Broken Frontier

The long tortuous saga of Spider-Girl enters a new chapter this week with Amazing Spider-Girl #1, a new title to feature the character that arrives three months and six days after the end of her last series.

Spider-Girl first appeared in the pages of 1998’s What If? Vol. 2 #105. The issue introduced us to the alternate future world of MC2. There, we first met May Parker, daughter of Mary Jane and Peter Parker. She got her good looks from her mother and her powers from her father, who once moonlighted as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

The character became one of a few MC2 characters to get their own series after that issue. Three series spawned at that time, with the idea each would last 12 issues and then be replaced by new series featuring different MC2 characters. Spider-Girl proved popular enough to last past the initial year-spanning run. When the other MC2 series’ were cancelled five issues into the second wave, Spider-Girl was strong enough to survive.

As I mentioned in the July 11th edition of this column, Spider-Girl’s series faced cancellation three more times.  Those three times, fans of the title and character beat the pavement to save what they held dear. They were loyal, they were inventive, they were vocal and their efforts paid off each time.

But there was still a problem. Spider-Girl’s fans were organized and vocal, but rather small. The reason Spider-Girl faced cancellation so many times was because her sales were too low. The people reading Spider-Girl loved the title intensely; those not reading the series couldn’t be bothered picking up an issue. There seemed to be no way to bridge the two.

The dedication of its fans helped reprieve the series again and again, but without an upswing in readership, the treat of cancellation would keep rearing its ugly head. Marvel took a more active part in the preservation of the title—by canceling it.

Restarting a title with a new number one is a tried and tested way to get a bump in sales. First issues are hot with collectors, mainly because, most of the time, they end up being the most valuable issue of any series. This means that Amazing Spider-Girl #1 is bound to sell better than the adjective-less Spider-Girl #100. But Marvel didn’t stop there.

Two weeks ago, the new title received a #0 issue, another popular marketing ploy. And on top of that, tomorrow you will have your choice of covers for number one: a regular cover done by series artist Ron Frenz, a sketch variant of the regular cover, and a version with a cover done by Ed McGuiness. Multiple covers like these help increase sales of an issue, because some collectors feel compelled to buy all three. And each cover counts toward the issue as a whole, meaning increased copies sold.

So Marvel is pulling out all the stops in what seems like a last-ditch effort to increase sales on the title. And the new series is likely to sell better than the last one—at first. But while all the methods Marvel is employing will make Amazing Spider-Girl more attractive with collectors, how many of those are readers too, and will they enjoy the title enough to stick around? Or will we be facing new threats of cancellation for the book in the future?

       

   

First issues are the ideal jumping-on points for new readers. But, technically, Amazing Spider-Girl #1 is simply Spider-Girl #102. Will newbies be lost in over eight years of past continuity? There is a good chance that they won’t. Creator Tom DeFalco comes from the days of old-school Marvel, where the maxim was that every issue could possibly be someone’s first. You’d have to imagine that with a book he feels so passionate about getting a fresh start, he would take this logic into account.  

Add to that the popularity of the MC2 universe of late (the recent series Last Hero Standing and Last Planet Standing were set there, as is the upcoming Avengers Next title) and the fact that the stories are a refreshing change from the grim and gritty tone of comics today, this new go-round might have an excellent chance of success.

I know I’ve added the series to my regular pull list. Perhaps there will be enough others joining me that longtime fans will never have to sign a petition again.  

Also out this week:

• Wildcats #1: On the heels of the recent Captain Atom: Armageddon series and the changes it made to the Wildstorm Universe, we get a multi-title revamp, starting with this issue. That is, it would have started with this issue if it had actually come out last month when it was supposed to. Now, it follows many of the other revamped titles, sharing the week with another Worldstorm title, The Authority #1.

The team of Grant Morrison and Wildcats creator Jim Lee seems to be a match made in heaven, a regular dream combo. Sure, each member of the team has been plagued with lateness of varying degrees in their careers. But odds are whatever they put out will be worth the wait. Check out this issue and see for yourself.

• Conan #33: This issue marks the debut of new series writer, comic veteran Timothy Truman. He joins regular artist Cary Nord in chronicling the further adventures of everyone’s favorite Cimmerian. And judging on past experience, we should be in for some good stories.

Conan and Truman seem like another match made in comic book heaven. Truman has carved a niche for himself as the go-to guy for writing tough characters in tough surroundings. From his creator-owned Scout, published by Eclipse, to his work on Valiant’s Turok series to his time at Dark Horse and Tarzan, he has excelled at creating stories where locations and foes were a little unusual and formidable. And his heroes were tough as nails folks ready for any challenge, just like Conan.

• X-Factor #12: Here it is. This issue features the culmination of the latest storyline and the sweeping arc that filled the first year of the book. What is the truth behind Singularity Investigations? Who is the mysterious Mr. Tryp? And what does it all mean to X-Factor? Hopefully, all those questions will be addressed, if not answered, right here.

Peter David has created a compelling mystery filled with shocks, surprises, twists and turns. A feat made even more impressive while having to deal with the aftereffects of House of M throughout and Civil War smack dab in the middle. The series thus far has been a bunch of small stories which are part of one larger arc. If only we saw more of that in comics today. 

• Seven Brothers #1: Whose name comes to mind when you think of stylized violence? In movies, it would be John Woo. His work on Hard Target, Face/Off and Mission Impossible II was innovative and inspired many a filmmaker. In comics, it would be Garth Ennis. His blend of shocking, gore-filled violence mixed with pitch-black humor has made him one of the best writers in comics today.

Well, these two masters of mayhem have come together for Virgin Comics. Ennis writes this series working from a concept by Woo.  The team has generated quite a bit of buzz. It should be interesting to see if this combination pays off. Regardless, fans of both authors should be please by this new creation.

• Damned #1: Many countries experienced some sort of prohibition. The period in the United States, which ran from 1920-1933 was quite an interesting time for the country. It is ironic that a prohibition that came into being as a result of prevailing moral attitudes would create an immoral atmosphere where murder, theft and disregard for the law would fester.

This series deals with this era in American history with a unique spin. It foments the idea that gangsters who grew rich during Prohibition were controlled by families of demons trafficking in human souls. This is an interesting take on that time period. I wonder if the Temperance Movement would be so adamant if they knew this would be the result of their efforts. 

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He would like Spider-Girl fans know that the idea to restart the series was all his. He mentioned it to writer Tom DeFalco at February’s New York Comic Con as Tom signed a book for him. Sure, the plans were probably already in effect, and surely another fan must have already brought it up before him, but Bill is a shallow and petty man who seeks acclaim wherever he can find it. Bill also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software.