Mark Millar recently stated in an interview (that Kevin Melrose covered over at Blog@Newsarama) that Civil War was the best selling comic in the last 15 years.
When people called him on the hyperbole that ignored the facts, he got cranky. I don't necessarily blame him, because you can't expect him to research everything he might say in an interview. The point that it was an amazing sales success is true. This is the sort of thing that only obsessed comic book fans would gripe about.
But...
In his crankiness, he said the following:
Groan.Oh my. You should really not put a challenge out like that. While you should be able to speak extemporaneously in an interview without being expected to have researched every bit of what you say, there's really no excuse for sitting at your computer and not doing a bit of research before making a bold statement, fueled largely by thin skin and thick ego. Sorry, Mr. Millar, but as much as you can do some great work, you certainly make sure no one forgets it and rail against any who don't tend to agree.
If someone can show me another monthly comic series published in the American market that has outsold Civil War then I will eat my Superman cape. You can go all the way back to the collapse in 1994.
This is truly pathetic and pedantic, but typical of some aspects of the Internet, unfortunately.
MM
Courtesy of MyComicShop.com:
Let's see. July 1995 actually came out in May. The statement of ownership would then go back into May of 1994, I believe. (Edit: It has been pointed out to me that the likely period covered by the statement of ownership is January 1994 to December 1994, still within Millar's range)
X-Men (1991-) 42
Published July 1995
Original cover price: $1.95Deluxe edition on glossy paper. "Heaven Can Wait." Script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Paul Smith, inks by Matt Ryan. Statement of ownership--average print run 800,625; average paid circulation 614,075. Andy Kubert/Ryan cover.
The lesson today, boys and girls, is to quit while you're behind and just admit a mistake when you make one instead of getting into a pissing match with people that have more free time than you and know how to work a Google search properly.
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I guess it also depends on what he means by sold. I remember at last year's Pittsburgh Comicon seeing an entire long box of copies of CIVIL WAR #7 for a buck each. Each one of those books counted as a sold copy even though none of them ever got into the hot little hands of a reader.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he means best selling mini series.
Also, if his Marvel exclusive contract precludes him from writing the Superman movie, I think it would stop him from eating Superman's cape. He's going to have to perhaps eat The Hulk's purple pants.
Heh. No, so many things have been thrown out as not counting already. I don't think he can really keep making further exceptions.
ReplyDeleteThough, I think most fans would be willing to accept him eating some other form of clothing...so the purple pants will work.
I can't remember whether he owes people a crack at punching him the stomach or not, though. If he does and didn't own up to that, I don't think he'll be doing anything about this challenge, either. :)
From what I have gathered over the years, sold is definded on the number of books shipped to comic store that have never been returned to Marvel.
ReplyDeleteRemember that many comic shops have no choice (as per their agreement) to to accept a set number of copies. Also many bookstore (ie: Borders Book Shop, B. Dalton, etc) that carry comics automatically order large quanties of certain books based upon reccomondations of sales personell from publishing companies.
Both of these played a part I'm sure in the over all "sales figures"
However, I believe that one single factor played the largest part on Civil Wars' overall sales.
Spider-Man's unmasking. With all of the hype and media attention this title got, THOUSANDS of non-comic readers ran out and bought this issue.
I know of at least ten people myself who haven't bought a comic book in YEARS and who bought that issue and a few after it in case something else major happened.
So in the end, I think it was that single part that driove the sales up over anything else.
That, just my opinion of course...