What’cha Wanna Know?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

We haven’t done a general Q&A thread in a while. Feel free to ask about any upcoming projects, general comics questions, etc. One question per person, please.

PAD

200 comments on “What’cha Wanna Know?”

  1. Ever given any serious thought to writing a musical?
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    Well, I wrote a play that remains unproduced. I don’t see why I can’t move on to writing a musical that’s unproduced.

  2. In retrospect of the TNG canon’s direction since with regards to our positronic friend, when would you say Riker and Data arrive at the end of Imzadi?
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    Just in time for Mr. and Mrs. Riker’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary celebration.

  3. I’m just wondering how the sales have been on Blind Man’s Bluff (which I loved BTW, especially the bit about the story of Seven’s parents meeting involving a yellow umbrella; it took me several pages to get Bob Sagat’s voice out of my head).
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    I won’t really know what the meaningful sales numbers are for another six months or so.

  4. My brother has instructed me to ask:

    Who would win in a fight?

    Kordax the Cursed or Rahne’s baby?
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    Rahne’s baby. Poor Kordax wouldn’t even know what hit him.

  5. I don’t believe this has been asked before; and maybe as someone who once worked in Marvel’s sales department, you can explain, either because you were there at the time, or just from the general point of view of a one-time sales rep:
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    Years ago, Marvel published Marvel Age at the cost of a regular comic, while DC’s Direct Currents newsletter was free. Both contained capsule summaries of upcoming issues in the publishers’ respective lines. Yes, Marvel Age had other information (presumably; it had more pages), but it was still essentially advertising for what was coming out in the near future. So, my question is this: Why didn’t Marvel offer Marvel Age for free, like DC’s Direct Currents? Putting a price tag on Marvel Age strikes me as a marketing blunder. I rarely ever picked it up (why pay for advertising when I could spend my money on an actual comic?), but got Direct Currents every month. Therefore, I was more aware of the happenings of the DC Universe than events at Marvel. And thus, I tended to buy more DC books, overall.
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    Rick
    .
    Simple. That way paid for itself. Carol Kalish came up with the concept of doing the publication, and by putting a nominal price tag on it, it solved whatever budgetary concerns it might have presented since it’s not like direct sales had an editorial budget. A marketing blunder? Not at all. First of all, the numbers on it were extremely good. Second, because there was a price on it, many fans didn’t perceive it as advertising at all, even though it obviously was. They thought of it as a magazine about Marvel comics. It cost a freaking quarter; most fans didn’t hesitate to pick it up. Also, putting a price on it, giving it worth, played to the fan mentality of many at the time. The manager of “Forbidden Planet,” for instance, told me that he had buyers who regularly bought “Marvel Age” who wouldn’t touch the DC publication with a ten meter cattle prod. Why? Because it “wouldn’t be worth anything.” Bottom line, putting a price tag on something gives it value in the eyes of many that a giveaway simply didn’t have.

    1. Marvel Age cost a quarter? Then the few issues I have must have been special versions or something (or there was a price hike later on), because they cost the same as a regular comic at the time, which was much more than a quarter. I probably would have picked it up if I’d seen it priced at a quarter, but as a high school and college student with little money to spend, I preferred spending the cost of a comic on an actual comic.
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      But I guess I was in the minority in not picking up Marvel Age because of the cost and/or recognizing it as advertising. Wonder if I would have ended up buying more Marvel books if I had? Probably. After all, I picked up a few DC books because something in Direct Currents piqued my curiosity.
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      At any rate, thanks for explaining the thinking behind putting a price tag on Marvel Age. Makes me wonder now which approach was more successful overall.
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      Rick

      1. I also liked that they had knew covers, so you might have a new Wolverine cover by Byrne, or, my favorite at the time, a new GI Joe cover by Zeck. Worth the quarter. And I do still have them, but I tossed my Direct Currents.

      2. You’re talking about the later version of “Marvel Age.” Carol and I had nothing to do with that. When we launched it, it was twenty-five cents.
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        PAD

      3. PAD said, “You’re talking about the later version of “Marvel Age.” Carol and I had nothing to do with that. When we launched it, it was twenty-five cents.”
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        Well, as I said, I probably would have picked up the 25 cent version, since it was less than the cost of a comic (though I don’t recall ever seeing it). I guess whoever did the later version of Marvel Age figured it was worthwhile charging the price of a comic for it. Between the two versions, I think you and Carol Kalish had the right idea.
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        The subject of something costing a quarter or less reminds me of a scene in the novelization of Back to the Future. I can’t find my copy of the book, so I’m going from memory, but as I recall, Marty says he’ll kill some time by seeing a movie. Doc tells him not to, because he could change the future. Mary finds that hard to believe, given that he’d only be spending a nickel, dime or quarter, whichever. Doc tells him that one coin may make all the difference to the theater owner. If he pulls in, say, just over $100, he may stick it out; just under $100, and he may pull up stakes.
        .
        Rick

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