Number Crunching

[Phil]

The Pulse[/url]]94. ALPHA FLIGHT
Mar Alpha Flight #1 - 42,586
Apr Alpha Flight #2 - 36,551 (-14.2%)
May Alpha Flight #3 - 32,684 (-10.6%)
Jun Alpha Flight #4 - 29,384 (-10.1%)
Jul Alpha Flight #5 - 26,879 ( -8.5%)
Aug Alpha Flight #6 - 25,004 ( -7.0%)

Dropping far too fast for comfort, and below the cancellation point. It's safe through to issue #12, but I wouldn't bet on it lasting much further.

[birdygirl]

This is discouraging news. Come on, people, let's get more of the word on this book out now. And, also, buy extra issues!

[Ben]

If only bloody Marvel would put half an effort into promoting the book! I really can't belive that letter response in #7 about it being up to fans to spread the word. I sent a rather ticked off letter about that. At least they put some time into promoting vol.2, even if they didn't put any effort into saving it. This time around they didn't even do anything for that innitial boost.

Ben

[seroquel]

I swear the people running marvel are dumb. i live in incredibly rural michigan (as in the upper peninsula) which means there are no comics here. the only place you can buy them is at book world book stores who seem to get like a fixed list of comics they get from their distributor. it is fantastically flawed. there is no alpha flight, no astonishing xmen (are they smoking crack , isn't this THE book?), irregular spiderman, and just all sorts of craziness. i mean surely they (marvel) must have books they want to make sure are on newstands that they push towards distributors.
Not to mention how many of their books are not available by regular marvel subscription. ?!? why? Like the average person is going to go nuts and join mile high's nice program?

to me its no mystery why comics sales are falling while manga's are rising. manga is much easier to get for the most part!

[Phil]

The Pulse[/url]]115. ALPHA FLIGHT
Mar Alpha Flight #1 - 42,586
Apr Alpha Flight #2 - 36,551 (-14.2%)
May Alpha Flight #3 - 32,684 (-10.6%)
Jun Alpha Flight #4 - 29,384 (-10.1%)
Jul Alpha Flight #5 - 26,879 ( -8.5%)
Aug Alpha Flight #6 - 25,004 ( -7.0%)
Sep Alpha Flight #7 - 23,280 ( -6.9%)
6 mnth (-45.3%)

Dropping far too fast, and below two cancelled books. It can only be a matter of time. The solicitations show the next storyline running through to issue #12.

[Canucklehead]

Yikes, well you know what? At this point, the only comics marvel has over the cancellation point (25,000?) and are on pace to stay there, are only their mainstreme books and anything with wolverine in them. They cannot continue to start and cancel every book that does not sell over 25,000. I can't see it happening. How can "Marvel Age" books be under this limit but be safe? Do they lower the costs? Would Scott have to take a pay cut to keep the book going?

If they didn't have so many bloody X books out there, maybe people would actually have money to buy other titles. So many people drop Alpha because they just run out of funds. Well after collecting 14 X-books a month, I'm not surprised!

Also all you see on marvel.com or in the Marvel Preview covers are X-Men or Spider-Man. These titles don't need that much publicity. Who hasn't heard of Spider-Man!? Sheesh. *ok deep breath*

What happens when the X-men have a string of bad stories and sales fall. (Hey it happens to every title now and then). What will they have to back themseves with? Marvel has to change their marketing policies, or they're going to run themselves into the ground.

ok, sorry, had to vent there. Anyway that's my two cents.

D.

[Mokole]

Hey, it's not like I don't agree. Alpha Flight has a solid and continuous audience and so many other books don't. Excalibur and X-Force are horrible reads and everyone admits it yet they outsell AF because fanboys and fangirls want to buy every book with an X in it or completists buy and box them to get every Magneto, Cable, or whoever appearance. If AF, Excalibur and X-Force were hockey teams AF would be Vancouver, Excalibur Columbus, and X-Force Atlanta.

[HappyCanuck]

If AF, Excalibur and X-Force were hockey teams AF would be Vancouver, Excalibur Columbus, and X-Force Atlanta.

Actually, I'd put the new X-Force (imho, o'course) along the lines of Edmonton (To all you Oiler fans, I'm sorry -- and not for dissing your team!)

[Canucklehead]

I would have compared Edmonton to Spawn. Both way past their hay-day, and both partially owned by McFarlane.

...wait, what was the subject of this post again?

D.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I can't say that I'm surprised to see the sales dropping(it is disappointing), since this was another AF relaunch WITHOUT familiar AF faces. When will Marvel learn?

Dana