Marvel's strategy of constant relaunching

[sinned2007]

So we all know that Marvel will relaunch a lot of titles again and that books that were just relaunched just this past year (Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Men, Thor, Captain America, etc.) will be relaunched yet again. It looks like the strategy of Marvel going back to their track record the past 3-5 years is to launch and re-launch every new series depending on whether there is an Anniversary issue coming up or whenever they want another #1 issue to give the title a quick though temporary boost in sales. It seems that relaunches will now occur every 1-2 years (based on previous track record) and that we should no longer hold our breath that a title will reach issue # 50 once again (with the exception of a jump to an Anniversary issue, then back to # 1 again).

So I am wondering how much of the community approves or disapproves of this strategy. I don't recall seeing a poll on this before so I am creating one (and am extremely curious what the results are).

[Corey W]

So we all know that Marvel will relaunch a lot of titles again and that books that were just relaunched just this past year (Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Men, Thor, Captain America, etc.) will be relaunched yet again. It looks like the strategy of Marvel going back to their track record the past 3-5 years is to launch and re-launch every new series depending on whether there is an Anniversary issue coming up or whenever they want another #1 issue to give the title a quick though temporary boost in sales. It seems that relaunches will now occur every 1-2 years (based on previous track record) and that we should no longer hold our breath that a title will reach issue # 50 once again (with the exception of a jump to an Anniversary issue, then back to # 1 again).

So I am wondering how much of the community approves or disapproves of this strategy. I don't recall seeing a poll on this before so I am creating one (and am extremely curious what the results are).

Doesn't bother me one way or the other. Why would I care what the number on the comic is? If it helps them sell more books than power to them. If relaunching Agents of Atlas or MI:13 would have saved them I would have been all for it.

[JFW1980]

When was the last time a Marvel Relauch has helped the sells of a book besides the 1 month jump gain? Plus relauching a flagship book ever 6-12 months is not only confusing to younger fans but annoying to the longterm fans who actually care about this short of thing.

[Imraith Nimphais]

I am very "Wot-ev" about it all.
If they relaunch/introduce some interesting titles...that's okies.
If the re-launched new titles are crap...that's okies, too.
In the end, I will buy/read only wot I like. (Which, in my 30-something odd years of collecting have never, ever been 50% and more of their product line...much less, in fact).

[jebsib]

Hate it - hard to keep my comic series chronologically now.

[RDMacQ]

I'm not a fan of it, since it feels less like a creative strategy and more of a short term money and publicity grab. Every once in a while it's fine. But when it's done too often, it looses it's appeal.

[CyberHubbs]

Doesn't bother me at all.

[Legion_Quest]

Dislike it, but will likely end up reading more depending on creative changes and who gets a shot at a solo book.

It sucks they keep doing it, but they wont stop so it's a 'put up and shut up' situation

[goneandromeda]

Hate it - hard to keep my comic series chronologically now.

Well, see, there's this nifty month/year thing printed on them...

[TanGent]

Doesn't bother me one way or the other. Why would I care what the number on the comic is? If it helps them sell more books than power to them. If relaunching Agents of Atlas or MI:13 would have saved them I would have been all for it.

Wow first post nails it.

I'll always be down for more good comics while ignoring the lame ones regardless of the issue #, so.... yeah.

[CyberHubbs]

Well, see, there's this nifty month/year thing printed on them...

I never keep my comics in order. That way, if I want to find a specific issue, I have to go digging around through stacks and all along the way I find old issues to also read.

[Chiasm]

I find it very annoying.

And while I get that #1 issues make a jump in sales I wonder how many like me end up finding it easier to quit. Uncanny X-men #210 is what made me a Marvel reader. I'd dabbled before that but once I tasted the X-crack there was no going back. Within a year I'd backed up my collection to Uncanny #141 and thanks to Classic X-men (for you younguns it was a book that reprinted old X-men stories with original backups) I actually went back to Giant Size #1 / Uncanny #94. For the next 25+ years I'm an X-junkie faithfully reading every X-book even though I'd long since realized I was chasing the dragon (a drug addict reference if you don't know) of my first taste of X-crack. The book still had occasional moments of goodness but mostly it had been mediocre for a long time but I kept reading out of habit. The price shift to $3.99 made me drop it from monthly pull list (as I did with all $3.99 Marvel titles) but I'd later pick up the issues I missed in a buy 2 get one 1 free comic book shop sale. Then the series ended with a relaunch and I breathed a great big Meh and realized that Marvel had created for me a place I could end it finally. And so I did.

Conversely the DC relaunch led me to read many more DC books than I was before. I get why they do relaunches but at some point it becomes diminishing returns. If DC relaunched again this September (much like Marvel is now going to relaunch Uncanny X-men again) I'm not sure I'd stick around for many of the books I now read. How many new readers that Marvel gained with the Uncanny relaunch will they lose this time as they shrug and say why bother?

[Jake V]

They're numbers on a cover. I'm more concerned with what's inside.

[Hulk_Is]

Neither like nor dislike, will not affect my pull list.

[dbcb314]

I could give two shits about what issue number is on the outside of the book.