Marvel's New 52 (or less)

[the G-man]

Rich Johnston, who more or less broke the DC reboot news, is now hearing chatter about a Marvel relaunch:

• We’ve been running a number of stories over the last few weeks looking at rumoured new creative teams for existing books, and for new books. The word is that you’re going to see a bunch of them start again from issue – but this is not a line wide relaunch in the same fashion as the New 52 – and it won’t be a continuity replacement either. You may see a lot of newly designed characters however… it also looks as if it may start in November, if the Captain America timeline is anything to go by.

If not a reboot, what's the point? Marvel's tried new Number One issues without reboots before, and just ended up readopting the old numbering.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Temporary sales boost.

The current guy running Marvel is breathing on editorial's necks to improves sales from publishing while cutting staff.

Edit: And also to reshuffle a lot of the creative teams who have been on books since Quesada's editorial reign such as Bendis on Avengers, Bru on Cap and Fraction on IM.

 

[Christopher]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point. (The motive behind the New 52 was similar -- to give a jumping-on point to those new readers that digital comics are theoretically creating. And origin-retelling graphic novels like Marvel's Season One and DC's Earth One are aimed at new readers who prefer full-length books to monthly comics, and who might be scared off by decades of accumulated continuity baggage.)

 

[the G-man]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point.

That would explain a reboot but not a renumbering without a reboot. Self contained stories would create a jumping on point as, if not more, readily than a renumbering, especially if the renumbering doesn't involve a reboot.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point.

That was the purpose of Avengers Assemble, the Bendis/Bagley series that features a special Avengers team that matches the line-up from the film.

These books, if they are real, aren't an Avengers movie-inspired jumping-on point, because Avengers will have been five months in the past once the first issues come out.

For what it's worth, both DC and Marvel have come to recognize that there's no appreciable bump in sales due to movie releases. It's not 1989 anymore.

 

[Hound of UIster]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point.

That would explain a reboot but not a renumbering without a reboot. Self contained stories would create a jumping on point as, if not more, readily than a renumbering, especially if the renumbering doesn't involve a reboot.

For better or for worse it marks the start of a new era in terms of stewardship and creative direction for Marvel.

 

[Venardhi]

The current guy running Marvel is breathing on editorial's necks to improves sales from publishing while cutting staff.

Psst. Disney. Hey, listen man. You paid a lot for Marvel, I know. But look, you already made about half of that money back from just one movie and Superheroes aren't going anywhere any time soon.

My point is: think of Marvel as an IP development house. Encourage them to make new heroes and tell new stories. Don't worry about the publishing actually being profitable, you'll make any losses back 10 fold from the next big hit movie and following cartoons, action figures, t-shirts, costumes, video games, theme park, etc.

Stay cool bro.

 

[Admiral_Young]

We've been following this in the Marvel discussion thread. As the original article stated from Rich, this isn't a relaunch like the New 52 but it's a creative team shuffle which may or may not see character design changes. This is all fall out from Avengers Vs X-Men which concludes this fall as well. Tom Brevoort has been very adamant since last year that they're not relaunching or rebooting.

 

[Christopher]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point.

That would explain a reboot but not a renumbering without a reboot.

Of course it explains that. It's not the first time that comics have offered a jumping-on point for new readers without rebooting the whole continuity. Comics have been renumbered before, or new in-continuity series started, for just that reason. They don't ignore or contradict past continuity, but they try to tell stories that will work as introductions for readers who are just coming aboard, that will lay out the basics and start new storylines and only gradually bring in elements of the larger continuity.

After all, plenty of entirely new stories build on extensive past histories. The first X-Men film involved Wolverine and Rogue getting caught up in a long-existing battle. The first Harry Potter novel had Harry discovering an extensive past conflict that he had unknowingly been connected to from birth. The first Indiana Jones movie is largely driven by Indy's long past histories with Belloq and Marion. So if a story in the middle of a long-running continuity is structured in the same way, as an introduction of that extensive past history to new readers, it won't feel any different to them than a story that really is the very beginning of the series.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Again...the point of this is that these are creative team changes. It's not a reboot or relaunch, and has nothing to do with "Avengers" success at the box office, as Allyn mentioned they already have a book related to that . This has to do with the aftermath of "Avengers Vs X-Men" and the changes that Marvel is making to SOME of their books.

 

[the G-man]

The purpose is probably to try to give a "jumping-on point" to new readers; now that The Avengers is such a hit, they're hoping that a lot of the people who liked the movie will seek out the comics for the first time, and they want to make the comics more accessible to those newcomers by giving them a clear starting point.

That would explain a reboot but not a renumbering without a reboot.

Of course it explains that. It's not the first time that comics have offered a jumping-on point for new readers without rebooting the whole continuity. Comics have been renumbered before, or new in-continuity series started, for just that reason. They don't ignore or contradict past continuity, but they try to tell stories that will work as introductions for readers ....

All of which can be, and has been, done without a renumbering.

 

[Hound of UIster]

A brand new #1 or renumbering always sells better as DC and Marvel have demonstrated in the past.

 

[Christopher]

All of which can be, and has been, done without a renumbering.

Huh? Yeah, but the point is that it can be, and has been, done with a renumbering too. It's happened before, so why can't it be happening again? I don't understand why this is an argument to you.

 

[Starbreaker]

I never got the impression that it "can't" happen. It just doesn't need to. He's allowed his own opinion that he doesn't think they should be renumbered.

 

[Christopher]

^If you say so. I always get confused when people phrase "I don't like it that they're doing this" as "Why would they do this?" I hear that as a request for an explanation.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

A brand new #1 or renumbering always sells better as DC and Marvel have demonstrated in the past.

Sad, but true. And while there's a short-term sales spike, usually within six months the title is back to selling what it was before the renumbering. There's a nice splash at first, but no long-term gain.

 

[MNM]

If not a reboot, what's the point? Marvel's tried new Number One issues without reboots before, and just ended up readopting the old numbering.

You're lisenting to Rich Jonston, a guy who is wrong at least as much as he is right, if not more so.

 

[shivkala]

Looks like Jean Grey is back again:

To answer your questions: Yes, this is Jean Grey — as in, the Jean Grey who’s been absent from Marvel Comics ever since dying for a second time back in the mid-’00s. And yes, she is modeling her vintage blue-and-yellow X-Men outfit from her Marvel Girl days. Does this mean that the fan-favorite character is finally returning? We can only confirm that her presence in the Marvel Universe will not be imaginary. This will not be part of the Ultimate line-up. She will not be a zombie hologram, like Shard on X-Factor. What could this all mean? Check back tomorrow, when all the secrets will be revealed. (Or some of them, anyhow.)

 

[Professor Zoom]

Looks like Jean Grey is back again:

To answer your questions: Yes, this is Jean Grey — as in, the Jean Grey who’s been absent from Marvel Comics ever since dying for a second time back in the mid-’00s. And yes, she is modeling her vintage blue-and-yellow X-Men outfit from her Marvel Girl days. Does this mean that the fan-favorite character is finally returning? We can only confirm that her presence in the Marvel Universe will not be imaginary. This will not be part of the Ultimate line-up. She will not be a zombie hologram, like Shard on X-Factor. What could this all mean? Check back tomorrow, when all the secrets will be revealed. (Or some of them, anyhow.)

Wow. I didn't realize she was gone (again) for her to even come back (again).

 

[the G-man]

Jean Grey is the Bill the Cat of the Marvel Universe.