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I still feel companies like DC and Marvel have been cutting, and continue to cut, their own throats on their most popular titles by producing too many of them. I gave up buying X-Men Comics, Spiderman Comics, and Superman Comics for this reason, the obvious disrespect to the reader that such a glut of product shows. I know many people who have sworn off comics for the same reason.

Open note to Comic Publishers: Sometimes more isn't better, it's just more. It's just derivative and ultimately diluting. Ultimately self defeating. You want your readers back, then give them a reason to come back.

The problem isn't with the writers or the artists but with the editorial leadership of the company. Marvel revamps its line, but keeps its bloated Mutant lineup. And is creating more bloat, its alternate world line up, machine lineup, quite frankly who cares. I only buy three Marvel Comics a month, Avengers, Daredevil and Black Panther( even Kurt Buseik isn't reason enough for me to try IRON MAN, tried CAPTAIN AMERICA because of Mark Waid but the comic was just horrible [see my review], THUNDERBOLTS is just awful, how the guy who writes ASTROCITY could be responsible for this trash I haven't figured out, and Walter Simpson wrote the definitive THOR comics over ten years ago, no other writer even comes close); the number of Marvel Comics I buy a month will go to two once Kevin Smith leaves DAREDEVIL, when he goes so do I. 

Marvel has to understand ,more often than not, quality sells above quantity. They are trying to match DC's output but quite frankly DC has the writers. They for the moment have the quality. Their creator owned lines are definitely paying off for them in terms of sales.

Marvel for whatever reason alienates every writer it gets, and if you can't keep a writer how the heck are you going to keep the readers. Writers (with decent artists) sell comics. Alan Moore or Garth Ennis or Ivan Velez Jr. (One of the best writers that no one is using) could sell more comics with one X-men title, than all six current titles combined.  Cancel the multiple titles leave one X-MEN book, one SUPERMAN book, one SPIDERMAN book, one BATMAN book,  put a writer on it, let him have a say in picking the artist, and get an Editor who will leave the two alone, and the readers will come back. Even better, with one title you make an atmosphere more conducive to new readers, something the market definitely needs. 

Click here for a slightly mesquite induced take on how different the direct market would be if their was only one Batman comic. Something Alan Davis had tried to say about a single nail, Something Franklin had said centuries earlier, how for the lack of a nail a war could have been lost. If Paul Revere's horse had thrown a shoe, because of a loose nail, the British sneak attack would have worked, and the rebellion that was America would have been put down. A whole war could have been lost... because of a nail. Such is the fragile nature of our world.

It tends to reason then, if our world can be shaped so easily; that it is, what it is, because of us. If our nation, our world, is horrible it stands to reason it's that way because of our actions or our inactions. And it stands to reason that if a nail can, by just being, change the tide of wars, a man and the things a man creates should be able to do just as much. You publishers, you writers, you artists hold such power in your hands. You've forgotten with age, like the rest of the world, how you create the world for the young. In the truest sense of the word you create worlds, and help shape moralities. You've forgotten, along with our media, and our representatives, and our corporations, you've forgotten what your medium helped teach, that with great power must come great responsibility. Comicbook words, yes. But no truer words have ever been written. An open letter to you in the medium, live up to the medium.