Marvel.1 or Marvel.What?

spid · Post by **spid** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:00 am

I just read Iron Man 500.1 and I would disagree with some of the sentiment expressed here. I thought it was a good issue and a good introduction to Tony as a character. I thought it was an interesting way to introduce Tony Stark to a new reader. I was picking up only the .1 issues of titles I already pick up, but I might go out and pick up some of the rest to try out some new titles.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 12:27 pm

spid wrote:I just read Iron Man 500.1 and I would disagree with some of the sentiment expressed here. I thought it was a good issue and a good introduction to Tony as a character. I thought it was an interesting way to introduce Tony Stark to a new reader. I was picking up only the .1 issues of titles I already pick up, but I might go out and pick up some of the rest to try out some new titles.

The interesting point here is that you started out by only buying the .1's for stuff you were already reading. That made the initial success of the program to be marvel getting an extra $2.99 out of you in a given month.

For someone already reading comics, I might think a better way to determine if you like a series is to pick up the 1st part of the next story arc instead of the .1

Certainly anyone's mileage will vary on reading any specific story, and I was trying to put myself into the shoes of a new reader NOT familiar with Iron Man picking up and reading a Tony Stark story instead of an Iron Man story.

Time will tell on the ability of these to garner new readers if sales increase on subsequent issues of Iron Man (or any of the $3.99 titles being promoted with the .1 program).

spid · Post by **spid** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:13 pm

The Iron Man movie is essentially 90% Tony Stark with about 10% Iron Man thrown in at the end. I do not think a new reader would be thrown off by that. In my opinion the weakest part of both movies were the strictly suit moments.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:28 pm

spid wrote:The Iron Man movie is essentially 90% Tony Stark with about 10% Iron Man thrown in at the end. I do not think a new reader would be thrown off by that. In my opinion the weakest part of both movies were the strictly suit moments.

Fair enough. Hollywood does tend to focus on the everyday to keep the special effects budget down.....

Post by **JohnMayo** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:24 pm

spid wrote:The Iron Man movie is essentially 90% Tony Stark with about 10% Iron Man thrown in at the end. I do not think a new reader would be thrown off by that. In my opinion the weakest part of both movies were the strictly suit moments.

Be that as it may, the movies are the movies.

While I don't think that a new reader would be thrown off by the #500.1 issue focusing entirely on Tony Stark (while mentioning Iron Man in cryptic flashbacks), either they would have liked the focus on Tony Stark and be thrown when the series itself focuses more heavily on Iron Man or they would not like the focus on Tony over Iron Man and probably not get future issues.

The question comes down not to if Invincible Iron Man#500.1 issue was reflective of the movies but if it was representative of the Invincible Iron Man comics. Personally, I didn't really feel that it was. Typically in the comics we see Tony in action as Iron Man (in the present tense of the story) which we didn't in the .1 issue.

spid · Post by **spid** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:04 am

I do not know about that. Fraction's run has mostly been about Tony Stark and the actual in suite time kicking butt has been minimal. Just look at the last arc he was maybe in the suit doing stuff for 28-30 pages out of four or five issues.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:10 pm

spid wrote:I do not know about that. Fraction's run has mostly been about Tony Stark and the actual in suite time kicking butt has been minimal. Just look at the last arc he was maybe in the suit doing stuff for 28-30 pages out of four or five issues.

I've heard this as a complaint from a number of people dropping the series, though I quite enjoyed the "Stark Resilient" storyline. Take into account though that while I gave Stark Resilient a 5/5, I still managed to really dislike #500.1, the regular book while not featuring a lot of time in the suit at least had some interesting stuff going on to keep my attention.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:47 pm

OK, another really mystifying .1 issue.

These are supposed to make me want to read the title they're a .1 of, right??

Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 was a pretty good story, but it was really Venom 0.1

No Spider-Man anywhere in the issue, it was all Venom. Peter Parker appeared in 1 panel.

I think it may make people want to pick up Venom, but I don't see how this was a story to make someone want to read the ongoing ASM title. (other than the "coming in Amazing Spider-Man" 2-page ad that could have appeared in any book).

GABE! · Post by **GABE!** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:35 pm

BobBretall wrote:OK, another really mystifying .1 issue.

These are supposed to make me want to read the title they're a .1 of, right??

Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 was a pretty good story, but it was really Venom 0.1

No Spider-Man anywhere in the issue, it was all Venom. Peter Parker appeared in 1 panel.

I think it may make people want to pick up Venom, but I don't see how this was a story to make someone want to read the ongoing ASM title. (other than the "coming in Amazing Spider-Man" 2-page ad that could have appeared in any book).

That was a GREAT .1 issue, but man, was it it confusing to pick up Amazing Spider-man 655 and have it pick up where 654 left off and not where 645.1 left off.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:38 am

GABE! wrote: That was a GREAT .1 issue, but man, was it it confusing to pick up Amazing Spider-man 655 and have it pick up where 654 left off and not where 645.1 left off.

I thought it was a great story bringing the new Venom on his 1st mission, but it was a .1 that had pretty much nothing to do with Spider-Man.

Plus, I think they should really have done the new Venom's 1st mission in Venom #1.......

spid · Post by **spid** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:12 am

BobBretall wrote:OK, another really mystifying .1 issue.

These are supposed to make me want to read the title they're a .1 of, right??

Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 was a pretty good story, but it was really Venom 0.1

No Spider-Man anywhere in the issue, it was all Venom. Peter Parker appeared in 1 panel.

I think it may make people want to pick up Venom, but I don't see how this was a story to make someone want to read the ongoing ASM title. (other than the "coming in Amazing Spider-Man" 2-page ad that could have appeared in any book).

I'm pretty sure they announced awhile ago that what your reading into it was the plan. They said you would find out who it was in ASM with 654.1 being focused on Venom. Here is the link.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=29805

So the .1 is still a springboard issue for new readers. I wish I could have read, but the local comic shop I was at did not have anymore copies.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:29 am

spid wrote: I'm pretty sure they announced awhile ago that what your reading into it was the plan. They said you would find out who it was in ASM with 654.1 being focused on Venom. Here is the link.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=29805

So the .1 is still a springboard issue for new readers. I wish I could have read, but the local comic shop I was at did not have anymore copies.

Press release says "And don’t miss the birth of the all-new Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #654.1"

This is technically untrue, as the "birth" of Venom was in ASM #654

Also, having Venom in the issue w/Spider-Man is very different from it being ALL Venom and featuring his first mission (not his "birth").

I wonder, had this been solicited properly if comic shops would have ordered it differently?

And I'm still mystified about how this is a springboard for new readers of ASM. For Venom readers, yes. For Spidey readers, no.

spid · Post by **spid** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:23 am

BobBretall wrote:
spid wrote: I'm pretty sure they announced awhile ago that what your reading into it was the plan. They said you would find out who it was in ASM with 654.1 being focused on Venom. Here is the link.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=29805

So the .1 is still a springboard issue for new readers. I wish I could have read, but the local comic shop I was at did not have anymore copies.

Press release says "And don’t miss the birth of the all-new Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #654.1"

This is technically untrue, as the "birth" of Venom was in ASM #654

Also, having Venom in the issue w/Spider-Man is very different from it being ALL Venom and featuring his first mission (not his "birth").

I wonder, had this been solicited properly if comic shops would have ordered it differently?

And I'm still mystified about how this is a springboard for new readers of ASM. For Venom readers, yes. For Spidey readers, no.

I did not find the interview with Remender that went along with this coverage, but I am pretty sure everything was laid out months before this issue. It seemed pretty clear the plan was to use the .1 issue to launch into the Venom miniseries after the events in ASM. Venom is the character they want to relaunch and make a big deal so it makes sense to me to use the .1 issue as a launching point.

spid · Post by **spid** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:32 am

I did read Wolverine 5.1, and it was a good stand alone issue. It did not seem to be an immediate jump in for an existing storyline, but I was not reading Wolverine before this. As a standalone story and a sampling of Aaron's take on the character I would say it is a success. As a push to get me into an existing storyline I do think it does that.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:15 pm

spid wrote: I did not find the interview with Remender that went along with this coverage, but I am pretty sure everything was laid out months before this issue. It seemed pretty clear the plan was to use the .1 issue to launch into the Venom miniseries after the events in ASM. Venom is the character they want to relaunch and make a big deal so it makes sense to me to use the .1 issue as a launching point.

I'm not trying to argue with you about what was in some Marvel plan to do with this issue that has zero to do with ASM and instead be a lead-in to Venom. If that is what they planned, they succeeded.

I'm specifically talking about the stated intent of the .1 program in general which is for a .1 issue to be a jumping on point to the series it is a .1 issue of.

As such, ASM 654.1 failed, though a good story in general and a lead-in to Venom.

I have not read Wolverine 5.1 so cannot comment on it.

My main point here is the two .1s I have read have NOT been good jumping on points to the next issue of their own series (in my opinion), and seem to be more an excuse for Marvel to sell an extra book in a given month than actually being any kind of an attempt to meet the stated mission statement of the .1 program.

BTW, I think we can "agree to disagree" on the .1 program, spid. From earlier in the thread you thought Iron Man 500.1 was a good jumping on point too.

The real success or failure of the .1 is how many people pick up a .1 and then by the next issue of that series (if they were not buying it already). Judge it on that. Did you buy a .1 and then decide to buy the next issue OF THAT SERIES.

In any event, I'm not getting any more .1 issues, so I can recuse myself from this thread for future .1s being discussed.