 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
05-22-2008, 08:57 AM
|
#1 |
|
|
WHAT COST SUMMER? SECRET INVASION/FINAL CRISIS RUNNING TALLIES
 by Troy Brownfield and Lucas SiegelComic book fans all know one thing- who they think would win in a fight, Superman or Thor, and there’s just no way to buy all the comics they really want to. Well, this summer, Superman and Thor (and their respective companies) are facing off in that battle for your hard-earned (or easily stolen, who are we to judge?) cash, with crossovers and tie-ins galore. Just how much are you looking to spend? Remember: These examinations imply no editorial judgment; they are merely a look at the totals as a service to the readership. And, of course, whether you buy all of the tie-ins is up to you and your individual proclivities, and as always, comes with the message from the publisher that you don't need all the tie-in issues to enjoy the story, though individual readers’ mileage on that statement may vary, of course. Marvel’s Secret Invasion has kicked off already, along with a couple tie-in minis, tie-in arcs, and of course, lead-in arcs. Last month, we took a look at the cost through July just as the event began. The official checklist from Marvel is daunting on its own, and doesn’t even really tell the whole story. There have been several books not marked with the “Infiltration” or “Invasion” banners, but that contain important events or clues to the big picture. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll break it down month to month, building off last time, with both official tie-ins and books that have an obvious affect on the overall Secret Invasion storyline, starting with last November, the first month that the “Infiltration” banner appeared. Un-official tie-ins are marked with a * for clarity. The “Price So Far” will include both official and unofficial books, and shows just how you’re spending your money. And we’ve added in what we think is a pretty fair “entertainment/geek index” with comparative cost landmarks. All information comes from the official checklist, solicitations, and, well, reading the books! November 2007 New Avengers: Illuminati #5 $2.99 *New Avengers #36 $2.99 *Captain Marvel #1 $2.99 November Subtotal: $2.99 / *$8.97 The Price So Far: $8.97, or two chai lattes from Starbucks December 2007 Avengers: The Initiative Annual 1 $3.99 *Captain Marvel #2 $2.99 *New Avengers #37 $2.99 December Subtotal: $3.99 / *9.97 The Price So Far: $18.94, or Battlestar Galactica – Razor Extended Edition from Amazon.com January Mighty Avengers #7 $2.99 *Captain Marvel #3 $2.99 New Avengers Annual #2 $3.99 January Subtotal: $6.98 / *$8.97 The Price So Far: $27.91, or Runaways Vol. 1 Hardcover from Amazon.com (and some change!)  February*Captain Marvel #4 $2.99 *Ms. Marvel #24 $2.99 *Mighty Avengers #9 $2.99 *New Avengers #38 $2.99 *Young Avengers Presents #2: Hulking $2.99 February Subtotal: $0.00 / *$14.95 The Price So Far: $42.86, or about one month of high speed cable internet in most US markets March Secret Invasion Saga FREE! *Captain Marvel #5 $2.99 *Mighty Avengers #11 $2.99 *New Avengers #39 $2.99 *Ms. Marvel #25 $2.99 March Subtotal: $0.00 / *$11.96 The Price So Far: $54.82, or seeing Iron Man at a discount matinee 10 times (and getting popcorn once!) April Secret Invasion #1 $3.99 Mighty Avengers #12 $2.99 New Avengers #40 $2.99 *Avengers: The Initiative #12 $2.99 *Ms. Marvel #26 $2.99 April Subtotal: $9.97 / *$15.95 The Price So Far: $70.77, or 4 months of unlimited DVD rentals via Netflix May Secret Invasion #2 $3.99 Captain Britain and MI:13 #1 $2.99 Incredible Hercules #117 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #13 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #14 $2.99 New Avengers #41 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1 $2.99 *Ms. Marvel #27 $2.99 May Subtotal: $21.93 / *$24.92 The Price So Far: $95.69, or Metal Gear Solid 4: Special Edition for Playstation 3 June Secret Invasion #3 $3.99 Avengers: The Initiative #14 $2.99 Captain Britain and MI:13 #2 $2.99 Incredible Hercules #118 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #15 $2.99 Ms. Marvel #28 $2.99 New Avengers #42 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Runaways/YA #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? $3.99 June Subtotal: $31.90 The Price So Far: $127.59, or 129 individual songs from iTunes  JulySecret Invasion #4 $3.99 Avengers: The Initiative #15 $2.99 Black Panther #39 $2.99 Captain Britain and MI:13 #3 $2.99 Incredible Hercules #119 $2.99 Ms. Marvel #29 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #16 $2.99 New Avengers #43 $2.99 New Warriors #14 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Frontline #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #3 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Runaways/YA #2 $2.99 She-Hulk #31 $2.99 Thunderbolts #122 $2.99 X-Factor #33 $2.99 *Skrulls! $4.99 July Subtotal: $45.85 / *$50.84 (nearly November-March combined) The Price So Far: $178.43, or two season passes to a Six Flags theme park August Secret Invasion #5 $3.99 Avengers: The Initiative #16 $2.99 Black Panther #40 $2.99 Captain Britain and MI:13 #4 $2.99 Incredible Hercules #120 $2.99 Ms. Marvel #30 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #17 $2.99 New Avengers #44 $2.99 New Warriors #15 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Thor #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: X-Men #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Spider-man Brand New Day #1 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Frontline #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Runaways/YA #3 $2.99 Guardians of the Galaxy #4 $2.99 Nova #16 $2.99 She-Hulk #32 $2.99 Thunderbolts #123 $2.99 X-Factor #34 $2.99 August Subtotal: $60.80 The Price So Far: $239.23, or 16 MLB tickets Newsarama Note: From here on out, these are estimates based on currently announced storylines and their lengths; we won’t know for sure until the solicitations for each of these months are released. That is, there won’t be fewer tie-ins, while there most likely will be more.  SeptemberSecret Invasion #6 $3.99 Avengers: The Initiative #17 $2.99 Black Panther #41 $2.99 Mighty Avengers #17 $2.99 New Avengers #44 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Inhumans #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Thor #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: X-Men #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Spider-man Brand New Day #2 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Frontline #3 $2.99 Guardians of the Galaxy #5 $2.99 Nova #17 $2.99 Thunderbolts #124 $2.99 Deadpool #1 $2.99 September Subtotal: $42.86 The Price So Far: $282.09, or a can of Monster every day for 5 months straight October Secret Invasion #7 $3.99 Avengers: The Initiative #17 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Thor #3 $2.99 Secret Invasion: X-Men #3 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Spider-man Brand New Day #3 $2.99 Secret Invasion: Frontline #4 $2.99 Guardians of the Galaxy #6 $2.99 Thunderbolts #125 $2.99 October Subtotal: $27.91 The Price So Far: $310, or a Nintendo Wii + WiiPlay November Secret Invasion #8 $3.99 Secret Invasion: Frontline #5 $2.99 November Subtotal: $6.98 The Whole Shebang: $316.98, or just about airfare from Chicago to San Diego and back for Comic-Con ($359) Total Book Count for this event (to date): 85 official, and 18 unofficial tie-ins, for a total of 103 Secret Invasion tie-in issues. Is that all? Not by a long-shot. The Secret Invasion: The Infiltration TPB released in April contained Fantastic Four #2, New Avengers: Illuminati #1 and #5, New Avengers #31-32 and #38-39, Mighty Avengers #7, and Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1, implying that those listed there and not in this list were, in fact, tie-ins. Of course, it could be said that all of New and Mighty Avengers have been “tie-ins,” as Bendis has gone on record as laying hints at least as far back as New Avengers #1. Likewise, the first Annihilation series dealt with the destruction of the Skrull empire, and focused heavily on Kl’rt, the original Super Skrull. Young Avengers showed Hulkling being given the opportunity to lead the Skrull Empire to new glories, and the Runaways have had a Skrull on their team for quite some time, as well. Threads from each of those series will be touched on in both the main mini and their off-shoot. She-Hulk has been teamed up with Kl’rt’s daughter, Jacinda, with little explanation. More tie-ins will likely be revealed in upcoming solicitations, as well, and expect Skrulls to pop up in more “unofficial” books in the future. All in all, your safest bet is to just buy every book in the Marvel universe; next to impossible? Probably. Again, as the mantra from the publishers goes, the tie-in issues are not required to enjoy the main story.  FINAL CRISISAt this point, the complete tally for Final Crisis may not yet be known. We’re going to approach the initial list with titles that are designated as official tie-ins. With the exception of this week’s Justice League of America, which is a clear tie-in, we will not be including books from DC’s “Sightings” program until we can later establish their degree of involvement, as “Sightings” books refer not just to Final Crisis storylines, but to major DCU storylines. April 2008 DC Universe #0 50-cents April Subtotal: 50 cents The Price So Far: 50 cents, which is not even quite a can of soda these days, unless you’re hitting the machine for Sam’s Cola outside of Wal-Mart, which in that case, go nuts. May 2008 Justice League of America #21 $2.99 Final Crisis #1 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Sketchbook $2.99 May Subtotal: $9.88 The Price So Far: $10.38, or almost the cost of one DC Universes Classic action figure June 2008 Final Crisis #2 (of 7) $3.99 June Subtotal: $3.99 The Price So Far: $14.37, or approximately the cost of the single-disc edition of Batman: Gotham Knight at its initial week-of-release-price.  July 2008Final Crisis #3 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Requiem (One-Shot) $3.99 Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #1 (of 3) $3.99 July Subtotal: $11.97 The Price So Far: $26.34, right about the cost of a SanDisk 4 GB Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive with U3 August 2008 DC Universe: Last Will and Testament (One-Shot) $3.99 Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #1 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Revelation #1 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #2 (of 3) $3.99 Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 $4.50 August Subtotal: $20.46 The Price So Far: $46.80, which will get you Identity Crisis in trade paperback, Infinite Crisis in hardback, and a combo meal at Chik-Fil-A. September 2008 Final Crisis #4 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #2 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Revelation #2 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #3 (of 3) $3.99 Final Crisis: Submit (One-Shot) $3.99 Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 $4.50 September Subtotal: $24.45 The Price So Far: $71.25, or an Apple iPod shuffle (2 GB Silver; 2nd Generation) October 2008 Final Crisis #5 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Resist (One-Shot) $3.99 Final Crisis: Revelation #3 (of 5) $3.99 October Subtotal: $15.96 The Price So Far: $87.21, or a Hamilton Beach 70595H Big Mouth 14 Cup Food Processor from Amazon.com. Okay – not necessarily “entertainment,” but come on – it’s a sweet food processor.  November 2008Final Crisis #6 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #4 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns (One-Shot) $3.99 Final Crisis: Revelation #4 (of 5) $3.99 November Subtotal: $15.96 The Price So Far: $103.17, or two Complete Peanuts boxed sets (that’s eight years worth!) December 2008 Final Crisis #7 (of 7) $3.99 Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5 (of 5) $3.99 Final Crisis: Revelation #5 (of 5) $3.99 Grant Morrison has also said that a two-part story following the "Batman R.I.P." storyline will also "fit in" with Final Crisis. December Subtotal: $11.97 The Price So Far: $115.14, or about 29 gallons of gas (based on the current national average) Total Final Crisis book count (to date): 30. Or, if you’re one of those people who are looking at both, and we know you’re out there, together, both will set you back $432.12 for 133 books from now through the end of the year. There you have it. We’ll no doubt revisit both Secret Invasion and Final Crisis totals as future solicitations come out, and we discern individual issues of import to add. Happy shopping! |
|
05-22-2008, 09:12 AM
|
#2 |
|
|
I have not been following DC's books for a while, so forgive me for asking this....
why does the secret invasion stuff go back to november of 2007 (if you are counting books that 'led up' to SI, which didn't officially start until March), while the DC tally only seems to start with Countdown to the DCU in April...? Did DC have no other book/title that 'led' up to FC at all? Did 'countdown to final crisis' not have anything to do with final crisis? If so, then why put the name on the book? If it does have something to do with/lead up to crisis, then the price for that should be included too. (again, I don't follow DC, so don't flame me for asking) *oh, and if you can get 16 MLB tickets for 239 bucks, more power to ya. I pay 75-90 bucks apeice for mine (of course, they are great seats  )what is with comparing the money spent to other things anyway? It seems like a needless comparison. "Well, you could be buying all these comics, or you could be buying 16 tickets to baseball games", etc...... what is the point of that? |
|
05-22-2008, 09:13 AM
|
#3 | |
|
|
Quote:
|
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:14 AM
|
#4 |
|
|
Wow, so far, Final Crisis is lighter on the wallet. Good deal.
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:16 AM
|
#5 |
|
|
It seems this weeks Flash and Birds of Prey are tie-ins to some degree with their Dark Side Club banners and Sean McKeever indicated in one thread that two upcoming issues of Teen Titans would reward readers of BoP 118.
These seem like unofficial tie-ins to Final Crisis. |
|
05-22-2008, 09:17 AM
|
#6 |
|
|
wow as well, Glad I will only be getting all the DC tie ins.
I am getting the main secret invasion event, but eff it, no way am i getting any of those multiple tie ins. The DC Final crisis is too many ties ins as well, but some I can't resist because rogues revenge and superman beyond are must haves. 103 tie ins to secret invasion? I feel bad for the fans |
|
05-22-2008, 09:19 AM
|
#7 | |
|
|
Quote:
Why? I am a fan of SI, but I am not getting all 103 tie-ins. Not buying Hercules, Young Avengers/Runaways, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, She Hulk, X-Factor, Guardians of the Galaxy, SI: X-Men, or Avengers: The Initiative (and a few others) I don't feel 'forced' to buy the whole story, but am picking and choosing which ones I feel will be worth my money. |
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:20 AM
|
#8 |
|
|
I can't wait for people to harp about Secret Invasion beating Final Crisis in sales after seeing this. SI would win that fight just due to having so many damned titles.
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:23 AM
|
#9 | |
|
|
Quote:
Well, no matter what happens, by the end of the summer, we will surely see if comic fans are suffering from 'event fatigue' or not. If they buy up all these tie ins and give them big numbers, then it may lay that 'event fatigue' argument to rest. time will tell. |
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:24 AM
|
#10 | |
|
|
Quote:
MattB |
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:30 AM
|
#11 |
|
|
Thanks for the explanation, Matt.
I was a bit confused, as the last 'cost list' you did on SI didn't start until April, when the 'event' (secret invasion series) kicked in. To then go back to last winter to add those costs in to marvel's event of this summer just seemed kind of odd to me. Thanks for taking the time to explain. |
|
05-22-2008, 09:34 AM
|
#12 |
|
|
That´s the worst thing on those events, too many comics to tell a story. Instead of doing it only on the main event, both Marvel and Dc make it just to cash in. Most of those one-shots and mini are pointless.
|
|
05-22-2008, 09:40 AM
|
#13 |
|
|
what a great article
thanks for all the work here Matt and folks - one of the best and most practical little articles i've seen up here. Hope both companies take this to heart.
i'm just doing FC, but hope that no more x-overs pop up along the way! |
|
05-22-2008, 09:41 AM
|
#14 | |
|
|
Quote:
MattB |
|
|
05-22-2008, 10:10 AM
|
#15 |
|
|
More Secret Invasion tie ins for Marvel over DC's Final Crisis means even more of the money and market share over DC sadly. We have the fans who complain about "too many crossovers" but so far they increase sales on which ever title they touch. It is nice that DC might have tried to listen to the group that was against "too many crossover issues" but till the crossover well dries up again Marvel will be laughing all the way to the bank. How quickly the 90s have been forgotten. Or maybe that just means I have been reading comics too long.
That being said hopefully most people that buy the crossovers enjoy them! |
|
05-22-2008, 10:14 AM
|
#16 |
|
|
Secret Invasion - $316.98
Final Crisis - 115.14 Your kids are working in the drive-thru at the fast food chain to support your comic book habit - Priceless.  |
|
05-22-2008, 10:17 AM
|
#17 |
|
|
Not all of the tie-ins are "required" reading...
In fact, if you simply read Hercules (for example) and nothing else on the list and you had a passing knowledge of current Marvel events, you would be satisfied with a self-contained story arc... At least, I would be... |
|
05-22-2008, 10:33 AM
|
#19 |
|
|
Secret Invasion
By no means am i marvel zombie, that being said i will be picking up Secret Invasion, but ONLY the Bendis penned stories (main mini-series, New and Mighty Avengers). Thats it.
Anybody notice that there is no Final Crisis solicited in August? thats odd? |
|
05-22-2008, 10:33 AM
|
#20 |
|
|
Thanks for the checklists, very handy. I'll be picking and choosing from the tie-in issues, although I'd personally include Death of the New Gods in my own FC cost list since it's more or less direct lead-in to the event. I think FC is more of a gray area than SI as to what would count as a tie-in, you could probably go back to 7 Soldiers according to what we've heard about it. Tough call.
|
|
05-22-2008, 10:35 AM
|
#21 | |
|
|
Quote:
If I remember right, DC had always planned a 'skip month' for the main FC series, and said they would be relasing some one shots instead for that month. can someone back me up (or correct me if I am wrong?) |
|
|
05-22-2008, 10:39 AM
|
#22 |
|
|
what is with comparing the money spent to other things anyway? It seems like a needless comparison. "Well, you could be buying all these comics, or you could be buying 16 tickets to baseball games", etc......
what is the point of that?[/quote]  I think they are trying to hint to us to not waste our money this summer! (Secretly of course as to not cause a Crisis...) Event Fatigue reaching critical mass... |
|
05-22-2008, 10:43 AM
|
#23 | |
|
|
Quote:
HA HA! that's funny, bob. actually, my hubby thinks I spend too much money on baseball tickets (by the time the season is up, I will have been to 15 games at Fenway Park), I think he'd rather I spend the money on comics. |
|
|
05-22-2008, 10:45 AM
|
#24 |
|
|
Wow, Secret Invasion is quite a spicy meatball. Looks like it's back to thievery for me. Interesting that Deadpool #1 will be a Secret Invasion tie-in.
|
|
05-22-2008, 10:49 AM
|
#25 |
|
|
yeah in august final crisis skips a month. My understanding is it does in the story as well. that's when all the one shots come out. I thing the big difference i see is DC isn't having FC spill into the books. you can pretty much read books as normal and not have to worry about your books getting tied up.
|
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:49 PM.
