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Post by blueshift on May 18, 2011 21:50:00 GMT
While larger numbers would have been good I think nearly 1900 isn't bad its 19% of Ongoing readership. Around 35-40% of what LSOTW got. It really depends how much of the IDW readers are active on line types who would have discovered this and how many would only hear about it when it started being advertised in their local comic shop or the back pages of IDW comics. Yes, but signing a petition is free and easy, buying a comic isn't. |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on May 19, 2011 9:58:54 GMT
There will be potential buyers who either didn't know of the petition or didn't bother signing it - I know I usually roll my eyes when I hear of a new petition for something or other. Compared to most petitions that pop up that's a high number of signatures.
However that doesn't necessarily mean good sales. It could just be that a large percentage of the potential buyers bothered to sign - and some of those could be put off when they see the price.
But who knows? The G.I. Joe book is supposed to be doing well and like I said, I never even knew about it until talk of a TF continuation came up.
Perhaps a mini to test the waters is the way to go.
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Post by The Doctor on May 19, 2011 10:11:25 GMT
I would agree re: mini, but as much of the hoopla has been over wanting an ongoing series I fear IDW may only have considered it that way. To be honest, I doubt an ongoing Marvel continuation would have legs in the current comics climate. Early 2000's circa early Dreamwave I would say yes but too much water has passed under the bridge and TF comic sales are somewhat low these days. But I think a 4-issue mini would be viable. Or even a one-shot, but then that wouldn't fit into the trade mentality.  Actually this is the kind of niche thing I would have thought the Collectors Club/Fun Pub would be ideal for. -Ralph |
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Post by Bogatan on May 19, 2011 11:04:58 GMT
Have you forgotten Botcon 07s comic? God knows I've tried.
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Post by blueshift on May 19, 2011 11:11:14 GMT
Have you forgotten Botcon 07s comic? God knows I've tried. Is that the one where the main characters were those who weren't 07 exclusives, and all the ones who were 97 exclusives showed up only to pointlessly die? |
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Post by Bogatan on May 19, 2011 11:19:40 GMT
Yes thats the one.
As for issue 81 I wonder if DOTM does prove to be the last Bay movie or at least the last for a while, IDW would drop that line at which point issue 81 might make some sense. Their TF comics seem to have levelled off/hit rock bottom so the odds are if no one is expected to buy more comics than they are per month sales would be normal, if it turned out to be good then then it might actually pick up some readers and increase sales of the Marvel TF trades.
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Post by The Doctor on May 19, 2011 11:21:30 GMT
I haven't forgotten, I've just not phrased my comment properly!
What I was trying to say is that I feel that, ideally, a Transformers Collectors Club is well placed for doing things that are niche of a niche, ie toys or stories that certain pockets of The Fandom would like to see but which would not have enough enough support to be commercially viable at general retail.
For instance: this year's Animated toys boxset and club Cheetor toy. That line died at (Western) retail 2 years ago. So the best way to have new product happen is through a targeted specialised market. And what has been produced would appear thus far to be pretty much undiluted Animated product. It's not much different from what you would expect to find in toy shops if the line was still an ongoing concern.
With regards to Marvel Transformers...
Back in the early 2000's the title was generally fondly remembered by the comic buying market and had yet to be widely reprinted (this was pre-broadband so scans weren't always easy to access either). I would suggest that that could have contributed to the stellar sales for Dreamwave's TF comic series when it launched (and also good timining with the 80's nostalgia bubble didn't hurt either). At that point, Transformers had been out of production as a regular comic series for around 7-8 years. There was a demand for new Transformers comics.
Now, however, we've had several hundred individual issues published continuously since 2002 by Dreamwave, IDW and Titan. The Transformers comic market has been saturated and sales have declined dramatically (and so has the direct comics market in general - the digital sales model only now taking off). Therefore, to attract retailer interest in wanting to sell it, IDW just can't pump out an nth number of TF series. And it could be argued that interest in a new Marvel continuation series has went from a 'must have' to a 'niche' interest as a result.
There is still interest in reprints of Marvel material however: Titan and IDW have been pumping these out between them since 2002 with more on the way later in 2011 and no end in sight, but the question remains: is there enough of a market for new stories in that continuity to be viable? IDW is a business after all.
If not, then a niche entity, ie a Collectors Club would be ideally placed to do a Marvel continuation. As a special, or comic insert in their magazine. It could attract members. Who knows! That they might do it badly, based on past form, is a separate line of discussion.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on May 19, 2011 11:36:51 GMT
What I was trying to say is that I feel that, ideally, a Transformers Collectors Club is well placed for doing things that are niche of a niche, ie toys or stories that certain pockets of The Fandom would like to see but which would not have enough enough support to be commercially viable at general retail. But they DO, Ralph! They write stories where all the Transformers from every continuity meet up and have confusing continuity-laden adventures across the multiverse!  Ah, if only we had some sort of 'derpa-derpya' smiley! |
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Post by The Doctor on May 19, 2011 11:56:10 GMT
Ah, yes, they do indeed.
But I can't help but feel they would cater more to their subscribers if, say, they did: 'the continuing adventures of Sunbow Transformers' or the like. After all, their stuff is just published fanfic in all but name.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on May 19, 2011 12:00:21 GMT
Well at least this years Botcon comic should be decent for a change.
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Post by The Doctor on May 19, 2011 12:12:15 GMT
Indeed, because it looks for once they are aiming to 100% fit with a specific intended series rather then the usual convoluted nonsense which falls between stools and satisfies no-one ie last year's bizarre G2 comic managing to both completely ignore previous G2 fiction and also failing at capturing the tone of Sunbow either.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 19, 2011 13:03:29 GMT
Yes, this year's comic should be good. I agree with Ralph's comments regarding their previous work.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on May 23, 2011 12:08:29 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on May 23, 2011 12:29:37 GMT
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Post by bertie on May 24, 2011 21:41:23 GMT
What? AGAIN? More 'darkest hours' and 'it's all my fault' and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I'd rather it was kept on a smaller scale.
I've signed up and am looking forward to #81, but I'd like a different tack.
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Post by jameso on May 25, 2011 1:24:23 GMT
Looks like Furman's plans for issue 81 if it happens would be to jump forward in time 20 years to 'today', which isn't really what I'd want from a book that was pitched on the priniciple of 'what if there was an issue 81 of the original Transformers series', but I'd still buy it to check it out anyway.
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Post by blueshift on May 25, 2011 8:32:14 GMT
Looks like Furman's plans for issue 81 if it happens would be to jump forward in time 20 years to 'today', which isn't really what I'd want from a book that was pitched on the priniciple of 'what if there was an issue 81 of the original Transformers series', but I'd still buy it to check it out anyway. Oh That seems a bit of a waste then actually, if he's just going to write a 'generic G1' book rather than actually following on from Marvel 80 |
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Post by grahamthomson on May 25, 2011 8:35:33 GMT
To be fair, I don't think there is going to be a single fan who won't be disappointed by any direction that an issue 81 might turn. It's been twenty long years (to the month!) that issue 80 came out.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on May 25, 2011 8:54:05 GMT
Bertie, where's that quote from? And where's this "20 years later" come from?
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Post by Bogatan on May 25, 2011 9:12:04 GMT
Its from a new interview check TFW its the second or third story on the front page.
A 20 year gap doesn't bother me too much, both issue 80 and G2 12 ended in a way that a temporary lull seemed most likely result. It could have been a few weeks or a few years. As Furman said 20 years is nothing in transformers term but could result in some interesting developments for the human characters especially headmasters and the like.
I kind of would have liked the retro vibe of an early 90s setting but it might as well be brought forward to today, I doubt it will make a huge difference either way.
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on May 25, 2011 9:35:00 GMT
*Pops over to TFW and back.*
Thank you, I shall read the full interview later.
I think I'd have rather seen an immediate continuation, or perhaps picking up a few months' later. (Issue 80 had a certain finality so a bit of a gap could work - time for the Transformers to regroup and so on.) But looking back at Devil's Due's GI Joe, the "real time" gap did their storylines no harm and they actually used it to their advantage; characters had gone on to other careers, the GI Joe organisation had to be rebuilt, etc. They were also able to go back and fill in some of the gaps using their Frontline series. Of course, that was only a seven year gap.
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Post by The Doctor on May 25, 2011 12:55:27 GMT
The interview in question: www.allspark.com/content/view/8901/16/Jumping it forward 20 years is a great idea. Allows the comic to do what it always did, ie be happening 'now' and would help with it feeling fresh and modern which is a much better take than doing it as a nostalgia piece and pretending it's still 1992. And it allows a big gap which can be filled with our imaginations, TMUK stories (if you like). Allows for G2 to have still happened. Makes it relevant for modern readers jumping on board. Plenty of room for setting stories in different time periods as well (something the original UK series did very well). Frankly, I think that's the perfect premise for restarting a 20 year old dead series. I do hope it happens. I imagine editorial shifts at IDW (with Andy Schmidt moving on) will have a big say on whether this flies or not. Whether it does or not I think we should all buy Mr Furman a pint at AA for his efforts! -Ralph |
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Post by blueshift on May 25, 2011 12:57:44 GMT
That's true. My only concern is that G2 is one of my favourite TF stories and I dont like seeing it be 'removed', much like Fun Pub did.
Also, for me, I think it would be important that it actually carry on from the end of US 80, with many of the same characters - ie *masters, rather than just rebooting to the 'classic' Sunbow cast.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 25, 2011 13:00:48 GMT
Indeed, it's a good jumping on point for a mini series or ongoing. A mini would make more sense and if it had legs I would do it as a series of minis as opposed to an ongoing, allow it a wee rest every now and then.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on May 25, 2011 13:07:06 GMT
That's true. My only concern is that G2 is one of my favourite TF stories and I dont like seeing it be 'removed', much like Fun Pub did. Also, for me, I think it would be important that it actually carry on from the end of US 80, with many of the same characters - ie *masters, rather than just rebooting to the 'classic' Sunbow cast. Well at the very least it sounds as though elements of G2 will either exist or be reused in the new stories. Not quite sure what he means but G2 won't be completely gone by the sounds of it. The only problem I have with G2 is the death count. Characters like Bludgeon really had more to offer. You're right though for this to feel like a continuation it will need a decent chunk of the cast from 75-80 and G2. The only bit of the interview that concerned me was the talk of Schmidt wanting to use the core cast. That felt too much like how I imagine AHM being discussed. |
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Post by The Doctor on May 25, 2011 13:12:29 GMT
Arguably, the Marvel run had no 'core cast' as it ran with hundreds of different characters.
Schmidt has publically stated in a recent Moonbase 2 interview that he hasn't read any of the Marvel UK stories (though has read all of Marvel US). Maybe that influenced his thinking. Who knows.
But if this is greenlit, his successor may have different ideas. In any event, with the change in editorial combined with Big Movie Happening we may not hear much on this for a while yet.
RE: Blueshift. A 20-year jump would still allow for G2 to have happened.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on May 25, 2011 13:16:05 GMT
GI Joe elements aside, G2 could be anywhen. Another Time and Place makes the appearance of the 2nd Gen sound like it is decades or centuries into the future.
Andy
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on May 25, 2011 13:17:48 GMT
A 20-year jump would still allow for G2 to have happened. -Ralph Yes, but that would really make it #93, not #81 and I don't think that's the direction they have in mind. |
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Post by The Doctor on May 25, 2011 13:18:03 GMT
G2 could happen in 1994. Or 2004. Or 2014. I can't think of much in the Earth-based scenes that dates it too much.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on May 25, 2011 13:19:54 GMT
A 20-year jump would still allow for G2 to have happened. -Ralph Yes, but that would really make it #93, not #81 and I don't think that's the direction they have in mind. I wouldn't get too hung up on the numbering of the story, personally. I don't think calling it #81 means that stories could not happened between #80 and #81. What I meant was that if the new story was '20 years later', the events of G2 could easily have happened in the gap (if the reader wanted them to). -Ralph |
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