From: cwelsh@morgan.ucs.mun.ca (Craig Welsh  )
Subject: Re: Marvel Implosion Imminent? (was: Re: Marvel copies DC... again)
Organization: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 05:47:37 GMT

>though at least at the beginning, it was done WORSE.  Probably third to
>go (and they'll do it more quietly) will be the reprint titles -- one
>for the X-Men and TWO now for Spidey.  It may take longer to get rid of
>these because they're just so cheap, but probably after a while it won't
>be worth the effort. 
Reprint titles tend to work one of two ways. They are either stubborn
like Marvel Tales and keep on going forever, or they die like the upteen
number of Marvel Reprint titles in the 60's and 70's. I think you are
correct though, most of them will die simply because they sell in such
low numbers that they are not worth the trouble, no matter how low the
overhead is on them.

 And, I forsee a possible big storyline somewhere
>in the future revolving around all the "New Heroes" being killed off (a
>sly way of getting rid of all the bombs like SLEEPWALKER, DARKHAWK,
>CAGE, etc.)  Stretching it here, but I think we all know what books at
>Marble are just not doing it, and will have to go in the eventual
>implosion.

You are wrong here, however. We all see the trend that Marvel is using
right now in bring back cast off characters from the 70's and revamping
them for the 90's. Marvel is loathe to waste an asset and I doubt they
would go for the quick fix with these characters. Pop them in hiatus and
use them again when the market can sustain it in a few years.
>
>WHEN will this implosion happen?  Who knows.  But if you read the recent
>MARVEL: FIVE FABULOUS DECADES... hardcover, you'll see that Marvel's
>history has been full of periods of expansion and then rapid cutbacks.
>The only thing I fear this time around is that a major cutting back of
>titles will be translated into the media as "Comic books are no longer
>big business", all the "investors" will get out of the market, and it
>could spell problems for a lot of the new comic books stores that have
>sprung up in the last few years.  And if direct sales comic stores start
>closing, that will mean problems for smaller independent publishers. 

Kind of sounds like "Comic Darwinism" doesn't it? Only the strong will
survive. When (not if) the Implusion comes, it is going to take a lot of
stores, publishers, and creative people down with it. There are a lot of
stores out there whose very survival depends on Marvel. If anything
happens to them, they are screwed. A lot of people are going to be hurt
when it happens.
   
>Anyway, a lot of doom-saying going on here, but it's all just theory.  I
>really would like to hear if anyone is willing to say Marvel is not
>setting themselves up for a fall this time.

Certainly Marvel is setting themselves up for a fall.  This isn't about
publishing comics, it is about making money. I know that Marvel is a
very easy and convient target, but it shows a remarkable degree of
shortsightedness to produce this many comics in such a short space of
time. It has to collapse and when it does it is going to take a long
time for the industry to recover.

There. Time for someone else to step up on the soapbox.

-Craig

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*      Stupid Last Requests While waiting on Death Row                *
*      #1 - To hear "Wombling Merry Christmas" one last time.         *
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