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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 5:49:07 GMT -5
Is anyone here actually on board with the concept of renumbering ongoing series on an annual or bi-annual basis?
Will this embarrassing trend ever cease? Will the stupidity end before monthly comics themselves vanish forever?
How did we end up in a world where Spawn has had a longer unbroken run than Action Comics, Detective Comics, Amazing Spiderman or Fantastic Four? I enjoyed Todd McFarlane's comments on the topic at 14:18 here:
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 6:09:02 GMT -5
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rich likes this
Post by riv86672 on Nov 7, 2024 6:09:02 GMT -5
^^^Ha, nice.
I don’t agree w. McFarlane on a lot of subjects but I do this one.
I’ve gone on rants about the renumbering trend at different sites, and I’m not gonna do that here, but yeah I’m not a fan.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 7, 2024 6:30:58 GMT -5
Is anyone here actually on board with the concept of renumbering ongoing series on an annual or bi-annual basis? Will this embarrassing trend ever cease? Will the stupidity end before monthly comics themselves vanish forever? How did we end up in a world where Spawn has had a longer unbroken run than Action Comics, Detective Comics, Amazing Spiderman or Fantastic Four? I enjoyed Todd McFarlane's comments on the topic at 14:18 here: I haven't bought new comics since 2001, but renumbering goes directly against one thing that got me into American comics in the first place: a sense of history, of following one long, uninterrupted story. We didn't have that in European comics, where each book was usually its own thing and series could easily be read out of order. |
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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 7:27:40 GMT -5
I haven't bought new comics since 2001, but renumbering goes directly against one thing that got me into American comics in the first place: a sense of history, of following one long, uninterrupted story. We didn't have that in European comics, where each book was usually its own thing and series could easily be read out of order. Snap! That was also the year I quit buying monthly comics (or indeed any new comics from comic stores), I miss the sense of history, and I also preferred the long running continuity compared to our comics here in Europe. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 7, 2024 7:47:12 GMT -5
I'll say what I said when this topic came up on some other thread here a few years ago: my reasons for not liking the renumbering of long-running series (esp., but not limited to, those published by the the big two) has little or nothing to do with nostalgia or concerns about continuity or whatever and pretty much everything to do with the fact that under the old/original numbering, I can always chronologically fix them. E.g., if someone says 'Avengers #356' or 'Action Comics #782', even if it's "after my time" I can still do a little math in my head and know roughly when it was published, what era of the series we're talking about, etc. However, "Avengers v3, #46" means nothing to me and I have to go look it up.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 7, 2024 7:54:56 GMT -5
(...) We didn't have that in European comics, where each book was usually its own thing and series could easily be read out of order. Have to disagree with this somewhat - in Italy at least, there are comics series that have consecutive (now quite high) numbering and even some (although not quite as rigid) continuity like the long-running American series. I'm thinking of any number of popular Bonelli comics, like Tex, Zagor, Nathan Never or Dylan Dog, as well as Alan Ford and related titles from the Max Bunker Press. |
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 7:56:58 GMT -5
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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 7:56:58 GMT -5
The apparent mass idiocy at Marvel and DC is alarming. Maybe it's one or two high powered buffoons making this decision, and the rest just have to suffer it? Who knows. It seems a better way to shed readers, after a 1-3 issue bounce. They realised that in the 90s!
A cursory Google suggests no benefits and I can't see any pros speaking up in favour of it... 👀
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 9:15:42 GMT -5
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Post by Calidore on Nov 7, 2024 9:15:42 GMT -5
I guess I'm an outlier, but I like creative runs/over-arcs being packaged in their own "volumes", like TV seasons. If I want to reread Walt Simonson's Thor, I have to remember or look up which #3xx issues he starts and ends with. Mark Waid's Daredevil? Vols. 4 & 5, easy.
I understand the consecutive numbering thing, and that can always be done in the indicia, like Nexus did back in the day when it went to series of miniseries.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Nov 7, 2024 9:46:40 GMT -5
I like what Dark Horse did with the Aliens franchise. They had story arcs numbered on their own. Aliens: Genocide #1-4 then Aliens: Earth Wars #1-4 but still maintained an on-going continuity. Each story in publication either built on the on-going continuity or were just out-liner stories than we fun to read. They even maintained that through the novels that were written in the same Aliens universe. I don't know how Marvel is handling the Aliens franchise but I really liked the way Dark Horse did it. It meant you could jump in anywhere, still be entertained without "needing" to know the history of the whole franchise.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 7, 2024 10:31:43 GMT -5
I'm a trembling mass of indifference as to how they're numbered. Make them all Number 1's for all I care. Just make them good.
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 11:31:43 GMT -5
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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 11:31:43 GMT -5
I'm a trembling mass of indifference as to how they're numbered. Make them all Number 1's for all I care. Just make them good. How would you track which order to read comics in if they were all #1s? 🧐 |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 7, 2024 11:33:00 GMT -5
Renumbering isn't a recent phenomena, though. Several publishers, going back to the Golden Age, used volume numbers and then issue numbers, with the volume number changing each year. Hillman, publishers of Airboy and Airfighters Comics did this, as did the publishers of Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact. The latter used it for their entire existence. It was a carryover from other magazines, which used the same structure. DC and Marvel used to list their comics, in the indicia as Vol and issue, but continued the issue numbering from the start of the series or the renaming of a series (like All-Star Comics becoming All-Star Western).
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 11:33:29 GMT -5
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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 11:33:29 GMT -5
I like what Dark Horse did with the Aliens franchise. They had story arcs numbered on their own. Aliens: Genocide #1-4 then Aliens: Earth Wars #1-4 but still maintained an on-going continuity. Each story in publication either built on the on-going continuity or were just out-liner stories than we fun to read. They even maintained that through the novels that were written in the same Aliens universe. I don't know how Marvel is handling the Aliens franchise but I really liked the way Dark Horse did it. It meant you could jump in anywhere, still be entertained without "needing" to know the history of the whole franchise. Hmm, there wasn't a terrible about of continuity to worry about in a lot of those comics... at least in the 90s... and they all happily stood alone. At least every one I read (which was most). |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 7, 2024 11:33:53 GMT -5
I'm a trembling mass of indifference as to how they're numbered. Make them all Number 1's for all I care. Just make them good. How would you track which order to read comics in if they were all #1s? 🧐 They have dates on them...just like every other periodical has had forever, almost none of which were numbered. |
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Damn #1s
Nov 7, 2024 11:35:40 GMT -5
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Post by rich on Nov 7, 2024 11:35:40 GMT -5
Renumbering isn't a recent phenomena, though. Several publishers, going back to the Golden Age, used volume numbers and then issue numbers, with the volume number changing each year. Hillman, publishers of Airboy and Airfighters Comics did this, as did the publishers of Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact. The latter used it for their entire existence. It was a carryover from other magazines, which used the same structure. DC and Marvel used to list their comics, in the indicia as Vol and issue, but continued the issue numbering from the start of the series or the renaming of a series (like All-Star Comics becoming All-Star Western). I guess they could write 'V77,#2' for example. That works, so long as the volume number is clear on the cover. For the longest time the big two stuck happily with the original numbering. Which is great for core books, but I'm happy to admit it's a bit pointless for minor titles that inevitably will have low points and struggles. |
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