This isn’t a secret because I announced it back at Dragon*Con, but Bleeding Cool seems compelled to announce it incorrectly by stating that X-Factor is cancelled with #19.
Which is not true. It’s cancelled with #20.
Also for some reason Bleeding Cool is associating it with the fact that Quicksilver will be returning to the Avengers and that’s why the book is going away. No, it’s because not enough people are buying it. Which is exactly the reason they cancelled “Gambit” as well, so it’ll probably be a long time before he gets to star in another book.
All I did was write a book that got tons of positive write-ups. Which I guess is enough to encourage people to buy it when it comes out in trades, oblivious to the fact that books get cancelled when you do that. Whatever.
Me, I remember when Rich Johnston used to write to me for confirmation before running stuff. Apparently that’s no longer the case.
PAD
• 
We can’t have nice things. 🙁
Wildcat
Sad but an unfortunate fact of life.
People don’t have the discretionary income they did and comics prices have gotten rather insane. Plus there is so much competition for everyone’s entertainment dollar….
There won’t be any trades without single issues, but I gotta say that they are usually a lot more economical than single issues…
Mr. David,
This is severely disappointing. Sometimes, it seems that readers are more interested in watching their favorite characters duke it out over character development, which is a shame. When someone such as yourself is able to meld the two together, it reminds us all why we read comics in the first place. I will miss X-Factor but love the fact that my favorite “writer of stuff” was able to add more depth to an already cool book.
P.S. Anytime I write anything up on you in the future, I’ll be sure to send it your way first 😉
For creator-owned stuff, I’ll always through the creator but Marvel-owned books I’ve been asked to go through their PR people, which I did.
Yeah? Which PR person told you the wrong issue and connected it to Quicksilver? Because either you’re lying or they should be fired.
PAD
Neither, but it wasn’t contradicted. The Quicksilver thing wasn’t meant to be the reason either, just confluence of events.
BTW, from what I have heard talking to other people, digital sales do count, hence Ms Marvel’s continuance, as it sells more in digital than in print.
They didn’t and the Quicksilver was meant to be correlation rather than causation. Just nothing got contradicted, or asked to hold, as it usually might be.
I’ve never lied to you, Peter.
Oh, come now, Peter. Rich would never lie to you. He’s too busy making šhìŧ up for cheap hits.
Peter, I’ve loved all of your X-Factor runs, to varying degrees. The 90s run was a HUGE part of what cemented my love of comics, and I hound Diamond Select’s Zach Oat CONSTANTLY for 90s X-Factor Minimates. The relaunch would be my second favorite – better, maybe, but less nostalgic. All new was my least favorite, as I didn’t much care for the characters at the core, but you still turned me around with the Inhumans issue, and I would have loved to keep reading. I’m sorry to see the book go, but I shall hope for two things: another X-Factor book down the road and you at the helm. See if you can get Shulkie on the team next time 😉
Thank you for posting this message. I’m a massive fan of your work and ANXF is amazing! It’s sad that it will end at #20 but none the less thank you for your amazing work with all the characters in this comic. You breathed life back into every single one of them Polaris,Gambit,Doug,Danger and Quicksilver.
Well, that sucks. I have to confess I only bought the first 6 issues digitally and then decided to switch to trades after that. But that wasn’t because I didn’t realize sales are based on the monthlies, it’s because $3.99 is really expensive. When you can get 6 issues in a trade for $12 on Amazon instead of shelling out $24 for the regular issues, it’s hard not to make the change. I always start off buying the issues at full price to help with initial sales, but after that I need to help myself. Switching to trades means I can buy two series for the price of one. I love your writing and will follow you on every book, Peter, but I also want to read other series. It doesn’t help that Marvel doesn’t drop it’s prices digitally after a month like everybody else. If they did I’d be much more likely to pick up more individual issues. Anyway, it isn’t personal. I do weigh all the… er… x-factors. I’m sure many others do too.
Marvel doesn’t drop their digital issue price because of their Marvel Unlimited service. Issues stay the same price but if you’re willing to wait, they feel, you can just pay for Unlimited and get pretty much everything.
SUPER sad to hear X-Factor will be cancelled. I fear Gambit may not be the one who gets forgotten, but Polaris, which is (for me) far sadder, since she doesn’t have the fanbase the cajun does. End of an era, for sure.
Thank you for your X-Factor issues over the last near-decade, Mr David. It’s been both a pleasure and an honour.
I know about Marvel Unlimited, but I don’t want everything and I don’t want to use an alternative app to access them. And even if that is the justification, it still doesn’t make sense that they don’t drop their prices for back issues on ComiXology after a month. I’m much more likely to try a series at a discount. I know a lot of people who do that.
This saddens me so much. I love this book. I do not go to a comic shop any more, but buy my comics digitally. I really hope the digital sales were counted towards total sales for your X-FACTOR. You were really doing a great job with Polaris the last few months, and your work with Quicksilver was amazing. His character development has been on par with your work with the character in 1990s X-FACTOR. Carmine di Giandomenico is doing some phenomenal work, too, on X-FACTOR. I love his layouts, the way he depicts action and emotions.
Peter, I hope you have more work coming from Marvel. If not in the X-Office, perhaps the Spidey books, besides SPIDER-MAN 2099.
An era is ending; X-FACTOR was and is a unique comic book, with sophisticated writing, exciting art, presenting a different perspective on the X-Universe and on the characters involved. I especially will miss the interactions of the characters; few writers make the X-Men characters seem so real and 3-dimensional as Peter David.
Argh, I have no more words. I’m just really depressed by this news.
To the best of my knowledge, digital sales don’t count. It comes down to whether enough people are buying the book on the stands. And when enough people find alternatives and it kills the sales, the book goes away.
PAD
Digital sales don’t count? That’s … nuts. Well, and truly, nuts. Why wouldn’t they be counted? I mean, Marvel certainly got their share of the dollars I threw at Comixology for reading this title (and many others).
So crazy that digital doesn’t count. It makes me glad I’ve gone back to buying a lot of stuff in floppies, though it’s almost entirely because I could either pay my local store $4 for the floppy and get a free digital copy or I could pay Amazon (Comixology) $4 and only get the digital copy. No brainier there.
Regardless, I wish Marvel would consider going digital-only for series like X-Factor that don’t sell as well, but which do much better in trades. They could eliminate most of the cost of distribution, while still giving people a paper option (at least eventually).
If this is true, it’s absurd. I buy digital almost exclusively now because A) I don’t live anywhere near a comic shop and the few bookstores that stock comics don’t stock many of the titles that I’m interested in and B) I buy a LOT of titles, and I simply don’t have space for them physically.
Add in to the equation the ease with which I can impulse-buy an entire run on Comixology at 4AM, and you have someone who is pretty thoroughly entrenched with the digial comics appeal.
Marvel has to understand that for many of us, digital is the most realistic option. They’re still making profit off digital, right?
It’s just frustrating to hear that for all of us that are paying and legitimately obtaining comics, that just because it’s in a different format, our purchases (and thus preferences) would be completely irrelevant and ignored.
That makes so little sense it’s actually making my head hurt.
Also, obviously, add me to the pile of voices saying that this series is/was fabulous and this cancellation is awful news.
Quality writing like PAD’s is cancelled after less than two dozen issues, yet absolute mindless excrement like the entire “new52” line lives on, oblivious to anything coming remotely close to a story arc or characterization…
No justice in this world.
Yeah. Because what DC accepts as “decent” sales numbers should have every effect on what MARVEL accepts. In case you didn’t realize it, the companies are different.
There’a also the fact that a LOT of the New52 books HAVE been cancelled in the past couple of years.
Birds of Prey. Savage Hawkman. Captain Atom. Fury of Firestorm. DC Universe Presents. Mister Terrific. Batwing. Superboy. Blue Beetle. Legion of Super-Heroes. Legion Lost. Static Shock. All-Star Western. Men of War. OMAC. Stormwatch. Voodoo. Animal Man. Demon Knights. Frankenstein. I Vampire. Resurrection Man.
That’s a list of the FIRST WAVE of New 52 books that have been cancelled (without a replacement series following–such as Nightwing, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad). It also doesn’t include books released as part of the second wave on (books like Talon, Green Team, Larfleeze and Ravagers, to name a few).
Now, if you’d care to compare the merits of X-Factor’s cancellation to the continued presence of lower-selling MARVEL books like Secret Avengers or All-New Invaders or Miracleman, by all means, do so. It’s also funny that All-New X-Factor #6 sold over 26,000 while Captain Marvel #6 sold just a little over 21,000 (and sold fewer copies than the same month’s issue of X-Factor). But comparing Marvel to DC when it comes to sales is akin to comparing apples and oranges.
Well, I’m very sorry to hear that. I was certainly buying (and very much looking forward to) the monthly installments (and bought the TPB, too). I enjoyed the characters, the story, the humor, the whole nine yards. This was one of my favorite renditions of Gambit, by far; of Polaris; of Danger; of Douglock, certainly.
Plus, servals, which I love.
Nuts.
Why is it just Gambit that will not star in a book for a while? His solo sold a lot better then the other X solos on the stand right now,
Mr. David,
I’m sadden to hear about this book going away. Your handling of Gambit is great. And one of the things I looked forward to each issue. I bought extra copies of this book and will do so until the end.
I’ll miss Serval and Gambit’s kitties too.
I just finished Madrox and X-Factor (2005-2013) and I wanted to tell you how much I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the style, and the characters.
Jamie Madrox is by far my favorite character in the Marvel universe being a strong leader who unlike others (Captain America, Cyclops, Iron Man, etc.) never compromised his values despite the odds.
The world is a better place with your comics in it!
Pretty bummed out that X-Factor is ending. It’s one of the few Marvel books left on my pull list.
“Which I guess is enough to encourage people to buy it when it comes out in trades, oblivious to the fact that books get cancelled when you do that. Whatever.”
Yeah. I’m a trade waiter. But if I was “oblivious” about anything, it was the fact that it’s apparently my fault Marvel’s constant renumberings, relaunches, and non-stop events pushed me away from the monthly book habit.
I’m sorry for trying to support your work. I promise, it won’t happen again.
So let me see if I understand this. You admit to being exactly what I say is the type of mentality that kills books, and your response for my pointing out a truth is that you are going to continue to not support my work on a monthly basis.
Color me stunned.
Everyone else, thank you for your kind comments.
PAD
I’m buying your book. The book that Marvel, your employer, is selling.
I’m not pirating it.
I’m not checking it out of a library.
I’m not reading it in a book store and putting it back on the shelf.
I’m going to my LCS and giving them money for a book with your name on it. Specifically, because it has your name on it.
And you’re going to tell me that’s not supporting you? That I killed your book because I didn’t spend my money on it the “correct” way?
Marvel killed your book. Not me. I did my part as a consumer.
PAD, I understand that you’re not happy about the book being canceled, but I think you’re taking it out on the wrong people. If trades don’t make enough money to support Marvel, then Marvel shouldn’t publish them. That makes it Marvel’s fault. If we buy the trades, that’s because they’re the product we want at the price we want.
I’ve spent a lot of money on trades that I wouldn’t have spent on comics at all. I can’t speak for everyone else’s buying habits, but you and many other authors have definitely gotten more money from me than you would have gotten without trades.
Having said that, I’m very sorry to hear that the comic is being cancelled. I haven’t been in a position to buy any comics recently, but I always enjoy your work.
Rather defensive attitude. You don’t agree with how Marvel renumbers and relaunches things? Fine. Not sure why you should feel that’s a reason to stop buying monthlies of people you want to support. Hate the company, not the artist.
And all Peter was doing was pointing out the sad reality that not buying the monthly and waiting for the trades just convinces Marvel that there’s no market for the book, and therefor probably won’t be a trade for it. Simple economics. Not need to get defensive and snotty about it for pointing that out. Marvel doesn’t count “I promise to buy the trade” in their sales figures.
And one final rebuttal: “Marvel killed your book, not me”. Marvel killed the book because of lack of monthly sales. That wasn’t caused by Marvel, that was caused by PEOPLE NOT BUYING IT. Accept that and move on.
That said, Peter, I look forward to buying more of your stuff at NYCC.
Mr David,
This news saddens me so much; ANXF was the first book I’ve read of yours and I’ve enjoyed your writing and characterizations, particularly Lorna, Pietro and my favorite comic character, Remy (who I fear will be back in limbo; nobody else there likes him, it seems, so they don’t want to write him). While I’m disappointed to find out this news (and that digital sales don’t count–what?!–I’m eager to see what’s next.
Well, nuts.
I prefer to buy the single issues vs waiting for the trade paperback for a variety of reasons.
If I really love what I am reading, then I will get it when it comes out in the stores. This helps support not only the book, but the store who depends on my business to help them stay in business.
I also not going to wait six or more months for the TPB to arrive because by then, I may lose interest in that title and thus not buy the TPB.
I hate that X-Factor is ending way too soon. Danger’s relationship with her teammates was becoming very fun to watch . Quicksilver’s owning up to past mistakes was nice to see. Seeing Polaris becoming a leader that she can be was getting interesting.
This series is one my favorites and is / was on my pull list every month and will be one that I shall miss very much.
i am big fan of x-factor,i am from brazil,i am very sad with this,i am hope to see more storys of peter david,i am a big fan fo you and you have a lot of fans here in brazil
I will miss this book.
So so so disappointed. Just became a fan of Peters work towards the end of his previous X-Factor run. Was disappointed to find out it was being cancelled as I caught up.
I was relieved when I first heard he was starting a new volume. The story has been great so far, and one of the few times a month I actually laugh out loud while reading or end with a smile.
It’s sad, all of my “fun” books are being cancelled (ANXF, New Warriros, Superior Foes”). I have not given Spider-Man 2099 a try yet so maybe I will move onto that to get my PAD fix. Thanks for a great book!
definitely try it out! 2099 is a blast, best spider book on the shelf
i am devastated to read this post! i have been loving this new x-factor so much. 🙁
So sad to hear X-Factor is going away. One of my first (if not the first) experiences with your writing was your original run on X-Factor, which I read from the beginning. At a time when my friends were into whatever nonsense was going on in the main X-Men books or in the uber-90s X-Force, I found your X-Factor a breath of fresh air—it was almost always funny, while managing to tell serious stories. I missed most of X-Factor vol 3 as it came out, as I wasn’t really reading superhero stuff at the time, but when I found it on Marvel Unlimited a couple of years ago, I burned through the entire series Ina frighteningly short amount of time, and read the last six months or so as they came out. I was distraught when I heard it was cancelled, but was excited by the prospect of ANXF, even if it meant leaving behind many of the characters I had grown to love so much, especially Jamie. I’ll be honest—ANXF didn’t draw me in immediately for whatever reason, but I kept buying it, as I trusted you enough to give you a few issues to get things going. And, since at least the fifth issue Or so, I’ve had no regrets at all. It’s been a fun ride, and I look forward to reading ANXF every couple of weeks—though I often save it to read last, to end things on a good note.
I’ll miss the X-Factor family, but will still be reading the adventures of Miguel, etc., in Spider-Man 2099. Maybe the Serval gang can show up over at Alchemax?
This just depresses me to no end. I am a big Gambit fan, and you wrote him so well. Hëll, you wrote EVERYONE in X-Factor so well! I began to like characters I previously disliked and hated for years (Like Quicksilver and Doug. You made me fans of theirs, now)!
I wanted to read more Doug, see what trouble Gambit would get himself into, and watch Danger grow. This was the last comic I had in the Marvel Universe, that felt like it made sense and wasn’t filled with events or shock value. It felt like how a comic book used to feel like, an adventure that you could not wait to experience.
I am very sad to see this book end, and think I am now done with Marvel all together.
That’s a dámņ shame. It’s been the most interesting X-books and one of the few Marvel titles I’m still reading, what with the price increases and such.
Well, that just sucks. Very sorry to hear it.
Couple of things:
1. Always sorry to have less of yours to read. Let us (me) know what to replace it with on my reading list.
2. Feels like Marvel has put out a lot of books as new titles that should have been limited series or not exist at all. I’m sorry if a flood of the market has caused less eyes on X-factor.
3. Ghost Rider, Avengers World, Savage Hulk, Savage Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and I bet I could find 4 more titles that I have no desire to read and won’t be added to my pull list unless a new writer named Peter David is announced for any of them.
4. Wolverine, Spiderman, Captain America, Cyclops, etc. can have multiple title appearances but Quicksilver couldn’t? The Marvel Speedster? He is in multiple movies for goodness sake.
I agree with what you’re saying, but I would recommend giving Storm a try. It really is a great book and I haven’t seen Storm this well written in years. Greg Pak knows his stuff and a really clear vision of who Storm is, something that has been lacking over the last 10 years.
Hey PAD love your stuff really hope you get another project from the X-Office or maybe another Deadpool or Marvel Zombie mini. Totally sucks X-factor is ending its so much better than Bendis’s garbage.
I just wanted to jump on the bandwagon here and tell you how much I loved this book. I bought both a print and digital copy every issue! Gambit is my favorite character but I really got interested in the others too. Sad to see it come to an end but it was great while it lasted. I’ll continue to buy Spider-Man 2099 too because I think you’re a great writer. Thanks Mr. David!
I am really disappointed to hear all this. As someone who loves your books and unfortunately only has access to trades and digital I think its utter bûllšhìŧ that this is happening to your book and such things don’t count towards sales.
I was looking forward on who else you would eventually have in your series considering how often you rescued characters no one gave a šhìŧ about and gave them a life of their own. Hëll, I honestly had hopes you would one day rescue one my favorite characters Terry Ward aka Trauma from the Avenger’s Initiative series who was put on the figurative bus after that series ended.
Good luck and I hope you have another series soon I can pick up. You’re still one of my favorite writers for Marvel and I look forward for that to continue.
This is just NOT FAIR. ANXF was by FAR my favorite pull from the moment it came out! I’ve always thought you’ve done my favorite character more justice than any other writer, and in the short time this book’s been out you’ve also made me care about other characters I was impartial too. This among several other blatant mistakes Marvel’s been making recently have almost pushed me away completely. Nonetheless, I just wanted to say that I love your portrayals of all the characters (especially Pietro) and that I will severely miss this book. Screw Marvel, screw the numbers, X Factor belongs in your hands.
I agree PAD really knows how to make you care and knows how to right actual character into characters. I know i love when you play in your little boxed off area PAD but i would love to see you helm a flagship title.
Back when I was still into comics, it was PAD’s run on the Hulk that got Hulk added to my pull list. Granted, after he left the book, I dropped it within two or three issues because I didn’t really care for it anymore….
Well, I guess my attitude was to blame for ANXF’s cancellation: I bought most of the issues digitally because it was much more convenient than finding the time between jobs to hop on a train and get to the closest comic book store. I thought that as long as I bought it, it would still “count” as an X-Factor sale. But apparently I was completely wrong… I’m not a typical comic book buyer, heck if it weren’t for ANXF, I wouldn’t buy any superhero comics, so I’m not “into” the whole ritual of going to the comic book shop every week to buy single issues. I wish Marvel would realize their audience don’t all behave the same way (or that some of us have no local comic book shops), and take into account other sales figures before cancelling a book.
Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me for not going the extra 20 miles (literally) to buy the physical copies. I know better now. Love the work you did on Quicksilver. I’m especially eternally grateful for issue 12.
Sad to see it go.
It is sad to see this book go away but the insane pricing of Marvel comics is not helping one bit.
4$ for a comic is too expensive and as all but one (She-Hulk, solicitations December 2014 ) Marvel comics cost 4$, choices are made and, surprise !, people prefers to read Spider-Man or The Avengers.
I’m sorry to hear that! If I had a job, I’d have been buying it. That says something since I avoid the X titles!
I’m a big enough fan that I even wrote a paper about you in the graphic novel class I took last year, and I talked about your work on X-Factor.
Nooo! This has been one of my favourite Marvel comics (if not my favourite) and to hear that it’s cancelled is super sad news. I’ve got all the issues so far and will continue to buy more issues at my LCS but it’s just a shame that this book couldn’t find an audience that Marvel wanted.
I’ll have my Fingers crossed for news about another X-Factor book in the future though.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that 🙁
I’m from Italy (sorry my terrible english), digital comics are the only way to support you directly and the fact that doesn’t counts in the sales… well… is depressing
Marvel really killed the golden goose when they asked you to retire the previous X Factor team and start fresh, save for Polaris and Quicksilver. The 2005- 2013 series had a strong following which was based on our affection for the characters and investment in their relationships. I suppose Marvel wanted a jumping-on point for new readers, but they forgot that changing the cast and the premise also makes for a great jumping-off point for anyone looking to free up space in their monthly pull list.
Well, this is disappointing. I’ve bought every issue and have been loving it– Doug and Warlock have always been two of my favorite characters, and I felt you handled Doug perfectly (something not every writer has been able to do, imho). Thank you for that.
Mr. David, I just wanted to thank you for your run. I’ve enjoyed it immensely–I actually started buying individual issues of comics in general solely thanks to All-New X-Factor. I regret that I didn’t know about it until several issues in so I couldn’t support it til the end, but you can bet I will buy every issue through until it ends. All the best, and I’m praying Marvel will reconsider its stance on cutting an amazing serial short.
I’m very sorry to read that X-Factor is coming to an end. I’ll stay with it until that time as I’ve been buying every issue as it hits the stands. I’ve been buying X-Factor since Maddrox #2 came out. (I read Maddrox #1 on Marvel’s site when they put it up for free and decided that I wanted to read the rest of it).
When depressed to hear this. The book was one of only two titles I was actually reading.
What I find the most ironic about the people complaining about the costs of single issues being the main reason they wait for the trades is the fact that the prices on Marvel’s trades and graphic novels has leaped far ahead of what other companies are charging. A trade I can get from say, Dark Horse or Image, in full color, can run me $15.99 or $19.99, while a Marvel trade with an equivalent page count can go for anywhere from $24.99 to as much as $34.99
I’ve been thinking about X-Factor and books like it a good bit today. Those books that are well reviewed and liked, but don’t sell well. I’m wondering for these books if a digital to trade model might not make the most sense? Marvel could sell the individual issue digitally and sell the trade in both in print and digital formats. This would let them get the issues out there for a lower cost, but still have the trade to sell to book stores. I think that X-Factor would be a good test case to see if this would work.
This is sad. All-New X-Factor was the last Marvel series I was buying every month until Spidey 2099. I’m one of those customers who generally prefers the TPBs but PAD’s writing has always been more rewarding when read monthly. There are TPB-friendly arcs like every other series has, but each issue has enough weight to be read and enjoyed on its own. It’s kind of a lost art nowadays.
I’ve started reading Spidey 2099, but what other monthly series is PAD working on these days?
You’re mistaken about digital sales, at least according to Tom Brevoort:
http://brevoortformspring.tumblr.com/post/72553189363/could-you-tell-us-once-and-for-all-how-digital-comic
That said, while your frustration is understandable, blaming paying customers who want to support your work is wrongheaded. The Outhousers has a great piece on this:
http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/features/129195-ru-s-views-an-open-letter-to-peter-david-re-the-cancelation-of-all-new-x-factor.html
‘Let’s walk through the current state of comic books from a consumer’s point of view:
Comics cost $4.
Decompression seems to be the industry paradigm.
Comics are generally perceived as being “written for the trade,” and a collection of five or six issues can be more accurately described as “a complete story” than a single issue.
When you take all of that into account, blaming consumers for trying to save a few bucks rather than blaming the pricing strategies of Marvel does more than just insult your fans, but comes off as mean spirited and shows a lack of understanding what it’s like to be a comic book consumer in the modern age.’
I mean, I recognize that it’s easier to blame readers than to ask Marvel to change its business model, but that doesn’t make it the right tack.
Well, sure. Why should I blame people for not buying the book when I can blame Marvel for…I dunno…
PAD
“Well, sure. Why should I blame people for not buying the book when I can blame Marvel for…I dunno…”
If they’re not taking into account projected trade sales, then that’s something they should change.
If the value proposition of a $3.99/book alienates customers, then it’s on Marvel to change that.
This is not to say readers have no blame for it. We all know there are too many fans who are unwilling to buy books that aren’t “important” or don’t feature the best-known characters. THEY’RE the audience you should be frustrated with – not paying customers.
I’m not blaming anyone for trying to save a few bucks, although thanks ever so for casting everything I said in the worst possible light. All I did was speak the truth: if enough fans decide to support only trades rather than monthlies, the monthlies get canceled. That is simply indisputable, and I’m not sure how all the hand wringing or “Peter’s being mean” attitude I’m getting is going to change that simple fact. When the book launched, lots of people told me they loved the first issue and would be sure to pick it up in trade. And I thought, “Well, that’s that.” And I was right. I know people hate it when I’m right and often feel the need to castigate me for it, but that doesn’t make me wrong to be right.
PAD
“If enough fans decide to support only trades rather than monthlies, the monthlies get canceled.”
I’m not disputing this. I’m saying the trade-waiters aren’t the people with whom you should be upset.
Again, Marvel pulls the good books while pulling stunts that are going to be short-lived (female Thor, Black Captain America, dead Wolverine) considering the success of their movie universes and giving more and more titles to a handful of sucky (YMMV) writers. Oh, and “events” that basically just kill time till the next “event to change the Marvel Universe as we know it.”
And, then there’s the insane $3.99 pricing and the double-shipping.
I’m not quite heartbroken at this news but this just makes me even more put out with Marvel. I’d just started picking up more Marvel books (2 of which are PAD-connected not counting All-New X-Factor) after being pretty much done with Marvel that didn’t have the PAD touch (or Stephen King name) for years. I’ll keep watch for your books but Marvel is only hurting themselves. Or, did the early figures for All-New X-Factor’s unnecessary tie-in with the Axis events not boost the title’s overall figures the way Marvel most likely expected?
It’s prolly not too late. Let’s join Kris Anka’s campaign in making #SaveANXF trend! Keep buying All-New X-Factor & hope for the best!
Marvel is apparently getting rid of X-titles one by one. Too much mutant oppression until they finally succeed in shoving Inhumans down our throat!
This is my fault. For the first time on one of your books, I decided to switch to trades (after issue 6). I never thought that the series might actually get canceled. In this day & age, the readers do have a responsibility to pay closer attention to sales figures and we should realize if we don’t support the monthly it will go away. It’s a fragile economy and even a few of us “waiting on the trade” can make a big difference. I’m not making the same mistake with Spider-Man 2099.
Now here’s the thing I’m not quite getting here: Why DON’T trade sales count?
I mean, I get that trades only come out every six months to a year, whereas the monthlies, obviously, come out every month, and thus show an immediate profit and an equally immediate – but limited – measure of consumer interest. But seeing as they’re holding off on cancellation long enough for at least two to three collections to be published, couldn’t they totally factor the sales of the first couple of trades in and see what actual demand for the title is?
Just like the Nielsens now factor in the C3, which accounts for people who didn’t watch live, but viewed the show on DVR during the first three days after broadcast, couldn’t comic companies factor in both figures, the “read now” plus the “saved to read later” folks? You know, to see whether a series is a “flash in the pan,” initial high sales but total die off with no real interest after a year or two, versus a long-term “slow burn,” moderate monthly sales but consistent trade sales and critical praise that has perhaps a slightly lower immediate profit margin but at least promises a regular and devout following and guarantees steady income over the long run?
Or am I too much of an idealist to think a comic marketing strategy should include the big picture of consumer interest, rather than just one narrow demographic of monthly buyers? Seems shortsighted to me, personally.
In any case, my kvetching about how Marvel runs its business won’t change how it does business. Regardless, sorry to hear your book is going away, and that the press can’t be bothered to accurately confirm WHEN or WHY it’s going away. Best of luck in your next comics endeavor!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
So SO SO SO Disappointing :/
This was the series I most looked forward to every month
I only buy digitally and in trades because although price and storage space are big factors, more importantly I want an uninterrupted story.
Most comics are written are in 5-6 issue arcs and are written for the trade and there are just too many ads in comics that break up the flow of the story.
And they look neater on the shelf;-)
Brian, all your points are completely valid. I brought this same exact thing up years ago on my blog.
Trade waiters are the future of this industry, it’s not us that need to change, we’re the consumers. The paying customers. Simple supply and demand. The change has to come from the industry itself.
Single issues ain’t cutting it, don’t print them! Make the comic digital-only, cheaper price and print small order of trades.
I guarantee you that this will not only improve sales, it will improve the view of comics in general. No longer will single issues be thrown around like trash at comic conventions or comic book stores.
Mr. David, as your second biggest fan, I implore you to not blame us (“the players”) for this! Blame the game (for which we simply play a part of).
By all means, don’t print single issue comics. Just go digital. And when several thousand comic book stores that depend on that income all go out of business, trades will be available solely in brick and mortar book stores which are being driven out of business by the Internet. And once they go, that’s the end of the industry. Everyone wins!
PAD