Nrama: Point taken. Getting back to seasons and as you say the end of the idea of high-numbered series, as a long-time fan yourself that understands other long-time fans, will you miss the era of long-running series at all?
Brevoort: Yes and no. And this is a question you grapple with as you work in this business. It’s different for me than someone working in the world. Out in the world there’s an emotional connection, tied into nostalgia, time and effort devoted to book. It’s different for me, as I have to follow what the marketplace demands. I can wax nostalgically about a series getting to issue #600, but what’s most important to me is what’s inside the book: the actual story.
Issue numbers are, to a certain degree, a confidence trick coined by someone back in the 1930s to put issue numbers rather than just dates like most other magazines had and continue to have. It’s a false thing; as far as the number goes, there’s no real specific difference between #100, #99 or #64, other than what we choose to invest in it.
What I want is great material – great stories – that is informed by the past but looks to the future. If I have good comic books, I’m not worried about what number it is.
I certainly understand all of the complaints about how it makes filing and storing books or shopping for back issues more difficult; those are legitimate concerns, but that’s not at the forefront of my concerns. My chief concern is making sure Marvel makes the money it needs to make so that our editorial crew can continue to do a good job, that the talent can be happy, that the lights will stay on and that we get to continue what we do.
I’ve long since come to grips with the fact that issue numbers are going to roll over.