Sales Position & Figures for Alpha Flight (Vol.4) #1 *UPDATED*

[Phil]

Based on past months figures, I'd guess we're looking at around 50k which puts it around the same sales as Omega Flight #1 and beating Volume 3 #1 which for a much weaker comics marker and dollar value generally is an amazing thing.

[swh_comicguy]

If I remember my retailer correctly, they received free copies based on the purchased numbers of another Marvel title issue. So they got 50 copies + 2 Variants while only actually having to purchase 25 copies and the 2 variants.

They were back down to 25 copies + 1 Variant for issue #2.

So actual sell through is what is important. The position of #1 is definitely skewed.

[Phil]

That explains why the dollar index is lower than the sales positions lower than it, but even so it's still a high dollar share.
#2 being $2.99 will affect it to, but signs are positive so far.

[SmurfInABlender]

Yeah. with them trying to hand out free copies to get more reading, it looks like once again, Marvel is going all out in promoting this rendition. If it doesn't succeed, we can probably kiss Alpha flight good bye, once and for all. So this next month will be the real sign on how it is doing, because I feel like if they were going to make it ongoing, they would have to make the decision in the next 2-3 months so that there would be time to get the 9th issue out.

[Phil]

I personally don't think we'll get an ongoing.

I reckon that the series will take a 4-6 month break and then have another maxi series, possibly tied in to the next event.

That's all based on my opinion, no details or insider knowledge.

[Sypes]

I personally like series like this one rather than ongoing. At least they can focus on a better storyline rather than "filler" issues where things don't make sense and are boring to read (aka the Dreamqueen crap). I'd be happy to get a 8 issues mini series every year for many years to come, rather than them getting a full time ongoing series, which they would eventually cancel and we'd never hear from AF ever again

[Legerd]

I have some hope of #2, and subsequent issues selling well due to the positive feedback from fans. Many people on CBR are gushing about the title who normally are rather cynical. Even one guy who hasn't had a good thing to say about Alpha Flight posted that Fear Itself should have been written more the way the maxi is going.
If the book can maintain these numbers then I can see an ongoing happening. Short of the remaining issues dropping into the sub-basement of the rankings, there will be more maxi series in the future, IMHO.

[varo]

yeah, kinda like a good movie not dropping off significantly in its second week out. i would love to see maxi-series, kind of like the inhumans were doing for a while. i don't want to wait 6-8 months between though. 50k a month is a very strong number in todays market (still amazes me the original sold 500k) and with marvel fully backing the series and team, i see them pushing form a ongoing. i agree with sypes though, seems once creative teams change, and i know the current team would love a long run, but not forever, which would put us right back to what happened once byrne then mignola left. a mess.

[varo]

btw, looking at those sales numbers, i always wondered how x-factor stayed around. its a great series, very well written and enjoyable, but its's always towards the bottom of sales. i think marvel really supports this title.

[suzene]

I do wonder if a series of maxi-series wouldn't be the best way to go. For one thing, you avoid having storylines derailed by the next big event, and they could time it so that the new story hits the stand about the same time the trade for the last one comes out, which seems like a good way to build and maintain readership (as well as possibly convince a few trade-waiters to jump on the monthly bandwagon).

btw, looking at those sales numbers, i always wondered how x-factor stayed around. its a great series, very well written and enjoyable, but its's always towards the bottom of sales. i think marvel really supports this title.

I was stunned when Peter David was stumping about a couple of years ago claiming that shutting down internet spoilers would help him triple X-Factor's sales within a year. It was seriously a "Sir, how long have you been working in this industry?" moment. MightyGodKing said it best -- unless that became a book starring Wolverine, Spidey, and Batman, that just wasn't going to happen. The book does have a loyal audience, though; the sales trend downward, but it's a very slow bleed, comparatively. Having steady sales must count for something.

[Garry/Al-Fan]

Yeah. with them trying to hand out free copies to get more reading, it looks like once again, Marvel is going all out in promoting this rendition. If it doesn't succeed, we can probably kiss Alpha flight good bye, once and for all. So this next month will be the real sign on how it is doing, because I feel like if they were going to make it ongoing, they would have to make the decision in the next 2-3 months so that there would be time to get the 9th issue out.

This is a fallacious premise that I hope most people don't get sucked into believing. ALPHA FLIGHT is a property of MARVEL, just like "Superman" and "Green Lantern" are properties of DC comics. If one product version of "ALPHA FLIGHT" does not do as well as expected, eventually another product version of "ALPHA FLIGHT" will be produced.

Or MARVEL will just let a viable property just languish into obscurity. I doubt that will ever happen.

[suzene]

Or MARVEL will just let a viable property just languish into obscurity. I doubt that will ever happen.

But if the book fails with all of the press and promotion that Marvel's given it this time around, then how much of a viable property Alpha Flight actually is comes into question.

[Garry/Al-Fan]

Then it would be wise to look at more of the editorial decisions made concerning what is published, because the creative team---as much as they are trying (and have tried in the past)---is constrained by what the company's goals are.

When MARVEL focuses (primarily) on telling a story---instead of just illustrating disconnected "plot-points"---they get closer to giving people something that would deserve an on-going.

When MARVEL focuses on manipulating the reading public through fear and greed, the results usually don't turn out very well.

[Sypes]

I think we all agree that 1) we want Alpha Flight around, but a quality Alpha Flight. And 2) we'd rather have a few maxi series that sell well here and there, than a crappy serie that doesn't do well, disappears and takes years (if even that) to come again.

[Flightpath07]

Well, I see this ranking has them ahead of several X-Men titles as well as Wolverine and a whole bunch of the DC relaunches. Good job! Hope it gets better yet!

[Phil]

This is a fallacious premise that I hope most people don't get sucked into believing. ALPHA FLIGHT is a property of MARVEL, just like "Superman" and "Green Lantern" are properties of DC comics. If one product version of "ALPHA FLIGHT" does not do as well as expected, eventually another product version of "ALPHA FLIGHT" will be produced.

Or MARVEL will just let a viable property just languish into obscurity. I doubt that will ever happen.

I agree in part with both what Smurf.. and yourself are saying.

I think the key word you've used is 'eventually.'

If this maxi were to bomb I don't think we'd get another series for the best part of a decade, or at least untill the copyright of the name is due to expire if that's before. (On a similar theme I've seen talk of how in order to keep the copyright on the title 'Captain Marvel' and stop it falling into DC-useable hands Marvel has to put out a CM title every so often, be it an ongoing, a mini or a oneshot, in order to keep using the name. Whether it's true or not, I have no legal knowledge.)

However I think that based on the sales for #0.1 & 1 alone the maxi is already a success as a maxi series.

Whether the sales figures continue to be high enough to justify another maxi/ongoing is a different story. Hopefully it's got the legs.

Again, the key word you've used is 'viable'
Volume 3 WAS NOT viable, therefore after that the team, the name and the brand Alpha Flight was not a viable property.

And this is where business came into it.
Despite what people think of Quesada, Breevort & Marvel generally, they held out until they got a decent submission for an AF story.
If they had just flooded the market with poor pitches then the viability of AF would have sunk even further down.

Based on Volume 4 so far, they did the right thing.

[DelBubs]

I think we all agree that 1) we want Alpha Flight around, but a quality Alpha Flight. And 2) we'd rather have a few maxi series that sell well here and there, than a crappy serie that doesn't do well, disappears and takes years (if even that) to come again.

Although I would love to see an ongoing I think in the cyrrent climate periodic maxi's would make AF more viable in the long run. A failed ongoing would probably seriously damage them. The current writers have made AF a serious proposition again and hopefully that can be built on.

[Garry/Al-Fan]

I agree in part with both what Smurf.. and yourself are saying.

I think the key word you've used is 'eventually.'

If this maxi were to bomb I don't think we'd get another series for the best part of a decade, or at least untill the copyright of the name is due to expire if that's before. (On a similar theme I've seen talk of how in order to keep the copyright on the title 'Captain Marvel' and stop it falling into DC-useable hands Marvel has to put out a CM title every so often, be it an ongoing, a mini or a oneshot, in order to keep using the name. Whether it's true or not, I have no legal knowledge.)

MARVEL wouldn't publish ALPHA FLIGHT if it thought all it would do is 'bomb'. There are too many fans who won't let that happen, anyway. As a licensed property, it probably wouldn't take ten years for another (version of) Alpha Flight to be published. So far, MARVEL seems to be interested in bringing out the potential that ALPHA FLIGHT has always possessed. - G/A-F
However I think that based on the sales for #0.1 & 1 alone the maxi is already a success as a maxi series.

I agree, wholeheartedly. - G/A-F

Whether the sales figures continue to be high enough to justify another maxi/ongoing is a different story. Hopefully it's got the legs.

Again, the key word you've used is 'viable'
Volume 3 WAS NOT viable [vol. 3 was not Alpha Flight - G/A-F], therefore after that the team, the name and the brand Alpha Flight was not a viable property.

When I use the word 'viable', I mean something that's worth being published. MARVEL must have felt that vol. 1 was viable because it published 130 issues. MARVEL must have felt vol. 2 was viable because they published it for 20 issues. MARVEL must have felt vol. 3 was viable enough to publish it for 12 issues. When I use the word 'viable', I also mean something that's worth reading. Vision and execution go a long way to making comics 'viable'. This is something that a lot of people seem to have forgotten. - G/A-F

And this is where business came into it.
Despite what people think of Quesada, Breevort & Marvel generally, they held out until they got a decent submission for an AF story.
If they had just flooded the market with poor pitches then the viability of AF would have sunk even further down.

Based on Volume 4 so far, they did the right thing.

I agree.

[Phil]

MARVEL wouldn't publish ALPHA FLIGHT if it thought all it would do is 'bomb'.

Yeah, but thinking it won't bomb/fail and it actually failing are two very very different things.
Volume 3 failed.
Big time.
It's sales spiraled badly, and it tainted the brand name badly.

There are too many fans who won't let that happen, anyway.

I respectfully disagree.
If there were we'd be on #400odd of Volume 1 still. (Guesstimating, my math is lazy)
In the grand scheme of the comics market, and the even more grand scheme of the world AF fans are a very small minority.
3 cancelled series, each decreasing in sales proves this.

As a licensed property, it probably wouldn't take ten years for another (version of) Alpha Flight to be published.

Volume 1 ended in 1994, Volume 2 began in 1997 = 3 years
Volume 2 ended in 1999, Volume 3 began in 2004 = 5 years
Volume 3 ended in 2005, Volume 4 began in 2011 = 6 years.

The gap is getting longer.

So far, MARVEL seems to be interested in bringing out the potential that ALPHA FLIGHT has always possessed.

Of course they're interested in it, IF it makes money.

Vol. 3 was not Alpha Flight

But it was.
Whether you or I liked it or not, it counted. It happened.
It had the words 'Alpha Flight' on the front and represented the brand name.

When I use the word 'viable', I mean something that's worth being published.

'Worth' is a tricky subject though.
How do you define worth?
One man's excrement is another man's gold.

MARVEL must have felt that vol. 1 was viable because it published 130 issues. MARVEL must have felt vol. 2 was viable because they published it for 20 issues. MARVEL must have felt vol. 3 was viable enough to publish it for 12 issues.

Yet if it were financially viable they'd never have had to cancel the first volume.
AF stopped being viable each time.
Or at the very least it's viability signifciantly decreased.

When I use the word 'viable', I also mean something that's worth reading. Vision and execution go a long way to making comics 'viable'. This is something that a lot of people seem to have forgotten.

I agree, which is why I value this Volume more than Volume 3.
I believe this is worth reading.
But that's just my opinion.
I don't have the power to make everyone like this book and to make everyone buy this book.

Just because you or I think the book is viable, it doesn't mean the rest of the comic buying public do.
And if it's not viable to the comic buying public it's not viable to Marvel/Disney shareholders etc. who are in the business of making successfully selling comic books.

[varo]

i don't subscribe to conspiracy theories or think marvel never liked alpha flight, but..................................


i strongly believe if joe q was still eic that alpha would not have gotten the strong push it received prior to the launch of this series. no preview pages, no "next big thing" , no interviews.
i believe the current powers that be have a interest in these characters and are doing everything in their power for it to succeed. i strongly believe joe q never felt they were a marketable team.

i could be wrong.