CUP O' JOE & Axel-In-Charge Q&A: Dedicated Questions Thread

[VinnieGregorino]

Howdy Joe!

Long-time Marvel reader with a quick question.

Given the current economic times we're in, and given the "explosion" of writers and artists in the genre, you get tons of submissions. We are all aware of that.

Have you given any thoughts to outsourcing the submissions that you have received thus far, and have a person/company take care of the submissions for Marvel, and compile a database, or something to that effect, to streamline the process for you, thereby saving you time?

See you in TO!

[Spidey616]

Hey Joe.

Now that David Haller better known as Legion has returned, I don't suppose we can expect an awkward father/son reunion between him and Professor X anytime soon? Speaking of the Xavier family, any Cassandra Nova plans in the works?

[nightwing1982]

Kiel Phegley: There was a question about the different parts of the Marvel line from Chupacabron, who asks, "In one of your CUP O’ JOE installments, you said, ‘Our young readers books are priced differently than our MAX books are priced. It is something that anyone in the business world does with pricing.’ However, in your recent solicits, MAX titles like ‘Punisher MAX,’ ‘Dominic Fortune’ and the ‘Destroyer’ series are all $3.99. In your September solicits, ‘Marvel Superhero Squad’ (your title that seems to be aimed at the youngest audience) is also $3.99 for 32 pages. Can you explain the reasoning behind giving these titles a $3.9.9 price tag?"

Joe Quesada: The reasoning is pretty simple: we screwed up. The actual price is $2.99 and that was a mistake in the solicit. Future catalogs will have the corrected price, unless we screw up again. [laughs]

"Screw up"

Please, what is a screw up is that a reader/consumer is paying for $3.99 for only 22 page of material. And, ALL of the mini series from Marvel are that way.

Sorry, Joe Q, But at least with DC, with a $3.99 price tag, the person is getting more (new) material (and more re-printed stories).

[Hawkangel]

Hi Joe,

I am a longtime X-Men fan, but newer Deadpool fan. The thing is, I can't find a single issue or storyline that gives a definitive origin or summary to the character. Both Deadpool Classic trades aren't that helpful with his origin.
The closest thing I found was the 'Deadpool Saga' comic which was a 'cut and paste job' of different issues cobbled together.
'Wolverine : Weapon X' summed up Logan's origin very well.
'The Life and Times and Lucas Bishop' also summarised Bishop's origin and also filled in those missing pieces of why Bishop was after Hope Summers.
Looks like 'X-Men Origins : Gambit' is well underway for showing the characters beginning as well.
How about a miniseries that deals with Deadpool's origin so us fans that don't have to scamper around different issues to get a glimpse of who he is can breathe easy?
Maybe the 'The Life and times of Wade Wilson'?

[jean sinclair]

Yo Joe,

Just one question and a request.

Any news about Shang Chi soon? He´s my fave Marvel character. :)

The request is: Plz He´s a Chinese Kung-Fu MASTER so He uses Chinese Traditional Kung-Fu Shoes not Jogging shoes.

Thanks for all and Best wishes from Brazil.

[Adam K]

The filler material is just that, filler, so I don’t see it as giving more content for the dollar when in fact your getting less, or at best the same for the money your spending. At the end of the day, it’s an illusion. I’d rather give you extra comics content with some back-up stories where we can. To me that’s getting more bang for the buck.

So why do we keep getting what you think is "filler?" Ghost Boxes? What was up with that? In fact, most "bonus content" or whatever it gets passed off as is just this so-called "filler." Where are my back-up stories if I'm going to be paying more?

[littleredhat]

Yo Joe! My LCS is over an hour's drive away so I suplement it with Marvel's subscription service. But not only are many of my favorite titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Amazeing Spider-Man family not avalible for the service but thier is no way to get the vital miniseries and one shots to stay on the know in the Marvel U.

Why is this?

[LouisIV]

Joe,

I just had a brief $3.99 question in response to the "Cup" where you addressed a lot of those questions already. I've been reading X-Men related comics since 1985 so I remember all the price increases that have happened since that time. I now read WAAYY more titles than I ever thought I would. (used to be just X-Men family, but now I read Thor, 3 Avengers titles, Spider-Man)...Anyway, I don't really mind all the price increases as long as we get our money's worth like you keep saying. My question to you is: if prices ever did rise permanently to $3.99 or even in the ones now that are usually special event type issues, what kind of "worth" would we get? Generally when I get an oversized issue that has 32 pages of new material and then the rest are just reprints of older issues...that gets annoying. Occasionally it's cool, but I would rather have something new. What would be the likelyhood that maybe you could have all new backstories in every issue that are written by up-and-coming/not quite there yet writers and artists who don't yet deserve their own book, but still need a shot to get noticed. That might give them a chance to be seen without them having to wait until a book or limited series comes along. I'm even thinking of people that are looking for work.

I know in past Cup O'Joes that were on Myspace or when you were giving advice to artists and writers on Twitter you mentioned how you can tell whether they "have it" or not just by looking at 12 pages in a portfolio. Are there ever times when you see someone that you think is talented, but you just don't have anything available for them? Maybe (if something like this were feasible) you could give them an instant shot to prove themselves in a monthly back-up story in an established book.

Sorry this is such a lengthy question. I just want to preface it by saying I'm not really suggesting you do something like this like I think it would work...I'm more just asking would something like this work or would it not. Thanks for your time. (and CBR's)

[daveageallen]

hey joe!

I have a question regarding the new team formed in Marvel Zombies 4. The Midnight sons have been around in the past and since the Marvel Universe seems to be having a surge of supernatural and paranormal problems as of lately, will there possibly be a new midnight sons team or any marvel horror related team coming up or under development?

i could honestly see them as an reoccuring team in Dan Slott's Mighty Avengers since the are now fighting the evil side of the world with G.R.A.M.P.A

thank you! david allen.

good job on the cap reborn cover. my favorite of the bunch. and mighty avengers is my new favorite for marvel right now. keep up the great job.

[chrisjuricich]

I've nothing against Joe Quesada,one way or the other, but let's face it--he's hired to spin the s**t out of things, obfuscate as best he can, and...well, the usual.

Frankly, I've been out of the functional financial side of the comic book industry for a long enough time to be glad about it and frankly, I can't dispute, corroborate, or blatantly state that JQ is a lying sack of s&&t. No--and I apologize for the harshness of the words, here. As I said, I have no dislike for Joe Q at all.

But like many things in this world--when you've been around for 55+ frickin' years like I have and have seen a few things, amazement that zits tend to disappear from your skin when leaving puberty has long since passed muster.

Comic books are just dying on the vine, and have been since the 60s, if not slightly earlier. Once there was an economy that could support millions of these each month; now the economy and the interest is barely enough to support sales of 100,000 on a better-selling title. You know the whole story--there are other, more appealing forms of distraction and entertainment. Funny books appeal to a smaller, more discriminating group who can barely afford them any longer.

Me? I still love the medium itself, thankfully, and am an ardent supporter of it on titles that I like or hope to like. DC and Marvel or Gold Key or other characters were instrumental in my entertainment upbringing through the mid 70s. And even well into the 80s, a lot of the characters appealed to me even then, though I was less disposed to pay full price for most of them, quite content to buy them in reams at discounted prices at cons, back-issue sales where I could pick them up for much less than the current cover prices, whatever they were.

Now, some dozen years later, being a comic book dealer, I'm much less excited about 'catching up' with many of these characters whom I grew up with and loved. Flash, GL, Spidey...I dunno...while I admit that some of the smartest-looking creators as ever are working on presenting them, I...I simply...for the most part...

feh. I just don't care.

Horrifying, I suppose, to any fan--and moreso to the creators, editors and publishers I'd warrant. Still, while occasional storylines may stoke some interest, some nostalgia may instill a desire to pick up a book, overall...much as I've spent years enjoying the creative superhero worlds created for the readers...frankly, I'm not all that excited anymore.

Oh, I still buy comics that I enjoy and read with some regularity. Things like Gravel, Jonah Hex, work by Warren Ellis, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier (a mixed reaction), and much more... superhero stuff well...is it juvenile still or have I grown up? I dunno.

[van_line]

Do you get paid separately from your salary when you do a cover for Marvel?


As EIC, what are the top 5 story mistakes you have made?

[Captain Fur]

Hey Joe Q.

A few years ago I dropped all the books on my pull list and, due to my enchantment with your collected editions, became a trade collector, they're amazing, the people at the this department deserve a rise, really, but since a few months back I'm having some troubles with the trades, these being the pricing and the publication pace. Let me explain it.

Which criteria do you follow in pricing the trades, sometimes I'm surprised by the difference between trades," Daredevil: Lady Bullseye" collected five issues and was 16.99$, "Captain Britain and the MI 13 vol.1" collected 4 issues plus 2 reprints plus material from the Marvel Spotlight magazine and costed me 15.99$, being one dollar less for more pages. "The Immortal Iron Fist vol.2" collected 7 issues from the ongoing series plus an annual and costed 17.99$, which is a great price, but when opossed to the "X-Factor vol.6" that collected only 7 issues (6 from the ongoing plus a She-Hulk crossover issue) but was priced at 19.99$ gives for and odd comparison. I'd like to hear your thoughts about it.

Also, recently I've spotted some gaps in my collection, at first I thought I'd skipped some trades, but after talking to my LCS's owner and some research I found that these trades haven't been published yet, I'm talking about the recently published Uncanny X-Men: Lovelorn TPB, which collected issues 504-507 ans the second annual, the problem is that the previous Uncanny X-Men TPB published was the one that collected issues 495 - 499, leaving a gap of four issues (500 - 503) unpublished in trade form. When will these issues be collected in a trade?

That's it, thank you very much. I hope you understand everything (my native language isn't obviously english).

[varo]

hey joe,

i was wondering, wouldn't your digital comics be the perfect place for some titles that have a strong following, but not strong enough to justify a published ongoing? characters like alpha flight, cloak and dagger, new warriors, she hulk,captain Britain, etc..... i know you have to walk a fine with the retailers and the fans, but it seems that the cost of publishing the book would be down thus the threshold number to continue publishing the title wouldn't constantly be hanging over the titles head.

thanks!

[chrisjuricich]

Fellow here said he was a TPB fan and pretty much gave up on the monthly pamphlet issues. Makes a lot of sense, really. Guy was also confused by the pricing which, when based on page or issue-reprint count, didn't seem to have any consistency.

Seems that Marvel (or DC, for that matter) will price their books at whatever price point they think it will sell the most of. No great rocket science here, I'm thinking. Just, well...when I see TPBs that are priced at $19.99 or $24.99 I'm slightly aghast. But if I were a collector of this material, I'd simply wait and look on Amazon or similar sites where ready discounts can be found.

Personally, I view DC and Marvel much as I view any other large corporation these days--full of spin, raising their prices and oh, I dunno...just not necessarily doing the right thing except that which might increase profit. Sure, anybody wants profit in their life but only large corporations are capable of doing this at the expense of large numbers of people who may get treated poorly as a result. OK, I'm just being a California boy here. Sorry.

[Dayspring]

Joe,

So Cap is doing a Desmond Hume type thing? Cool (I guess). But how does that affect Thor's interaction with Cap's ghost on the one year anniversary of his death in the Thor series (which I guess may or may not sync up to Cap #600)?