Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2009 13:48:48 GMT
This is a question that I've been pondering recently. We all know that the Marvel UK TF comics finished with Issue 332 and that it was cancelled due to falling sales but what caused people to stop buying it?
Was it the price rise, the switch from colour strips to black & white or something else?
|
|
|
|
Post by blueshift on Nov 24, 2009 14:12:17 GMT
I liked the B&W stories, having two TF strips an issue made me feel like I was getting more. Plus it went on for over 100 issues like that.
I want to go blame the printing of the TF/GI Joe crossover, but hey!
Personally, I believe it was a combination of lack of media/toyline support, but more importantly the US comic ending. The content was always at least half US reprints, having that backbone vanishing surely would have made it unviable
(For me, it was because my mum read an issue and decided it was too violent!!)
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 24, 2009 14:13:52 GMT
Paul Neary killed the TF comic. He wanted to put Marvel UK's limited resources behind creating original characters as opposed to the licensed books. The sales were strong enough to support the title for a while longer, but it was his call.
Andy
|
|
|
|
Post by charlesrocketboy on Nov 24, 2009 14:22:44 GMT
Was it the price rise, the switch from colour strips to black & white Both of those happened because sales were falling - they might've made sales go down faster, but it had already started. It was probably a natural result of being a licensed comic. Once the initial fad's worn off, sales will dip. Add in the drop in quality from the US reprints... But it was Neary who cancelled the last minute plans to keep going after #332, so it's him who dun it. |
|
primenova
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
Posts: 6,001
|
Post by primenova on Nov 24, 2009 15:26:07 GMT
Neary & Turtles are 2 things i dont like. Turtles did start taking away the toy shelf - but remember we had in the UK stuff not out in the US. So you can't really blame no toys out there, ok we didn't have ads on the TV & the cartoon was sky only from series 2 [that's G1 not BW onwards]
Classics & all the G1.5 line & new action masters in the UK, then Constructicons out in 1989.
They ended the UK only strip so they could go full colour & reprint classic stuff. The stuff down for #333 was 5 pages new stuff, reprints & gijoe issue. But we did get the collected comics up to #27 in winter 1994.
But Transformers have been the number one toy line in UK this year [but for how many months?]
|
|
|
|
Post by grahamthomson on Nov 24, 2009 15:29:32 GMT
I would deary love to have seen that proposed monthly #333 onwards comic see the light of day at the time.
Oh what could have been!
|
|
dyrl
Empty
Transforming robots are no match for combat waitresses from the future!
Posts: 1,652
|
Post by dyrl on Nov 24, 2009 15:35:12 GMT
Yeah - given the toys that came out later, with the classics and Motorvators and Turbomasters and Overlord - it would probably have been very memorable.
Pete
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 24, 2009 15:45:40 GMT
The first four Scotcon magazines were your answer to that. Mayhaps I should see about reprinting them...
Andy
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2009 17:11:09 GMT
Reprint them Andy. You gave me a copy of a Scotcon mag at AA2008 and I enjoyed it. It was a sight more readable than some of IDW's stuff.
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 24, 2009 17:59:26 GMT
Reprint them Andy. You gave me a copy of a Scotcon mag at AA2008 and I enjoyed it. It was a sight more readable than some of IDW's stuff. They might be done as A5 zines early in the new year, with some nice new covers and some spring cleaning done to them. Will discuss with the Scotcon braintrust at the weekend. Andy |
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 24, 2009 22:05:30 GMT
Trees.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by KnightBeat on Nov 24, 2009 22:42:53 GMT
Simon Furman's departure to the US was the jump the shark moment for me. The US originated strips improved considerably, but the quality of the UK backup strip dropped . There was also a pacing issue in the lead strip, due to the need to split each US story into two parts for the UK comic - a story would often finish half way through a conversation. At the time of the Fleetway comic, I wondered if this was a factor that led to G2's dual strip approach.
|
|
