The Four Color Media Monitor: Spider-Man's lost popularity to Batman in sales

The UK Guardian's published some charts proving that rubbing out the Spider-Marriage and then shoving Peter Parker out of his own body has proven detrimental to sales and fandom:

Spider-man may be able to stick to walls but his sales figures are sliding as Batman becomes the US's top super hero, according to estimates based on distributor data.

Comics featuring the web-slinging superhero as a titular character have reached the top 300 monthly sales charts in the US just under 1,500 times over the past decade. These charting titles have led to estimated sales of 49m and a gross of over $140m - making him the top grossing superhero for comic books sales over the past decade.

However, despite coming out on top overall, Spidey's sales have begun to wane. Since 2010 comics featuring Batman in the title have sold more than those featuring Spider-man.

2012 saw 4.5m charting Batman comics being sold compared to 3.2m Spider-man comics. This represents a fall for Spidey from a height of 5.7m in 2002 - the year that the first Spider-man movie featuring Tobey Maguire was released - compared to 2.2m Batman comics.

Batman and Spider-man still fall behind the X-Men when it comes to overall sales but this is partially down to the large number of titles released under that banner. Charting X-Men comics sold just under 65m copies, grossing almost $200m between 2002 and 2012.

Female superheroes did not fare so well either with Wonder Woman being the only one whose sales were comparable with her Justice League teammates Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and the Flash.

Too bad they won't mention the exact reasons why. Since when were moviegoers interested in reading about the non-adventures of a criminal who performed a mind-switch, and how can they possibly care about a series that throws out the best written leading lady?

While Spidey has lost popularity for many good reasons, Batman isn't faring much better because the editorial fiats at DC affect the Masked Manhunter's titles just as much as the Marvel editors do Spidey's, and Batman's been subject to some pretty bad crossovers too. In fact, none of the series they cite are doing very well at all, thanks to the political correctness of the editors and the companies that own the properties.

While we're on the subject, audience reception for Spidey isn't likely to improve with the following in store:

Spider-Man isn't exactly in his right mind.

That's because his mind isn't in his body.

The signature Marvel Comics superhero has had an interesting 2013, with the fallout of dying archenemy Doctor Octopus swapping brains with Peter Parker and the villain becoming a more hard-core, no-nonsense, almost anti-heroic version of the character.

Or, in Doc Ock's opinion, the superior Spider-Man.

And in the opinion of any sensible Spider-fan, the inferior editorial mandate. And how was this an interesting year for Spidey? It was only a boring, worthless one.

Strap in for more changes, true believers: July's "Superior Spider-Month" features Spidey undergoing a costume makeover, getting a new headquarters, recruiting henchmen and other things that would make Captain America's head turn. In addition, the month sees the debut of three Spider-books: the ongoing book The Superior Foes of Spider-Man (in stores July 3), the five-issue miniseries Superior Carnage (July 17) and Superior Spider-Man Team-Up (July 24).

I looked at a picture USA Today provided, and it looks like they're just reusing elements from the old black costume again, pre-Venom. I honestly don't see how this makes for something that should take up an entire series going for more than a dozen issues, nor why Doc Ock has to be in the spotlight proper.

"Spider-Man has been around for 50 years, and it's nice that we have a Spider-Man that when he does things, it surprises the readers. People do not know what this guy's going to do next," says Dan Slott, writer of the main Superior Spider-Man series.

And it's terrible that we have cynics assigned to write and edit Spidey's adventures, and when said writers proceed to do something, it only drives away the readers, even people new to comics.

Having a character with a different personality who's also changing the concept of a superhero has invigorated other scribes, too, such as Christopher Yost. In his Superior Spider-Man Team-Up, he's "writing the full, unchecked ego of Doctor Octopus, (who's) using all the villainous tropes, but for the greater good," Yost says.

No good can come when the villain drives Peter Parker out of his own body and keeps it a secret from the rest of the superhero community. Who knew how many pretentious hack writers were out there who fully back the current vision all the way?

They're even launching a spinoff series called the "Superior Foes of Spider-Man", starring his rogues' gallery, and what's it all about?

The humor-driven series will focus on a bunch of working-class supervillains trying to survive in the crowded, messy New York City underworld. And while Spider-Man is "the elephant in the room," even though he might not be around that often, "some of these longtime rogues might be the first people who realize that something is not right here" with his new persona, Spencer says.

"It's a book about unrepentant bad people making mistakes that only make their lives worse. Normally we're working on stories of personal redemption, and this is really just about small-time crooks being small-time crooks and getting to enjoy the train wreck that is these guys' lives."

I don't see what's so funny about criminals being just that. They make life miserable or worse for innocent people, and we're supposed to think that's funny?

Over in the main Superior Spider-Man book, those around Peter Parker and his web-swinging alter ego are starting to wonder why he's been different lately, too, especially now that Ock has finally gotten rid of the last remnant of the old Peter, who had been pushing him to be more heroic.

"They all have to deal with this really messed-up version of Spider-Man," Slott says. "It's going to lead to some weird stuff, things you'd never see in a Spider-Man comic ever. He's really going to Doc Ock this up."

He has a new love interest in Anna Maria Marconi, a science-type who is different from the supermodels Peter used to date back in the day and who falls for his intellect and odd personality. Spidey also has a new method for catching bad guys: being proactive and using a villainous methodology.

And he still won't tell who he really is, or try to repent by helping Peter back into his body? And the woman he meets is set up to have poor taste in men's color of character, I guess. We could do without all this cheap excuse for mayhem being committed in the body of Spidey by a supervillain who's got no real remorse for wiping out the hero who owns it.

We've learned today just why Spider-Man's lost popularity in sales and audience reception.

Labels: bad editors, Batman, dc comics, Flash, Green Lantern, marvel comics, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, Spider-Man, Superman, violence, women of dc, women of marvel, Wonder Woman

"Too bad they won't mention the exact reasons why. Since when were moviegoers interested in reading about the non-adventures of a criminal who performed a mind-switch..."

Are you saying that Spider-Man sales are down since mind-switch?

Because the exact opposite is true.

Since the mind-switch sales on Spider-Man have regularly gained over 25,000 readers then it had before the mind-switch. Superior Spider-Man is currently one of Marvel's best selling books. Isn't it outselling all of the Avengers and X-Men titles?

Posted by Anonymous | 3:22 PM

Well well, what do we have here but an anonymous troll, defending the awful, pointless and inferior direction taken with Spidey without even providing any serious facts. If you'd bother to look at ICV2's recent sales chart, you'd notice it sure didn't surpass the most recent X-Men relaunch, and atop that, it's definitely selling well below 100,000 copies. Maybe if you'd also bother to read Sean Howe's Marvel bio, you'd see that this is no different from the crossover events of the 90s, when sales declines would consistently follow each of those embarrassments.

Say, I wonder...might you happen to be Dan Slott? Because if you are, then you're setting a bad example by trolling in cowardice. If you're a reader of his, then you're giving idolatry a bad name by trolling in his. Tsk tsk. Next time, I suggest you consider that if you troll anonymously on other people's websites, you ponder the potential that you're making comics readers look like selfish nerds by acting as apologists for futility.

Posted by Avi Green | 7:11 AM

I just want to make sure I understand this.

The only example of an ongoing Marvel title you can think of that's outsold Spider-Man in the last six months is the inflated sales of a relaunched title with a new #1?

Why do get so worked up over where facts come from that you have to resort to name calling? Who cares if I'm a "reader of his giving idolatry a bad name" if what I'm saying is true?

Why does the truth scare you so much? How is stating the truth trolling?

In the article that you linked to, that chart showed that Spider-Man sales have been going up since 2011.

Doesn't that prove the opposite of what you're saying about the "mind-switch"? How can it be part of an overall decline if it's clearly part of the increase in the past 2 years?

And how are you not making comic readers look bad by being someone who tries to distort facts to justify their angry rants?

Posted by Anonymous | 4:50 AM

Dan Slott, it's pretty obvious by now that it's you who's posted an anonymous comment without showing the courage to sign your real name. I just checked my stats and got a visit from New York on a Time Warner Cable account. That's where guys like you usually reside, and the signs are almost 9 to 1 now that it's you hiding in the bushes.

You've been writing heated and abusive replies to other people who disagree with your direction, including a few I happen to know, and now, you want to troll here anonymously in defense of your MO? For someone who accuses another of being afraid of the truth, you sure seem pretty afraid to use your real name. If you really believe in what you're doing, you wouldn't hide behind such anonymity, or even pseudonyms.

If that's Slott out there, you'd do well to shed the disguise and come clean. If you're not willing to, then you've proven yourself the opposite of even Clark Kent. Stop trying to inflame the situation.

I feel sorry for you, that you don't want to see anything wrong with your approach to writing Spidey, and worse, that you're being so thin-skinned to disagreement that you even take to trolling against people who say something you don't agree with. Now, you're even resorting to posting anonymous replies on other people's sites because you no longer have the courage to dissent in your own name. If you really have such a problem with fans in disagreement, my best suggestion is not to read sites you're unhappy with. There's nothing hard about that, and if I could do that, so can you. Have a nice day.

Posted by Avi Green | 6:12 AM

Slott, give it up. We know it's you. If you don't like what people are saying about your work, ignore it.

Also, grow up and learn that not everyone is going to like what you've written.

Posted by Anonymous | 1:47 PM

Slott is a coward, this proves him wrong:
http://truthwillwin1.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/is-superior-really-superior-does-marketing-always-tell-the-truth/

This shows Marvel trying to cover for him:
http://truthwillwin1.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/why-do-some-online-forums-fail-a-story-of-bias-and-poor-management/

Maybe I should have put it in all caps so that he would understand it;)

Posted by Anonymous | 7:41 AM

Slott will not give his name if it is not in a forum that will bend to his needs. For example he will start a fight then run to a moderator to shut it down when he is getting his butt kicked. Then if he really messed up the moderator will delete the post.He has yet to learn that using capital letters does not mean fact it means that he is yelling which is a sign of someone losing a debate.
Notice here that he was "Anonymous".
He calls people who support the fact that sales got a bump but they are going down again as people with "sock puppet accounts" yet he does this.
Slott is so blind that he cannot see his very own hypocrisy.

Posted by Anonymous | 4:20 AM

Sorry that last post was from me.

Posted by truthwillwin1 | 4:23 AM

"I don't see what's so funny about criminals being just that. They make life miserable or worse for innocent people, and we're supposed to think that's funny?" (Avi).

Boom. Right on target. The moral compass of the people steering the ship is broken. Badly. The villain is now the hero and little kids are supposed to get excited when they go to the comic shop to buy ... Doctor Octopus-as-Spider-Man.

Want to know how else you can tell it's Dan Slott posting anonymously? Because he went to the "distortion" line. That's what he does when he doesn't like what someone says about him or the numbers they use. It's all a distortion unless it's coming from Dan Slott.

I wish he'd come back. He's also great at the red herring when he gets cornered. That's always good for a laugh.

Perhaps he wouldn't have so many close calls with deadlines if he wasn't acting like Scott Bakula in Quantum Leap, righting the wrongs of anyone who dislikes the idea of Doc Ock as Spider-Man.

Posted by Anonymous | 4:03 PM

Yeah, "distort" and "distortion" are Slott's catchphrases. His disguise is pretty transparent. I think he trolls anonymously because he's gained notoriety for being a man-child on the forums and blogs (he's showed up here before, using his actual name) and he thinks that people are too stupid to know it's not him. But we're not stupid. He gave himself away by using "distort."

Posted by Anonymous | 5:08 PM

I meant to say, "too stupid to know it's him."

If you want even more proof that it's Slott hiding anonymously, look at this from May of 2012 when he showed up around here: http://fourcolormedmon.blogspot.com/2012/05/alonso-has-no-more-respect-for.html

His rants are worded exactly the same way as the anonymous troll here. Right down to the distortion line. It's him.

Posted by Anonymous | 4:08 PM