Will Delays Hurt Marvel’s Civil War II?

I’m Steve Gustafson and thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to check out 411mania’s Comic Book Review Roundtable, every Thursday! Read up on the best reviews and let us know what you’re reading as well. Click to read the latest Comic Book Review Roundtable! Invincible Iron Man #12, Batman #4, and more!

Now, on with the show!

Last week we asked, Did Suicide Squad Do the Comic Justice? Here’s what you all had to say:

Fehérvári András: “It absolutely did the comic book justice. I have every issue of Suicide Squad from the 80s on to the New 52 to the 5th run of New Suicide Squad. They based it on New 52 and the movie delivered completely.

It could have been better, but in hindsight, everything ever could have been better.”

Al Lobama: “I haven’t seen Suicide Squad yet (and probably never will, given how much the DCU has disappointed me already), so I can’t comment on what the film did or didn’t do. It’s never a bad idea to stay true to the source material, so If the film didn’t then I would say that it probably should have. And that’s not just because the original Suicide Squad comic was great, but because practically everything John Ostrander’s ever written for comics has been great. Batman, Fury of Firestorm, Hawkworld, the Spectre, and Martian Manhunter were all Grade A classic series, just to name a few. Hell, I’d love to see his Deadshot mini-series from back in the day adapted into a solo film, now that I think about it. I know Ostrander suffers from glaucoma, and a while back his colleagues did a fundraiser to help pay for some of his outstanding medical bills, so hopefully the man gets a decent chunk of change from this film and not just free tickets to the premiere and a thank you in the closing credits.”

And…that was it. As always, thanks for the comments!

This week we tackle…

Will Delays Hurt Civil War II?

I think it’s pretty clear how everyone feels about big events from Marvel and DC. They come out too often, promise too much, and deliver too little. I wasn’t surprised when the news came out that the upcoming Civil War II issues were being delayed as much four weeks each and series writer Brian Michael Bendis came out to explain the reasons. The delays take effect immediately; the fifth issue of the series, originally scheduled for release Aug. 17, will now be released Sept. 14, with the sixth issue — originally dated for Sept. 21 — now scheduled for an Oct. 5 release. The seventh issue is still scheduled for release Oct. 19, but it will no longer be the final issue of the series, according to writer Brian Michael Bendis. He posted:

“well, if you peak over at @davidmarquez Facebook you’ll discover that he and his amazing wife tara just had a kick ass baby boy. a very cute baby too. and not all babies are cute at the start 🙂

so a little late and you get a little more.”

So a delay and an extra issue. Which is something Marvel did with their last major event, Secret Wars. That series was bumped up by one issue, despite ridiculous delays from “revised plans” by writer Jonathan Hickman.

By itself, a little delay isn’t the end of the world. But when you look at the marketing that goes into these things, you’d expect them to have all their ships lined up in a row. Take a look at 2006’s Civil War delay fiasco. The main series was held up to accommodate artist Steve Niven’s schedule and that set off a chain reaction because a number of other comics, who were on time, were pushed back to avoid spoiling the event.

Comic book delays are nothing new. It happens all the time and anyone who grew up during Image’s early days are well versed in going to the comic book shop only to be told that certain book didn’t come in and they’re not sure if it ever will. While delays are common, the discussion and backlash over them isn’t. I rarely see an outcry online about a comic missing its schedule and wonder how that would work in other industries. It’s a safe bet that it wouldn’t go over too well.

But do delays hurt sales these days? Of course, delay a comic too long and fans simply forget and move on. I could easily fill a column with a list of the most anticipated delays of all time. Image United? Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target? Looking back at Secret Wars, the delays had me stop reading all together. I was already picking up issues of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” and lost all interest in the series that led up to it. And I’ve lost count the number of independent titles that caught my eye but quickly fell off the radar after they were held up and never heard from again.

What about you? What books have hurt you with delays or disappearances? Will this Civil War II delay impact your buying it?

That’s all the time I have. Check out our Comic Book Reviews tomorrow and see you next week!