Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The End Of The Year Is Gonna Bring Some Turnover To The Pull List

There's quite a bit of flux in the pull list in December, all of it at Marvel. I already dropped Captain America last month. Captain Marvel is entering its second month absent from the solicits. I read something about a possible relaunch, which, I appreciate the idea, and Marvel making a real push for Carol Danvers, but I thought they got this out of their system a couple of years ago. Remember back around '09-'10, when they'd cancel a series and then restart it again five seconds later, only for it to be canceled again? Claremont's New Exiles ends, Jeff Parker's Exiles starts 2 months later, dies in 6 issues. Moon Knight gets canceled after 30 issues, new series starts three months later, ends in about a year.

Like I said, it's nice to see one of Marvel's female heroes get a shot like that. Spider-Girl had it, though that was more there being just enough fan outcry to pull it back from the brink repeatedly, but unless they've got something brilliant planned to differentiate it from the current series, its sales will end up right back where they are now in a hot minute*.

Beyond the, Avengers Arena is also on a hiatus/break/something before the next "season". I don't know if that'll mean they start the numbering over or pick up at #19. Probably start from 1 again. Avengers Arena's sales aren't quite as low as Captain Marvel's (I'm talking about when the latter's aren't inflated by some event tie-in), but they're down there, so again, I question whether a brief break will help much there. And I wonder if they shouldn't change the title. I feel like there was such a backlash against the book initially - for the concept, for the open admittance of cribbing from Hunger Games - that there's always going to be some inherent resistance to a book with that title, even if they change it otherwise.

Maybe I'm giving comic fans too much credit for sticking to principles. Or not enough in terms of discretion.

Plus, I'm not sure where you take the concept, unless they're going to change up the villain and the heroes, but otherwise keep the same core idea. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing them follow the survivors and look at how they deal with coming out the other side of this mess, but I doubt that's the plan.

So that's two titles absent, plus the way things are going they ought to list Hawkeye #16's December release as theoretical until it actually happens. However, December is going to mark the point when I start buying Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and Deadpool. The latter is going to double-ship that month. Naturally. I guess it compensates for the books that can't manage to stick to a monthly schedule. Hawkeye. As for Superior Foes, I've heard nothing but good things about, and I'm hoping waiting until the issues that will go into the first trade (which I'll buy as soon as I can) ended to start buying it monthly, won't be a bad decision.

So that's two books off, and two books on. Beyond that, there's the final two issues of Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe, and I'm debating picking up some of those Amazing Spider-Man issues. Jen van Meter and Emma Rios are going to have Spidey team-up with the Black Cat. I was hoping that would just be one issue, but they spread it out across 700.3 and 700.4, so I don't know, each one is 4 bucks a pop. But, they're longer than the standard issues (40 pages, though I don't know how much is ads), and of the other stories in those two issues, one is Joe Casey and Javier Rodriguez, and the other is drawn by Timothy Green II. Decisions, decisions.

Outside of Marvel, there isn't much happening for me. Katana isn't dead yet, and I'll see what happens with Harley Quinn, questionable decision on that fan drawn page content or not. Honestly, the idea doesn't sound so bad with the context, which they failed to provide initially, which was the big problem, I think. Rocketeer/Spirit Pulp Friction #4 is listed, but as with Hawkeye, I'll believe it when I see it.

* A general comment on the current Captain Marvel series: I know she agreed to move out of her apartment, but I hope Carol, whether in this book or a future one, maintains the supporting cast DeConnick built up for her. Supporting casts of non-costumed types are always a nice bit of flavor for a story, and it helps to show different facets of the main character.

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