Friday, October 13, 2006
OMG! SUPER-CHIEF IS IN 52?!?
Or, "Civil War Claims Another Reader"
This is why Marvel will always win:
Two months ago: "Screw Civil War. I am going to go spend my money on timely products made by companies that want my business."
Today: "I have to admit, seeing this [variant cover for Civil War #5] makes me want to go buy the next issue, if for no other reason then to watch Frank Castle kick some serious butt."
To be fair to Heidi, she only says that she wants to buy the next issue of Civil War, not that she definitely will. But it still reads like a foregone conclusion to me. And even if she doesn't buy Civil War, she's still supporting Marvel by buying dozens of their other books. And I do understand the pull that favorite characters can have (just this week I had my own "OMG!" moment when I saw that there was going to be a new ongoing Dr. Fate series spinning out of a series of one-shots), so I'm certainly in no position to criticize anyone for getting excited over a particular character's appearance.
But I do think this points to why Marvel and DC don't take online pronouncements of outrage very seriously: Chances are, nothing is going to change in the long run. Customers may threaten to boycott a certain title (or even the company's entire output) but in the end most fans will plunk down their money for the very books they're complaining about, and that's the only thing the publishers pay any attention to. 1:49 PM | |
Or, "Civil War Claims Another Reader"
This is why Marvel will always win:
Two months ago: "Screw Civil War. I am going to go spend my money on timely products made by companies that want my business."
Today: "I have to admit, seeing this [variant cover for Civil War #5] makes me want to go buy the next issue, if for no other reason then to watch Frank Castle kick some serious butt."
OMG! THE PUNISHER FIGHTING SPIDER-MAN?? ALL IS FORGIVEN, MARVEL!!!
To be fair to Heidi, she only says that she wants to buy the next issue of Civil War, not that she definitely will. But it still reads like a foregone conclusion to me. And even if she doesn't buy Civil War, she's still supporting Marvel by buying dozens of their other books. And I do understand the pull that favorite characters can have (just this week I had my own "OMG!" moment when I saw that there was going to be a new ongoing Dr. Fate series spinning out of a series of one-shots), so I'm certainly in no position to criticize anyone for getting excited over a particular character's appearance.
But I do think this points to why Marvel and DC don't take online pronouncements of outrage very seriously: Chances are, nothing is going to change in the long run. Customers may threaten to boycott a certain title (or even the company's entire output) but in the end most fans will plunk down their money for the very books they're complaining about, and that's the only thing the publishers pay any attention to. 1:49 PM | |