What if Tristan Jones' "Gang Wars" had been given it's own monthly series?

Monty Mole · 08-07-2022, 03:04 PM

Would Mirage sales have been better if "Gang Wars" was given it's own monthly/bi-monthly series instead of being buried under Tales Vol. 2?

I loved Tales Vol. 2, but "Gang Wars" was a game changer! And I can't help but wonder how well sales could've been if it was introduced as #1 of a new series instead of Tales of the TMNT #36

At the time, do you think that would have been enough to get people interested in Turtles again?

*Galactus* · 08-07-2022, 03:43 PM

I don't think there was anything that was going to significantly move the needle for Mirage published TMNT book in 2007. Fans loved Tristan's issues and it even got a lot of critics interested but it didn't overcome the hurdle Tales faced from the beginning; it was so widely inconsistent. Say you're a random comic reader and pick up a copy of Tales and really love the story and creative team and can't wait for the next installment, you pick up the next issue and it's a vastly different creative telling a random story. The follow up to the story you loved comes five to six months down the line...if it happens at all. A lot of people hyped #39 To Protect And Serve but then we only Tristan and Paul back for #50 and several issues after that for a direct followup to that story.

There's nothing wrong with having an anthology series but from the beginning it should have been story arcs - say three issues of Murphy writing a story followed by three issues Berger doing a story followed by Lawson etc. It should have also had some internal continuity, not ultra tight but no contradicting previous stories or jumping from different time periods.

Monty Mole · 08-07-2022, 03:46 PM

That makes a lot of sense. Well said!

Sharman · 09-07-2022, 02:00 PM

I have to concur.

*Andrew NDB* · 09-07-2022, 02:09 PM

It would've needed a big marketing push from Mirage and be in color for it to have had a chance. Like with Paul Harmon on the art, consistently? It'd have a pretty good shot. Pushed out as like a new beginning, it'd probably do at least as well as IDW did.

Of course, Peter wasn't interested in any of those things, or taking more than negligible risks while keeping costs at bare minimum. Also, and I don't know this for a fact, but I also wonder if the prospect of really letting a new TMNT book shine -- like, with a Tristan Jones/Paul Harmon "Gang Wars" series -- was not one he was too keen for because it might make people even less interested in his Vol. 4 (or at least make it less talked about), while he was still doing it.

*CyberCubed* · 09-07-2022, 03:46 PM

I get the feeling this "story" wouldn't be able to go on past 10 or so issues. A mini-series is fine, it didn't need more than that.

*Andrew NDB* · 09-07-2022, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I get the feeling this "story" wouldn't be able to go on past 10 or so issues.

As it was, yeah. Tristan only had like 3 or 4 issues left to "tell" and I have some idea of what was going to happen there. It was going to have a very definitive ending. But had he been given the greenlight to make it all an ongoing series, could/would he suddenly pull another 30+ issues out of the ether? Of course.

08-07-2022, 03:04 PM	#1
Monty Mole Hench Mutant Join Date: Jul 2022 Posts: 378	What if Tristan Jones' "Gang Wars" had been given it's own monthly series? Would Mirage sales have been better if "Gang Wars" was given it's own monthly/bi-monthly series instead of being buried under Tales Vol. 2? I loved Tales Vol. 2, but "Gang Wars" was a game changer! And I can't help but wonder how well sales could've been if it was introduced as #1 of a new series instead of Tales of the TMNT #36 At the time, do you think that would have been enough to get people interested in Turtles again? Last edited by Monty Mole; 08-07-2022 at 03:16 PM.

08-07-2022, 03:43 PM	#2
Galactus Foot Elite Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,949	I don't think there was anything that was going to significantly move the needle for Mirage published TMNT book in 2007. Fans loved Tristan's issues and it even got a lot of critics interested but it didn't overcome the hurdle Tales faced from the beginning; it was so widely inconsistent. Say you're a random comic reader and pick up a copy of Tales and really love the story and creative team and can't wait for the next installment, you pick up the next issue and it's a vastly different creative telling a random story. The follow up to the story you loved comes five to six months down the line...if it happens at all. A lot of people hyped #39 To Protect And Serve but then we only Tristan and Paul back for #50 and several issues after that for a direct followup to that story. There's nothing wrong with having an anthology series but from the beginning it should have been story arcs - say three issues of Murphy writing a story followed by three issues Berger doing a story followed by Lawson etc. It should have also had some internal continuity, not ultra tight but no contradicting previous stories or jumping from different time periods.

08-07-2022, 03:46 PM	#3
Monty Mole Hench Mutant Join Date: Jul 2022 Posts: 378	That makes a lot of sense. Well said!

09-07-2022, 02:00 PM	#4
Sharman Foot Soldier Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: UK Posts: 190	I have to concur.

09-07-2022, 02:09 PM	#5
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 29,273	It would've needed a big marketing push from Mirage and be in color for it to have had a chance. Like with Paul Harmon on the art, consistently? It'd have a pretty good shot. Pushed out as like a new beginning, it'd probably do at least as well as IDW did. Of course, Peter wasn't interested in any of those things, or taking more than negligible risks while keeping costs at bare minimum. Also, and I don't know this for a fact, but I also wonder if the prospect of really letting a new TMNT book shine -- like, with a Tristan Jones/Paul Harmon "Gang Wars" series -- was not one he was too keen for because it might make people even less interested in his Vol. 4 (or at least make it less talked about), while he was still doing it. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

09-07-2022, 03:46 PM	#6
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,050	I get the feeling this "story" wouldn't be able to go on past 10 or so issues. A mini-series is fine, it didn't need more than that.