Grab

kevinbastos · Post by **kevinbastos** » Wed May 25, 2011 7:02:54 am

Off to get copies of these books at lunch today. Anyone else going? I think I'll re-read copies of Magnus, and follow throughout the arc.

Samson, though, I thought was - um - less capable of re-read...

Hopefully, this isn't goodbye, only til later.

caxiotis · Post by **caxiotis** » Wed May 25, 2011 8:19:23 am

kevinbastos wrote:Off to get copies of these books at lunch today. Anyone else going? I think I'll re-read copies of Magnus, and follow throughout the arc.

Samson, though, I thought was - um - less capable of re-read...

Hopefully, this isn't goodbye, only til later.

I will be leaving work at 11:15 to get copies. Probably read them tonight.

vikingspawn · Post by **vikingspawn** » Wed May 25, 2011 10:33:38 am

Just got magnus 4 now... There's no letter column included or a mention of anything coming next. The last art panel says " fin."

iggy101us · Post by **iggy101us** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:00:11 am

vikingspawn wrote:Just got magnus 4 now... There's no letter column included or a mention of anything coming next. The last art panel says " fin."

kevinbastos · Post by **kevinbastos** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:08:10 am

vikingspawn wrote:Just got magnus 4 now... There's no letter column included or a mention of anything coming next. The last art panel says " fin."

Nor in Samson. It does, however, indicate a next "Won for the Devil."

Sadder, Magnus includes ads throughout the book for Solar in July 2010, Turok October 2010, and the Dark Horse Presents with Concrete.

iggy101us · Post by **iggy101us** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:10:39 am

You would think it's not that difficult to switch out the ads.

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:28:04 am

At least the stories will be taken to completion. I have a few DUs that just 'end'.

As disappointing as all of this is... I personally have had to push it out of my mind as it was 'really' effecting my mood. It still lingers though and I can't seem to read ANYTHING now that doesn't seem sour. That 'kicked in the gut' feeling (again).

And part of this blame is the lack of formal announcements. 20 years in the Army taught me one very good lesson... 'keep your Troops INFORMED' as a lack of info will demoralize Troops very quickly. Good news OR bad news, doesn't matter but it allows one to wrap their head around what is going on. Patience is a virtue and it is something that I do not often possess.

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:29:28 am

iggy101us wrote:You would think it's not that difficult to switch out the ads.

That is a serious Quality Control issue IMO and screams unprofessional.

kevinbastos · Post by **kevinbastos** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:32:26 am

In the shop today, the guy said that some issues were still being 'solicited,' with an expected delivery date in December. Some hadn't, though, been canceled, while some had.

Take from that what you will.

kevinbastos · Post by **kevinbastos** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:36:59 am

Knightt wrote:At least the stories will be taken to completion. I have a few DUs that just 'end'.

I hope they will have closure, too. Not like the Acclaim re-re-launch. (Unity 2000 4? Shadowman 6? Q & W 22-31?)

Knightt wrote:And part of this blame is the lack of formal announcements. 20 years in the Army taught me one very good lesson... 'keep your Troops INFORMED' as a lack of info will demoralize Troops very quickly. Good news OR bad news, doesn't matter but it allows one to wrap their head around what is going on. Patience is a virtue and it is something that I do not often possess.

Completely agree.

I tend to be a flail my arms around like an idiot with whatever happens. Involvement, information, and honesty have brought me success in my marriage, with my kids, with my students, and professionally. Most problems I face come from hidden information, or when I try to do something 'on the sly.'

I'm worried that this heralded return may only be for a few lingering, embittered fans.

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:37:05 am

Well if "the guy" said... I mean, there ya go.

kevinbastos · Post by **kevinbastos** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:39:00 am

Knightt wrote:Well if "the guy" said... I mean, there ya go.

Sorry - the guy = the owner Pittsburgh Comics shop. He was checking on his future orders and Diamond Distribution list.

Colin seemed too informal - and didn't provide any information.

Posted too soon.

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:46:29 am

kevinbastos wrote:I'm worried that this heralded return may only be for a few lingering, embittered fans.

I think part of the problem may be 'new readers'. I do not know the specific demographics for readers and their ages these days but if I am not mistaken 'new readership' is low. I have even had kids ask me why I even bought comic books, when we were all in a COMIC BOOK SHOP !!

The older writing styles of Shooter and others may not be appealing to younger readers ?

The ridiculous Marvel stories that many of us rail on are being eaten up by 'somebody' but I wonder if comics are making money any longer ? The movies are doing well and putting food on the table right now and I feel that comics are suffering. I was hoping that Disney would be able to lend a creative hand OR maybe they have and that is why the comics have taken a turn for the worse.

Maybe the characters Solar, Magnus, Turok and Samson were not 'hip enough' for readers these days and it was guys like us that kept it afloat ?

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:47:35 am

kevinbastos wrote:
Knightt wrote:Well if "the guy" said... I mean, there ya go.
Sorry - the guy = the owner Pittsburgh Comics shop. He was checking on his future orders and Diamond Distribution list.

Colin seemed too informal - and didn't provide any information.

Posted too soon.

BAH ! Just ribbin' ya, dude...

vikingspawn · Post by **vikingspawn** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:54:41 am

kevinbastos wrote:
vikingspawn wrote:Just got magnus 4 now... There's no letter column included or a mention of anything coming next. The last art panel says " fin."
Nor in Samson. It does, however, indicate a next "Won for the Devil."

Sadder, Magnus includes ads throughout the book for Solar in July 2010, Turok October 2010, and the Dark Horse Presents with Concrete.

This week's 2 Star Wars titles also have ads for "Mighty Samson - Coming Dec. 2010."

JonesyAZ · Post by **JonesyAZ** » Wed May 25, 2011 12:12:30 pm

I plan to pick these issues up at lunch today as well. While I did give up initially on Turok and Samson, I ended up going back and buying the standard covers of 1 and also issues 2, and I really enjoyed both Turok and Samson more than I had originally thought

I will keep reading 'til the end

To echo Knightts thoughts, at least we will get closure this time (hopefully)

sonicdan · Post by **sonicdan** » Wed May 25, 2011 2:45:11 pm

I picked up Magnus 4 today at my local Hastings store (it rang up as .99!??).
The storyline ended well enough despite the abrupt FIN. I do hope they eventually continue even if as contained mini-series or one shots.
The outdated ads were eye roll worthy. The lack of a letters page was a glaring omission and a let down.
I did like the art. It would have been nice however for consistency sake if the entire arc was by the same artist tho.
DAN

Triumphant Serial Number · Wed May 25, 2011 4:35:00 pm

Knightt wrote:At least the stories will be taken to completion. I have a few DUs that just 'end'.

As disappointing as all of this is... I personally have had to push it out of my mind as it was 'really' effecting my mood. It still lingers though and I can't seem to read ANYTHING now that doesn't seem sour. That 'kicked in the gut' feeling (again).

And part of this blame is the lack of formal announcements. 20 years in the Army taught me one very good lesson... 'keep your Troops INFORMED' as a lack of info will demoralize Troops very quickly. Good news OR bad news, doesn't matter but it allows one to wrap their head around what is going on. Patience is a virtue and it is something that I do not often possess.

Totally agree on the morale issue.

It's the same with VEI. There's a group of people who are there as a potential customer base, who you can at least sell through both comics and other materials based on their fevered fandom, don't put them off by making them dis-engage themselves.

Ignoring fans and keeping them in the dark in the internet age is inexcusable. People want to be in the loop, good or bad. Ignoring them and ignoring problems (like late books from DH) can only serve to turn them off. There's too many other entertainment options at much better relative price points for people than any comic book. Why companies like DH and VEI don't bend over backwards to get fans involved and motivated and in the loop, I don't know.

dhudson1 · Post by **dhudson1** » Wed May 25, 2011 5:07:42 pm

JonesyAZ wrote:I plan to pick these issues up at lunch today as well. While I did give up initially on Turok and Samson, I ended up going back and buying the standard covers of 1 and also issues 2, and I really enjoyed both Turok and Samson more than I had originally thought

I will keep reading 'til the end To echo Knightts thoughts, at least we will get closure this time (hopefully)

Well, it took years, but Gilligan did finally get off that island

JonesyAZ · Post by **JonesyAZ** » Wed May 25, 2011 6:22:54 pm

dhudson1 wrote:
JonesyAZ wrote:I plan to pick these issues up at lunch today as well. While I did give up initially on Turok and Samson, I ended up going back and buying the standard covers of 1 and also issues 2, and I really enjoyed both Turok and Samson more than I had originally thought

I will keep reading 'til the end To echo Knightts thoughts, at least we will get closure this time (hopefully)
Well, it took years, but Gilligan did finally get off that island

HE DID?!?!?!??!?!?!! D, you could have given a SPOILER alert! Lol...

xodacia81 · Post by **xodacia81** » Wed May 25, 2011 6:52:00 pm

Knightt wrote:
kevinbastos wrote:I'm worried that this heralded return may only be for a few lingering, embittered fans.
I think part of the problem may be 'new readers'. I do not know the specific demographics for readers and their ages these days but if I am not mistaken 'new readership' is low. I have even had kids ask me why I even bought comic books, when we were all in a COMIC BOOK SHOP !!

The older writing styles of Shooter and others may not be appealing to younger readers ?

The ridiculous Marvel stories that many of us rail on are being eaten up by 'somebody' but I wonder if comics are making money any longer ? The movies are doing well and putting food on the table right now and I feel that comics are suffering. I was hoping that Disney would be able to lend a creative hand OR maybe they have and that is why the comics have taken a turn for the worse.

Maybe the characters Solar, Magnus, Turok and Samson were not 'hip enough' for readers these days and it was guys like us that kept it afloat ?

The current generation simply isn't literate in either the classical sense or the way "we" were even 15 years ago. The "me generation" wasn't the Baby Boomers or even the Gen X'rs. It's the damn Millenials.

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Wed May 25, 2011 8:05:13 pm

kevinbastos wrote:I'm worried that this heralded return may only be for a few lingering, embittered fans.

Knightt wrote:The older writing styles of Shooter and others may not be appealing to younger readers ?

Knightt wrote:Maybe the characters Solar, Magnus, Turok and Samson were not 'hip enough' for readers these days and it was guys like us that kept it afloat ?

Yep. The case may be the same for the VEI characters, but I honestly feel they have a slightly better shot of being considered "cool" or at least not super-lame and outdated.

Knightt wrote: I was hoping that Disney would be able to lend a creative hand OR maybe they have and that is why the comics have taken a turn for the worse.

I think once they've exhausted the movies, you may see Disney start to put pressure on the actual comics to produce income.

Todd Luck · Post by **Todd Luck** » Wed May 25, 2011 8:34:12 pm

Magnus 4 and Samson 3. GREAT comics.

It was a horrible choice not to say anything about what's next. Felt like a slap in the face. The readers deserve better.

So there is no word from DH that the line is canceled. And no word, like usual, about what's going on with the rest of the issues. Here's what we know.

Solar 7 is still on the DH site for July 11, a Monday (new comics generally ship on Wednesday). We know the lettering should have been done on it by early May thanks to an online post by the letter.

Every indication is that they'll finish the current plotlines. Every functioning company nowadays finishes plotlines even if the book is canceled, otherwise they can't put that plotline in trade and they lose (even more) money. Jay Jay said they were finishing the current plotlines. Chris Warner said they were finishing the current plotlines. Samson #3 ended with a next issue blurb (issue 4 would finish it out). And Jay Jay posted an indication that Shooter was working on a Solar issue a week after she posted that the line was canceled.

And I don't think the ads in the last issues were dated. Go back and look at your DH comics. Those ads have been used as general ads to promote those series (not just the first issues) since the beginning. Samson #1 (which came out December 2010) had that Turok ad in it (Turok, of course, premeired two months earlier). I didn't even notice the little first issue dates on them til it was pointed out on this thread. The fact that the ads were for the three series that haven't completed their plotlines yet is probably not coincidence.

Future Magnus issues are being canceled on at least one comic subscription site. On Diamond's website, Magnus 6 is shown as being canceled by the publisher (though to put that in context, Flash #13 and The Mighty Crusaders TPB are listed the same way). Canceling the original soliciation would be the first step in re-solicting the next plotlines later if they go on haitus. Or could be the first step in just plain canceling them. No other cancelations of the line are listed that I could find.

Jay jay started the current round of "the line is canceled" rumors when she said she'd been told that at the beginning of the month. Later the line's editor Chris Warner, in an email to a fan, said none of the books are canceled but would be put on haitus, which would make sense the books have been hidiously late (3-6 monthes between issues) and they'd need to either retool the creative pipeline so they'll come back on a regular schedule or get most of the work on the the plotlines finished before they're released (possibly as miniseries).

Savant · Post by **Savant** » Fri May 27, 2011 3:55:27 pm

Knightt wrote:
kevinbastos wrote:I'm worried that this heralded return may only be for a few lingering, embittered fans.
I think part of the problem may be 'new readers'. I do not know the specific demographics for readers and their ages these days but if I am not mistaken 'new readership' is low. I have even had kids ask me why I even bought comic books, when we were all in a COMIC BOOK SHOP !!

The older writing styles of Shooter and others may not be appealing to younger readers ?

The ridiculous Marvel stories that many of us rail on are being eaten up by 'somebody' but I wonder if comics are making money any longer ? The movies are doing well and putting food on the table right now and I feel that comics are suffering. I was hoping that Disney would be able to lend a creative hand OR maybe they have and that is why the comics have taken a turn for the worse.

Maybe the characters Solar, Magnus, Turok and Samson were not 'hip enough' for readers these days and it was guys like us that kept it afloat ?

I had my 8yr old son read Turok, and he likes it quite a bit......Turok is probably the most kid-friendly comic in the Dark Key line.

Dr. Solar is geared more towards older readers. I haven't bothered having my son read Solar since I know science the bits would probably go over his head.

Overall, I think it's predominantly a lack of exposure which hurts this line. I read a few DC & Marvel titles, and I didn't know about the new Dark Key titles until finding this message board.

A lot of people seem to know about Turok, though, due to the old video game. I showed my girlfriend the covers to Turok #1 & #2, and she remembered the character from the video game......And she doesn't really play video games, I think she knew about the game due to a family member having it years back.

yardstick · Post by **yardstick** » Sun May 29, 2011 11:38:29 pm

kevinbastos wrote:In the shop today, the guy said that some issues were still being 'solicited,' with an expected delivery date in December. Some hadn't, though, been canceled, while some had.

Take from that what you will.

Had a similar response from my LCS... Samson #4 to be shipped in February 2012 per DH and Diamond.

I recall reading that Samson and Magnus would finish at #4 each, I believe the same for Turok; and Solar would finish at #8, before they go on hiatus. It might have been the JJ thread(s)...

Oh, and JJ did recant, or perhaps qualify, her statement about the line being canceled. I don't know why people have not pointed this out (or emphasized this) before, but I feel the need to emphasize it now, before it becomes set in stone that the line is [permanently] canceled.

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