Mid-level books starring mid-level characters are getting harder and harder to come by these days at both Marvel and DC Comics.
On his message board, writer Brian Michael Bendis confirmed that Moon Knight #12 will be the last issue of the series:
i look at it as a 12 issue maxi series that kicked incredible ass!!
which was what me and alex were hired to do. i do wish it sold better and i do wish it was continuing with another team. but i wish that about every comic on earth.
but i am grateful we got to do our entire 12 issues. when you get to 12 you’ll see we got to tell our entire story uninterrupted which is very nice. and for you guys that supported it you’ll have a nice whole thing.
as for me and alex, back to scarlet!
From that quote (and from subsequent posts on the message board) it seems as if Bendis and Maleev’s tenure on Moon Knight was always meant to be 12 issues and that the books was meant to be an on-going series but that sales did not warrant the book continuing on without them. If you’ve got your most popular writer on a book and it doesn’t sell that well, then once he leaves the numbers will probably go in the tank. We’ve got sort of an indirect under-the-radar cancellation thing going on here.
On the one hand, it’s too bad that yet another fun and quirky book from the Big Two is canceled, but on the other hand, 12 issues of Moon Knight might have been enough.
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FUCK! Moon Knight has easily been one of my favorite books lately and it felt like this team was just starting to ramp up. Goddamn it all!
NORM!
I really enjoyed this book and it really felt like it was starting to pick up steam, so I’m sad to see it go.
But then again it’s always nice to get a complete story .
This book has been great. That said, I don’t know if I would have stuck around with a new creative team. Well, of course it would depend on who. But this book has been great because of Bendis/Maleev.
It was only meant to be a 12 issue run? Fine by me.
Definite trade recommendation for those who didn’t pick it up.
Launching in July 2012 “Moon Knight: The ‘Maybe it will catch on this time” edition”.
Hopefully there will be a nice oversized hardcover collecting the 12 issues.
If they do an oversized HC I will get it even if I already have the full run. Sad to see it go but I think it wouldn’t have worked with another creative team.
Meh.
yup
Agreed. I picked-up the first 2-3 issues, and don’t get me wrong it was good. A new and interesting take on one of the hardest sell characters in the Marvel U. I love Bendis, but the $3.99 price tag scared me away. I got much better books at $2.99, this was an easy drop for me.
@ClasikRok I used to love Bendis, but these days, the first thing I think of him is that his Marvel books were the first to go to $3.99. Which is what drove me away from Marvel. I miss the old days of Bendis on Daredevil, stuff like that. But I have too much distaste for the big M these days to read any of their books. My loss, but it doesn’t bother me a bit anymore.
@BCDX97 I am still reading Marvel books, but not as many as I used to. I am definitely reading more DC these days. Daredevil was def a must-read when Bendis was on the book. I’m glad to see Mark Waid making DD a must read again these days, and at $2.99 no less. If you haven’t been reading it, do yourself a favor and pick up the first trade when it comes out (or if you can get your hands on the issues). I cannot reccommend that book enough.
As much as I enjoy Moon Knight and the beginning of this series, I just couldn’t get into it past the first few issues. I loved the schizophrenic (Wolverine, Spidey, Cap) storyline premise, but it seemed so freakin’ slow in getting to the point. In every issue. In every scene.
Bring back Vengeance of the Moon Knight.
See this is how I felt up to about the 4th issue but after that it really did pick up the pace and got alot better so I suggest picking up the rest if you have any interest at all
Are you kidding me?!?!
Moon Knight has been amazing in both story telling and art in every single issue.
It is sad to see such a waste of a great character and story.
I really thought that Moon Knight had staying power.
That guy who went apeshit after this was made POTW over that Flashpoint Batman issue (it was that one, right?) is probably wringing his hands while laughing while reading this news.
Call me crazy, as i probably already am, but in my little fantasy world i can only think to myself…. Why can’t Marvel and DC team up and do some character trading? Both companies have some great characters who can’t seem to be used or marketed properly. I mean, Moon Knight on Justice League? or hell as part of a new White Lantern Corps? hells yes!
You’re crazy.
Moon Knight joins Justice League Dark, OMAC joins The Defenders, everybody wins.
farceur – Good idea! Why don’t Marvel and DC swap a B/C grade character and let them have an adventure in the other universe? That could be really cool.
For a bit, I was also considering dropping this. Captain America got dropped instead. I’ve loved this story as well. It’s been my primary books with Marvel and only time I’ve really read Moon Knight. In the end, it’s one less Marvel book I’ll be reading. Should they replace it, I hope it’s with a book I’ll read!
It surprised me that this book couldn’t really get off the ground in terms of a fanbase.
I’ve really been enjoying the book, and it’s been great to see Maleev get back to his old standard of excellence. Still, I feel as though I need to trim the ol’ pull list at the moment, so there’s an upside. I think most people would acknowledge that it’s only with an A-list team like this that Moon Knight seems to be able to sustain his own book these days. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to put him back in the box until the next great creator comes up with a great idea worth publishing.
Over/Under – Number of years before Marvel publishes another Moon Knight solo-series (10)
bold statement. 10 years is a long time
True but Bendis and Maleev are top talents. If they can’t make it work, who can?
Hmmm. I wish I’d known that Bendis and Maleev were only planning on doing 12 issues from the start. I would’ve just waited for the oversized hardcover rather than getting the issues. And I refuse to double dip unless I don’t have a complete run or it goes to huge Omnibus/Absolute edition (which this obviously won’t.)
Bummer, but not surprised. Tis the life of a b-list character based on an Egyptian moon deity. For me, this was easily the best book Marvel was putting out. Maybe we’ll see more of Moon Knight in the team books? He’s in Secret Avengers right (I’m not reading it)? Maybe I’ll have to start.
He was in Brubaker/Spencer/Ellis’ run on SECRET AVENGERS, but from the preview art he doesn’t appear to be on Remender’s new team.
Double bummer. I wish they had a Double Secret Avengers.
Thats a pity, I bet Remender could write a great Moon Knight.
@jnbund OMG YES! What if they made a “Double Secret Probation” Avengers?!?!!?
Make it sort of a rag-tag misfit group of lame-ass Avengers and have them save the world without ever getting any credit, sort of like the Booster Gold series, except without the time-travel (ok, maybe a little). I’d read that!
Was a fun book but really who’s surprised? Its the same cycle…B-list character with top creators, a $3.99 cover price and a very short run….as if there is nothing to be inferred or learned from that.
I loved Bendis and Maleev’s Daredevil run, so I bought the first issue of this last spring. I liked it enough, but just didn’t think I was getting my $3.99’s worth out of it.
While I’m sure some people are bummed, I’m glad the creators got to tell their story, and I hope this indicates that it takes more than A-list creators to justify $3.99 for 20 pages of comics.
Right on Ken, 20pgs for $3.99? No way. Reason why I dropped Bendis’ Avengers titles too.
Why are Mid-level books starring mid-level characters dying? It is real simple: the $3.99 price point and double shipping. Comic readers have budgets and spending $5 more a month on many series means cutting titles and mid-level books are the first to go.
Exactly.
+1 Publishers just think the repeating the same bad formula over and over again will reap new results for some reason. There’s a name for that…
Financial windfall?
I cut low level books before mid level books….
What the hell is a midlevel lowlevel highlevel book?
I cut bad books.
I don’t care who the character/team/concept is.
@ScorpionMasada That was my point.
@wallythegreenmonster – Is that name Marvel?
Shit this sucks I recently just caught up on moon knight by picking up some back issues at a sale my LCS was having and really really enjoyed them. Seems to be one of the more underrated and under the radar books coming out
I hope they collect the second part of the series in trade.
Moon Knight gets cancelled either every year or every other year.
Damn this sucks. Id really like to see MK get on a good team somewhere, itd be really interesting to see a guy working with a group in his head team up with other ‘real’ people.
It’s probably fitting it is stopping at 12 because w/out Bendis/Maleev, the next issues would have been pale imitation. But at the same time, I’ve got to say, my Marvel pull list is getting really thin. This book was probably my favorite along with Alpha Flight, also about to end.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I have bought every issue and will get the rest of the run, as I have enjoyed it. But the thing is, I really only enjoy it WHILE I’m reading it. When I’m not actively reading it, I forget it exists. When I think of comics I’m reading, I always think of Daredevil, X-Factor, the Batman books, the Flash….these books STAY with me. They are in the forefront of my comics mind. I forget about Moon Knight until I am filling out my Previews order form and see the solicitation for it. then I go “Oh yeah! Moon Knight! I like that book!” and order the next issue. But if it just vanished without an announcement, i don’t know for sure if i would have noticed. Unlike if I opened up a Previews catalogue and suddenly Animal Man wasn’t in there. I would notice that right away.
Seriously guys, Moon Knight getting cancelled isn’t a new thing, it’s one of his powers or something. Egyptian Moon God, something something, sorta like Batman, gets cancelled a lot.
Moon Knight was obvious it wasn’t going to last from the start. Any comic starring D-list Marvel characters isn’t going to last, no matter who the writer is or how good the book is.
Sucks that most people wouldn’t just give this book a chance, but you’re right. : (
If people don’t know who he is, it isn’t going to sell.
I feel that knowing who he is is relative.
Most people I know don’t know who Daredevil is. They might have some foggy memory of a shitty movie but that is it.
Well, see the positive point in this announcement, more Scarlet is always good news…
Well that’s one out of the three ‘Big Shots’ titles that were announced that are gone. My money is that Punisher is next because Punisher, of course, can only last so long before another relaunch. Daredevil should be okay….but now that he’s mixing it up in a crossover event it makes me nervous that it has low sales and Marvel is desperate for anything….
Also, you’d think that after the first failure of a Moon Knight ongoing with Gregg Hurwitz would be a clue that few wanted an ongoing again.
It’s actually the third MK ongoing of the last few years (first was the Huston/Finch series, then Vengeance with Hurwitz). You’d think Marvel would take the hint by now…
I hardly call crossing over with one issue of Amazing Spider-Man a “cross over event.” It’s the kind of thing that happened all the time in the Marvel U back in the 80s and nobody cared. I think mark Waid just came up with the story, pitched it,a nd Marvel said yes. Pretty simple. Daredevil sales are just fine.
@JohnVFerrigno, a multi part cross over is coming up between Punisher, Daredevil & Avenging Spider Man. that said i don’t think Daredevil has anything to worry about.
Fun book that improved as it went on, but yeah 12 issues is enough for sure. That high concept would drive me fucking mad if it continued ad infinitum.
I really think Bendis’ books are just showing the impact of writing too much in too short a time. You often get 2 or 3 a week, one of might be great, one mediocre and one plain bad. He needs a break to recharge and do something more radical, and the marketplace needs a break from him.
Now lets get Moon Knight back to his Moench-ian roots and get him back in New york. This Bendis series was hardly Moon Knight.
Also, TheNextChampion… you do realize Hurwtiz’s run was far from the first Moon Knight ongoing, right?
Yes I know, but it was the first ongoing in a long time….and then they quickly scrapped it and got Bendis on the book. If people weren’t gonna buy it then, then what makes them think putting a slightly better ‘coat of paint’ on it will make it sell better?
That’s a shame but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be going past the 12 issues, it sucks cos it was one of my fave books marvel was putting out. On the plus side I’ve been meaning to thin out my pull list, just sucks that it’s a book I like.
I wonder if this would have sold better if it had been priced for $1 less. I don’t comprehend comic book economics very well (or regular economics, for that matter), but just because I am willing to buy pretty much anything with Bendis’ name on it doesn’t mean most people will. Or maybe it does, I don’t know. This book was fun and worth the money I paid for it, but I won’t really miss this once the 12 issue story has concluded.
I doubt a dollar difference would make much more than a couple thousand more sales.
If all Marvel titles were a dollar less then it would have sold better. For New titles and titles with lesser known characters to succeed, readers need flexibility in their budgets. This title’s isolation from the rest of the Marvel U also hurt it. Isolation may make for a better story but it also encourages trade waiting.
If everything was less money, then everything would sell better.
Such a simple solution.
You should be a businessman.
It’s funny that people complain about a book being “isolated” from the rest of the Marvel U, but then scream and complain when a book is part of a crossover. We can’t really have it both ways, can we?
@scorpion—in comics, “a few thousand” sales is huge. heck, a few hundred sales is huge.
the practice of selling a product cheaper with the intention of making it up with volume sales is a very sound business strategy used by many successful companies and stores….y’know like Best Buy, Target etc.
if a comic like this was priced at $2, i honestly think it would sell a few hundred thousand copies on a regular basis.
A book from DC or Marvel selling a few hundred copies more is huge?
So you are telling me if any of the six titles DC just cut sold a few hundred more comics that would be huge for DC and those books would still be in production??
No.
Even if they sold 3,000 more copies they would still be in danger.
Comics do not appeal to people as much as toilet paper and electronics.
You really think if Moon Knight was even 1.00 it would sell 300,000 units plus what it currently sells??
Dude, even the top selling comic month in month out doesn’t sell 1/3 that.
The internet is insane.
Comics appeal to me more than toilet paper, because I wipe my ass with comics I don’t like instead of Charmin. Take that, Mr. terrific!
I don’t buy ANY Marvel books any more because SOME of their books are $1 more. So Marvel is losing a lot more then $1 in sales from me, and anybody else who has given up on them. Are they making that up in the $1 more other folks are paying? I dunno, but I hope not.
Im not all that sad because this title never grabbed me. Jusr felt the pace to be slow and I could never have gotten into Mallev’s art. But this does leave more cash for me to get Angel & Faith.
Angel&Faith is EXCELLENT!
They went a year. Yay! And now we wait for MK Volume 6.
Boooo, this was a rad book. One of the first current runs I picked up after a 14 year lapse of not reading.
I wish that Moon Knight would join the Secret Avengers when the issue that Rick Remender started writing on comes out.
He was in Secret Avengers for the first 20 issues, so do you mean stay in the secret avengers?
Sad to see it go, but glad to hear they get to finish the story they set out to tell.
Let this go to to show that 3.99 is too much to pay for a monthly book. After reading a few post from this thread I know I’m not alone. There are no easy answers. Like a lot of people I’m swithching to digital and waiting for titles to switch with me. Though this is not always the case. So long MoonKnight, may Steve Rogers find a home for you.
IMO they are both just as guilty lately, it is just going to take DC a bit longer to show their hand fully. The point stuff with Marvel turned me off entirely, but then look at DC trying to milk Batman which has been stellar for everything by raising the price and creating a crossover no one wants or needs. They have an A+ book in Batman, a whole host of bat books, and they have to squeeze every drop out of the one universally loved title. I’m done playing Marvel and DC’s games and sticking to independent and creator-owned titles, if something is really standout I’ll grab it in trade.
Moon Knight was the last of the Marvel books I was buying. Great art and a decent story with a character I find interesting, I figured this was ending at 12 for a while and I’m OK with it. Instead of just dragging things out or creating a million point issues, they had a story and told it. I wish most comics would go to this format. An entire year is enough to tell a story and tell it well, then move on.
No ‘Another One Bites The Dust: The Infinite’? I was interested on the IFanbase’s take on all that.
This actually seems pretty responsible on Marvel’s part. As a reader, you get the story that the creators intended, yet because of sales (ie- lack of interest) or not a solid enough take by a new creative team, they let it end. I much prefer this to a title that fizzles out slowly, until the only option is to cancel it midway through a new run. That seems like a much better deal to readers, in my opinion. And for Marvel, that money can then be used elsewhere, maybe on a new title/run that they’re more confident about.
I’d like to see Marvel and DC do more Graphic Novels of characters like Moon Knight. Maybe turn what could be a 12 issue run into just one Graphic Novel, or two Graphic Novels.
Now I know that the trades/collected editions function this way to a degree. But why not put out an entire story at once instead of the serialized format, and see how it sells. If there’s a big interest, maybe publish a new one. And if that sells well too, then put out an ongoing?
Thoughts?
With serialized & then a trade, they get much greater exposure for a title & multiple points to grab new readers. OGN’s might get some press when they’re released, but that’s really it.
I know Moon Knight is no Superman, but didn’t Earth One post some really big numbers in the direct market? Maybe more non-comic buyers would buy something like this if it was a one and done.
Just wanted to add, again, that I understand that the trades do function that way in some capacity, but I think when you put something on the book signifying this is Volume 1, people might not want to invest in something that may not be comletely finished when they come to the final page.
I’m glad that I waited for trade to pick this up. I love having whole stories to read.
I know someone will say that me not picking this up helped to kill it.
Not picking this up helped to kill it. 😉 Honestly at $3.99 per issue it is silly not to pick it up as a discounted trade financially. I bought the issues but I kinda figured it was going to be 12-issue run and heavily contemplated just waiting. The story is decent, the art and some of the story elements are excellent I don’t know that it is a series I’d want in HC because I doubt I’d ever go back to read it again but it was a fun ride. This is one run I was glad I did monthly for once.
Really liking a comic book title these days is a lot like having an orgasm. Sure you can wait longer for one collected addition to come out and possibly make the read more fulfilling in it’s entirety, thus giving you one huge moment of pleasure. Or…you can just get the issues one at a time and enjoy many smaller orgasms of joy with the occasional month where you have to wait till next since the last issue was more of just a tease. In those cases you have to fulfill your needs with an issue of DareDevil or something. It’s not cheating…you’re just fulfilling your needs.
On an unrelated note: no one should ever touch my comics.
Takes my Marvel reading down to 2 books!
I started buying this because of the creative team (fond memories of Daredevil) & because I like the character, but dropped it after 5 issues or so. It started feeling a bit too one-note for me – maybe Bendis needs to take a break (for his sake & ours).