantastic Four book is like punching yourself in the face before fighting someone.

The issue is the real money, not the piddling change from comics. For example, all of Marvel comics grossed about $14M in revenues in the month of June while Avengers: Age of Ultron grossed more than $191M on its opening weekend alone.

Fox may not detract from anything Marvel makes on FF comics, but all the stuff that's actually worth goodles of filthy lucre, Marvel has to stand outside the window and watch Fox feast. As pointed out by Omega Alpha, for a guy like Perlmutter, that sits on his Adam's Apple and presses. So, I can absolutely believe cancelling FF was retaliatory.

I also believe they would revive the book on a moment's notice, if the circumstance change. If the FF property reverts, or they do a Spider-Man-like media deal, word of a new FF creative team will hit CBR almost immediately.

See above.