BILL: I think you are referring to the fact that we gave Barnes & Noble an exclusive, short-term license to reprint some of the Masterworks in softcover. Listen, without the B&N funds, Marvel could not have afforded to do what we are doing with the entire Masterworks line - get and keep the whole thing in print in hardcover.

By the way, it is kind of silly to talk about the class of trade distinctions without pointing out that the Marvel's best selling books - the Ultimates line, Origin, Truth etc are not distributed to Newstand.

MARVILLE #1 - SIGNED BY BILL JEMAS

RICHARD: Beggars can't be choosers then? Retailers are certainly a recurring point with you Bill. Aside from the obvious and well trod questions about abandoning the traditional Marvel overprint, let's look at the current consequences; It forced retailers to reassess how they preorder Marvel comics, just as you wanted, and indeed, you can see the difference -- increases in preorders across the Marvel range. However, the backlash appears to be kicking in - when products such as Brotherhood, Marville, The Call or The Truth don't have the sales expected, and retailers find themselves with stacks of Marvels they can't sell, how can they support future off-the-wall ideas from Marvel? With Rawhide Kid coming in low on the charts (admittedly very high for a Western comic, but not high for a Marvel media hyped comic), are retailers learning a new lesson (don't believe the hype) and how do you intend to address it? When the spin, buzz and excitement -- something Marvel have been experts in creating -- wears off, what's left?

BILL: Rich, ya need to get out more. This is just not an accurate reflection of the retail picture. Main thing that IS happening is that retailers are making more money. "Under-ordered" books like Rawhide Kid do really well in the after-market so that many retailers are able to sell Marvel monthly comics sell at prices will above cover price. Only a handful of Marvel books end up over-shipped, and provided that we stick with books like The Call of Duty for the long haul, the back inventory will grow in value over time.

RICHARD: The advance sales on Rawhide Kid are an indication that it's not just a handful of titles being over ordered, it's a number, specifically hyped new titles. Why should retailers believe in Marvel's products as orders for new titles hyped up fall almost as a matter of course? It's been a long time since Origin. What good is a handful of titles ending up on the wall at $20, when longboxes are full of Marvel product in the quarter bins?

BILL: Again, you have to switch off the computer and get out of the house - Marvel books sell twice as fast as DC books and 10 times faster than those of any of the Indies. (At this point, Bill produced a special chart all of his very own. And here it is.)



RICHARD: That's across the range. I was talking about a specific subsection. But if what you say is true, retailers aren't following that up by giving higher orders for new Marvel projects. Rawhide Kid orders are comparatively low despite being hugely hyped as a direct result of the likes of Truth sitting on shelves after being ordered at higher levels. Given that experience, why should retailers trust Marvel on future hyped projects?

BILL: Retailers trust Marvel because Marvel delivers.

RICHARD: Currently that trust has been tarnished, and it's showing on certain projects. What good is creating create new comics ideas if retailers lose faith?

BILL: Do the math. Retailers order more than twice as many copies of each Marvel title than they do of each DC title. They trust Marvel to sell twice as fast. Yes there are a handlful of retailers (some of whom have you by the er.. . ear.) who focus on the failures and under-ordered books. But for every one of them, there are a dozen more (who are to busy working to play on-line) who trust Marvel because Marvel delivers more great books more often. OK, don't do the math, I'll do it for you. That sales chart is courtesy of Diamond and Microsoft.

Continued here...