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By Jason Bourgeois
Welcome back to Grey Matters! We've got a less depressing look back this month, and instead will be looking forward to Marvel's newest gimmick to try and get new readers.
Ok, it's not entirely a look forward at it, but most of the books aren't out yet, so I still say it's valid.
Late last year, Marvel announced they would start doing a .1 initiative. What's that, you may well be asking? It's their newest attempt to make comicbook database programs weep, make the buying public scratch their heads, and make the numbering of comics just that extra bit more confusing. They're like the 1/2 issues from hell.
Oh, and they're also supposed to be great jumping on points for new readers, but mostly they're those other things.
Every so often, Marvel will put out an issue with a .1 number, like the recent Amazing Spider-Man 654.1. When someone sees this, they will instantly be able to surmise that this is a fresh start, and a good place to look in and get a done in one story that anyone can pick up, understand, and lead them into the regular numbering!
It sounds good in theory, doesn't it?
I am a big supporter of jumping on points. I started to read comics back in the 80s, when the mandate was still, "Every issue is someone's first". It made for a lot of ground to be covered over and over, but it wasn't so bad. And good writers could handle it pretty well. Chris Claremont and Paul Levitz were some of the best at this, in my opinion. They could write an issue that felt pretty complete, maybe continued in the next issue at worst, but still had a few pages for subplots that had been bubbling for awhile and would come to a head soon, and make you want to pick up the next issue. Every issue told you who the characters involved were, and had an engaging story that left just enough questions to bring you back. That's a good way to do things.
The Point One books could work, but so far they seem to just be a big mess. The aforementioned Spidey issue was actually a good read. And I'm saying this about a book with an artist I despise, so it has to be good, right? The problem is...it's not a Spidey Point One. It's an issue that sets up the new Venom status quo and ongoing series. This is Venom the zero issue. Which isn't so bad, I can roll with that. Launch the new book in the parent title. That's workable. But still, it's not really a jumping on point for Spider-Man, is it? And the two pages teasing the 2011 Spidey events doesn't really count.
Worst yet is that it comes in the middle of a storyline. The following issue is an epilogue to the recent Spider-Slayer arc, but still, it interrupts the natural flow of things. It should have come after the funeral issue that came out after, or as I said, been a Venom title.
This is an ongoing problem with the Point One books so far. The Wolverine 5.1 issue came in at the end of the opening arc, but the next arc continues right on from it, and the Point One issue has nothing to do with either of those interlocking stories! That's a terrible jumping on point! You don't hook people in with a story that won't be followed up on for months.
And it gets worse. Uncanny X-Force has their Point One come after the first part of a new storyline, and has nothing to do with it, then the following issue? Part two of the issue before the Point One!
But wait! Then there's Thor! HIS Point One issue comes out just before the ultimate climactic battle that they've been building a storyline for the past six months. That's right, you get hooked with 620.1, then come back and read the conclusion to a six part storyline as your next issue! The introductory issue will be continued at a later date!
What the hell, Marvel?
Jumping on points are great! But you are doing it wrong! Very wrong! And in a lot of cases, they just have to have the issue come out a little earlier or a little later, so storylines can wait to start after it, or finish before it. Which is the natural times to bring people into a book!
This is pretty boneheaded thinking. The Point One books could be a great idea, if they get marketed and people know what the hell they are, but instead they're going to alienate people, not lead into anything, and just confuse people who see these odd numbers on the shelves. This is starting out to be a complete failure.
There's still time to fix things and get it right, but in some ways, the damage is done, and the confusion is already sown. Who is going to trust these ill conceived jumping on books now?
I'd love to see them fix these issues, but I'm not holding out hope. Quality alone will not save these books, if they dump the new readers into chaos. They'll just jump right back off again.
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