Marvel's Star Wars Comic Could Sell One Million - Update

[StewShearerOld]

Marvel's Star Wars Comic Could Sell One Million - Update

Reports have suggested that Marvel's upcoming Star Wars series could be a huge seller when it hits stores in January.

Update: Marvel <a href=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=57669>has confirmed that the first issue of Star Wars will sell more than a million copies. Speaking about the book, Senior Vice President of Sales David Gabriel attributed the book's high numbers partly to it's large number of "exclusive covers."

"There are a number of new outlets that we're working with here in terms of the folks purchasing and selling a large number of exclusive covers, which in the end means that this very large number of comics will be sold in places where we haven't necessarily had comic sales," Gabriel said in a statement. "We're confident we'll have lots of new fans reading issue #1. And the great thing about this for all our comic retailer friends is that they'll be able to sell those new fans the second, third, fourth issues and on and on."

Original Story: So in case you hadn't heard, Marvel will be launching <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138938-Marvel-Releases-Preview-Pictures-From-New-Star-Wars-Comic>a new Star Wars comic this January and it's kind of a big deal. Not only will the new book mark <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131015-Star-Wars-Comics-Leaving-Dark-Horse-for-Marvel-in-2015>the end of Dark Horse Comics' long-lived stewardship of the Star Wars franchise, it will also be the first canon comic since the Expanded Universe was declared <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/134034-Lucasfilm-Makes-It-Official-Star-Wars-Expanded-Universe-Is-Dead>null and void in the wake of Disney's 2012 <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120408-Disney-Acquires-Lucasfilm>LucasFilm acquisition. As you can probably imagine, these points add up to a comic that people want to have. A lot of people, in fact.

According to recent reports, the first issue of Marvel and Jason Aaron's Star Wars could wind up selling more than a million copies. To put that in context, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136774-Rocket-Raccoon-Leads-Comics-to-Best-Month-Ever-in-July-2014>in July 2014, the best sales month for comics in recorded history, Marvel's Rocket Raccoon was considered a big success for selling 300,000 copies. That's less than a third of the projected sales for Star Wars issue one.

It should be said that Marvel has declined to comment on these reports. With issue one boasting a smorgasbord <a href=http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/dp.asp?PRID=Star+Wars+Vol+4+%231+Cover+_1392243>of variant covers, it's also likely that many Star Wars fans and comic collectors are ordering multiple copies. Even with those people inflating sales however, you'd be hard-pressed to call these sorts of numbers anything short of a feat. We'll have to wait and see, of course, if the comic actually reaches these heights when it launches next month. Speaking personally though, my gut says that if any book can sell a million in January, it's going to be Marvel's Star Wars.

Source: Comic Book


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[Ukomba]

That's a really interesting prediction. The type of people who would buy the comics (especially the kind of collector who would buy multiple versions) are the kind of people who enjoyed the old comics. The comics they've irreverently tossed in the garbage. Even if the comic turns out to be really good, it has to overcome not only a lot of hard feelings, but nostalgia for the old comics. The very first one might sell well as people try to find out the direction they're going, but I predict a rapid decline after that.

Speaking as a previous, avid collector, I'm boycotting.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Bold prediction considering where Star Wars comics normally sold under Dark Horse. It'd be a testament to hype and branding meaning more than content if it happens.

 

[Baresark]

It's now time for them to do that price raise they wanted to do before. Will they sell a million when they are $5 each. My money is on yes, but only because there is a large number of idiots in the world.

Also, I wouldn't buy anything till I know they are doing the stories well. Marvel's writing has been questionable at best for the last few years. Dark Horse was awesome but they never did anything but publish EU stuff (which was awesome, BTW), they never had an ongoing set of writers to write new stuff.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

Well, it's got the original characters on it, so I don't really see the point.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Seeing MARVEL on there is awkward to say the least. I actually didn't know they had lured the EU into a van with a promise of candy and dropped it into the river until now. That makes my title "Most Knowledgeable Star Wars Nerd I Have Ever Met". Really seems like a big "FUCK YOU" to everyone who ever had anything to do with the EU. They probably had one of the biggest book franchises ever.

 

[Zontar]

I don't see how Marvel can 'confirm' they are going to sell something that isn't even out yet. I mean hell, under Dark Horse they never sold that much, what makes them think that just because it's being printed by Marvel (again) that they'll be able to sell so many copies?

 

[Redd the Sock]

I don't see how Marvel can 'confirm' they are going to sell something that isn't even out yet. I mean hell, under Dark Horse they never sold that much, what makes them think that just because it's being printed by Marvel (again) that they'll be able to sell so many copies?

It's wither optimism about how well it will do with new supply outlets, or they're mistaking sold to customers and shipped to stores, which from Marvel's view is no different.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Seeing MARVEL on there is awkward to say the least. I actually didn't know they had lured the EU into a van with a promise of candy and dropped it into the river until now. That makes my title "Most Knowledgeable Star Wars Nerd I Have Ever Met". Really seems like a big "FUCK YOU" to everyone who ever had anything to do with the EU. They probably had one of the biggest book franchises ever.

Not too weird, the first Star Wars comics were produced by Marvel so its more like a series come full circle. Plus the EU being rebooted isn't a horribly bad thing, there were a lot of continuity fuckups throughout the series and quite a few unpopular storylines.
Of course its a whole matter of subjectivity. There's also the fact that the EU canon being non-canon doesn't mean those stories stopped existing completely, they're just a different universe's canon.
*shrug* Anyway I wonder if that means the old school Marvel comics will get a slight jump in value...

 

[Baresark]

Strange... they "have confirmed they will sell"... this doesn't make any sense. It may sell a million, but they can't confirm something that hasn't happened yet. Also... are people really ignorant enough to fall for buying alternate covers. When a comic prints over a million copies it's not a collectors item anymore. It has to be rare for that (which comics have not been for a long time). Meh, we'll see.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Only the EU past ROJ is dead as far as I know.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Seeing MARVEL on there is awkward to say the least. I actually didn't know they had lured the EU into a van with a promise of candy and dropped it into the river until now. That makes my title "Most Knowledgeable Star Wars Nerd I Have Ever Met". Really seems like a big "FUCK YOU" to everyone who ever had anything to do with the EU. They probably had one of the biggest book franchises ever.

Not too weird, the first Star Wars comics were produced by Marvel so its more like a series come full circle. Plus the EU being rebooted isn't a horribly bad thing, there were a lot of continuity fuckups throughout the series and quite a few unpopular storylines.
Of course its a whole matter of subjectivity. There's also the fact that the EU canon being non-canon doesn't mean those stories stopped existing completely, they're just a different universe's canon.
*shrug* Anyway I wonder if that means the old school Marvel comics will get a slight jump in value...

Not saying its a bid thing, but I think it could definitely cause a lot of confusion.

 

[Product Placement]

Strange... they "have confirmed they will sell"... this doesn't make any sense. It may sell a million, but they can't confirm something that hasn't happened yet.

Yeah, a more sensible thing to say would be that they're confident that they will sell a million copies.

As for the alternative cover collectors edition, I'm assuming that the alternative covers will be a limited edition, which are supposed to attract the collectors.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Only the EU past ROJ is dead as far as I know.

Thats the impression I had as well, but I've seen conflicting claims on the subject. So I'm rather confused about whats true these days. It certainly makes me wonder if SWTOR is still canon(especially since its last expansion was post-EU cleansing). On the bright side if it means Drew Karp-something(I can't remember how to spell it)'s novel is non-canon then at least something good came out of it.

Karpyshin. But don't worry, he's moved on from genre fiction now! He's gonna write "real" novels.

I don't know how Marvel intends to break one million. Most people who've read Star Wars comics are aware that they were a Dark Horse property for the last decade or so. And without changing their venues to include more than comic shops and bookstores, how exactly are these going to become THAT noticeable to the public?

 

[Rawbeard]

It also could cure cancer and bring world peace. I don't get this talk out their ass news. Hype train maybe.

 

[newwiseman]

I've never trusted market predictions, there is a reason AAA games lose money after all.

I'm more interested in the countdown to a Jedi appearing on earth, or a Sith. A Sith would be more interesting for a crossover.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Only the EU past ROJ is dead as far as I know.

Thats the impression I had as well, but I've seen conflicting claims on the subject. So I'm rather confused about whats true these days. It certainly makes me wonder if SWTOR is still canon(especially since its last expansion was post-EU cleansing). On the bright side if it means Drew Karp-something(I can't remember how to spell it)'s novel is non-canon then at least something good came out of it.

quoted to a post on my post from the FB page.

According to Wookieepedia, the only canon currently is: The six movies, The Clone Wars TV show and Movie, Star Wars Rebels, and the following novels: "A New Dawn" "Tarkin" "Dark Disciple" and "Lords of the Sith." The reason for this is because they want more oversight in their canon, and they now have people actually in charge of making sure canon is consistent, which Star Wars formerly did not.

that explains it then no wonder there is confusion.

 

[Ukomba]

A story update with Marvel confirming Marvel's guess on sales numbers? There is something deeply wrong here.