Skip to main content

Marvel comics changes going forward

I first want to state openly that this is not to change anyone's opinions or change anyone else's reading habits. This is merely to be open and honest.

I have recently discovered that one of the books I recommended and love Unstoppable Wasp has been cancelled as of issue 8. The first trade is due out, according to Amazon, on September 12th. That means the book was cancelled before it even had a chance to get to a library. This is not the first time Marvel has done this. Great Lakes Avengers was cancelled right before it's trade came out as well as numerous others.  This hurts libraries and does not allow them a chance to have their voices heard especially in areas where the community has no comic book store or a population that is not likely to spend money on books or comic books.

But that is not all, it hurts comic fans, new and old, as they begin to love a story or character and Marvel cancels it before it even has a chance. It has also stopped me from reading a number of Marvel books and until the practices change, I am not going to be trying any new Marvel books. I'm tired of books I enjoy getting cancelled before they even have a chance. Right now, I'm reading Iceman, Nick Fury, and Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider. When those end or creative teams change or Iceman just annoys me too much, I'll be dropping those and not following any new Marvel books.

I also will not recommend any new Marvel comics until after they have had at least one trade out, but preferably two. I worry that if sales are too low, Marvel could cancel a second trade and never complete a series for the fans and that could potentially hurt libraries through circulation if fans feel they can never finish the story.

All that said, I will still recommend Marvel books that are in print in trades for libraries. That will not change. I will also keep track of what is coming out from Marvel, if only marginally so, to stay informed enough to recommend hot new books for libraries. If Marvel changes their practices, I will go back to reading new books, but I do not see that happening in the near future.

Hopefully everyone will understand why I have made this decision and again I'm just trying to be open about the process. I cannot in good faith recommend books to libraries or individuals if those stories are not being given a chance and may never be completed for the fans especially new fans. I just can't.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comic books and age limits

Greetings, I have not posted anything in forever and for that I am very, very sorry. I just haven't had much to talk about.. but since this came up and it's bothering me, here we go. Comic books (particularly superhero comics) and age ranges/limits - Recently a fellow librarian asked for help on suggestions for tween comics. I named a few more recent ones that are for a kid/tween/teen demographic and then explained that most older comics would also be appropriate for this age group. At this age, I was reading New Teen Titans and Uncanny X-men for instance without any issues. I specifically stated that comics, particularly superhero comics, have largely been "all ages" for most of their history. This angered the librarian who I made the recommendations too. This librarian told me they specifically wanted TWEEN books because it was helpful for parents, tweens, and librarians and they needed to be TWEEN. Also that older books were too dated and the color and art wasn...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wonder Woman movie recommendations

As you all know (or should know.. if you don't you will now), the Wonder Woman movie is hitting theaters June 2nd (or maybe June 1st depending on where you live). Either way, it's coming soon. DC has also officially announced that June 3rd is Wonder Woman day! Participating comic book stores will be giving out free Wonder Woman comics and cardboard tiaras and bracelets. The Wonder Woman merchandise and advertisements are all blitzing big now and while it may be difficult to get some new items right now in time for Wonder Woman, here are some Wonder Woman comics and books about Wonder Woman I recommend. Legend of Wonder Woman Etta Candy tries to find the perfect outfit for Wonder Woman Legends of Wonder Woman  by Renae de Liz and Ray Dillon. This is a perfect all ages origin book for Wonder Woman. Starts off with her as a child on Themyscira and follows her all the way through her becoming Wonder Woman in World War II. It's a really beautifully drawn book and the story...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Superhero comics teach information literacy Part 2

So we've talked about how superhero comes walk you through the process of recognizing citations and citing your sources and how the Easter eggs and references cause the reader to do research, now we're going to talk about a subject everyone knows and confronts regularly in research.. bias. Comics, like most storytelling mediums, have a built in way to show bias. Some of this is from the obvious storytelling tricks of showing different perspectives. Comics like  Marvels  or Astro City  do this rather well, taking the reader out of the typical head space of the superhero and into the world around them, those who look up and see the superheroes in their world and how that impacts them. These, however, are more subtle ways that the comics confront, show, and reveal the concept of bias to readers. The most obvious tools that comics have are characters that are implicitly and strongly biased. For instance, Marvel has the infamous J. Jonah Jameson, who has a one man war agai...
Post a Comment
Read more