Marvel's PR release are based on overall orders that get shipped out not on what is happening on the ground. In some controversial cases (*cough* BND *cough*), they were caught red handed shipping out extra issues no one wanted just to inflate the numbers.

 

I agree, I bought RiD to try it but the age demographic of it just makes it not enjoyable to read - fro mthe oversized font to the simplified writing, stories and art I just can't find any reason to enjoy reading it. Which is fine, it was made for younger audiences after all and everything I pointed out caters to that audience. But, as you said, most kids do not go to comic book stores now so it inherently limited its sales to outside its demographic.

 

So sadly true.

 

I'm really loving it so far it's a good companion series to the cartoon, but like the Animated and Prime comic tie-ins I didn't expect this to last long, but I'm happy to see it not end at a predictable issue 4.  

I used to collect print Transformer comics but I find it easier for me to get it digitally on my phone, and I thought that would give more money to the publisher instead of the retailer. Then again my comic retailer barely has any Transformers comics, either they're selling like hot cakes in my part of the UK or the retailer just isn't ordering any of them. XD

 

well that's pretty sad that Hasbro has more or less given up on RID.

 

I would add to this that the lead time necessarily to solicit these books does a title connected to a TV show no favors.

You pretty much HAVE to have the book out when the show comes out. This means soliciting for it MONTHS before the show comes out, when no one has yet heard of it. Assume that the show turns out to be a hit AND that this success translates into demand for the books (not easy milestones, to say the least). How many months are left for this wave of fans to FIND the tie-in book before the decision has to be made whether or not to continue with the title (which, again, must continue to be solicited months in advance)?

I don't know the answers, but it kind of HAS to be a pretty small window of opportunity.

 

So I guess the RiD Cartoon is ending soon too?

 

Exactly. Too many manufacturers/distributors won't even cover product that _arrives_ damaged. When you consider that comic shops in particular are often very small businesses that just can't take hits like that, that attitude is all the more ridiculous.

The problem with both the toy and comic industries is that anybody with the means to actually _do_ something about their problems is beyond clueless.

 

Checking the sales, it opened at 8k, issue 2 was 6k (second issue drops are normal). So yea, making it be one story arc makes a lot of sense, that's noticeably below any of the main universe books even assuming it levels out there.

The two should be fairly unrelated.