Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: 2011, Comics, march, marvel

Numbercrunching Marvel March 2011 Solicitations

Published Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:40:57 -0600

Last updated Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:33:30 -0600

Here's the numbercrunching headlines, based on Marvel Comics solicitation information for March.

At NYCC, Marvel announced they would be reducing the amount of monthly comics they would publish in 2011. And for January and February that was true, dropping from ninety-something new non-Icon/non-licensed titles, down into the seventies.

But now we hit a five-week month, and we're back up to 87 titles and over 20% more pages being produced than in February. In the old days, a month's product would be stretched to fit that month, with a few extra annuals to boot. But for the last six years March have just increased product by a fifth.

Much of it however is a result of a number of titles doubling up for March, Academy Avengers, Incredible Hulks, X-Factor, Marvel Zombies, Thunderbolts and X-23, and Thor, Deadpool and X-Force getting Point One jumping on extra issues, as well as five issues of 5 Ronin shipping and a shedload of Captain America issues hitting to coincide with the movie. Seriously, a Batroc The Leaper/Cap special in the same month he's appearing in Cyclops #1? Well, it is being written by Kieron Gillen, so maybe. Okay, definitely. But seriously Marvel, there are twelve single comics in March with Captain America in the title.

Marvel (minus the licensed and Icon titles) still publish more $2.99 comics than they do $3.99 comics. But only by 1.

Marvel has recently come a cropper by flooding the market with $3.99 miniseries, causing some major retailers to reduce their orders drastically as readers fell away. While the minis are still here, they are almost all now being charged at $2.99. But this also means that, for the first time, Marvel is better value that DC Comics on a price-per-page measure, at 14.5 cents a page (this month DC is 14.65 cents).

Rob Liefeld was wrong. Deadpool Corps does not end with #12. Instead Deadpool Team Up ends with #883. I wonder if they changed it just to screw with his head? I am mad in the head, they are both ending. So what was up with that vote then?

Both Marvel's new CrossGen titles, Sigil and Ruse, are at $2.99. Their other non-Marvel Universe titles are uniformly $3.99.

The number of 22 page $3.99 titles, previously falling, has stalled… 28 in March, 26 in February.

Other new stuff – new Venom series by Rick Remender and Tony Moore, the Fear Itself Prologue by Ed Brubaker and Scott Eaton (which may well screw next month's numbercrunching). Fresh of Avengers Prime, Alan Davis draws Allan Heinberg's entry for the longest title of the month Avengers: The Children's Crusade – Young Avengers and as a result will probably be all about the ideal of Family. Most Alan Davis books are. He should really do something with Mark Millar. There's an Annihilators mini-series from Abnett, Lanning, Huat and Green, that first issue of FF by Hickman and Epting (I'm hoping it stands for Fantastic Fridge), Frank Marrafino and Fernando Blanco bring us Marvel Zombies Supreme as the Squadron Supreme get zombified,

December: 93 comics – 20 titles at $2.99 (22 pages of story), 55 $3.99 (22 pages of story), 16 titles at $3.99 (30 pages of story). 2 comics $4.99 (44 pages of story)

Complete cost: $353.07 for 2218 pages of story (15.9 cents a page)

January: 75 comics – 28 at $2.99 (22 pages of story), 38 at $3.99 (22 pages), 8 at $3.99 (30 pages) 1 at $4.99 (44 pages)

Complete cost: $273.25 for 1736 pages of story (15.7 cents a page)

February: 72 comics – 37 at $2.99 (22 pages of story), 26 at $3.99 (22 pages), 9 at $3.99 (30 pages) 1 at $4.99 (70 pages)

Complete cost: $255.27 for 1726 pages of story (14.8 cents a page)

March: 87 comics – 44 at $2.99 (22 pages of story), 28 at $3.99 (22 pages), 13 at $3.99 (30 pages) 1 at $3.99 (38 pages), 1 at $4.99 (90 pages)

Complete cost: $304.13 for 2101 pages of story ( 14.5 cents a page)

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