Fialkov Brings Spidey's Sidekick to Pittsburgh in "Alpha"

[Shade 20x6]

If it was making money, why was it cancelled?

and do you think that book didnt cover its costs? Do you feel that book didnt make a profit? (The issue being whether it generates enough profit to continue its existence... the idea that they print a book and lose money on it seems odd to me.)

Wouldnt anything that makes a profit be "worth" doing for marvel? (ie not flushing money away.)

[Froggy]

I'm really hoping this leads to more Marvel work for Fialkov. Dude does great work. And Froggy, I believe Plati's work is in the same style as Ramos. I think....

in that case it's pretty cool they'll keep up the stylistic approach :)

[Ravin' Ray]

You know, I'm happy Marvel's actively trying to make Alpha stick. All too often they make new characters who just fade into obscurity for years until they need to kill someone to make an event or story "important".

Marvel showing better judgment then I previously thought possible with idea of testing a alpha series out as a mini instead of just giving him his own ongoing.

OH. MY. GOD.
If I were not in a hotel ballroom right now attending a seminar as a resource speaker I'd be laughing my head off because of the anti-Alpha reaction I was anticipating, as it is I am snickering instead. Well, at least there are some people here who are willing to give Andy Maguire a chance. I sincerely wish Marvel the best in this attempt and hope it becomes a sleeper hit.

[oldschool]

If it was making money, why was it cancelled?

That is a fair question whose answer I think varies from title to title depending on creative costs. I suspect, like most new series, the Anya Spider-Girl series started out at a nice place, selling enough copies to generate a profit and then the readership slowly eroded forcing a cancellation. Just my opinion, not fact. What I feel a bit surer of, however, is that a 5-issue Alpha series is a much safer bet: Marvel is not committing long-tem resources to the character or title so, if there is enough interest, they may go ahead and give him his own title and, if there is not, they won't. Either way, I hardly see Marvel losing out much on rolling the dice on a 5-issue mini.

[ShaggyB]

If it was making money, why was it cancelled?

didnt you just tell steve you felt marvel could find something that would reach more of an audience and create a better use of finances? Could that not be happening there? (Anya Spider-girl makes enough to exist, but not enough to continue on as other books are better suited to take its place)

[Kevin Nichols]

If it was making money, why was it cancelled?

If you are being sincere and you honestly want an answer to this question, I would advise that you buy up some Marvel/Disney stock. The annual reports are the only way you might get a legit answer (and frankly, you may not even get one there). Steve is certainly not going to discuss Marvel's economic decisions on a message board.

[Mikey Brown]

Oh my sweet fancy Christ!!! Who cares how well the fucking book sells?!?! Are you a stockholder???? Seriously, why do you care? Is it really your problem if the book doesn't sell? If you're not interested in it, don't buy it. It's that simple.

Not only that, but Steve held out a god damn olive branch and asked you for your opinion on what kind of book you'd be interested in, and you IGNORED IT!!! What the hell are you looking for? Are you just that dead set on trying to stick it to Wacker? That seems to be a very sad existence to me.

I really love this post. Good work Kev!

[Mikey Brown]

This is what typically catches my attention as a prospective reader:

Someone I want to root for. - Like a lot of people, I like rooting for the underdog. But the character still has to be likable.

Someone I can relate to. - I think most people are attracted to superheros because they like to picture themselves as that hero. It helps tremendously when the hero shares a lot of qualities with the reader, which has been a major selling point of Peter Parker for a long time now.

This is why it's also important to have a character that is grounded primarily in reality. Take the radioactive spider bite away from Peter Parker, and he's just like you or me. But when you make him too detached from reality (making him overpowered, having him constantly hanging out with cosmic beings, giving all of his friends powers, etc.), you start to lose that "every man" aspect of the character and hinder the readers' imagination.

I think this is what interests me about Kaine. He's basically a more adult version of Peter Parker. Peter was fine when I was younger, but now that I'm older and wiser, Kaine is easier for me to relate to.

Someone who can be a total badass from time to time. - Everyone wants to just totally lose control every once in a while. Fictional characters allow this to happen without fear of real-world consequences. It's a liberating feeling and helps to "cast off the shackles of society," if you will, for a time.

Ha! You just generally described every comic book character that's ever been created!

[Mikey Brown]

If it was making money, why was it cancelled?

Because it quit making money?

[infernohara]

It's hard to credibly object to a character's initial dickery when your favorite hero began with the life philosophy, "Not my problem."

Your Logic has no place here!! This is about Alpha, not how Spidey got his start.

That's a good argument... for why ASM's 50th anniversary issue sucked.
That was all Slott's story, and it was a piece of crap. But this mini will be Fialkov's tale of a guy who had the biggest power level in Marvel and got it all stripped away by Spider-man, wouldn't be surprised if Alpha learned about humility and stuff before the mini even starts and so we get a great story of a teen exploring his powers and the responsibilities tied to them.

Its very possible that he could turn around. I mean anything can happen in the weeks that follow his depowering, but it'll be hard for a kid like him to change much. I will try the book out, but if its 3.99 I'd wonder if its worth to spend on a character that just might go into limbo after his series. I mean hes just like that character Crusader and look where his series got him.