Marvel's return to the 'Spinner Rack'

[JKtheMac]

So this week sees the publication of the somewhat awkwardly titled 'Marvel Comics Digest #1 Amazing Spider-Man' through Marvel's deal with Archie Comics. I am fascinated to know how widely this is distributed.



Please let us know where you have spotted the book. How it is being displayed, and if possible a quick photo.

If anyone knows how big the print run was that would also be interesting to know.

[Prof. Warren]

So this week sees the publication of the somewhat awkwardly titled 'Marvel Comics Digest #1 Amazing Spider-Man' through Marvel's deal with Archie Comics. I am fascinated to know how widely this is distributed.



Please let us know where you have spotted the book. How it is being displayed, and if possible a quick photo.

If anyone knows how big the print run was that would also be interesting to know.

I plan on taking a look for it today. Interested to see how available it is and how the book itself looks.

[Gaastra]

Hope these do well. We need more kids reading comics. Also anyone know what comics are in it?

[Inversed]

Let's hope they treat it better than they did Sonic....heh heh..... (I'm not bitter I swear)

[Iron Maiden]

I can say that I've seen the Archie digest just this weekend on the small shelves next to the check out lane at a local grocery store. I think it was the 75th anniversary edition and it has the approximate dimensions of a paperback novel.

[JKtheMac]

Hope these do well. We need more kids reading comics. Also anyone know what comics are in it?

This is what I found online:

Written by Stan Lee and Len Wein. Art by Steve Ditko and Ross Andru. Cover by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel. Excelsior! Marvel Comics' best-selling heroes are now in the ever-popular digest format! Each digest is a mixture of over 200 pages of the most memorable classic and modern stories, spanning every decade of Marvel history and readership. This first issue spotlights the Amazing Spider-Man, featuring art and stories from comic greats including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Len Wein, Ross Andru and more. This is a can't-miss collector's item that will not be reprinted! Cover price $6.99.

Which backs up earlier suggestions that it would be a selection of stories, but isn't as varied as I imagined. Maybe they have a small series planned.

This part seem to confirm that it will be focused on different heroes:

This first issue spotlights the Amazing Spider-Man

I can say that I've seen the Archie digest just this weekend on the small shelves next to the check out lane at a local grocery store. I think it was the 75th anniversary edition and it has the approximate dimensions of a paperback novel.

Yes that is what I am expecting. I have been hoping Marvel would attempt something like this for a while now. I think it could work out well for them.

[Abe]

It looks great!

About the spinner rack vs LCS question, I'm glad that there are a few LCS now in France - quite a few in Paris TIH. But Marvel comics have never left the racks : the translated publication still has the same format than when I was a kid : anthology magazines avoidable in every good 'Maison de la presse'. If French kids wants to read comics, no problem for them to do so : they'd just need to get out or stop staring at their screens... And they should - not only for comics.

[JKtheMac]

It looks great!

About the spinner rack vs LCS question, I'm glad that there are a few LCS now in France - quite a few in Paris TIH. But Marvel comics have never left the racks : the translated publication still has the same format than when I was a kid : anthology magazines avoidable in every good 'Maison de la presse'. If French kids wants to read comics, no problem for them to do so : they'd just need to get out or stop staring at their screens... And they should - not only for comics.

In the UK it is very patchy. The newsagents are dominated by a single distributor and they lock into specific kinds of comics for the domestic market. I often wonder if they are seen as competition as opposed to a potential revenue stream for imported comics. I really don't believe LCSs will suffer if US comics get a higher profile in other places, but I don't know if this will see wider release in UK supermarkets or not.

[Iron Maiden]

I think the comic book companies try to have it both ways. They produce much more per month these days compared to "spinner rack" days and that's just taking into account Marvel. When there are variants, you know a local big box store, supermarket, drug store/pharmacy just doesn't have the room. In our local mall, Books a Million is sort of a downsized version of Borders. They jam all the comics that they can in one of those front/back shelving units. Good luck trying to find something there. Even if they put them in order, they soon get out of place.

Some of the LCS's I go to the current issues take up an entire wall with maybe 4 continuous shelves. No grocery store is going to have a display like that.

[gurkle]

I saw the digest but I wasn't all that impressed. I thought there needed to be more context for kids to dive in and understand what was happening before and after the stories. It's not like Archie comics where you can read any story in any order you want and they all feature the same basic status quo. Each story has a slightly different version of Spider-Man and I didn't think that was set up very well. But I hope I'm wrong and it does well; the basic idea is good.

[JKtheMac]

I saw the digest but I wasn't all that impressed. I thought there needed to be more context for kids to dive in and understand what was happening before and after the stories. It's not like Archie comics where you can read any story in any order you want and they all feature the same basic status quo. Each story has a slightly different version of Spider-Man and I didn't think that was set up very well. But I hope I'm wrong and it does well; the basic idea is good.

Did you note which stories are included?

[gurkle]

Did you note which stories are included?

I don't recall the titles of most of them, but here are the contents:

Spider-Man digest contents.png

[Digifiend]

So that's three different continuities! Five issues of 616, three from the old all-ages Adventures, and two from the modern cartoon 'verse.

[JKtheMac]

So that's three different continuities! Five issues of 616, three from the old all-ages Adventures, and two from the modern cartoon 'verse.

Yes I was thinking how odd that was too. It does make sense that they would try and tie into the cartoon continuity I guess, but not exactly what I was expecting.

[Gaastra]

And the line is dead! Last two issues won't come out. Guess the $7 price tag scared kids off. Shame.

https://www.newsarama.com/42400-arch...wo-issues.html