There was a lot of news about upcoming comics and industry events that came out of COMICON INTERNATIONAL this past weekend. San Diego is usually the place where comic book companies love to announce their publishing plans for the near future (although WIZARD WORLD in Chicago–the next big show of the year– also sees a lot of original news emerge as well), and there’s a lot to digest from all the stuff announced at this past CCI. For me, however, the most interesting announcement was Marvel’s plan to publish AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 times per month. As you’ve no doubt heard, both SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN and FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN will be coming to an end with the ONE MORE DAY story line that J. Michael Strazynski and Marvel EIC Joe Quesada are working on to wrap up the titles. This will then lead into the new paradigm for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN coming out thrice monthly with 4 rotating creative teams.

I think this is a great idea from an economic standpoint. Marvel has long had the multiple-title monthly format for SPIDER-MAN– and I’ve been fortunate to be a part of that two different times with the original SENSATIONAL back in the mid-nineties (with my good buddy Todd Dezago) and more recently with FRIENDLY launching a few years back. Those secondary SPIDER-MAN monthlies have always lagged well behind the main AMAZING title in sales, however ….. always. Most SPIDER-MAN fans prefer the original title over any other… and that makes perfect sense. It’s the main title…. the one that really ‘counts’. So, with this plan to publish AMAZING three times monthly, Marvel still has the same amount of product, and they’ll all be under the original title banner, which will more than likely keep the sales from all the creative teams’ books very close to each other. For ME, though, the most exciting part of this news was the fact that Chris Bachalo will be the artist on one of these rotating teams. I’m such a huge Bachalo fan… if I had to make a list of my top 10 favorite modern comics artists, Bachalo would at or near the top of the list. He’s one of those artists who’s work I buy no matter what he’d drawing. Whether I’m interested in the book or not. His moving over to SPIDER-MAN is extra exciting as he’s been working in the X-MEN office with almost all his work at Marvel for so many years– and though I loved his work on those characters, it’s very exciting to see him moving on to try something else. It’s going to be very exciting to see Bachalo’s take on Peter Parker and his supporting cast as well as his wonderfully bizarre rogue’s gallery. I’m absolutely thrilled…!

OK.. I’ve got to get back to work. Have a great day.

This is Entry 408.

Mike