Daily Comics Digression #28: What's in a Number?

Daily Comics Digression #28: What's in a Number?

In an unheard of move, Marvel has decided to relaunch itself...again (check out this youtube video for details). The new Editor-in-Chief (EIC) C.B. Cebulski, who was brought on very suddenly after his predecessor was kicked to the curb (seemingly for the depressing state of the company), spins some P.R. that probably feels familiar. It's the kind of feel-good stuff that every new regime tries to give its constituency, no matter how bad things are.

On the plus side, there does seem to be a return of classic characters to classic roles. After years of Thor not being Thor, Captain America not being Captain America, and Iron Man not being Iron Man, there's something refreshing about seeing the classic Marvel gang back in action.

Before you get too excited, however, I want to point out one troubling thing that  may seem trivial at first glance but is actually a sign of a serious problem in the current industry. This relaunch, though not really a reboot of the comic lines (reboots are where the stories start over from the beginning), is still going to start over with new number one issues. Now, the common defense for starting over with the issue numbering is that new comic buyers are supposedly less likely to pick up an issue of Iron Man #600 than they are an issue of Iron Man #1. Proponents of starting over in this way say that this approach allows a jumping-on point for new customers. New readers can feel like they are a part of the story from the beginning, not a tourist in a story that has run serially for decades.

As you can probably guess, there are some severe problems with this approach. First off, the #1 customers see on the front of these comics is a facade. Not much is really changing apart from the numbering. Sure, the story in the comic might be taking a new direction, but it's not like all of the previous continuity is being forgotten. This situation can create confusion, not clarity for potential readers. Even more confusing is the fact that the big companies have pulled this nonsense before. Walk into a comic book store and ask for a #1 issue of a classic character, and the amount of #1 comics from different relaunches and reboots will insure that you're properly confused as to what is going on. You need a degree in archaeology to sift through all these layers.

Finally, it's important to note that every potential jumping on point for readers is also a potential jumping off point for those who have gotten tired of these shenanigans. I don't know how many more relaunches Marvel or DC can survive. Each one seems to shed more customers without replacing them.