Broken Frontier

“Did you hear what they announced at the DCU Panel last night?” my friend asked in a gleeful voice. It was the second day of the New York Comic Con, and we had just made plans to meet for lunch. We had skipped the DC Nation panel the night before in lieu of getting dinner. 

Since I had not even left the hotel room, let alone came near either the convention or computer, I had to ask what news made him so happy.

“They’re un-cancelling Manhunter.”

Manhunter is DC’s book that just will not die. It is one of those rare books with low sales but with a rabidly devoted fanbase (which includes my friend as a member) and the latter outweighs the former.

This wasn’t the first time the title faced cancellation. Issue #25 was supposed to be the last issue but then it got a five issue stay of execution. The book at the time was well out of the Diamond Top 100, selling between 14,500 and 15,800 per issue, totally anemic in today’s comic economy.

So, they took a few months off, introduced the character as a cast member of the better selling Birds of Prey series, and restarted the title with a high profile storyline (the Trial of Wonder Woman for the murder of Maxwell Lord), superstar guest appearances (Wonder Woman and Batman) and the much buzzed-about possible return of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle.

Sales did improve—slightly. Issue #26 sold in numbers close to that of issue #1 before settling into the 17,000+ sales range, better than before it was cancelled the first time, but still not good enough to break the top 100.

I’m sure the hardcore Manhunter fans were disheartened when DC’s solicitation for this issue announced that it was the “series finale.” They may be small in number, but they are vocal and organized. There are websites devoted to getting Manhunter above the 20,000 copy sales plateau, with fans offering tips on how to increase the title’s sales. The tips range from talking up the series with their friends to wearing a “Save Manhunter” T-Shirt to the comic shop on new comic day. Their fanatical devotion to the book might be the reason why it still exists.

DC is good at listening to its fans. Hal Jordan fans surely played some role in his being reinstated as Green Lantern. Since Manhunter’s devotees are so loyal and motivated, I’m sure it was just a case of DC looking for a way to justify continuing to publish the title. 

Luckily, Manhunter is one of those titles where its trade paperback sales are high. High enough that DC is willing to risk continuing to publish it in individual comic form hoping trade sales make up some of the profit.  

So Manhunter, like Marvel’s Spider-Girl, gets a new lease on life. The two share more in common than just their ability to shake off cancellation. Both series feature strong female characters as protagonists, both series are a break from the norm when it comes to storytelling, and both have a small yet dedicated readership that actively works for its survival.

This will be the last Manhunter for a while (no issues are scheduled for May or June) but fans can rest assured that the title will be back. Perhaps DC will restart the series with a new number one, like Marvel did with Spider-Girl. Or perhaps they will do like they did the last time and simply continue the numbering with #31.

But either way, non-fans have a while to catch up on what they were missing and the loyal readers have some time to put the final touches on the “Read Manhunter” T-shirt they will wear to the comic store when the new issue comes out.

   

   

Also out this week:

• Conan #39

This issue features the return of Janissa the Widowmaker. Name doesn’t ring a bell? She is the swordswoman that Kurt Busiek introduced to the comic book during his adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Conan story, The God in the Bowl, earlier on in the series..

Apparently, the former assassin who was previously in the employ of the Bone Woman has her eyes set on the same treasure that Conan does. So, now not only does Conan have to fight his way through the most dangerous magic the Hyborian age has to offer, but also fight one of the most deadly fighters as well. That treasure had better be worth it.  

Tim Truman (W), Rafael Kayanan (A), Dark Horse Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• World War III, Parts One through Four

Around the same time 52 came out, the DC Universe took a one year leap into the future. Characters changed, status quos were shaken up and a lot of questions were raised. 52 served to answer some of these questions, but couldn’t answer all of them. That’s where this series of one-shots enter the picture.

Released the same day as 52 #50 and tying directly into it, these issues will address what caused Aquaman’s and Martian Manhunter’s physical transformations, how Firestorm became linked to Firehawk, and how Jason Todd became Nightwing.

Personally, I would have liked to have these questions answered in 52 instead of having to spend an additional $10 this week to find out what happened. But if you are as curious as me, you will be sure to pick these up tomorrow for yourselves.  

Various (W), Various (A), DC Comics, $2.50 each. Four One-Shots.

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre #6

This issue not only marks the end of the first arc, but also the end of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, at least in its current form. The ongoing series is ending, to be replaced by a series of specials and mini-series.

I was intrigued when Wildstorm picked up the rights to New Line’s horror franchises (which also include Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, two other titles suffering the same fate). The properties were brought to life quite graphically at Avatar, and you wouldn’t think that type of gore would go well at a mainstream publisher.

But it wasn’t gore that did the titles in, it was low sales. Issue 4 of this series only sold 7,650 copies, more deadlier than a chainsaw to a comic book.

Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (W), Wesley Craig (A), DC Comics/Wildstorm, $2.99. Last Issue.

• Mighty Avengers #2

Ultron is arguably the Avengers’ number one bad guy. Frank Cho draws arguably the most attractive women in comics today. What if you were to combine the two? Well, we’ll soon find out as this issue introduces us to a first—a female Ultron.

As a longtime Avengers fan, I am insanely curious on how this is going to work out. I keep trying to wrap my mind around the logic of it. Sure, Ultron is a robot, and robots could take on any form they wish. But why does Ultron choose now to get a make-over?

 I’m sure there is a reason for it, and I’m sure Bendis and Cho are going to make it a good one!

Brian Michael Bendis (W), Frank Cho (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series. 

• Vampirella Quarterly #1

Whether it is the enduring popularity of the character or the lack of material in her costume, Vampirella has become one of the few comic characters that could truly be called an icon. She has survived in various forms for over 26 years and is popular enough to still support a series today.

This title is the latest addition to the Vampirella universe. Each 40-page issue seems to contain two stories, one new and one a reprint of a classic Vampi appearance from the past. The reprint in the first issue is by late comic legend Archie Goodwin and should be worth the price of admission alone.  The only problem you may have is choosing which of the five variant covers you want.

Joshua Hale Fialkov & Archie Goodwin (W), Stephen Segovia & Jose Gonzalez (A), Anarchy Studios/Harris Comics, $4.95 and up. Ongoing Series.

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software.