Show Notes
We sat down with Jim McCann, Marvel’s marketing/PR guy, and answered YOUR questions. It’s a long one, but it’s worth it as we discuss everything from the ins and outs of the comic book business at Marvel to totally geeky things like Jim’s ideal Avengers lineup. If you dig Marvel or the comic book business, you HAVE to listen to this.
Download Directly:
iFanboy_podcast101a.mp3 – 84 MB
(Right-click and choose “Save As…” and save locally on your computer)
Running Time: 01:59:12
Continue Reading to see the Show Notes and the Opening/Closing music…
|
We can’t thank Jim enough for spending 2 hours with us, answering your questions and geeking out over comics. We all had a blast recording this, and I have to admit, I was so pleased to see the level of questions posted by everyone. So thank you for your questions, as without them we wouldn’t have had much to talk about! Below is the original post from earlier this week, as well as your questions, in lieu of show notes. We tried to ask every question, but we skipped a few that were redundant to earlier question (i.e. Zombies, late books etc). But we feel as if we covered pretty much the concept behind every question and I hope you agree. Here are some links to sites mentioned during the show: So enjoy this marathon Q&A session and hopefully we can bring you more special shows like this in the future! ORIGINAL Post from 10/07/07: Questions are due by Thursday 10/11 at NOON EST. Clickthrough to leave your questions on this thread and see more details Jim recently did a similar Q&A over on the Bendis message boards – but I know that the iFanboy Faithful can come up with much better and cooler questions! One Rule: So leave your question below and the tune in next Sunday to hear his answers! |
Music: Hyper Enough Superchunk |
Download
http://media.libsyn.com/media/ifanboy/iF...
(Right-click and choose "Save As..." and save locally)
Subscribe
Get Involved
Doing the podcast is fun and all, but let's be honest, listening to the 3 of us talk to each other can get repetitive, so we look to you, the iFanboy listeners to participate in the podcast! "How can I get in on the fun?" you may ask yourself, well here's how:
- E-Mail us at contact@ifanboy.com with any questions, comments or anything that may be on your mind.
- Call us at 1-888-FANBOYS (326-2697) and leave a voicemail
Please don't forget to leave your name and where you're writing/calling from and each week, we'll pick the best e-mails and voicemails to include on the podcast!
Find us on Facebook
Read, discuss & share comics online at Graphicly
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
What do you think Marvel needs to do in order to keep up with advances and different uses for technology (podcasting, webcomics, downloadable comics) without losing its core fans who want their books in their hands and on the shelves at their local comic book stores?
Feel free to streamline this:
“When you hear about major events with potential for mainstream news attention (the unmasking of Spider-Man, the death of Captain America) what is your first move? What kind of time frame are you working with and what thoughts are going through your head?”
Two simple questions but I am very curious.
What is your favorite part of your job? What part of your job do you hate?
Not a Marvel Comics question but a Marvel animation question. When there’s a series with a Marvel character, there are always “Notes from Marvel.” The notes are assumed to come from one person acting as Marvel watchdog, but does any discussion about animation plotlines on series and DVDs reach the comic staff?
When I started collecting Marvel Comics, Marvel Comics were starting. They were the perpetual underdog to DC. I fell away from comics in college, buying sporadically and then seriously when I moved into TV animation. The weird thing for me was that Marvel was the Comics Overlord. DC was now the struggling whelp while Marvel ruled the racks. The world seemed upside down! Whu happened? And when did it happen? Were there any specific events that took Marvel over the top or was is a slow, steady growth?
As a long time reader, I’m beginning to find that both Marvel and DC are getting too event happy. Marvel, for instance, went from Civil War, to World War Hulk, and now to Bendis’ Skrull event starting in February. All of these events tend to intertwine into all books and often interrupt the flow a creative team may have in a book, which then leads to a decline in quality. How do you respond to fans that think events have become more about the bottom dollar than telling quality stories? How come events can’t be self contained? It can’t be a matter of continuity because all of the characters are all over the place every month(for example Iron Man doing different in different titles each month, Wolverine in numerous titles every month, etc.).
Thanks for answering my questions!
Do you have any communication with your counterpart at DC? Is it a Spy vs. Spy kind of relationship?
What is the process in considering a title or collection to be published as an “Omnibus” edition?
I want to know when is Marvel going to match the canadian dollar to the us dollar in terms of the price on issues & trades. It is time for a fair market value for Marvel Comics on both sides of the border.
Personal opinion – what’s more important, a good story or staying within continuity? What are some of the biggest missteps Marvel has taken in areas of story over continuity, and vice versa?
An aspiring artist question.
What are page “dimensions”(?) does Marvel give to their artists to draw comics. Like Height, width, Resolution, Color Depth, bleed, etc.
What do you recommend for self publishing on this aspect.
Thanks.
I truly don’t mean to be contentious and I don’t often complain about this issue publicly but are any measures being taken at marvel to alleviate the problems of late shipping books? Most of the time I don’t mind that much but I’m curious if there is anything in the works about it.
I love my Marvel Omnibus’s but when will be see some Marvel absolutes? I would really love an absolute Civil War, House of M, Phoenix/Dark Phoenix saga, etc…………
How do you process writing submissions? And how do I get mine to the top of the stack?
What kind of dialogue goes on between creators in the case of an event. Like, for example, throughout Civil War, how much “In my book Cap’s getting shot, make sure he doesn’t show up there.” or “Spiderman just unmasked here, you should probably adress that” goes on?
Another significant one, that’s already been said, is when can we expect to see Canadian prices to come down? And, does Marvel plan to come down on their own, or will they wait to see how the rest of the industry deals with it?
Plain and simple. What was the deal with the delays of Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine? Is it to be finally finished in 08 for sure?
I know in the long run that a lot of continuity issues can be explained away over time. This story happened in between these issues, that story that took five months to come out actually all took place in one day, etc. …
Still, it’s disconcerting to see a character in some serious, life-altering situation in one book and then a week later see the same character in another book laughing and joking and no explanation of where this fits with other stories.
So my question, how concerned is Marvel with continuity? Do you have meetings where the team book creators discuss with the individual book creators how this all fits together? Or do you see continuity as a nuisance, inconsequential to the larger goal of just telling good stories?
How much of a writer/artist’s own desires go into book assignments? Is it sort of a seniority thing where a Bendis or Brubaker can pretty much write whichever titles are they wish (presuming they’re available) while an up an comer has to take the table scraps?
Jim
Cheers on participating in the best podcast out there!
For those who aren’t a big fan of company crossovers (like me), are there steps are being taken to keep some self contained? I am currently enjoying Daredevil, Cap, and I am enjoying the hell out of MODOK’S’ and the Omega the Unkown mini.
Any suggestions for more self contianed titles to buy?
What do you enjoy that’s being published from other companies (I’m not just talking about DC here).
Thanks for the time!
When will Spider Man Loves Mary Jane come out?
Addendum to the “How do decide what to omnibus?” question; how do you decide what to “essentialize?”
and when will i get to own the Essential Warlock?
[this question could be summarized/condensed/combined with others]
With the plethora of good artists, hungry to break in to the biz, why do you continually use guys Hitch or Cho (or Quesada) who, though popular with fans, aren’t constantly late on books?
Also, it has been suggested that you guys hire a guy like, Ron Richards for example, to be a continuity editor, why don’t you?
Now that Cable and Deadpool is finishing and Cable is aparantly getting his own book what will happen to Deadpool ? I hope you guys dont bench him because he was the character that got me to read marvel comics in the first place.
Back again. If the three amigos don’t cover this (although I think they will):
What are your thoughts on comics podcasting?
To offer some of my own thoughts, I do enjoy listening to podcasts and I could certainly see a publisher wanting to utilize this form of essentially free publicity to market new books, promote new creative teams, etc).
The danger here is that we may bring in the curse of the “exclusive” into podcasting wherein Marvel creators are only allowed to talk ro the Marvel podcasters.
Now I realize that this may seem far fetched at present, but I could understand why Marvel (or any other company) would do this from a business perspective and I could see why the health benefits etc could be attractive to the podcasters, but it would ruin the delightful fan driven element of podcasting. .
Thoughts? Does Marvel keep an ear tuned to the airwaves to see which Marvel zombies might be good to have on the payroll?
Also, do you see podcasting affecting the way that Marvel interacts with major news sites like Newsarama, Wizard etc?
Thanks again Jim!
I would like to second Carl’s question about Wolverine vs. Hulk delays. What’s the deal???
Here’s an easy one; are you a comic fan yourself, and if so, for how long, and which books, Marvel, DC, whatever are you enjoing right now?
Are there currently more series like OMEGA THE UNKNOWN planned? I really dug that first issue and it would be cool to see Marvel put out more books that take place in the Marvel U that have a more indie feel to them. Also could you see a wildstorm-like imprint for superhero books like OMEGA??
Will Squadron Supreme be returning any time soon?, and if it does will JMS still be be writing it, and do you have a new artist lined up to replace Gary Frank?.
And do you believe it was a mistake for Marvel to move a title from the MAX line were it sold between 50-70k, to the Marvel Knight’s line were it dropped to between 40-50k?.
Been a huge fan of her for years she wasn’t de-powered during M-Day, she made a small cameo during civl war, and with the new New Warriors coming out… Firestar!!
Where is she?
Hope to see Angelica Jones again soon!!
I think i could be the only person who misses her. LOL
Given all the rumblings about Peter Parker and MJ lately, how do you feel about super hero marriages? Are they a creative dead-end?
On a related note, will Matt Murdock ever be happy? What IS the happy ending for Matt Murdock?
Thanks a lot for doing this guys!
With the growing popularity of the internet, videogames and movies, what does Marvel do to attract a new and younger audience in the ever increasing media saturated environment? How can comics set themselves apart from these other media and survive the long haul when their primary audience is getting older and older?
What would be your advice on a career path for someone who wanted to get into comics editing that doesn’t necessarily have a comics, or editing for that matter, background?
Are there any creators that you find especially difficult to work with? or easy with?
I am a huge fan of the Omnibi. Do you have any currently in the works?
Omega the Unknown was recently released, and I must say I loved it. It had a real indie feel to it, and really kept to a great Marvel character.
How did this come about? Did you offer Lethem a title, and he chose to do that, and in that way. Or is this just the kind of book Marvel has really been looking into doing more of? I know I’d love to see more.
On a totally unrelated note, what’s with the increase in such large scale events lately. Marvel has had House of M, Civil War, and it looks like a Skrull event is lined up for the future. DC has also gone through a lot of crossovers lately as well. Is this just one company trying to keep up with the other (no need to specify who)? Or are crossovers something a lot of bigger names have decided they’d love to write?
what is the most important thing about Marvel Comics, as a business and as a storytelling entity?
“there are no bad characters only those who haven’t been written right yet”
so if you had a had a writer, who you knew was doing not the best work, a deus ex machina here, a “Mary Sue” character there, But the book still sold well for some odd reason ( the Mary Sue has HUGE boobs) what would you do? Would you can the writer and get someone who wouldn’t make those mistakes or would you keep him on?
You do PR for Marvel, and recently Marvel has done some pretty High Profile things with there lead characters.
So what are you doing to get Marvel into the hands of my parents? my coworkers? my girlfriend? does marvel try and hit markets outside of the typical “superhero” demographic and how?
Comic sales numbers seem inscrutable to us civilians, and one frequently hears that the opinions expressed in the blogosphere are nowhere near an accurate reflection of the marketplace. With that in mind: how detailed are Marvel’s market research and internal sales figures? Does Marvel do extensive market research at all before, say, publishing the Runaways zombie cover variant?
Alternate question: if Marvel’s “mainstream,” licensable characters can’t appear in MAX books, why can they appear as animated corpses who feast on the flesh of the innocent? I may have asked this one before.
I believe that someone asked a similar question but not quite the same so add this on to it shorten this or splice it up however.
Does anyone in the Marvel staff listen to any podcasts to get a better understanding as to how certain books are being recieved and keep up with current trends in the market. Using mere sales charts is very generalized and doesn’t show how many copies of a book are actually selling. No one wants to read much from a lot of the message boards because you mostly get people who just want to complain about something. This would make me think that listening to podcasts would give the best feedback for intelligent customer response.
I believe this question has already sort of been asked twice, but I feel the need to reiterate. What does Marvel care about more storytelling or marketability? Are 15 X-men titles really truly necessary, or are some of them in existence only to capitalize off of the completest nature of many comic book fans? As long as a book is selling well will you continue to do all in your power to keep it going, despite the fact that the story may have genuinely run its course, or will you let it go out at its peak? I realize that there is a pro tie-in, pro-crossover, pro-event mentality that says “it makes it a more cohesive universe”, but is a more cohesive universe really better for storytelling or is it just better for sales? I personally think that recent tie-ins, crossovers, and events have led to shallower storytelling, and that the best books on the market are those that are the most self contained (daredevil, captain america, astonishing x-men, etc.) But that’s just my opinion.
Is the new Annhiliation series going to tie into the Marvel Universe more than a two issue stint in the Nova series?
Does Marvel have any plans to release mainstream books electronically in a “day and date” fashion? As an older fan, sharing space with a family, my stacks of single issues are becoming something of a nuisance. I would love it if I could just buy issues electronically from an iTunes-esque store. I think I would also probably buy more issues, as I would be able to indulge my buying impulse the instant I heard about a new book on iFanboy or elsewhere on the interweb.
Do you know how many issues of Ultimates 3 Joe Madureira has finished penciling? As I much as I loved Hitch’s work on the first two seasons, and I’d say it was worth the wait, the long delay did take away some of the enjoyment I had.
If you could just tack this question onto another one about late books that’d be great…What’s the deal with Runaways? I bought a bunch of trades and started reading the single issues when Joss Whedon began his run. Have the issues always been so late? Or am I missing that this is a quad-monthly book? Thank you.
Why not put one price on the book for the direct market (in US funds)? This would certainly allow a Canadian customer to deal more directly with a Canadian retailer about what is a fair price. As it is, Marvel appears to be gaining a bad reputation in Canada for their pricing. Marvel’s continued current success with direct market sales (profit-wise) would seem to suggest that Marvel is in a position to address this.
By the way, great stories have been coming out of Marvel these days. There is no question that the quality is there. Just don’t let Brubaker get away and you should be fine.
i just want to say i love marvel..but wanted to know if the young avengers will ever get a book again…or if the 1st series will pick up again
No matter how many comic books I buy, I still feel dead inside. Why?
Which creator would you like to poach from the competition? And for which project? Purely hypothetical of course.
I am a big fan of the Ultmate U. Can you tell us of any new characters and titles you’ll be comeing out with? With our really giving a way anything? and if you read any Ultmate titles what you read?
Hey Jim. Thanks for answering these questions.
My question is about Loners. Are there plans to incorporate these characters into the more mainstream of the Marvel U? Possibly turn it into an ongoing?
I’d also like to second the Runaways question, but also would like to add, with a niche book like Runaways, do you have to weigh possible delays and loss in subscriptions in the book if you bring on high profile people (even though I’ve heard that Ryan, the artist, is the cause of delays) against the bump that creators like Joss can bring to the book?
I’ve really liked the direction that Marvel has taken post-CW. The Avengers books and New Warriors are great. Thanks!
Me again….
Today I went through the tentative shipping list and saw an overwhelming number of zombie variants scheduled, just like we’ve seen for a substantial number of past weeks. Past the unnecessary covers (Howard the Duck, really?) we’ve also recieved the news of a Marvel Zombies 2 scheduled to come out. Would it be reasonable to guess we’ll be seeing our zombified favorites popping up a lot more? Maybe in some 616 stories?
What are the chances of the return of the following superhero groups to their own titles: 1) The Defenders; 2) The Invaders; and 3) Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos?
When can we expect to see Nick Fury return to the 616 in a reoccurring role?
Are there plans for Bucky Barnes/aka The Winter Soldier to get his own book?
Will The Illuminati become an ongoing?
Will The Young Avengers return as an ongoing?
How long do we have to wait for Doctor Strange to get his own title again?
Love The Immortal Iron Fist? Will there be more kung fu in Marvel’s future? More Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu?
Does Marvel have any plans for a weekly title along the lines of DC’s 52 and Countdown?
-WILL WE SEE THOR INTERACT ANY OF THE AVENGERS TEAMS ANY TIME SOON?
-WHO IS THE ONE MARVEL CHARACTER TO WATCH RIGHT NOW?
-LOVED MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS, HOW LONG WILL EACH CREATIVE TEAMS STORY ARCS BE?
THANX!
Pure and simple:
What’s your favorite comic in print today?
Last year, right before the Annihilation series began, Marvel released an Essentials volume for Nova. This year a volume for Dazzler. How much longer am I going to have to wait for an Essentials volume for the New Warriors or even Darkhawk?
What has to happen for the Alias Omnibus to be reprinted?
I have two questions:
There has been a lot of speculation about this question, but was it Ed Brubaker’s original intent to kill Captain America, and was Civil War created to allow it to happen?
My other question is what’s the deal with all the zombie covers?
I have no artisitic talent and limited story telling ability, but I love comic books. What are some support positions that are integral to the comics industry that a FanGIRL like myself could gat a job doing?
Dude stop with the zombies and if you must make alternate covers, make them good. Zombies are a cop out.
It seems like both Marvel and DC are trying to outdo each other and themselves with bigger events each year: Infinite Crisis, Civil War, 52, World War Hulk, Green Lantern Corps, ASM x 3 a month…. Is this a trend you foresee escalating within the comic book medium, and how do you stay one step ahead of the competition, yourself, while maintaining personnel to produce a better product?
Fantasy baseball time:
Your ideal Avengers lineup?
When will Marvel show proper respect for Paste-Pot-Pete, AKA The Trapster?
He has been a clown for over 40 years now. Just last month, Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier had him asshatting all throughout the latest FF issue. Only Chris Claremont during his FF run treated him with any respect when he became a member of the N-Explorers. We need more of this IMHO.
Oh yeah, and more Fin Fang Foom and the other Marvel monsters…
Thank you.
Thanks everyone for your questions!
We’ll try to get as many of these in as possible!
Comments are still open – so feel free to discuss the podcast and Jim’s answers!
This turned out great, Thanks you guys and Mr. McCann.
RE: Canadian Pricing.
As someone with a Trades-And-All-That-Isn’t-Amazing-Spidey Boycott running due to RIDICULOUS pricing outdated-ness, I thank you for commenting on it, Mr. McCann.
Though not the fellow’s fault, it is moronic how Marvel continues to utilize a Canadian dollar rate that hasn’t been accurate since 2003.
We should not be paying 27 dollars CDN for a trade that is 15 or 18 US when our dollar is not only on par, but now worth MORE than the USD.
Until said announcement, I have ceased all purchasing of Marvel products that isn’t AMZ Spider-Man. (Usually 10-12 books/trades per month; I am sad, but determined.)
And as for asking the question to DC?
They ALREADY adjusted their prices…not that I care, or read anything from ‘em.
More info, and discussion on the topic:
http://www.thecomicforums.com/forum2//index.php?showtopic=118166&st=0
Looking forward to change,
Jen (‘Drummah’)
Loved this podcast. Thank you guys for doing this and hope more come in the future.
Awesome podcast, guys! (Even though you skipped my question. Naw, it’s ok, I understand.)
This was a great conversation and the biggest thing I got out of it is how concerned Marvel is about putting out stories that reflect their characters. Even though I may at times disagree with the direction they take (OMD anyone), the fact that they have a vision that they want to stay true to is admirable, in my book.
You know what question I wish I had asked in retrospect? When will be the next Marvel/DC crossover?
Does anyone know why iTunes would be showing #100 as the most recent show for me?
I would’ve posted this question on one of the regular episode comments sections, but I’m not having much luck there, either…
When will be the next Marvel/DC crossover?
I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Mike, as far as you go, we’ll have to get back to you on that.
Really really nice show guys. I really enjoyed the conversation. It’s nice to hear someone working high up still being a fan of the medium.
Does anyone know why iTunes would be showing #100 as the most recent show for me?
Did you try unsubscribing and then resubscribing?
Fantastic. Absolutely great podcast!
You really need to do more of these with DC and maybe some crazy long time creators.
This is easily my favorite episode you have ever done!
This was awesome! This is an example of why you guys have the best site/podcast(s) out there. Incredibly good. Thanks for asking my questions.
One of the best episodes yet! I vote for more of this type of interview.
Thanks guys! Jim was great behind the mic, and there were a bunch of good questions from the community. Maybe I missed it, but was this recorded at Marvel? Either way the interview was a lot of fun. BKV on Logan sounds very intriguing.
Maybe I missed it, but was this recorded at Marvel?
Yes, it was.
“Did you try unsubscribing and then resubscribing?”
I don’t actually like to subscribe to podcasts, but lo and behold, hitting it on a whim at least brought up download slots for me!
Alas, the iTunes page itself still reads #100 as the last episode… Which I guess means a change is afoot!
Now that I’ve had a chance to listen: Great show guys! Particularly appreciated some of the follow-up retorts, because as you would expect, the marketing guy was on-the-clock.
Not sure all of those Qs were quite answered to the skew of their interest, but that’s easy to say behind a laptop in underoos.
Nicely done, sirs!
The itunes client is sometimes slow to upload if you’re not using the subscribe function. But you can always download it directly from this site if that’s happening. We’re trying to figure out why.
But thanks for the niceties folks.
This was F’n great! Keep up the good work doodz.
Guys, this show is an absolute blast. I still have about 20 minutes left of it, but I have been completely and utterly blown away by how nice, funny, and insightful Jim was…Marvel is lucky to have him. Hands down, this is one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to, and it makes me love the iFanboy nation all the more. Awesome work guys.
“The itunes client is sometimes slow to upload if you’re not using the subscribe function. But you can always download it directly from this site if that’s happening. We’re trying to figure out why.”
Yeah, it was going well for a while, but over the past month and a half it got slower, until the sudden stop. I’ve used the site for a couple now.
Just thought I’d mention, if you did anything, it worked. It’s now showing up-to-date.
Cheers!
do this with DC please