Marvel
Publisher Dan Buckley spoke to Comic Book Resources early this year to discuss
Marvel’s strategies for 2012 including shipping their core titles more than
once a month. The current economic environment does not encourage comic fans to
experiment on new titles consisting of B-list characters according to Buckley. This
comes apparent when the title Thunderbolts is strategically gets a name change
to Dark Avengers in June while the
X-Men franchise gets another familiar title reestablished X-Treme X-Men in July. Marvel is also shipping favorite titles
twice a month to respond to demands of retailers to attract customers to their
stores frequently.
Marvel
has taken a strategic approach maximizing the various distribution channels to
reach the broader audience which includes the technological innovation of the
digital platform. Senior Vice-President Tom Brevoort believes the only strategy
to trust is where fans spend their money. Brevoort beliefs lead to the
cancellation of their CrossGen imprints Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang and Route 666.
Marvel
Comics continues its strategy of bombarding their titles to raise their parent
company’s stock price. The 2012 Avengers
vs. X-Men event includes 7 tie-ins within the first month which expand on
the main series. The initial order estimate for the first issue of Avengers vs.
X-Men is over 250,000 copies. However Marvel manages to add value to their
first issue. Readers will also receive a free digital copy as well as Avengers
vs. X-Men #1 Infinite which is the first in a new line of digital comics
designed with mobile devices in mind.
Bendis
who is leaving the Avengers franchise after Avengers vs. X-Men writes the first
six issues of Avengers Assemble for
the upcoming Avengers film. Having a writer leave after the initial story arc
does not go well for the long term prospective of the title. It would have been
better to increase the volume of the main series the Avengers instead of adding
a new title to cannibalize comic book shelves. Shipping Avengers twice a month
may go well for the current internet generation.
In 2011
Marvel Comics released new titles including Daredevil, Punisher, Defenders, Incredible Hulk, and Venom
and continued with Scarlet Spider
and Winter Soldier in 2012. In 2012
Marvel Comics will focus on big franchises including the both the Avengers and
the Amazing Spider-Man. Avengers vs. X-Men will take advantage of the upcoming
Avengers film, while the Ends of the
Earth and Spider-Men events take
advantage of the Amazing Spider-Man film.
Marvel
Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada reacted to suggestions that Avengers vs.
X-Men is a response to DC’s New 52 by saying “Avengers vs. X-Men is something
that’s been on our docket for publishing for several years now.” One could
assume as early as 2008 when the first Iron
Man movie was released by Marvel Studios and the Avengers movie was first announced along side Thor and Captain America.
However keeping with a 5-year plan, the Avengers vs. X-Men event would have
been planned in 2007 with the release of X-Men:
Messiah Complex.
Following
last year’s Fear Itself and in
anticipation of the upcoming Avengers
film with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Marvel introduced Marcus Johnson an
African American army ranger who is the son of Nick Fury in the limited series Battle Scars. Marvel wanted a
consistent incarnation of the Fury name in their main books as the Avengers
film approaches.
Creative Changes
Creative
changes at Marvel Comics as both Brian Michael Bendis leaves the Avengers after
eight years while Jonathan Hickman is transition off the Ultimates, Fantastic
Four, and FF while Matt Fraction winds down on the Invincible Iron Man.
Digital Releases
In 2001
Marvel Comics showed commitment to the hardcovers and trade paperbacks
collections and constructed stories to be collected in that form. Now Marvel is
showing commitment to the digital market by announcing comics priced at $3.99
will include codes for free digital copies of the same issues while DC Comics
offers combo packs at $4.99 for both a comic and its digital copy.
Under the
Marvel ReEvolution banner, Marvel Infinite Comics began producing original
digital stories for mobile devices to bring comic readers closer to the story
than ever before. The first story will be a prequel to Avengers vs. X-Men
written by Mark Waid (Daredevil) with art by Stuart Immonen (Fear Itself).
Marvel
also sees an opportunity to bring digital consumers into comic stores giving
readers a $5 coupon for a digital comic purchase. An investment which will
drive digital readers towards their local comic retailers.
January Publishing Strategies
The start
of the year begins with strengthening the Avengers franchise of titles before
the start of the Avengers film in
May. The Ultimate Comics line
finishes their first story arcs. Wolverine hits the milestone 300th issue by
writer Jason Aaron who also ends his PunisherMax
series. While DC Comics celebrates Jim Lee drawing the Justice League,
Marvel Comics publishes the X-Men: Mutant
Genesis 2.0 hardcover collecting the first seven issues of the 1991
“adjectiveless” X-Men series.
February Publishing Strategies
Marvel continues
to reprint several classic Avengers tales in hardcover form to promote the
upcoming Avengers film. While last
year’s Fear Itself saga also
reprints several individual stories, the first two issues of the new Winter Soldier series is released. The
first story arcs of the Ultimate Comics
line are collected, the each of the titles begins the next one.
March Publishing Strategies
The four
issue Avengers: X-Sanction draws to
a close as Avengers vs. X-Men begins
with a zero issue. Writer Brian Michael Bendis closes out as writer of the
Avengers in 2012 by beginning a new series called Avengers Assemble. The 50th anniversary of Spider-Man
begins with Ends of the Earth story
arc. The three year stories of the Fantastic
Four which lead to the death of the Johnny Storm conclude this month. The
revelation of Marcus Johnson stands revealed in Battle Scars. An alternative universe X-title is added this month
with Age of Apocalypse. Marvel
collects all the movie tie-ins from their previous films in Avengers: The Road to the Avengers.
April Publishing Strategies
Marvel releases
the first two issues Avengers vs. X-Men
as well as a tie-in to expand on the fight scenes within the main series AvX: Vs. Other titles tying into this
series includes Avengers, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Uncanny
X-Men, and Wolverine & The X-Men.
Marvel also collects all the issues leading up to Avengers vs. X-Men called Avengers vs. X-Men: It’s Coming trade
paperback and its prequel Avengers:
X-Sanction hardcover.
Captain America and Bucky transitions into Captain America and Hawkeye before the Avengers film in May. The Omega Effect begins a 3-part
crossover between the Avenging Spider-Man, Punisher, and Daredevil. The Red
Hulk enters its 50th issue in the “adjectiveless” Hulk. Battle Scars concludes after the revelation of Marcus Johnson being
the son of Nick Fury.
May Publishing Strategies
The Avengers film finally premieres as the Avengers vs. X-Men series continues
within additional tie-ins including Avengers Academy
June Publishing Strategies
The
Ultimate Universe continues and begins its third arc of stories with Brian Wood
on Ultimate X-Men. Marvel concludes
Act One of Avengers vs. X-Men as Act
Two begins. The Thunderbolts
transitions into Dark Avengers so
another title is added to the Avengers franchise. Meanwhile the Red Hulk takes
on the return of the Mayan Gods.
One month
before the release of the Amazing
Spider-Man film Marvel releases the ultra secret five issue limited series Spider-Men as well as the conclusion to
Ends of the Earth in Amazing Spider-Man.
Marvel Comics Events Timeline
Avengers
Disassembled (2004)
House of
M (2005)
Decimation
Civil War
(2006-2007)
World War
Hulk (2007)
X-Men:
Messiah Complex (2007)
Secret
Invasion (2008)
Dark
Reign (2009)
Dark
Reign: Utopia (2009)
Siege
(2010)
X-Men:
Second Coming (2010)
Heroic
Age (2010)
Fear
Itself (2011)
Shattered
Heroes (2011)
Avengers
vs. X-Men (2012)
