new transformers comic

big bad bri · Post by **big bad bri** » 26 Apr 2007, 15:32

I just got the new previews mag or catalogue if you like and in the uk section it says there will be a new transformers comic from titan.?2.60 pm. i remember collecting the old marvel uk weekly which i thought was great.its a shame most new comics are monthly now they should at least try a fortnightly schedule which astonishing spiderman has just started,though i'm sure that will revert back to monthly within a year.I know the last last attempt at a weekly (striker )only survived just over a year but its time for the uk to get back to what it was like in the 60s-80s with loads of weekly titles on the shelves,it works with all the differnt tv guides and womens mags so why not comics again,2000ad and beano and dandy shows it can still work if done right,even though i feel the dandy is cheating somewhat with the free toys on the cover every week.
big bad bri

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 26 Apr 2007, 16:45

It's not economical to risk publishing a new weekly comic in this day and age. Weekly comics were fine when comics sold in the hundreds of thousands but now they sell in the tens of thousands so a longer shelf-life is more important.

The women's mags you mention far outsell comics, and their strength is up-to-the-minute gossip, so a weekly schedule is more feasible.

It takes several weeks for sales figures to filter back to the publisher, so if a comic is a disaster, they can cancel it only having paid for printing two or three issues. If it's a disaster on a weekly schedule they may have already released 9 or 10 (or more) issues before they get the figures back, so they stand to lose more money. (Printing a weekly is no cheaper than printing a monthly of course.)

That said, there are numerous titles now that appear more frequently than monthly. To give a few examples: Spectacular Spider-Man and Action Man ATOM appear every 3 weeks, and Toxic and Doctor Who Adventures are fortnightly.

Sounds like a reasonable compromise to me.

As for cover-mounts on comics; they've become an essential incentive to encourage the retail giants to stock the issues. (You may have noticed that the free gift content is increasing, with titles giving away 3 or 4 gifts now, encased in a bag with the comic.)

Lew

PaulTwist · Post by **PaulTwist** » 29 Apr 2007, 22:10

Don't suppose Titan have commissioned you to do new Robo-Capers or Combat Colin as a back-up strip have they, Lew?

Lew Stringer · Post by **Lew Stringer** » 29 Apr 2007, 22:16

PaulTwist wrote:Don't suppose Titan have commissioned you to do new Robo-Capers or Combat Colin as a back-up strip have they, Lew?

I'm afraid not.

Lew

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