DC and Marvel Confusion

A lot of people like to talk the gloom and doom going on at DC. Whether it be late books (part two of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” being two months behind), general confusion (who is writing the Titans books? Apparently, no one knows) or low sales, people tend to look at the mess that is all happening on the Marvel side.

It all started in January of this year, when the super-cool teaser image of Dr. Doom and Dracula on the moon was released for the upcoming Captain Britain and MI13 storyline.

Then, on January 22nd, Jim McCann, Marvel’s Assistant Manager Of Sales Communication (or someone claiming to be him) posted the following online:

When I was asked about books that did better than expected, Cap & MI 13 was one of those books. The story, the creative team, and critical reception was through the roof. Unfortunately, the audience left after Secret Invasion tie ins. That podcast was recorded before the cancellation came down & we were all hoping it would stay longer.
And guys, I am just as sorry as the rest of you that the book is canceled. All I can say is if you like a low-to-mid-tier book, tell your friends, encourage others to pick it up. We keep books alive as long as possible and market as much as we can. We want all of our books to succeed, but we could use the power of the fans to spread the word.

Followed by this post:

Yes, you love it. *I* love the book. Nick Lowe, the editor loves the book. Everyone involved loves the book. But if enough people are not buying it, and something is losing money, we can't keep publishing it. This is not a new business model for *any* industry and not just for this title. MANY books were canceled ("too soon" in many fans minds) because despite how great they were, the sales for some reason weren't there. (I still miss DP7 and Psi-Force...maybe I need therapy for those...LOL)
Guys, I am very sorry that the book is ending. But we'll be making a Paul Cornell announcement soon. (Paul, who happens to like me & I love him) Hopefully more people will pick up his new project. And you never know- this may not be the end of this team some time in the future. *I* would love to see it come back too! I'm going to miss the hell out of this book.

The next day, Nick Lowe (editor of the book), Ryan Penegos (another editor at Marvel), Dan Slott (writer at Marvel) and Paul Cornell (writer of said book in question) all came online stating there was a mistake made. All was then quite on the Captain Britain front.

Then, in March, when the early solicitations for June came out, missing from those was Ghost Rider. Writer of the book, Jason Aaron, posted on his blog the following:
You may have noticed there's no mention of GHOST RIDER in the newly released Marvel solicitations for June. Don't worry though, the book is not canceled. I'll be finishing out my run just as planned. Look for more info soon.

Well, the early July solicitations came and went and no Ghost Rider. It seems that whatever Aaron’s last story for Ghost Rider was, will be re-packaged as a six issue mini series (with a new number one) starting in August. But Ghost Rider is not cancelled.

At the same time, those very same early June solicitations, the following was said about Immortal Iron Fist:

Don’t miss this landmark FINAL ISSUE of the critically acclaimed, fan-beloved IMMORTAL IRON FIST.

This information was corrected a few days later, even with former Iron Fist writer Ed Brubaker posting online it was a typo. Well, the July solicitations are out and Immortal Iron Fist (which isn’t cancelled) is replaced by the five-issue mini-series Immortal Weapons.

Not to say DC is perfect, but Marvel isn’t the gold standard everyone pretends it to be.