Discuss the Ghostbusters Comic from IDW, as well as the now defunct Ghostbusters: Legion series.
User avatar
By WhoaFoogles
#4797854
According to Tristan's twitter, the ongoing has been cancelled.

Quite the bummer, but we've still got a few months left to enjoy before it's over for good. Hopefully we'll see some shorter on-shot runs from the same creative team in the future.
User avatar
By mrmichaelt
#4797866
It's a bummer but not much of a surprise if you watched the monthly sales data that sites post up. It's been a some time since I last compared numbers, suppose it's worth looking into.

I suppose the real end of this ongoing will be the Volume 9 trade paperback which should be out December 2014/January 2015.

At this point, I doubt IDW has lost the license and in time, as WhoaFoogles said, they will shift back to either mini-series or one-shots tied by a theme like Haunted Holidays was.
User avatar
By *NormalGamer*
#4797882
Damn, and I was just trying to catch up to this series ever since I layed my eyes on it; very dissapointing because theres so much to explore in the Ghostbusters mythos. :(
User avatar
By groschopf
#4797884
Kat and I were excited because we thought the Ghost Smashers were using the color schemes of our uniforms. Now that we've seen the preview pages, we see the Ghost Smashers logo patches where a Ghostbusters logo would go on the flightsuits. So close ;)

Image

I digress. We have more important things to discuss.

NO MORE ONGOING SERIES?
Say.. say it isn't so!

Image

ARGH

Damnit, this has been hands-down the best team and best comic series to ever come out of the Ghostbusters franchise! I submit that it's beaten the hell out of a third movie, and perhaps even the second. These guys are just phenomenal.

Burnham nails the voice of the characters and the spirit of the series.
Schoening continues to nail that tricky comedy/horror/animation combination with amazing artwork.
Delgado's colors make that art spring out of the book.
Jones doling ectoplasmic badassery and justice...

Apparently, buying the book three times each month and picking up the trade paperbacks didn't do the trick. Will IDW keep this going if I up it to four a month?

In all seriousness -- what sort of numbers do they need to keep it rolling?
By Dan AKA
#4797885
Can we get a confirmation from IDW or the writers? I know Tristian does some cool work for and with the comic, but canceling the series? Damn, I wonder if this means we'll just have to settle for four shots once a year...


Lame.
User avatar
By mrmichaelt
#4797887
It's terrible but a business standpoint, IDW must have concluded a monthly series couldn't be sustained with the sales figures they were getting and occasional mini-series/4 one-shots with a 1-3 month break will be more profitable. Hopefully.
groschopf wrote: Apparently, buying the book three times each month and picking up the trade paperbacks didn't do the trick. Will IDW keep this going if I up it to four a month?

In all seriousness -- what sort of numbers do they need to keep it rolling?
More people buying every cover each month would have helped. I recall around the time when I was campaigning for a Rookie and Ron mini-series, the golden number for them to consider a second series was said to be 12,000 to 15,000 units a month. The only issues to hit that range were the #1's for each volume. Last month's issue, Issue #16's monthly was 6061 units.

Sales for Volume 2 were a slow bleed until Happy Horror Days sort of stabilized things and Mass Hysteria! sales are back and forth. I guess people really hated the New Ghostbusters arc and the shorts and the series never really recovered. Nah, lot of other factors probably like the customs delay in mid-2013. Oddly, Volume 2 was at it's lowest with Issue #12 with 5755 units. I thought that was a great issue.

I've been keeping a spreadsheet of monthly sales but it appears here I don't have the option to attach a file unless I'm not seeing it.

EDIT: I had a grab of the monthly sales xls I did. Click on the thumbnail to see the full image (Note: Est. Monthly Sales is in units)
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User avatar
By groschopf
#4797890
mrmichaelt wrote:Last month's issue, Issue #16's monthly was 6061 units.
Part of me is surprised by that -- then again, it always felt like word about the book never stretched far past the diehard fanbase. I'd be interested in any further analysis of what boosted sales outside of the novelty of a new #1 issue.

I'm not aware of a way to share files on this board, but I also had difficulty getting the YouTube tag to work last week. Maybe a screen capture would be best?
User avatar
By mrmichaelt
#4797893
groschopf wrote:Part of me is surprised by that -- then again, it always felt like word about the book never stretched far past the diehard fanbase. I'd be interested in any further analysis of what boosted sales outside of the novelty of a new #1 issue.

I'm not aware of a way to share files on this board, but I also had difficulty getting the YouTube tag to work last week. Maybe a screen capture would be best?
I've noticed if you go from arc to arc, part one always has the highest sales then in general decreases to the final part with the exception of Happy Horror Days. Maybe low attention span? I did wonder if there should have been more one or two issue stories. Did the for the most part constant 4 part arc, 4 part arc, 4 part arc, 4 part arc kill fans' interest?

The second part, dunno about the YouTube issue. Better ask AJ or someone in the staff.
By philmorgan81
#4797897
Well, I am really going to miss this series. This Team really made these books fun. I am extremely happy with the run this comic had though. Everything about it is just perfect in my eyes. Erik, Dan , Tristan, Tom you guys put together one hell of a series, it captured the magic of the films and kept things fresh at the same time. Which is no easy task for a franchise that is so beloved. So from the bottom of my heart and I'm sure many other fans THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! :):):):):)

I am very glad that I still have another half of the Mass Hysteria Arc to look forward to. :):):)
By M.Thunder
#4797900
None of this is even slightly ok.

In fact this is downright awful. Sorry but this ongoing wasn't OVER yet. It was getting better. Word was spreading. And with a new movie on the horizon...

Excuse me, I'm going to go get drunk and cuddle with my "grey ghost " kitten.

Today was a bad day. A very bad day.
User avatar
By groschopf
#4797902
mrmichaelt wrote:The second part, dunno about the YouTube issue. Better ask AJ or someone in the staff.
Oh, no worries there -- Kingpin fixed it on my behalf. Bit of the site seem buggy from time to time is all.

There's a bellweather for the stand alone issue versus the "must pick up each issue of the arc to understand what's happening" arc theory -- Haunted America. That was essentially individual episodes tethered together by a theme. How did those fare salewise? (EDIT: cool! I see the spreadsheet. Thanks!)

Outside of all the casual speculation, man... thanks so much, guys. It really has been a fantastic series. I can safely say that the franchise on the whole is so much the better for what you created. Really, you made something that would brighten my day every time I got to revel the pages of the book. You expanded the Ghostbusters universe while remaining true to it's origins, and that was no small feat. If the news about cancellation is true -- and part of me still hopes it isn't -- at least you set a new bar for excellence.
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By mrmichaelt
#4797904
groschopf wrote:There's a bellweather for the stand alone issue versus the "must pick up each issue of the arc to understand what's happening" arc theory -- Haunted America. That was essentially individual episodes tethered together by a theme. How did those fare salewise? (EDIT: cool! I see the spreadsheet. Thanks!)
You're welcome.

Not much of a difference with the themed arcs. But man look at the Mass Hysteria! data fluctuating. Increase, Decrease, Increase, Decrease. I guess #17 will be 6200-6300 units sold. I can't guess what will draw in gangbuster numbers other than label every issue as the first issue.
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By robbritton
#4797908
Man, I was having a re-read on Tuesday night and literally said to Donna, "I love this so much, I bet it doesn't last". Cheers, the universe. Really, really sad news, as this has been the best thing to come out of the franchise since the first film. PLEASE let there still be one off runs in the future, as there'll never be a better team for the property.

Although, since I guess that leaves a gap in the calendar, maybe you guys could go help Dan Aykroyd actually come up with a good third story?!
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4797911
Well that's a fist to the gut... especially in an anniversary year. :(

At least the team will get the chance to tie up the loose ends, even if it's not quite in the way they originally intended... unlike the team working on the old Real Ghostbusters comic from NOW. Speaking of, Fritz, I assume IDW have now outsold the length of the NOW run?

It's deeply disappointing, as IDW's Ghostbusters was one of those comics I looked forward to every month... thanks to it having a great art/writing team... but at least they were able to give it one hell of a shot. :)
groschopf liked this
User avatar
By Dr.D
#4797936
This really seemed to come out of left field. I hope that at least IDW doesn't ditch the license. Of all the comic publishers that have held the license over the years, IDW really seemed to be the right fit. Downright upsetting.
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By Fritz
#4797944
Razorgeist wrote:I just read the news on Tristan's Facebook this blows royally. Will this finish the Mass Hysteria storyline?
Yeah. The story line was always said to be eight issues, so #20 ends it. It was always intended to.
Kingpin wrote:Speaking of, Fritz, I assume IDW have now outsold the length of the NOW run?
Adding both volumes together, yeah. Ironically, #17 will mark IDWs two volumes surpassing the two Now volumes. 16+17=33; 28+4=32

Note: This isn't counting the 3-D Special, which was sort of RGB Vol.2#0, but even if you do, and add in the RGB Annual and the 3-D Annual, #20 will still push IDW past Now's total.
By TomWaltz
#4797970
Ghostheads --

It's my sad duty to confirm that, yes, Ghostbusters #20 is not only the final issue of our Mass Hysteria! event, but also of our current ongoing comic, as well. A variety of factors went into this decision and IDW will be saying something official soon, but please know that it was very difficult for everyone involved in the decision to bring our beloved ongoing GB series to an end.

That said, we do have a few BIG surprises in store yet, not the least of which is the magnificent ending Erik, Dan and Luis have put together for Mass Hysteria! It's easy to look at decreasing sales numbers and think it's a reflection of a monthly comic book's quality, but when it comes to our Ghostbusters series, I can honestly say those numbers are an unfortunate anomaly because our book was only getting better and better with each new issue… story AND artwork!

So… if we gotta go, you can be damn sure we're doing it in high, rockin' fashion, folks!

You guys are the best! Thanks for all the spirited (yes, I said it) support throughout the years! This is the best editing gig I've been blessed to have in my career.

Your friend,

Tom Waltz
GB Editor
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4797977
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post on things, Tom.

There was never any illusion that the art or story were the cause of the cancellation, the numbers just weren't there. :(


It's great to hear you and the team are pulling out all the stops to end on a high note, better to end on a high note before the comic's time then end up like Marvel or DC, and carry on for years into mediocrity (unlikely as I feel that would have happened).


Thanks for putting out a kickass comic these last couple of years. :)
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By Ectojeff88
#4797979
Will there be a Volume 9 Mass Hysteria Part 2 to collect the final issues? Volume 8 is scheduled for release in August according to Amazon.
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By *NormalGamer*
#4797984
Kingpin wrote:Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post on things, Tom.

There was never any illusion that the art or story were the cause of the cancellation, the numbers just weren't there. :(


It's great to hear you and the team are pulling out all the stops to end on a high note, better to end on a high note before the comic's time then end up like Marvel or DC, and carry on for years into mediocrity (unlikely as I feel that would have happened).


Thanks for putting out a kickass comic these last couple of years. :)
@ *referring to bold*

I thought the same thing and it's a shame too that it has to end because again, as I said, there's still much to explore and so many stories to tell in the Ghostbusters mythos; i'm just lucky to have read the series since I first layed my eyes on it.
By M.Thunder
#4797989
I loved to nitpick this series. That doesn't mean I ever wasn't thankful that it existed. It was the one living thing we GB fans had. The one sign of life in the franchise.

And it was GOOD, and getting better all the time. It just...it's not OVER yet. Eric has the characters voices DOWN, and his original characters felt like they belonged in that world. The colors were astounding. Luis will throw in green and purple skies just to show off his mad skills. And there was Dapper Dan...who is going to be a superstar. Really. No joke. Check back in five or ten years and he'll be one of the most famous artists working in comics. IDW may not be able to afford him.

And now...we go back to waiting for news. Because Ghostbuster fans DEFINITELY don't do enough of that already.

Would a strongly worded letter to IDW help? Because I can think of some very strong words right now.

Sorry. I'll work on being less angry.

In the meantime, I will continue being angry.

Don't like things too much, kiddies. You set yourself up for pain.

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