In his latest Substack post, Tom Brevoort addressed Marvel’s frequent (and sometimes controversial) decision to restart their titles with new #1s.
The top stories of the day at Popverse
If you spend enough time on comic book forums across the internet, you’ll hear one complaint over and over again: According to some fans, Marvel’s habit of starting over with a new #1 every time a new creative team tackles a comic is a bad one. These readers claim that this move dilutes continuity or, in a market heavily driven by multiverses, could even confuse newcomers. Despite these complaints, however, it’s a tactic the House of Ideas still employs—and we recently learned why, thanks to one of their key decision makers.
The question came up on Tom Brevoort’s Substack a few weeks ago, prompting Marvel’s editor-in-chief to voice his opinion that DC Comics is “leaving money on the table” by not renumbering their issues at the start of their new All-In event. In his recent newsletter, a reader brought up this quote and asked Brevoort to clarify his answer.
“(…) new No. 1 issues always, always, always outsell No. 32 or whatever,” writes the longtime Marvel editor. “You may not like that, you may not believe it’s true, but believe me, it’s very true.”
“So if you decide to maintain a numbering,” Brevoort continues, “do so with the knowledge that the new release in question is unlikely to sell as many copies and attract as much attention as a new No. 1.”
And while Marvel’s executive editor and senior vice president of publishing admits that “it can be a sensible strategy for a number of reasons,” he believes getting a comic in front of audiences should be the top priority. “In most cases,” he concludes, “everyone in the industry likes money and needs it to keep the business running. So in those cases, a reprint is usually the best way to go.”
It’s understandable that Marvel wants to attract as many readers to its comics as possible – and the existence of “legacy numbering” on each title also helps fans who want to keep track of long-term numbering. Think of it as the best of both worlds. And all without having to worry about lighting.
Follow Popverse for coverage and news on upcoming events
