CBR: Marvel: Killing Fewer Characters Than Previously Thought

[CBR News]

After news of a character death each quarter made the rounds from ComicsPRO, CBR has the straight word on Marvel's morbid moves from SVP of Sales David Gabriel.


Full article here.

[coy_dog0]

Marvel is creatively dead.

The fact that this article even warrants coverage proves their story content is worthless.

[RDMacQ]

Might have helped if he had mentioned that in his initial statement.

[Dog]

Might have helped if he had mentioned that in his initial statement.

The initial statement was never meant to leave the room.

[MarvelMaster616]

Maybe I'm strange, but I really don't like seeing characters that I enjoy reading about get killed off. Is that so odd? Is that really such a bizarre preference? Marvel's strength is it's long list of popular characters. That's what Disney paid big bucks to attain when they bought Marvel. When you kill those characters, its' only a short term solution that creates twice as many long term problems. Even if that death doesn't last as was the case with the Captain America death, some fans like myself will take it as a slap in the face. It's Marvel's way of saying they're running out of ideas so they have to shock readers into buying their merchandise. It's a sad and dishonest tactic. If this is all they can do now to boost sales then they've truly run out of ideas.

Just look at Blackest Night. That book did the opposite. It brought characters back to life and was the biggest selling comic event of it's time. Marvel should take note.

[bachelorduke]

Well now I'm getting all paranoid about deaths that are going to happen not because that fits a great story or whatever, but because the higher ups said so. Never mind the number of heroes that die; if it's a case of "you have to kill someone, we don't care who, but someone dies" memos getting sent out, that's bs. Especially because I tend to be in to b-listers who are at risk. I mean you Spider Man fans need not worry. I could totally see them whacking Danny Rand though.

[Umbra]

Maybe I'm strange, but I really don't like seeing characters that I enjoy reading about get killed off. Is that so odd? Is that really such a bizarre preference? Marvel's strength is it's long list of popular characters. That's what Disney paid big bucks to attain when they bought Marvel. When you kill those characters, its' only a short term solution that creates twice as many long term problems. Even if that death doesn't last as was the case with the Captain America death, some fans like myself will take it as a slap in the face. It's Marvel's way of saying they're running out of ideas so they have to shock readers into buying their merchandise. It's a sad and dishonest tactic. If this is all they can do now to boost sales then they've truly run out of ideas.

Just look at Blackest Night. That book did the opposite. It brought characters back to life and was the biggest selling comic event of it's time. Marvel should take note.

Does Marvel even care about the number of characters they have. I mean they are not pushing these characters. The same characters on the same teams, etc?

Civil War sold more then Blackest Night. So Marvel is focused on stuff like that I guess. smh.

[Evil-Spidey]

Kill off Spider-Man, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk now. I wanna see the aftermath of their deaths again.

[Andyb]

I say Marvel should kill every character they have, just think about how many sales that'd bring in. Of course Marvel thinks they're being clever and edgy saying crap like that but honestly in the long run I bet it does more to drive down sales then whatever short term bump they get from speculators. Death has no meaning in comics, not because they bring the characters back but because they're so willing to kill them off. I wish the writers and editors at Marvel and DC would understand and try to live up to these truths, "every comic is someone's first" and "every character is someone's favorite." I have a little more faith in the crew at DC than I do Marvel, but it's always been Marvel's characters that I really care about. I just wish the caretakers of those characters felt the same way.

[Castel]

Death has no meaning in comics

Indeed. The thing (haha) who happened to the FF made anyone sad ? No ? Not even you Crystal ? Man, that's cold...

Who cares ?

[Mike O]

I say Marvel should kill every character they have, just think about how many sales that'd bring in. Of course Marvel thinks they're being clever and edgy saying crap like that but honestly in the long run I bet it does more to drive down sales then whatever short term bump they get from speculators. Death has no meaning in comics, not because they bring the characters back but because they're so willing to kill them off. I wish the writers and editors at Marvel and DC would understand and try to live up to these truths, "every comic is someone's first" and "every character is someone's favorite." I have a little more faith in the crew at DC than I do Marvel, but it's always been Marvel's characters that I really care about. I just wish the caretakers of those characters felt the same way.

So many things are wrong with this statement. First, the speculative market is dead, the bump isn't coming from speculators, the bump is coming from people who hear about the story on the news, and hopefully they'll stick around and read more.
Also, every comic book is not someone first, simply because there aren't that many new readers coming in anymore, and the new readers are most likely reading trades (maybe one day they'll get impatient and start picking up monthlies).
Bottom line is that the death of a character helps move copies of the issue and is probably the best way to get people interested in a title. Disney is interested in making money off of Marvel characters, and if killing them is going to do the trick, than we're going to see more death.
As for my own personal view on the superhero death issue; I'm pretty neutral on it, although I can say that I find most of the stories involving the death of a character are good. It might be the higher stakes that make everything a little more dramatic. Marvels got enough talent working for them that I'm not that concerned. I'm happy with the content marvel has been putting out, and the direction the company is going in, whereas DC seems to be playing catch-up and letting Warner Bros. butcher them so they can better compete with Marvel. I enjoy titles from both publishers and refuse to take a side in the Marvel vs. DC thing, but right now, I'm enjoying Marvel much more and I feel like Marvel knows what direction they want to push their titles in all across the board.

[Hulk_Is]

I don't mind character deaths because my favorite characters never seem to get killed anyway, well, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. I mean, Cable died but, it was such a well executed death that you couldn't hate it. And, if they kill of the Hulk right now - who would care? I know I wouldn't. And, Moon Knight is creatively dead.

I feel bad for you guys that routinely have your favorite characters killed. Luck of the draw I guess. Ouch.

[marvelprince]

Maybe I'm strange, but I really don't like seeing characters that I enjoy reading about get killed off. Is that so odd? Is that really such a bizarre preference? Marvel's strength is it's long list of popular characters. That's what Disney paid big bucks to attain when they bought Marvel. When you kill those characters, its' only a short term solution that creates twice as many long term problems. Even if that death doesn't last as was the case with the Captain America death, some fans like myself will take it as a slap in the face. It's Marvel's way of saying they're running out of ideas so they have to shock readers into buying their merchandise. It's a sad and dishonest tactic. If this is all they can do now to boost sales then they've truly run out of ideas.

Just look at Blackest Night. That book did the opposite. It brought characters back to life and was the biggest selling comic event of it's time. Marvel should take note.

I don't think you should hold Blackest Night as an example. Do you know how many characters were killed off during the course of the whole mini?

[daveageallen]

Maybe I'm strange, but I really don't like seeing characters that I enjoy reading about get killed off. Is that so odd? Is that really such a bizarre preference? Marvel's strength is it's long list of popular characters. That's what Disney paid big bucks to attain when they bought Marvel. When you kill those characters, its' only a short term solution that creates twice as many long term problems. Even if that death doesn't last as was the case with the Captain America death, some fans like myself will take it as a slap in the face. It's Marvel's way of saying they're running out of ideas so they have to shock readers into buying their merchandise. It's a sad and dishonest tactic. If this is all they can do now to boost sales then they've truly run out of ideas.

Just look at Blackest Night. That book did the opposite. It brought characters back to life and was the biggest selling comic event of it's time. Marvel should take note.

blackest night returned 12 characters to life. 2 who were killed at the start of blackest night.(so it was on purpose) and deadman who has been a ghost since his first appearance. so really they returned 9. but in the process they killed more minor heroes than returned big ones.

and brightest day has made blackest night seem so much less thna it was . sad stuff too

[RDMacQ]

Indeed. The thing (haha) who happened to the FF made anyone sad ? No ? Not even you Crystal ? Man, that's cold...

Who cares ?

That's sort of the problem with the way death's are handled now in comics. It's telegraphed from a mile away, so it lessens the emotional shock. Just look at Three- everyone KNEW that a character was going to die at the end of it. It was just a matter of who.

The best death that has been handled in recent memory was Captain America. Partly because Marvel had the good sense to not telegraph it all through the Civil War as an inevitability. And this can be said about a lot of the major deaths over the years in comics- Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Barry Allen. All died without a lot of trumpeting fanfare that someone would die in a few months (I know, I know, different times, but still).