"BYE BYE JOOOOO-EEEEEY!!!"*
Flipping through this month’s Previews (April) with Wildsiderz on the cover, as well as the Marvel Previews for the month of June, I have finally decided to weed out about 90% of Marvel Comics from my monthly buying. What caused it? One book:
Marvel Team-Up #9.
Now, it’s not the content, it’s not the creators, it’s the simple fact that Marvel raised it from a $2.25 book to $2.99. $2.99?!? This was the month that all of Marvel’s $2.25 comics went to $2.50. Okay - I was ready for that. Amazing Spider-Man is now $2.50. X-Men and UncannyX-Men are now $2.50. So I figured Marvel Team-Up would follow suit.
Nope. $2.99.
With no extra pages, no cardstock cover, no boost in anything. Marvel did the same to Fantastic Four a year ago - arguably in anticipation for the movie (but that still doesn’t make it better) - but I let it go. This time I can’t. I can’t keep supporting a company that makes drastic changes like that with no explanation. Especially considering Robert Kirkman and Marvel hyped the book initially BECAUSE it was only $2.25.
To start the weeding process, I’m no longer picking up ANY “X” book. Both X-Men and Uncanny are starting new storylines (Uncanny is bringing back Mojo >yawn<; X-Men, although I want to support both Milligan & Larocca, this new storyline just doesn’t interest me) so those are easy to drop. Astonishing X-Men is wrapping up Whedon & Cassaday’s first year so that’s easy to drop (and just pick up a hardcover or trade of the second year later).
Next, Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine and Marvel Team-Up all have 2-3 more issues before they wrap up their stories. Straczynski’s Amazing started off with a controversial story that set the Spidey-fans on their ears. And the story worked. He even brought Mary Jane back into the fold and the promise of greatness was there. And then it just fizzled. Oneshot stories, co-writing with Fiona Avery, Amazing quickly became just another Spider-Man book for me. Wolverine and Marvel Team-Up, I’m giving until the end of their respective runs once Millar/Romita Jr’s year ends and with Team-Up, just until issue #12.
Looking at the previews for House of M, I realize I just am not that interested in picking up 2 books in one month (by the way, the same goes for X-Men and Uncanny - I don’t need two issues a month). Thankfully, the online website I use (with a link over on the side there), has House of M #1 for .75c. So I’ll pick that up, but for the rest, I’ll wait for the trade.
The only Marvel books I’m keeping are new Thunderbolts, to support Tom Grummett and Fabian Nicieza, especially since Marvel shot themselves in the foot when the changed the original Thunderbolts book into a fightclub series. They killed the momentum on the book so I’m hoping this new series builds a fanbase. The other books I’m collecting are the Official Handbooks. Are they perfect? No. Do they have mistakes? Yes. Do I wish the artwork was all original, new work? Yes. But oh well. I’m a sucker for “Who’s Who” type books.
That’s two books that I will continue with once the others go by the wayside. I’ll also pick up the new Defenders title but that’s because I lovethe collaboration between Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire (the Justice League International gang). But for now, that’s it. When there are great “history” books like Modern Masters vol.5 with Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and the Will Eisner tribute in Comic Book Artist #6, both priced at$14+, as well as trades like the Who is Donna Troy? trade and Fantastic Four Visionaries vol.1 by George Perez, I need some room in my monthly budgeting.
So, Joey Q, I loved your Marvel Knights. Marvel, I loved your risk taking in the past few years. But I can’t support you anymore.
Adios.
*PS/ To be sung to the tune of "Bye, Bye Birdie".
Marvel Team-Up #9.
Now, it’s not the content, it’s not the creators, it’s the simple fact that Marvel raised it from a $2.25 book to $2.99. $2.99?!? This was the month that all of Marvel’s $2.25 comics went to $2.50. Okay - I was ready for that. Amazing Spider-Man is now $2.50. X-Men and UncannyX-Men are now $2.50. So I figured Marvel Team-Up would follow suit.
Nope. $2.99.
With no extra pages, no cardstock cover, no boost in anything. Marvel did the same to Fantastic Four a year ago - arguably in anticipation for the movie (but that still doesn’t make it better) - but I let it go. This time I can’t. I can’t keep supporting a company that makes drastic changes like that with no explanation. Especially considering Robert Kirkman and Marvel hyped the book initially BECAUSE it was only $2.25.
To start the weeding process, I’m no longer picking up ANY “X” book. Both X-Men and Uncanny are starting new storylines (Uncanny is bringing back Mojo >yawn<; X-Men, although I want to support both Milligan & Larocca, this new storyline just doesn’t interest me) so those are easy to drop. Astonishing X-Men is wrapping up Whedon & Cassaday’s first year so that’s easy to drop (and just pick up a hardcover or trade of the second year later).
Next, Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine and Marvel Team-Up all have 2-3 more issues before they wrap up their stories. Straczynski’s Amazing started off with a controversial story that set the Spidey-fans on their ears. And the story worked. He even brought Mary Jane back into the fold and the promise of greatness was there. And then it just fizzled. Oneshot stories, co-writing with Fiona Avery, Amazing quickly became just another Spider-Man book for me. Wolverine and Marvel Team-Up, I’m giving until the end of their respective runs once Millar/Romita Jr’s year ends and with Team-Up, just until issue #12.
Looking at the previews for House of M, I realize I just am not that interested in picking up 2 books in one month (by the way, the same goes for X-Men and Uncanny - I don’t need two issues a month). Thankfully, the online website I use (with a link over on the side there), has House of M #1 for .75c. So I’ll pick that up, but for the rest, I’ll wait for the trade.
The only Marvel books I’m keeping are new Thunderbolts, to support Tom Grummett and Fabian Nicieza, especially since Marvel shot themselves in the foot when the changed the original Thunderbolts book into a fightclub series. They killed the momentum on the book so I’m hoping this new series builds a fanbase. The other books I’m collecting are the Official Handbooks. Are they perfect? No. Do they have mistakes? Yes. Do I wish the artwork was all original, new work? Yes. But oh well. I’m a sucker for “Who’s Who” type books.
That’s two books that I will continue with once the others go by the wayside. I’ll also pick up the new Defenders title but that’s because I lovethe collaboration between Giffen, DeMatteis and Maguire (the Justice League International gang). But for now, that’s it. When there are great “history” books like Modern Masters vol.5 with Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and the Will Eisner tribute in Comic Book Artist #6, both priced at$14+, as well as trades like the Who is Donna Troy? trade and Fantastic Four Visionaries vol.1 by George Perez, I need some room in my monthly budgeting.
So, Joey Q, I loved your Marvel Knights. Marvel, I loved your risk taking in the past few years. But I can’t support you anymore.
Adios.
*PS/ To be sung to the tune of "Bye, Bye Birdie".
posted by Peter at
11:07 PM
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