Fantastic Four - The End

Bob PaisleyBob Paisley Posts: 3,617
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Here we go again...

Clearly Marvel are not going to mothball one of their flagship titles, featuring the company's 'first family'. Obviously, as night follows day, the title will be relaunched sometime in the next few months.

And yet everyone is reporting the story as if the Fantastic Four title is really being killed of for good. Madness. Pure madness.

Comments

  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    I'm getting fed up of the number of relaunches Marvel are doing. Frankly, it's putting me off mainstream comics as I'm not overly enamoured with the Distinguished Competition, either...
  • frightleverfrightlever Posts: 1,272
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    Well... they're allegedly side-lining "mutants" as well, with Inhumans filling that role on eg Agents of Shield.

    The argument is they want all their film properties back. Sony have made a deal on Spider-man (and there's no way they're putting him on hiatus) but Fox are hanging on to the F4, with the latest, potentially horrendous non-canon, movie in production. To be fair, I think Fox are handling the mutants okay but clearly Marvel wants everyone back in-house.

    Also, Fantastic Four doesn't actually sell all that well.

    http://comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2014/2014-12.html
  • Bob PaisleyBob Paisley Posts: 3,617
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    mred2000 wrote: »
    I'm getting fed up of the number of relaunches Marvel are doing. Frankly, it's putting me off mainstream comics as I'm not overly enamoured with the Distinguished Competition, either...

    I genuinely think we're going to reach a point in the not too distant future where, assuming print editions of comics actually still exist, every title will be relaunched every year and no title will go beyond issue 12.
  • Bob PaisleyBob Paisley Posts: 3,617
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    Well... they're allegedly side-lining "mutants" as well, with Inhumans filling that role on eg Agents of Shield.

    The argument is they want all their film properties back. Sony have made a deal on Spider-man (and there's no way they're putting him on hiatus) but Fox are hanging on to the F4, with the latest, potentially horrendous non-canon, movie in production. To be fair, I think Fox are handling the mutants okay but clearly Marvel wants everyone back in-house.

    Also, Fantastic Four doesn't actually sell all that well.

    http://comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2014/2014-12.html

    I still don't understand how non-production of the actual titles will help them get the film rights back (as a sidebar, who was the genius who signed the rights away in perpetuity?). Is there some strange clause in the contract?

    And surely the films will attract casual readers to the titles, thus making more money for Marvel, even if they don't have the film rights?
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    I genuinely think we're going to reach a point in the not too distant future where, assuming print editions of comics actually still exist, every title will be relaunched every year and no title will go beyond issue 12.

    I think that's how things used to happen way back in the early days...
    I still don't understand how non-production of the actual titles will help them get the film rights back (as a sidebar, who was the genius who signed the rights away in perpetuity?). Is there some strange clause in the contract?

    And surely the films will attract casual readers to the titles, thus making more money for Marvel, even if they don't have the film rights?

    I read recently that there are clauses in the contracts with Sony and Fox regarding that if their Marvel movies don't hit certain targets then Marvel can get the rights back, somehow. So, by culling the comics, Marvel will be culling a big chunk of the publicity machine.
    Rights to X-Men and F4 were signed away long before Marvel had their own movie/tv. plans.

    I'd heard rumours that Marvel were in talks with Sony about Spidey but wasn't aware it was a done deal...*

    ETA:* latest info I can find is that Marvel tried to get Spidey back, in some kind of loan deal, but failed.
  • JAS84JAS84 Posts: 7,430
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    They also get the rights back if no movie is made in a certain timeframe. That's how they got Blade back, because they couldn't make a film in time because Wesley Snipes was in jail. It's also why this FF reboot movie exists, and why we have the Amazing Spider-Man films.
  • be more pacificbe more pacific Posts: 19,061
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    mred2000 wrote: »
    I think that's how things used to happen way back in the early days...



    I read recently that there are clauses in the contracts with Sony and Fox regarding that if their Marvel movies don't hit certain targets then Marvel can get the rights back, somehow. So, by culling the comics, Marvel will be culling a big chunk of the publicity machine.
    Rights to X-Men and F4 were signed away long before Marvel had their own movie/tv. plans.

    I'd heard rumours that Marvel were in talks with Sony about Spidey but wasn't aware it was a done deal...*

    ETA:* latest info I can find is that Marvel tried to get Spidey back, in some kind of loan deal, but failed.
    Have you seen the sales figures for the Fantastic Four comics? The publicity from such meagre numbers will have very little effect on box office performance of the movie.

    Quite the opposite. Even though Marvel isn't happy about other studios holding the rights to its properties, the publicity from the movie will be used to sell comic books. I am 100% certain the FF title will be relaunched at the time the movie is released.
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    If Marvel does anymore reboots I may consider giving it up, absolutely sick of the yearly reboots, it's why I'm preferring DC lately.
  • Bob PaisleyBob Paisley Posts: 3,617
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    AdzPower wrote: »
    If Marvel does anymore reboots I may consider giving it up, absolutely sick of the yearly reboots, it's why I'm preferring DC lately.

    Well, you won't like what's just been announced then. It looks like Marvel are doing a complete reboot of their various universes. I assume we'll have aload of issue number ones afterwards. Sounds like DC are doing something similar too.
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    Well, you won't like what's just been announced then. It looks like Marvel are doing a complete reboot of their various universes. I assume we'll have aload of issue number ones afterwards. Sounds like DC are doing something similar too.

    Eurgh, that's it, Marvel is over for me, I just can't take it anymore.
    With DC I don't mind as much because they already had the new 52 stuff going on so I figured it would change again at some point.
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