Comics Numbering and Completeist

*MikeandRaph87* · 01-01-2023, 06:51 PM

Comics have been ongoing since 1935 as an industry. Many titles were ongoing for over 50 years. In some cases titles curiously continued the numbering of a title that is mostly unrelated such as Barry Allen picking up the numbering of Jay Garrick's title with #105. Later on some titles will halt publication such as Teen Titans and Green Lantern. While Barry picked up the numbering of
Jay's Hal did not pick up Alan's with a 39th issue. Crisis on Infinite Earths stopped a good percentage of the triple digit comics DC had at the time.

Marvel on the other hand waited until the mid to late 90s' to reboot its numbering and it keeps doing it to this day especially with the Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man. These days its known that number one's are a temporary boost not a long-term success. Marvel tries to play it both ways with original numbering and renumbered.

Do you like the numbering to keep going or do you like having various volumes? Do you have to get every single issue?

Also, do you feel compelled to collect titles from start to finish or in older titles get every single issue? I don't know if it's an actual term, but I would be a semi-completist. I have a run on Batman for example from 150-360, but drop the title because I hate Jason Todd and won't go further back because I don't like the Camp Family. Then I have other runs in the title up to the unfortunate renumbering with the New 52. Though I don't feel obligated to have everything. I know a few of you do have every issue of one volume after another. The Mutant Town angle in IDW's ongoing taught me I don't need to have every single issue of the title, but a solid 100 straight issues is good enough.

*IMJ* · 01-02-2023, 07:11 AM

I contended from day one that all of the reboots and renumbering were a disaster. But at the time Joe Quesada (who was the guy really pushing for the routine relaunches at Marvel) felt that there were too many years of continuity for fans to understand or keep up, & that new number ones made it easier to collect. Which was not only untrue but most likely a lie simply to produce new "#1's" which sell comics to simps who think they'll have a collectible.

There is nothing complicated about collecting a legacy series numbered 1 - 600 (or whatever) either via back-issue bins, in trade or digitally. It is infinitely more complicated now to try and parse out a variety of series with relaunches or slightly different titling amidst a sea of books with the same titles and numbers than it was when publishers simply kept a book running in contiguous numbering.

Also, relaunching books has done nothing for the story content. Relaunches are 99% simp-logic to boost sales were needed. And now it's worse - routine relaunches with several variants for every issue of every book.

If comic sales look okay, then it's because there's only 1/3 of the readership left actually buying books as compared to two decades ago, and that 1/3 of the readership buys 5 times the amount of books in the variant hunt.

01-02-2023, 07:11 AM	#2
IMJ Emperor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest, U.S.A. Posts: 6,987	I contended from day one that all of the reboots and renumbering were a disaster. But at the time Joe Quesada (who was the guy really pushing for the routine relaunches at Marvel) felt that there were too many years of continuity for fans to understand or keep up, & that new number ones made it easier to collect. Which was not only untrue but most likely a lie simply to produce new "#1's" which sell comics to simps who think they'll have a collectible. There is nothing complicated about collecting a legacy series numbered 1 - 600 (or whatever) either via back-issue bins, in trade or digitally. It is infinitely more complicated now to try and parse out a variety of series with relaunches or slightly different titling amidst a sea of books with the same titles and numbers than it was when publishers simply kept a book running in contiguous numbering. Also, relaunching books has done nothing for the story content. Relaunches are 99% simp-logic to boost sales were needed. And now it's worse - routine relaunches with several variants for every issue of every book. If comic sales look okay, then it's because there's only 1/3 of the readership left actually buying books as compared to two decades ago, and that 1/3 of the readership buys 5 times the amount of books in the variant hunt. __________________ Wave 1 Collectibles Online Market Watch Blog Collection Photography

01-01-2023, 06:51 PM	#1
MikeandRaph87 Jedi Master Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: JLA Satellite Headquarters Posts: 11,131	Comics Numbering and Completeist Comics have been ongoing since 1935 as an industry. Many titles were ongoing for over 50 years. In some cases titles curiously continued the numbering of a title that is mostly unrelated such as Barry Allen picking up the numbering of Jay Garrick's title with #105. Later on some titles will halt publication such as Teen Titans and Green Lantern. While Barry picked up the numbering of Jay's Hal did not pick up Alan's with a 39th issue. Crisis on Infinite Earths stopped a good percentage of the triple digit comics DC had at the time. Marvel on the other hand waited until the mid to late 90s' to reboot its numbering and it keeps doing it to this day especially with the Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man. These days its known that number one's are a temporary boost not a long-term success. Marvel tries to play it both ways with original numbering and renumbered. Do you like the numbering to keep going or do you like having various volumes? Do you have to get every single issue? Also, do you feel compelled to collect titles from start to finish or in older titles get every single issue? I don't know if it's an actual term, but I would be a semi-completist. I have a run on Batman for example from 150-360, but drop the title because I hate Jason Todd and won't go further back because I don't like the Camp Family. Then I have other runs in the title up to the unfortunate renumbering with the New 52. Though I don't feel obligated to have everything. I know a few of you do have every issue of one volume after another. The Mutant Town angle in IDW's ongoing taught me I don't need to have every single issue of the title, but a solid 100 straight issues is good enough. __________________ Michelangelo: This looks like a job for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Raphael: Sheesh, Mikey this ain't a cartoon!