Historical text from Comixfan:

Zachary J. Morrison

Jun 19, 2011, 05:13 am


Coming from Marvel in September...

WOLVERINE, PUNISHER & GHOST RIDER: OFFICIAL INDEX TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #2
Written by VARIOUS

The chronicle of the Marvel Universe continues its coverage of Wolverine (from 1991’s Wolverine #35), the Punisher (from 1990’s Punisher #36) and Ghost Rider (from 1978’s Ghost Rider #31). Watch the Marvel universe’s history unfold month by month as we provide synopses for dozens of individual comics, including backup strips — introducing the characters, teams, places and equipment that appeared within; and providing vital information about first appearances, where they last showed up and where they appeared next!

64 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99




Andy E. Nystrom

Jun 19, 2011, 02:36 pm


Looking forward to this series. While the pages are still in electronic format and thus can be keyword searched, is anyone counting the number of times "dies" is being typed in this series?




JusticeGH

Jun 29, 2011, 11:11 pm

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Looking forward to this series. While the pages are still in electronic format and thus can be keyword searched, is anyone counting the number of times "dies" is being typed in this series?

LOL.

I challenge the Index writers to get through one double-page spread of this book without using "dies", "died", "kills" or "killed".




Stuart V

Jun 30, 2011, 03:24 pm

JusticeGH wrote:

LOL.

I challenge the Index writers to get through one double-page spread of this book without using "dies", "died", "kills" or "killed".

In #1 there's over 100 instances of die or dies in the Punisher section's 20 pages, so an average of a little over 5 per page.




jephyork

Jul 6, 2011, 03:25 pm


113 usages of "die", "dies" or "died" in Wolverine's 24-page section in #1.

-Jeph!




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 21, 2011, 06:23 pm


In this issue:
Ghost Rider (1980-1983) 41-81
Ghost Rider (1990) 1-8
Punisher (1990-1993) 36-80
Punisher Annual (1991-1992) 4-5
Wolverine (1990-1993) 33-70
Wolverine: Bloodlust (1990) nn aka Wolverine Annual - Bloodlust (1990) 2
Wolverine: Bloody Choices (1991) nn
Wolverine: Rahne of Terra (1991) nn
Marvel Collector's Edition (1992) nn
Wolverine: Inner Fury (1992) nn

Curiously GR #56 mentions a second Hamilton Slade who previously appeare in #51, but no mention of him in #51. Can I get a clarification on this please?




Stuart V

Sep 21, 2011, 06:59 pm

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Curiously GR #56 mentions a second Hamilton Slade who previously appeare in #51, but no mention of him in #51. Can I get a clarification on this please?

Yes, it's an error. Thanks for spotting it and bringing it to our attention. The guest stars section currently says

Night Rider (Hamilton Slade, archaeologist turned supernatural cowboy hero, 1st, next in IHulk #265, ‘81), Carter Slade (last in Av #143, ’76, chr last in WGun #6, ’71), Hamilton Slade (last in GR #51, ’80, chr last in WCA #23, ’87)

but should say

Night Rider (Hamilton Slade, archaeologist turned supernatural cowboy hero, 1st, next in IHulk #265, ’81), Carter Slade (last as Night Rider in GR #51/2, ’80, chr last in WGun #6, ’71), Lincoln Slade (last in WGun #7, ’72, chr last in WCA #23, ’87)




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 21, 2011, 07:32 pm


Glad to be of help. Alas, I just discovered a couple more errors:

Ghost Rider#63: Sunset Bain's alter ego should be Madam Menace, not Madame Menace.

Ghost Rider#77: Under Supporting Cast, Roxanne Simpson is said to appear next in Ghost Rider#77. Obviously that should be removed.




Stuart V

Sep 21, 2011, 09:04 pm


Thanks again. Annoying that these slipped through, but at least thanks to you alerting us we can fix them when the TPB comes round.




ultrabasurero

Sep 23, 2011, 06:22 pm


Just read this on CBR's Axel Alonso Q&A:

On a much more old school release front, aquafanatic wanted to know if Marvel was planning on continuing one of it's more research-heavy initiatives. He asked: "m a huge fan of the Marvel Index series you have been releasing the past 3(ish) years. There is still alot of material to cover and can only imagine small sales. After the current Wolverine/Punisher/Ghost Rider are there plans to continue? Major books that need indexed are FF, Incredible Hulk, and Daredevil. Even though Amazing Spider-Man was done, what are the chances of Spectacular/Sensational/Web of Spider-Man? Defenders? West Coast Avengers? Thnx for the time!"

Alonso: Sorry to say, aquafanatic, but there are no plans for more Marvel Index series after the Wolverine/Punisher/Ghost Rider series.

That blows...




Stuart V

Sep 23, 2011, 08:44 pm


Yes, we got the news earlier this week.

That said, I'd encourage people to keep buying the Index if they already are (and start buying if they aren't, though I recognize that's a harder sell). The better sales are, the better the chance of another Index down the line.




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 23, 2011, 11:55 pm


Would a Spider-Girl-like Save the Index campaign have much of a chance of working in this instance or are sales too low for that?




Sidney Osinga

Sep 24, 2011, 12:37 am


No more Indees? That sucks. Well, at least we'll still have the Handbooks, right. Right?

I noticed a mistake. In the entry for Ghost Rider #41 (Feb. 1980), it should have mentioned that Andy and Tepper appear next in Avengers#218 (April1982).




Stuart V

Sep 24, 2011, 12:50 am

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Would a Spider-Girl-like Save the Index campaign have much of a chance of working in this instance or are sales too low for that?

I suspect sales are too low, but I guess there is no harm trying.

Sidney Osinga wrote:

No more Indees? That sucks. Well, at least we'll still have the Handbooks, right. Right?

Nothing is ever set in stone, but yes, as far as we know, that is the case.

Sidney Osinga wrote:

I noticed a mistake. In the entry for Ghost Rider #41 (Feb. 1980), it should have mentioned that Andy and Tepper appear next in Avengers#218 (April1982).

Thanks for bringing that to our attention.




Roger Ott

Sep 24, 2011, 01:50 pm

Stuart V wrote:

Yes, we got the news earlier this week.

Sad news. It was the longest run of any Official Index, and I was looking forward to it continuing on into other comic series' that had never been indexed before.

How many issues is the Wolverine, Punisher, Ghost Rider volume planned to run?




Stuart V

Sep 24, 2011, 04:27 pm

Roger Ott wrote:

Sad news. It was the longest run of any Official Index, and I was looking forward to it continuing on into other comic series' that had never been indexed before.
How many issues is the Wolverine, Punisher, Ghost Rider volume planned to run?

Eight issues.




rationalhaze

Sep 26, 2011, 12:14 pm


Lame news; I had assumed when I saw this latest run was indexing characters that all didn't appear in the 60's marvel boom (two of which had fluctuating popularity and sales on their series) that the index sales were in good enough shape that it would continue on for at least a few more runs.

I don't get why these reference projects are such a hard sell. You'd assume that the average Marvel buyer is by nature invested in a shared universe with decades of history, and given that, handbooks and indexes offer a lot of bang for your buck. I know there's similarly priced actual Marvel comics that aren't worth more than a single read-through at best, and somehow their sales are greater. Oh well, here's hoping for a relaunch at some point.




ToddCam

Sep 26, 2011, 01:24 pm


Damn. Damn, damn, damn.




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 27, 2011, 02:53 pm


Here's what I put on my Facebook status.

"The Marvel Index series is being cancelled. I want it to resume eventually, preferably sooner than later. So here's the deal. If you're not currently getting them and live in Victoria (or plan to visit soon), from my discards I'll give: 1 DVD or three comics if you buy a current issue; three DVDs or nine comics if you buy one of the Index trades; or 10 DVDs or 100 comics if you put the remaining projected six remaining issues on your pull list. Offer only good on new issues not used as Marvel has to know about the sale.

"So there's eight issues total in the current run, with two already out."




Sidney Osinga

Sep 27, 2011, 08:20 pm

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Here's what I put on my Facebook status.

"The Marvel Index series is being cancelled. I want it to resume eventually, preferably sooner than later. So here's the deal. If you're not currently getting them and live in Victoria (or plan to visit soon), from my discards I'll give: 1 DVD or three comics if you buy a current issue; three DVDs or nine comics if you buy one of the Index trades; or 10 DVDs or 100 comics if you put the remaining projected six remaining issues on your pull list. Offer only good on new issues not used as Marvel has to know about the sale.

"So there's eight issues total in the current run, with two already out."

Too bad I don't live near you, because I would take you up on it. I'm getting the remaining issues, and probably the trade too.

Another mistake: In the Villains section of Ghost Rider #76 (Jan. 1983), it says he dies. According to his entry in the X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes Handbook, he actually survives and appears next in X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #1 (April, '10).




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 27, 2011, 09:05 pm

Sidney Osinga wrote:

Too bad I don't live near you, because I would take you up on it. I'm getting the remaining issues, and probably the trade too.

I thought you were already getting these? The offer is only good for people who wouldn't otherwise get them (so my dealer, who's on my Facebook friends list and gets these for himself as well is disqualified, but if he mentions the deal to customers who aren't getting them, they would qualify).




Sidney Osinga

Sep 27, 2011, 10:04 pm


Another mistake: In the Villains section of Ghost Rider #76 (Jan. 1983), it says he dies. According to his entry in the X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes Handbook, he actually survives and appears next in X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #1 (April, '10).

I'm talking about Saturnine




Sidney Osinga

Sep 28, 2011, 12:40 am

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

I thought you were already getting these? The offer is only good for people who wouldn't otherwise get them (so my dealer, who's on my Facebook friends list and gets these for himself as well is disqualified, but if he mentions the deal to customers who aren't getting them, they would qualify).

D'OH!

Anyways, I mentioned the cancellation of the series to the manager of the LCBS and he was surprised since the collected tpbs of the indexes sold well there.




Sidney Osinga

Sep 28, 2011, 01:50 pm


Yet another mistake: In the synopsis for Ghost Rider #4 (July 1990), Barbara Ketch is mention several times, yet is left out of the Supporting Characters section.




Andy E. Nystrom

Sep 28, 2011, 02:54 pm

Interesting that all the errors seem to be in the Ghost Rider section. Could an earlier draft have somehow slipped through for that section?




Stuart V

Sep 29, 2011, 07:14 am

Sidney Osinga wrote:

Yet another mistake: In the synopsis for Ghost Rider #4 (July 1990), Barbara Ketch is mention several times, yet is left out of the Supporting Characters section.

You mean #3. But yes, definite "D'oh!"

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Interesting that all the errors seem to be in the Ghost Rider section. Could an earlier draft have somehow slipped through for that section?

Or it might just be that Sidney's eagle eye has not yet reached the other two sections. Regardless, apologies that we let these slip through.




Sidney Osinga

Sep 29, 2011, 11:54 pm

Stuart V wrote:

You mean #3. But yes, definite "D'oh!"

Or it might just be that Sidney's eagle eye has not yet reached the other two sections. Regardless, apologies that we let these slip through.

Yes, I did mean #3. I got confused, just like with the Saturnine mistake I also pointed out.

And you're right about me not getting to the other sections.




Sidney Osinga

Sep 30, 2011, 02:22 am


In the Note section for Punisher #64 (June '92), it says that Snakebite's name was revealed in OHMU:U #3, '89. Since that book came out three years before the character appeared, I'm going to assume it should be something else.




Stuart V

Sep 30, 2011, 03:49 am

Sidney Osinga wrote:

In the Note section for Punisher #64 (June '92), it says that Snakebite's name was revealed in OHMU:U #3, '89. Since that book came out three years before the character appeared, I'm going to assume it should be something else.

Should be OHMU:U #3, '10.




Sidney Osinga

Sep 30, 2011, 01:09 pm

Stuart V wrote:

Should be OHMU:U #3, '10.

Good to know.

Also, there's a typo in the entry for Wolverine #55 (June '92). It says Reiko appeared last in W #3, when in fact it should be #33.




Norman Rocks

Oct 5, 2011, 11:37 pm


Lame news; I had assumed when I saw this latest run was indexing characters that all didn't appear in the 60's marvel boom (two of which had fluctuating popularity and sales on their series) that the index sales were in good enough shape that it would continue on for at least a few more runs.

I don't get why these reference projects are such a hard sell. You'd assume that the average Marvel buyer is by nature invested in a shared universe with decades of history, and given that, handbooks and indexes offer a lot of bang for your buck. I know there's similarly priced actual Marvel comics that aren't worth more than a single read-through at best, and somehow their sales are greater. Oh well, here's hoping for a relaunch at some point.
I am very disappointed with this news. I think it was a mistake to index a lesser no character like Ghost Rider. I noticed the sales numbers dropped like a rock. Does anyone thing that a lower price point might help the sales?




bigvis497

Oct 6, 2011, 12:59 pm

Norman Rocks wrote:

I am very disappointed with this news. I think it was a mistake to index a lesser no character like Ghost Rider. I noticed the sales numbers dropped like a rock. Does anyone thing that a lower price point might help the sales?

I think the price on the indexes might scare some people off. The single issues are in no way worth the price tag when compared to the trades. (Not saying they're worthless, I love the indexes, just trying to point out tha the trades are more economical)
I've always wondered if going straight to the trades would work better. I'm pretty sure it would reach a much larger audience that way. Marvel seems to be a little more forgiving for sales on titles that aren't really targeted towards the direct market, like the Anita Blake stuff, licensed properties, the all-ages books, etc. I think everyone would agree the trades are a better format anyway. Granted, it would take a much longer commitment, but I would like to see Marvel give it a chance.




Roger Ott

Oct 6, 2011, 01:11 pm

bigvis497 wrote:

I've always wondered if going straight to the trades would work better.

I think this, or something similar to it, is going to become the way of the future for comics in general. With the price point being between $3 and $5 an issue, for what is often a 10 minute read, eventually it's going to come to a point where the monthly comic can no longer support itself.

Personally, I'd rather spend those kinds of dollars on something like a Handbook or Index that gives me hours of reading material. I may be biased, however.




Eduardo M.

Oct 6, 2011, 07:06 pm

Roger Ott wrote:

Personally, I'd rather spend those kinds of dollars on something like a Handbook or Index that gives me hours of reading material. I may be biased, however.

You and me both Roger.




Norman Rocks

Oct 6, 2011, 10:58 pm


Another things the floppies do is give everyone a chance to catch any mistakes before the trades.




Andy E. Nystrom

Oct 7, 2011, 01:52 am

Norman Rocks wrote:

I am very disappointed with this news. I think it was a mistake to index a lesser no character like Ghost Rider. I noticed the sales numbers dropped like a rock. Does anyone thing that a lower price point might help the sales?

I don't know that Ghost Rider's prescence hurt things. He's had his popular periods and Punisher and especially Wolverine are popular more often than not. I think I know why GR is in the book, but rather than say why in so many words, I think I'll just be Cage-y. People can probably figure it out though if they're Spirit-ed enough, with a Vengeance.