How much staying power can the Ultimate titles really have?

[Stupendous Man]

I've been considering this since Marvel first started publishing its
Ultimate titles.

How much staying power can these Ultimate titles really have?

Think about it.

The appeal of the Ultimate titles, according to Marvel, is to bring in new readers with origin stories and titles not bogged down in continuity.

O.K.

But what happens when these titles start to pile up ...were allready in the high teens with Ultimate Spiderman.

When Ultimate Spiderman is on issue 30 ... and its no longer an
origin story - what will differentiate it from regular continuity?
(other than the characters age).

When the Ultimate titles are no longer new origins ..and get solidly into Act Two of the storylines - will they still be appealing?

Isnt Marvel just following DC's old mistakes?
Theyve created a "Marvel Earth 2" ...
(lets not even discuss theyre "Marvel Earth 3" from their
Heroes Reborn story arc.

How long before we have "Crisis on Infinate Marvel Earth's"?

Thoughts?

[NewMaxFranklin]

I'm reading the Ultimate Spiderman and X-Men comics and I like that they're reinventing everything. Starting from the beginning with a new spinn is perfect for me, because I don't know all about the history of everyone like the real fans.

As long as the writing is good and they keep everything interesting I won't mind if they do something I've seen before. If it gets tedious I'll just stop reading. But, I think it could last.

[pencilsharp]

I look at it this way...
After 40 years, Marvel has made a lot of mistakes. Convoluted and unending plotlines that have meandered from here to Timbuktu. New silly-looking costumes. And I'll do everyone the favor of not mentioning clones...
This is a chance to restart. To tell good stories in a focused way. The origin ended for USM with #12. Seems to me that everyone involved has been doing pretty well with it. Heck, I've actually read every issue of UXM as well. I haven't bought that many issues of the regular X-boox in my entire life.
The key point to the survival of the Ulti line is that it must NOT lose its focus (a la Marvel Classic Roast...) That means strong editors. Writers and artists may come and go, but the editor is the one who keeps it all together.
So long as they can do that, Ulti Marvel should have a loyal audience for some time to come.

[kid_flash]

I think the Ultimate line has a lotta staying power. Down the road, when USM and UXM are way up there, they'll still have each issue begin with "Previously...", thus making it new-reader-friendly.

[Karkull]

Quite a bit, apparently. The Ultimate Spider-Man is loads of fun--with its mingling of over thirty years of Spider-Man lore. It's doing for Spider-Man what Batman: The Animated Series did for Batman!

Besides, I won't be satisfied until they introduce "Ultimate Venom"--and that will take a while.



Oh, and Mark Bagley can't leave. Ever. He's too good!

[kid_flash]

I agree, Bagley's the man. With him and Bendis on the team (not to mention glossy pages!), you can't go wrong! And check out them covers! Bagley's art with digital colors! Yay!

[Memphis Bleek]

As long as Ultimate titles have good writers, artists, stories, and keep the number of titles down to 4 or 5 at the most. The Ultimate titles will around for long time to come

[Stupendous Man]

I think you have to consider the long term busness reprocussions
and the sort of market confusion it would cause having two differing Marvel Universes.. two different Spiderman Continuities.

It cant last.

Dont get me wrong .. I am totally digging Bendis's Spidey Stories.

But it cant last long term.

I predict the Ultimate line will last 2 years tops.

Its unfortunate , but true.

[Karkull]

Originally posted by The Spirit
I predict the Ultimate line will last 2 years tops.

Its unfortunate , but true.

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 hits shelves tomorrow. You have seven months.

[pencilsharp]

I predict the Ultimate line will last 2 years tops.

Actually, I think Spectacular Spidey will last maybe 2 more years, tops. Ditto for X-treme X-Men, regardless of what the sales are now.

[halinar]

As long as they keep producing a quality book I'll be buying. Most of the main books are so far gone that I have dropped all my x-books on a monthly basis and just look at them on a week by week basis as they come out to decide if they were worth my money.

[SilentBobWooHoo]

I haven't been dissapointed by any of the Ultimate stories yet, and I hope they stick around for a while...Bendis is brilliant. I don't know what Marvel would do if he left USM though...

[pencilsharp]

...Bendis is brilliant. I don't know what Marvel would do if he left USM though...

I've noticed something. There are a few titles on the shelves that have become prestigious because of the writing. That may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but considering that for most of the last two decades, the artist has been the one who has lent prestige to a title, like George Perez on The New Teen Titans.
Right now, I think that we can include USM, UXM, and JLA in this rare category. So as to SBWH's statement about what Marvel would do, I'd say Joe Q would sell it to creators as a plum job: one that could really make a writer. In fact, I hope Bendis steps aside before he starts suffering a bout of Dixonitis, aka burnout.
But that's my opinion, that means it's wrong.

[kid_flash]

Bendis said at a recent convention that he's so happy there has been such a focus on writing in comics these days, and he's right. While artists still have their place and are highly valued, writing is the number one selling point for comics right now. Joe Q's just been grabbing all the good writers

[James Harvey]

Writing is definatly the selling point for most comics now. Look at how well Green Arrow is doing, mostly becuase of Kevin Smith's named attached to the credit box. Even Joe Kelly is bringin new interest to the JLA series, and Jeph Loeb is a big reason why Superman is so good and selling well. While the X-MEN books would still sell with no names on the titles, but having big names like Grant Morrison and Joe Casey on the titles have boasted them far up on the charts.

And let's not forget Frank Miller's DK2...main selling point it being Frank Miller's book...

[Stupendous Man]

I buy my comics based on the writing and not the art.
The art should compliment a story - not distract from it.

**

I agree that Bendis is doing a great job on 'Ultimate Spidey'.
I love all his work to date ... especially "Powers'.

Wouldnt Bendis have done an equally good job writing a regular continuity Spidey as hes doing with an Ultimate Spiderman?

Please dont protest by saying that Bendis wouldnt have been able to do regular spidey as well because regular spidey is
burdend with continuity.

Bendis is doing a marvelous job
with Daredevil whose a regular continuity character who
a case could be made has a more complicated backstory
(thanks in part to Frank Millar ) than Spiderman.

My original point is the Ultimate Titles will soon cease to be a retelling of origins and soon become regular stories with their own contnuity.

How long can marvel support 2 parrallel Marvel Universes?

What about market confusion down the line ?

How much of Ultimate Spiderman is Bendis? What happens
when Bendis leaves the title - is their a need for Ultimate Spidey to continue in his abscense?

Thats kinda my point.

People here seem to be responding -

" I love Ultimate Spidey" or " This is a wonderfully written book"

and you get no arguement from me.

However how long can it last realistically?

Remember Marvel 2099 ?
Remember Hereos Reborn?
remember Infinite Earths ?

[Karkull]

Good point, The Spirit. Maybe they'll have their own Crisis someday and merge them together! After all, some of the character's backstories are becoming pretty outdated...

[kid_flash]

I can't see Marvel doing a Crisis. It just seems...so un-Marvel like.

But I do think the Ultimate titles will be around for awhile and develop their own continuity. I highly doubt Marvel will be ditching the Ultimate line for awhile, especially since they're selling better than most of the mainstream. Look at January's top 10:

1. Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure
2. Origin #6
3. The Dark Knight Strikes Again #2
4. The Ultimates #1
5. New X-Men #122
6. Moment of Silence
7. Uncanny X-Men #402
8. Ultimate X-Men #14
9. Amazing Spider-Man #39
10. Ultimate Spider-Man #17

So the three main Ultimate titles all made it in the top ten this month, while only the X-Men sat in the top ten with both mainstream AND Ultimate (the major titles, anyway). Granted, The Ultimates is just kicking off, but with Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch behind it, I don't think it'll be outta the top ten anytime soon.

[Stupendous Man]

I'll im saying is dont get too attached to the "Ultimate" titles.

Trust me.

And I know they're popular now , but that hardly means a thing.

Anybody remember when Solar and X-O Machine of War were in
the top 10 ?

Were are those titles now? hmm. canceled?
Hey weres Acclaim ... oh out of business.

[Karkull]

Originally posted by The Spirit
Anybody remember when Solar and X-O Machine of War were in the top 10?

But that was back when there were tons of comic book companies being created and going out of business months later. What about Chaos Comics? They're still [kind of] around.

The whole Ultimates thing is kind of like the hens coming home to roost. For ten years I've heard people complain "We don't like Peter Parker as an adult and being married, it's not right. We like him when he was a high schooler." Well, now they can have that and not complain.

But you make a valid point: the Ultimates probably won't go on forever. But if they're still popular they could just overtake the older titles and become Marvel's "canon."