Numbering. Okay. It used to be that numbering started at one, and every time they had a new issue, it would increase by one. If the series got cancelled, and started up again some years later, the numbering would restart. Sometimes, the numbering would transfer over to a new title, for example Tales of Suspense started as a pulp book with two unconnected short stories in every issue, then was Iron Man with a plup back up, then was split between Iron Man and Captain America, with each getting half the book. When they each got their own book, Captain America kept the numbering. So you had Tales of Suspense 1-99, then Captain America 100-454, while Iron Man started over again with #1. Which could get a bit confusing, but was mostly pretty easy to keep track of.
Then we hit the '90s. Comics were weird in the '90s. Marvel decided that it wanted to reboot the universes, so they abandoned the old numbering, and started everything over again at #1. Unfortunately for all comics readers in 1996, the reboot universe pretty much sucked, so that only lasted 13 issues, then they rebooted it again moving everything back to the main continuity, but again restarting the numbering. So you have Captain America Vol 1 100-454, Captain America Vol 2 1-13 and Captain America Vol 3 1-50.
Since then, every time the series undergoes a major change, or rebranding, they restart the numbering to indicate that this is a good place for new readers to jump on. Which got us Captain America Vol 4 1-32 when they decided to go dark and gritty after 11/9. Then, after the big Avengers Disassembled event, they restarted all the numbering again thus Brubaker's Captain America Vol 5 1-50.
Still with me? So that's how the numbering used to work, and still does to some extent. You'll note that New Avengers restarted the numbering at 1 for the start of the Heroic Age. While over in Daredevil they're changing the title from Daredevil to Black Panther: Man Without Fear while maintaining the old numbering to indicate that it's still the same series.
Which brings us to the thing where they go back to the old numbering. Of the big two, Marvel is the younger company. Sure, they own properties from the Golden Age, like Cap, but they were originally published under another name (Timely Comics). DC has comics that have been published continually in one form or another since the '40s. I've always figured Marvel felt a little sore that their flagship titles only hit about 22, when DC had Detective Comics #827. So, in the last few years, every time Marvel sees a chance to, by adding all the volumes together, come up with a number with lots of big shiny zeroes after it, they've gone back to the old numbering. We had Captain America Vol 1 #600 and Daredevil Vol 1 #500 last year, and X-Factor #200 last winter. I think the idea is to provide a sense of legacy and show that these are the same characters you loved when you were young.
The big number issues tend to have special features, more stories and reprints of old comics.
Whew!
I'm always a bit wary of shocking twists, though not in this case, as I'm not following the title.
Ah, Howard. As mentioned on my DW, I'm getting a little sick of Howard. I would like to read about Maria for a change.
no subject
Then we hit the '90s. Comics were weird in the '90s. Marvel decided that it wanted to reboot the universes, so they abandoned the old numbering, and started everything over again at #1. Unfortunately for all comics readers in 1996, the reboot universe pretty much sucked, so that only lasted 13 issues, then they rebooted it again moving everything back to the main continuity, but again restarting the numbering. So you have Captain America Vol 1 100-454, Captain America Vol 2 1-13 and Captain America Vol 3 1-50.
Since then, every time the series undergoes a major change, or rebranding, they restart the numbering to indicate that this is a good place for new readers to jump on. Which got us Captain America Vol 4 1-32 when they decided to go dark and gritty after 11/9. Then, after the big Avengers Disassembled event, they restarted all the numbering again thus Brubaker's Captain America Vol 5 1-50.
Still with me? So that's how the numbering used to work, and still does to some extent. You'll note that New Avengers restarted the numbering at 1 for the start of the Heroic Age. While over in Daredevil they're changing the title from Daredevil to Black Panther: Man Without Fear while maintaining the old numbering to indicate that it's still the same series.
Which brings us to the thing where they go back to the old numbering. Of the big two, Marvel is the younger company. Sure, they own properties from the Golden Age, like Cap, but they were originally published under another name (Timely Comics). DC has comics that have been published continually in one form or another since the '40s. I've always figured Marvel felt a little sore that their flagship titles only hit about 22, when DC had Detective Comics #827. So, in the last few years, every time Marvel sees a chance to, by adding all the volumes together, come up with a number with lots of big shiny zeroes after it, they've gone back to the old numbering. We had Captain America Vol 1 #600 and Daredevil Vol 1 #500 last year, and X-Factor #200 last winter. I think the idea is to provide a sense of legacy and show that these are the same characters you loved when you were young.
The big number issues tend to have special features, more stories and reprints of old comics.
Whew!
I'm always a bit wary of shocking twists, though not in this case, as I'm not following the title.
Ah, Howard. As mentioned on my DW, I'm getting a little sick of Howard. I would like to read about Maria for a change.