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Fantastic Four Subscription Irritation
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iarwain
Dec 7, 2011, 3:11:38 PM12/7/11
to
I haven't missed an issue of Fantastic Four since 1970. We lost all
of our brick and mortar comic book stores to the economey, so I
subscribed to Fantastic Four. They then converted the title to FF
(Future Foundation), so my subscription was changed to that. No
problem.
But now with #600, they are restarting Fantastic Four. But does my
subscription revert back to that? No, instead of getting #600, the
next issue I receive is Future Foundation #12. Now I will have to
pick up #600 and probably #601 as back issues if I want to read
them.
I understand how and why this works, but I still think it's a bit of
BS. I go in with the intention of subscribing to Fantastic Four, and
they divert me into another title. And now I will have to resubscribe
to Fantastic Four again, after missing an issue (and a big one at
that) for the first time in 40+ years. Irritating.
of our brick and mortar comic book stores to the economey, so I
subscribed to Fantastic Four. They then converted the title to FF
(Future Foundation), so my subscription was changed to that. No
problem.
But now with #600, they are restarting Fantastic Four. But does my
subscription revert back to that? No, instead of getting #600, the
next issue I receive is Future Foundation #12. Now I will have to
pick up #600 and probably #601 as back issues if I want to read
them.
I understand how and why this works, but I still think it's a bit of
BS. I go in with the intention of subscribing to Fantastic Four, and
they divert me into another title. And now I will have to resubscribe
to Fantastic Four again, after missing an issue (and a big one at
that) for the first time in 40+ years. Irritating.
grinningdemon
Dec 7, 2011, 11:59:38 PM12/7/11
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days...I'm really glad I don't get subcriptions that way because I'm
sure there are a lot of books you would end up getting screwed on
given their tendency to renumber, relaunch, and retitle.
Tim Turnip
Dec 8, 2011, 2:50:26 PM12/8/11
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they should be able to handle a slightly more sophisticated level of
subscription services. Iarwain should be given the offer of reverting
his sub back to the Fantastic Four book with that book's return (or
keeping it on FF since he might theoretically be enjoying that book's
storyline as much or more). Marvel's subscription services could keep
pace with the increasingly chaotic numbering trends with just a little
bit of added intelligence to the system.
grinningdemon
Dec 8, 2011, 4:41:05 PM12/8/11
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On Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:50:26 -0600, Tim Turnip <timt...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Maybe...but sometimes it's hard to tell what exactly is the
continuation of a given series...for instance, when Incredible Hulk
became Incredible Herc and Red Hulk started up, the first instinct
would be that the Hulk series is the continuation but Incredible Herc
was actually still written by the same writer and followed up on some
of the same plotlines and characters...likewise, the current FF
debacle isn't so easy to decipher considering both books are written
by the same writer and part of the same storyline...intentionally or
not, Marvel has really muddied the waters in recent years.
wrote:
continuation of a given series...for instance, when Incredible Hulk
became Incredible Herc and Red Hulk started up, the first instinct
would be that the Hulk series is the continuation but Incredible Herc
was actually still written by the same writer and followed up on some
of the same plotlines and characters...likewise, the current FF
debacle isn't so easy to decipher considering both books are written
by the same writer and part of the same storyline...intentionally or
not, Marvel has really muddied the waters in recent years.
Message has been deleted
Winston
Dec 9, 2011, 11:58:23 AM12/9/11
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iarwain <iarw...@hotmail.com> writes:
> But now with #600, they are restarting Fantastic Four. But does my
> subscription revert back to that? No, instead of getting #600, the
> next issue I receive is Future Foundation #12.
Confirmed, but there's a reason.
> But now with #600, they are restarting Fantastic Four. But does my
> subscription revert back to that? No, instead of getting #600, the
> next issue I receive is Future Foundation #12.
I just spoke with the Marvel Subscription folks. They confirmed that there
is a new Fantastic Four title and that issue #600 is part of that title.
However, it's not available by subscription direct from Marvel -- it's only
available through comics stores.
Quite a few titles that used to be available direct from Marvel no longer
are. Examples include X23, Daken, and New Mutants. Evidently, we can add
the restarted Fantastic Four to that list.
iarwain: Thanks! I was patiently waiting for my copies to arrive in the
mail and thinking how nice it was to get it by subscription so that I
wouldn't have to pay the huge cover price. :-/
-WBE
iarwain
Dec 10, 2011, 9:42:24 AM12/10/11
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:>They confirmed that there is a new Fantastic Four title and that
Certainly sounds convenient.
Strange that it isn't offered by subscription though.
Makes it an annoyance for me, since, as I said, we have no more brick
and mortar comic book stores here.
issue #600 is part of that title.
Funny that a #600 is considered a "new" title.
Certainly sounds convenient.
Strange that it isn't offered by subscription though.
Makes it an annoyance for me, since, as I said, we have no more brick
and mortar comic book stores here.
Winston
Dec 10, 2011, 10:52:04 AM12/10/11
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I previously posted:
# They confirmed that there is a new Fantastic Four title and that
# issue #600 is part of that title.
Well, okay, "new" was just my way of saying newly available title.
I don't recall Marvel using that word in our conversation.
> Strange that it isn't offered by subscription though.
As I said, there are many titles they've stopped offering by subscription
in the last year or so (and I'm sure my local comic store was happy about
their increased sales to me). Whether Marvel did that to help comic
stores or because postage went up or some other reason, I don't know.
> Makes it an annoyance for me, since, as I said, we have no more brick
> and mortar comic book stores here.
There are any number of brick and mortar comic stores that also do mail
order subscriptions. Two are:
1) Rebel Base Comics in Charlotte, NC (www.rebelbasecomics.com), and
2) Million Year Picnic, Cambridge, MA (www.millionyearpicnic.com).
In both cases, subscribers get a discount on new issues. (I've been a
happy in-store customer, but I've never had occasion to use anyone's
mail order services.)
There are also companies such as Mile High Comics that have advertised
their mail order service in comic books.
HTH,
-WBE
# They confirmed that there is a new Fantastic Four title and that
# issue #600 is part of that title.
Well, okay, "new" was just my way of saying newly available title.
I don't recall Marvel using that word in our conversation.
> Strange that it isn't offered by subscription though.
in the last year or so (and I'm sure my local comic store was happy about
their increased sales to me). Whether Marvel did that to help comic
stores or because postage went up or some other reason, I don't know.
> Makes it an annoyance for me, since, as I said, we have no more brick
> and mortar comic book stores here.
order subscriptions. Two are:
1) Rebel Base Comics in Charlotte, NC (www.rebelbasecomics.com), and
2) Million Year Picnic, Cambridge, MA (www.millionyearpicnic.com).
In both cases, subscribers get a discount on new issues. (I've been a
happy in-store customer, but I've never had occasion to use anyone's
mail order services.)
There are also companies such as Mile High Comics that have advertised
their mail order service in comic books.
HTH,
-WBE
iarwain
Dec 11, 2011, 8:56:25 AM12/11/11
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> There are also companies such as Mile High Comics that have advertised their mail order service in comic books.
Guess I'll have to find one then.
Strange that one of Marvel's main titles like the Fantastic Four isn't
available for subscription.
It was once considered their flagship comic, if it isn't anymore.
Have the movies damaged the book that badly?
I bet it will be available again before long.
grinningdemon
Dec 11, 2011, 10:29:53 PM12/11/11
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On Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:56:25 -0800 (PST), iarwain
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> There are also companies such as Mile High Comics that have advertised their mail order service in comic books.
>
>Guess I'll have to find one then.
>Strange that one of Marvel's main titles like the Fantastic Four isn't
>available for subscription.
>It was once considered their flagship comic, if it isn't anymore.
>Have the movies damaged the book that badly?
It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> There are also companies such as Mile High Comics that have advertised their mail order service in comic books.
>
>Guess I'll have to find one then.
>Strange that one of Marvel's main titles like the Fantastic Four isn't
>available for subscription.
>It was once considered their flagship comic, if it isn't anymore.
>Have the movies damaged the book that badly?
Marvel's flagship title...long before the movies came along...probably
not since at least the 80s if not earlier when X-Men hit it big.
>I bet it will be available again before long.
not in my lifetime...there are always books that aren't available or
screw ups and, now that the numbering and titling are all fubar, I'd
imagine it's worse than ever...you'd be much better off dealing with a
3rd party...and you can still find some decent discounts.
iarwain
Dec 12, 2011, 10:03:37 AM12/12/11
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> It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be Marvel's flagship title..
I think it was called the flagship title in the sense that it was
Marvel's first superhero comic, not that it was their best seller or
anything like that.
Spider-Man has been the face of Marvel for as long as I remember.
I guess its sales have dropped, or its reputation has greatly
declined.
They don't even put "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" on the cover
anymore.
>Marvel's subscription service has never been very reliable
My only complaint is the one in this thread.
Tim Turnip
Dec 12, 2011, 7:50:06 PM12/12/11
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On Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:03:37 -0800 (PST), iarwain
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be Marvel's flagship title..
>
>I think it was called the flagship title in the sense that it was
>Marvel's first superhero comic, not that it was their best seller or
>anything like that.
To me, FF shared the status of Marvel's flagship title with Amazing
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be Marvel's flagship title..
>
>I think it was called the flagship title in the sense that it was
>Marvel's first superhero comic, not that it was their best seller or
>anything like that.
Spider-Man until about the late-'80s, at that point ceding much of its
stake to both that book and the X-books, which have since become
Marvel's de facto flagship franchse.
grinningdemon
Dec 13, 2011, 1:40:42 AM12/13/11
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On Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:03:37 -0800 (PST), iarwain
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be Marvel's flagship title..
>
>I think it was called the flagship title in the sense that it was
>Marvel's first superhero comic, not that it was their best seller or
>anything like that.
>Spider-Man has been the face of Marvel for as long as I remember.
To me, a flagship title isn't dertermined by sales or popularity so
<iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> It's been a long time since anyone considered Fantastic Four to be Marvel's flagship title..
>
>I think it was called the flagship title in the sense that it was
>Marvel's first superhero comic, not that it was their best seller or
>anything like that.
>Spider-Man has been the face of Marvel for as long as I remember.
much as by Marvel's own treatment of the book and how it is
written...for lack of a better description, I would say a flagship
title an "event" book in the sense that many of the most important
events occur there...for instance, Uncanny X-Men was, until recently,
the flagship book of the x-titles in that it was the center for most
major developments...but this hasn't always been the case...the mantle
of flagship title seems to jump around from time to time...Morrison's
New X-Men was clearly the flagship x-book during that run and,
afterwards, it became Astonishing during Whedon's run.
If there is a Marvel-wide flagship book at the moment, it would
probably be Avengers.
>I guess its sales have dropped, or its reputation has greatly
>declined.
>They don't even put "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" on the cover
>anymore.
>
>>Marvel's subscription service has never been very reliable
>
>I've never missed an issue from them,
>My only complaint is the one in this thread.
occasional wrong or missed issues and damaged books...and, when series
ended or relaunched, the subs would often shift to totally unrelated
books without even giving me the option of choosing a replacement
title.
grinningdemon
Dec 13, 2011, 1:42:31 AM12/13/11
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On Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:50:06 -0600, Tim Turnip <timt...@gmail.com>
wrote:
I would more or less agree with that though I'd say the x-books have
been displaced by Avengers in recent years...something that greatly
annoys me since Bendis Avengers has always been awful.
wrote:
been displaced by Avengers in recent years...something that greatly
annoys me since Bendis Avengers has always been awful.
iarwain
Dec 13, 2011, 5:44:47 PM12/13/11
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> I would say a flagship title an "event" book in the sense that many of the most important events occur there
Interesting take.
It makes sense that they would try to put the focus on the Avengers,
what with the big movie coming out.
I imagine the budget on that one will be pretty big, so they're going
to need good box office.
grinningdemon
Dec 14, 2011, 12:33:20 AM12/14/11
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it's all because of the movie...basically, Bendis turned the Avengers
into a dumping ground for any random character from the Marvel
Universe so it kind of lends itself to events since anyone and
everyone can be or has been an Avenger.
Lilith
Dec 14, 2011, 10:15:45 PM12/14/11
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--
Lilith
grinningdemon
Dec 16, 2011, 12:38:09 AM12/16/11
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On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:15:45 -0600, Lilith <lili...@gmail.com>
Exactly...Bendis Avengers is basically the Secret Defenders all over
again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
around in the background and appear on covers.
again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
around in the background and appear on covers.
Scott Eiler
Dec 17, 2011, 12:31:56 AM12/17/11
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On 12/15/2011 9:38 PM, grinningdemon wrote:
> Exactly...Bendis Avengers is basically the Secret Defenders all over
> again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
> believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
> around in the background and appear on covers.
I see your point about the random Marvel heroes. But that's always been
> Exactly...Bendis Avengers is basically the Secret Defenders all over
> again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
> believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
> around in the background and appear on covers.
part of the Avengers fun. I hear that Captain America working with one
of Iron Man's villains and two Evil Mutants was controversial once too.
I sense a different agenda for some others. Popular characters get in
*because* they're popular. That's like the *original* Avengers.
Spider-Man, Wolverine, and now Storm are in for that reason. And I
actually like that. They've *all* been around long enough to be leaders
of superhumans. And I surely hope Wolverine is over his antisocial
issues by now.
So yeah, they may not be the best stories, but I have to admit they're
following tradition.
--
(signed) Scott Eiler 8{D> -------- http://www.eilertech.com/ ---------
Turns out I'm an anally-fixated oedipal paranoid with
south-of-the-border schizophrenic delusions... But never mind, I've
found me the ideal job. I'm going to run for President!
- Major Honey, scripted by Grant Morrison, Doom Patrol #46, August 1991.
iarwain
Dec 17, 2011, 2:10:22 AM12/17/11
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I really like that they brought the Vision back.
He was also a favorite for me (as an Avenger anyway).
It's like he's Marvel's answer to the Red Tornado.
He was also a favorite for me (as an Avenger anyway).
It's like he's Marvel's answer to the Red Tornado.
grinningdemon
Dec 17, 2011, 3:17:05 AM12/17/11
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On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:31:56 -0800, Scott Eiler <sei...@eilertech.com>
wrote:
>On 12/15/2011 9:38 PM, grinningdemon wrote:
>
>> Exactly...Bendis Avengers is basically the Secret Defenders all over
>> again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
>> believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
>> around in the background and appear on covers.
>
>I see your point about the random Marvel heroes. But that's always been
>part of the Avengers fun. I hear that Captain America working with one
>of Iron Man's villains and two Evil Mutants was controversial once too.
The difference being that it used to be "Earth's Mightiest
Heroes"...they were heroes who came together and were more than the
sum of their parts...with Bendis, they actually seem to be LESS than
the sum of their parts because they don't even function as a
team...they pretty much just stand around bitching at each other until
Bendis (and Marvel in general) comes up with some reason for them to
fight each other rather than actual bad guys...then the bad guys show
up and beat them silly...and Bendis makes them all so unlikable that
you actually want to see them get their asses kicked.
>I sense a different agenda for some others. Popular characters get in
>*because* they're popular. That's like the *original* Avengers.
>Spider-Man, Wolverine, and now Storm are in for that reason. And I
>actually like that. They've *all* been around long enough to be leaders
>of superhumans. And I surely hope Wolverine is over his antisocial
>issues by now.
I like that up to a point but it also needs to make sense from a
character stand point...and certain characters, like Wolverine, have
no business being Avengers...there was actually an issue once upon a
time where Cap flat out told him he would never be an Avenger...the
only reason he's there is popularity and there is no believable story
reason to keep him around...he's been around for Bendis' entire run
and has yet to actually DO anything of importance in any of the
stories...he literally just stands around in the background and
appears on the covers (in two different Avengers books, no less)...the
only cool thing he's done in the entire run was when Skrully
Spiderwoman (and don't even get me started on that shit) slit his
throat with his own claws when he first showed up.
>So yeah, they may not be the best stories, but I have to admit they're
>following tradition.
I don't think it's following tradition when he's spent most of his run
trying to reduce the Avengers to a street level gang who probably
couldn't even beat the New Warriors...but would certainly try because
they spend more time fighting the good guys than the bad guys.
wrote:
>On 12/15/2011 9:38 PM, grinningdemon wrote:
>
>> Exactly...Bendis Avengers is basically the Secret Defenders all over
>> again...random Marvel characters thrown together for no particular or
>> believable reason...with Wolverine and Spiderman thrown in to stand
>> around in the background and appear on covers.
>
>I see your point about the random Marvel heroes. But that's always been
>part of the Avengers fun. I hear that Captain America working with one
>of Iron Man's villains and two Evil Mutants was controversial once too.
Heroes"...they were heroes who came together and were more than the
sum of their parts...with Bendis, they actually seem to be LESS than
the sum of their parts because they don't even function as a
team...they pretty much just stand around bitching at each other until
Bendis (and Marvel in general) comes up with some reason for them to
fight each other rather than actual bad guys...then the bad guys show
up and beat them silly...and Bendis makes them all so unlikable that
you actually want to see them get their asses kicked.
>I sense a different agenda for some others. Popular characters get in
>*because* they're popular. That's like the *original* Avengers.
>Spider-Man, Wolverine, and now Storm are in for that reason. And I
>actually like that. They've *all* been around long enough to be leaders
>of superhumans. And I surely hope Wolverine is over his antisocial
>issues by now.
character stand point...and certain characters, like Wolverine, have
no business being Avengers...there was actually an issue once upon a
time where Cap flat out told him he would never be an Avenger...the
only reason he's there is popularity and there is no believable story
reason to keep him around...he's been around for Bendis' entire run
and has yet to actually DO anything of importance in any of the
stories...he literally just stands around in the background and
appears on the covers (in two different Avengers books, no less)...the
only cool thing he's done in the entire run was when Skrully
Spiderwoman (and don't even get me started on that shit) slit his
throat with his own claws when he first showed up.
>So yeah, they may not be the best stories, but I have to admit they're
>following tradition.
trying to reduce the Avengers to a street level gang who probably
couldn't even beat the New Warriors...but would certainly try because
they spend more time fighting the good guys than the bad guys.
grinningdemon
Dec 17, 2011, 3:19:17 AM12/17/11
to
Avenger...though it's not quite the same version of the character.
And I could be wrong, but doesn't he predate the robot Red Tornado?
Tim Turnip
Dec 17, 2011, 3:06:10 PM12/17/11
to
Oct. '68) than the Tornado (JLA #64, Aug. '68). To me, that's close
enough that one cannot be said to have been an "answer" to the other,
although i think iarwain's point was more that they are symbolic
counterparts.
iarwain
Dec 17, 2011, 7:13:19 PM12/17/11
to
> i think iarwain's point was more that they are symbolic counterparts.
Thanks for the benefit of the doubt, but I really did think that the
Red Tornado had been around a lot longer than the Vision, for whatever
reason.
You have to admit there are some similarities in the characters
though, both being red faced androids.
grinningdemon
Dec 17, 2011, 10:56:38 PM12/17/11
to
On Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:06:10 -0600, Tim Turnip <timt...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Fair enough...I didn't realize they were introduced so close
together...as for symbolic counterparts, I guess I can see
that...except Vision has been more of a mainstay in the Avengers
(until recently, anyway) than Tornado has been in the JLA.
wrote:
together...as for symbolic counterparts, I guess I can see
that...except Vision has been more of a mainstay in the Avengers
(until recently, anyway) than Tornado has been in the JLA.
grinningdemon
Dec 17, 2011, 10:57:37 PM12/17/11
to
character?
Tim Turnip
Dec 19, 2011, 6:41:31 AM12/19/11
to
On Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:56:38 -0600, grinningdemon
True, and also the Vision joined the Avengers first, whereas the
Tornado hung out with the JSA and was only a recurring character until
he joined the JLA a few years later. It's probably safer to say that
THAT idea was insipired by the Vision being in the Avengers.
Tornado hung out with the JSA and was only a recurring character until
he joined the JLA a few years later. It's probably safer to say that
THAT idea was insipired by the Vision being in the Avengers.
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