How Come so many COmics series end after like 12 issues???

[Polo]

Back in the days, comics would go on forever like Uncanny X-Men, and others and they would be on issue like 400!!! Now I just bought

Captain America: Out of time, and it says the series concludes after issue 6???
Captain America and the Falcon is concluding at issue 14??? I think it is???

Does this always happen????

[Alan2099]

#1 issues sell big.

[The Fury]

Both Rogue and Gambit have been scedualed to be cancelled as well at 12 issues. This is due to bad sale (for Marvel) and so they end it at a years worth of comics.

Captain America? 'Out of Time', is the name for the first arc. It's not being cancelled after that just that is the end of the arc.

Unless I've missed something big.


Also, Polo, 'Runaways' is a suggestion for your list. It's great. :)

[AlanScott606]

Yes, Runaways is excellent as is Spider-Girl, New Thunderbolts and Manhunter from DC

[Archer]

Generally it's down to poor sales. As most story arcs are 6 issues long (for ease of reprinting in trade paperback), 12 issues is usually two stories - so it's a handy cutoff point if a book isn't doing well. Also, a new #1 can boost readership a lot (I think this has happened with both New X-Men and Runaways), so a book that Marvel wants to support can get relaunched after a year or two in order to get the numbers up.

[GeekDragon]

I know both Rogue and Gambit is getting the ax due to poor sales. I heard the guy who runs the shop I go to say he had to cut his order for both books back again because of poor sales. Plus, like said above, both #1's and TPB's are the reasons for other cancelings. It's a much different market then it was 10 years ago.

[DDM]

Marvel is still reeling from being bankrupt; therefore, any book that sells a certain low amount gets cancelled. Furthermore, Marvel editors put little thought into many of these cancellled book that I'm not suprised they don't last beyond a dozaen issues.

[Jamie]

I think you can also attribute part of it to a combination of the decompressed, arc-driven approach many writers are taken, and the fact that a lot of series are on somewhat-unpredictable schedules (ie, are consistently late.)

If you write an arc, release it for six issues, then pull the plug and release the next arc as a new title, you get an extra #1 and you get some extra wiggle-room for slow writers and artists. Not that this necessarily works.

I think this is a holdover from the speculator days, but one that actually proved to be of use beyond the 'generating collector sales.' For instance, #1s automatically come across as 'Jumping on point' while issue #122... not so much. [I just followed that line of reasoning myself in trying out Authority: Revolution #1 to see what the fuss was about.] Of course, it used to be that 'jumping on points' weren't that big a deal because most titles were fairly accessible. But with more detailed and/or drawn-out stories, that's often no longer the case.

The other given reasons are all substantial ones as well, and should not be ignored.

[HartyPotter]

The Cap America solicit you read is simply referring to the storyline. As for the others, Marvel usually likes having storylines run for 6 issues each, and I guess they like to give each title a chance to write two stories just in case the second arc picks up readers.