Brian Hibbs, owner of Comix Experience and regular author of The Savage Critic has an opinion about Marvel's Civil War delays that he'd like to share with you:
Look, man, this is fucked up.
CIVIL WAR has been one of the few legitimate home run hits that Marvel has had -- it is both connecting with the core Marvel reader, but it is directly and specifically bringing "back" "Lapsed" readers, and new faces to their core properties.
To have the schedule slip this badly is, flatly, unconscionable.
History shows us that when books like this start to slip, they end up with a cascade effect. I laughed when I saw the projected dates for #6 & 7 as being back on a monthly schedule after #5's big-ass delay -- that seems... unlikely? improbable? pure fiction?
Read the full post here.
So here's the thing - do you know how you, as readers, can tell Marvel (and DC, when appropriate) that late books are not acceptible? You can't just not pick them up - your local retailer has already ordered them and payed for them by that point, which is all that matters financially to the publishers. You have to remove these books from your reserve folders, and you have to tell your retailers that you don't want them, so they don't order them in the first place. Until the big two actually feel the pain of decreased orders, this is going to remain the business-as-usual policy at both. No amount of fan-bitching matters if you still pay for the damn books.
It seems that Marvel is pushing back the release dates on Civil War and its related titles. Civil War 4 was supposed to come out this month but will now be released on September 20th and issue 5 will be released in November. This really doesn't effect me, since I haven't been enjoying the story that much, but I still hate to see delays like this take place. Mainly I feel for the fans of the series, because these kind of delays really hurts the enthusiasm when the books finally arrive. Again there really is no excuse for delays, I always like to bring up broken-arm Mark Bagley and Erik Larsen's house burning down and both of those guys still delivered a monthly book.
I mean it's not just the two books, but every book that is effected by Civil War is going to be delayed. And I swear if the cause of the delay is that they are changing the story because everyone figured out that Mary Jane wasn't going to make it, then that's just sad. I also didn't realize how many issues of Frontline there were going to be, or how many tie-ins they had planned. The follow up to Civil War will be called Decimati....err I mean Casualties of War and will start shipping in December. Looks like we have to wait and see if the D. Blake is really Thor or a Doombot....Anyway here is the list of new shipping dates:
CIVIL WAR 4 (JUN061952; $2.99) moves to 9/20
CIVIL WAR 4 TURNER VARIANT (JUN061953; $2.99) moves to 9/20
CIVIL WAR 4 TURNER SKETCH VARIANT (APR068201; $2.00) moves to 9/20
FANTASTIC FOUR 540 (JUN061961; $2.99) moves to 9/20
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 6 (JUN061955; $2.99) moves to 9/27
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 535 (JUN061938; $2.99) moves to 9/27
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 7 (JUL061956; $2.99) moves to 10/11
CIVIL WAR 5 (JUL061952; $2.99) moves to 11/15
CIVIL WAR 5 TURNER VARIANT (JUL061953; $2.99) moves to 11/15
CIVIL WAR 5 TURNER SKETCH VARIANT (JUL061954; $2.00) moves to 11/15
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 8 (JUL061957; $2.99) moves to 11/22
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 1 (JUL061988; $2.99) moves to 11/22
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 1 (Black and White) (JUL061989; $2.99) moves to 11/22
FANTASTIC FOUR 541 (JUL061965; $2.99) moves to 11/22
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 536 (JUL061941; $2.99) moves to 11/22
CIVIL WAR 6 (AUG062033; $2.99) moves to 12/20
CIVIL WAR 6 TURNER VARIANT (AUG062034; $2.99) moves to 12/20
CIVIL WAR 6 TURNER SKETCH VARIANT (AUG062035; $2.00) moves to 12/20
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 9 (AUG062036; $2.99) moves to 12/20
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 2 (AUG062066; $2.99) moves to 12/28
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 10 (AUG062037; $2.99) moves to 1/4/07
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 537 (AUG062018; $2.99) moves to 1/4/07
FANTASTIC FOUR 542 (AUG062045; $2.99) moves to 1/4/07
CIVIL WAR 7 moves to 1/17, Not yet solicited
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 538 Not yet solicited
FANTASTIC FOUR 543 moves to 1/24/07, Not yet solicited
BLACK PANTHER 23 CW December 2006
CIVIL WAR: WAR CRIMES December 2006 ONE SHOT
BLACK PANTHER 24 CW January 2007
BLACK PANTHER 25 CW February 2007
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE 11 February 2007
