How Many Numer 1’s to the Center of a Character?

We know it takes just 3 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop, but how many number 1’s of a comic series before the numbering is allowed to continue?

Comic books are a rather unique medium, where serial collection and completion play important roles in their continued success and existence. Most comic book fans recognize what all publishers know: first issues sell more copies. At what cost does this renumbering come? DC and Marvel have both long towed the line between having the highest numbered comic and the most number 1’s. Which will fans respond to more? Wonder Woman #612? Or Wonder Woman Volume 4 #1? We’ve already seen volume 1 continued, that’s how we got to 612, and given the drastic changed expected in the new DC Universe, is anything less than a new number 1 warranted?

Back in the 1980s and 90s, comic publishers integrated new stories into the existing numbering system by making stories “mini-series-in-a-series”. One of my favorite comic shop memories from these times is an over-zealous fan coming up to my friend and me, trying to sell us on “New Gods! Mini Series in a Series number 1!”. What happened to these stories within stories? These always had a sense of immediacy, you knew there were only 3 more issues directly related to this arc, yet the best storytellers wove bits and pieces of the larger story behind these tales. They were a good jumping on point for new readers and at the same time kept the deeper story moving for long time fans.

What do we lose or gain as fans with a new number 1? Put aside the frustration on trying to find Green Lantern vol 4 number 4 on eBay and getting every other number 4 out there, is it that bad? The new number ones at DC seem justified, they are dramatically different from the current books so should be renumbered.

Do a search for “has any comic reached 1000” and you’ll find a myriad of discussions on the impact and validity of renumbering (including this site, since it’s the topic of this issue). Everyone seems to have a strong opinion on the subject. At the end of the day it comes down to two things- dollars and stories. Sadly, dollars need to be listed first. Comic publishers are feeling the pinch of new media and an aging fan base. The main stream media is interested in sensationalism and big stories; most of the time comics aren’t in this. Wonder Woman’s costume change in #600 was a story picked up by several media channels. A much more drastic change should garner even more publicity.

It remains to be seen how DC’s relaunch of everything will be received. That being said, it has already achieved their first goal: people are talking about comics. The buzz around the relaunch of the DCU is big already, and will just keep growing. One thing I have learned from years in the automotive industry is that the top people don’t care if the reaction is positive or negative, as long as it’s strong. It stirs something inside us that makes us care. The PT Cruiser by Chrysler is a perfect example, people are still polarized by its design, but almost everyone has an opinion. Love it or hate it, we will dutifully blog, tweet, post and text about it, trying to get our friends to our side. The end result is people are talking about the product, and the awareness and interest grows almost exponentially.

Are the comic publishers taking advantage of existing fans with renumbering?

As a long time comic fan, renumbering becomes cumbersome if you need a certain issue. Old fans will buy the new issue, no matter what the number, and trust me, publishers are counting on this. “My collection needs to be complete.” As long as a new issue of your favorite comic is published, you are probably going to buy it. I know I am. Does this loyalty come with a cost? Renumbering is a risk for publishers but how big? Being very conservative, I would guess the consistent fan base of a comic is well over 50% of its sales. Meaning you or I aren’t going to suddenly stop buying Wonder Woman because it’s totally different and number 1. The collection demands completion.

So is renumbering good or bad? Stepping away from my collector self, I cannot say anything but “GOOD!” Renumber, bring in new people! Keep the book and the medium alive and (hopefully) thriving. Buy it as long as you enjoy the character and stories. The issue number is much less important to me than a good story.

I hope you feel the same.