Astonishing X-Men #50 Sales Figures

[rplass]

I predict! (cue spooky futuristic sound effects) Ast XM #51 will break the 100K mark. Kyle will get superpowes. #51 will have five or more printings.

[Flightpath07]

You can see why Marvel felt the need to have this storyline be in an X-title, from a purely financial point of view.

With all due respect...no, I can't/don't. What i see is, an extra 26,000 people bought issue 50 compared to issue 49. It is impossible to compare this accurately with AF Vol 4 numbers, as AF Vol 4 HAS no issue where Northstar gets engaged to Kyle! if it did, I would assume, based on these numbers, that it is probable that an extra 26,000 people would purchase it.

For instance (and we will assume here that AF Vol 4 # 9 were to come out the same month as X-Men # 50), if Northstar got engaged in AF Vol 4 issue 9, then we assume that roughly 44,000 people would purchase it. Meanwhile, 18,000 people would have purchased X-Men # 50, for a whopping total of 62,000 people between the two (with a guaranteed larger amopunt interested in purchasing AF Vol 4 issue 10, where Northstar and Kyle get married). Instead, what we get in reality, is X-Men # 50 selling 57,000 issues, and AF Vol 4 issue 9 selling 0 issues because it was cancelled, for a grand total of 57,000 issues between the two(?) comics. Hm...looks like Marvel just lost 5,000 in guaranteed sales! So...no, it makes little to no business sense from a purely financial point of view.

[Phil]

There's no such thing as "Guaranteed Sales" though, especially with a non-public commodity such as 'Alpha Flight'

Alpha Flight (Vol.1) #106 didn't break sales records, simply because the general public have no idea what an 'Alpha Flight' is, media hype or no media hype.

'X-Men' is a publicly known brand that people will pick up.
Alpha Flight isn't.

Plus, taking into account the cost of creating an Alpha Flight title; writing, pencilling, colouring, lettering, editing, printing, distributing. That would cost more than the 5,000 sales you say they would have lost.

The smart business money is having 1 proven performing title.

As much as it pains me.

[Flightpath07]

True. But putting your biggest hyped event in your biggest selling comic doesn't guarantee you more SALES, it just guarantees that more 'regular readers' will take it in. It may grant you slightly more sales OF THAT ISSUE, but without increasing sales to your line of comics as a whole, nor will it necessarily draw in new readers beyond that issue (or issues). In which case, you are quickly back to square one.

To me, that isn't the best business sense. That is a quick fix, meaning you have to do it consistently, month after month, find new events that'll draw in the casual fan, hoping a few of them might stick around. As a businessman, I would instead try to prop up your smaller franchises by making them better than ever, and increase your overall sales from the bottom end up. Less gimmicky; ergo, Marvel won't do it that way, as they are all about the gimmicks over substance.

Alpha Flight isn't the best known Marvel brand, but it was the one comic that it actually MADE SENSE for this proposal and marriage to happen in. AF laid all the groundwork.

[Phil]

I agree it's a quick fix, but that is the industry.
All companies are gimmicks over substance; it's not just Marvel.

Uncanny X-Men #508 & Nation X #2 laid the groundwork for it rather than AF.
No Uncanny X-Men #508 = No Kyle.
Hell, No Uncanny X-Men #120 = No Northstar.
Alpha Flight Volume 4 isn't essential reading for their relationship, bar their first kiss in #0.1 nothing within the maxi-series made an extreme impact on them.
Having it in an X book, unfortunately, makes sense.
They shoulda had Dale switch to the creative team of it though

[Le Messor]

That is a quick fix, meaning you have to do it consistently, month after month, find new events that'll draw in the casual fan, hoping a few of them might stick around... gimmicky; ergo, Marvel won't do it that way, as they are all about the gimmicks over substance.

... aaand we're back in the 90s!

- Le Messor
"If you want to look young and thin, hang around old fat people."

[Flightpath07]

... aaand we're back in the 90s!

Look! It's Kurt Cobain! And, look, there's his girlfriend, Courtney somebody-or-other! Wait, why is she handing him that shotgun...?...

[Mokole]

I'd think another 60,000. but what do I know? I'm not buying ASX for any reason anyway

[Phil]

With 3 covers (4 including the 2nd print, 5 including the SDCC cover)and all the extra focus it should be heavilly ordered, but let's remember that the figures don't necessarilly equate to readers.
There'll still be copies on shelves/back issue sections for years to come.