Mad Norwegian ends Faction Paradox comic series
The following Q & A hails from the desk of Mad Norwegian Publisher Lars Pearson, with regards to the Faction Paradox comic ending with issue #2.
Q: Is the Faction Paradox comic really ending?
A: I'm afraid so, yes.
I could spout some propaganda about how it's "on hiatus" or "extended leave" or "off vacationing in the Eleven-Day Empire" or whatever, but as any comic fan worth their weight knows, "on hiatus" virtually always translates to "cancellation."
On the other hand, "cancellation" itself is an extremely harsh word, and I hate to imply that we'd never and under no circumstances whatsoever decide to start up the series again. But for now, it's being given a rest.
Q: How come?
A: Three primary reasons spring to mind: A) Image Comics' current restructuring, B) The current state of the comic book market and C) The need to prioritize Mad Norwegian's resources.
With regards to the first point, it's no secret that Image is currently a company in transition. Image's market share has slumped of late, and they've gone from being the No. 3 comic book publisher in North America to No. 4--purely due to attrition on Image's part, not because the new No. 3 company, Dark Horse, particularly gained anything.
Image is currently in the hands of a new editor-in-chief, Erik Larsen, who faces the unenviable tough task of turning around the company's fortunes. In recent years, Image has veered away from the mainstream in favor of "independent" publishing projects. Determining the company's new agenda is obviously difficult, even with the best crystal ball at one's disposal, but Image appears to be swinging back the pendulum and pursuing more mainstream fare, coming into direct competition with the hefty sales power of Marvel and DC.
It's therefore difficult to tell how much, if at all, a book such as Faction Paradox fits Image's new paradigm and marketing strategies. Regrettably, I have to take that into account in deciding whether or not to continue publishing the Faction Paradox comic.
Nonetheless, however Image chooses to reinvent itself, I wish the company well, and hope they enjoy nothing but success.
Q: Is Image's current downswing at all emblematic of the bigger comic book industry?
A: Absolutely. In the last year especially, the comic industry's defaulted back to a state where two publishers, Marvel and DC, overwhelmingly rule the roost. The latest sales figures show Marvel and DC controlling more than 30 percent of the market *each*, with the No. 3 runner, Dark Horse, commanding only 6 to 7 percent.
Crucially, it's also a very superhero-driven market, as superhero titles compose the majority of Marvel and DC's output. DC has admittedly enjoyed critical success with its Vertigo books, but for all their acclaim, titles such as the brilliant Fables sell less than a quarter of--say--Ultimate X-Men. If you look at the sales charts, X-Men, Superman, Batman and Spider-Man titles all dominate the upper tier.
Again, I have to take that into account in deciding whether or not to continue publishing something like Faction Paradox. There appears to be frightfully little growth potential right now, unless you're marketing a book where the main characters wear some derivation of a cape.
Q: How does all of this relate to Mad Norwegian's resources, then?
A: At a certain point, you have to decide the best use for your money and manpower. The Faction Paradox series was making a profit... but it increasingly wasn't worth the immense effort and expense being poured into it, especially when one factors in the state of the market right now.
All things considered, comic books are an inherently demanding medium. With novels, there's essentially three people involved: the writer, the editor and the cover artist. And possibly a designer.
But with comics, there's SIX big players: the writer, the artist, the inker, the letterer, the colorist and the editor. Shockingly, they all want to get paid, not to mention it's near-insanity making everyone dance in step. Roughly speaking, *one* issue of the Faction Paradox comic cost about the same as *three* of the novels, not to mention the additional production headaches involved.
Let's put it this way... if you only knew the effort that goes into a comic book, you'd be surprised that any good ones get made.
Q: Did scheduling problems help to end the Faction Paradox series?
A: Not really, no.
We had some scheduling challenges on our end, it's true, as quite a few of the Faction Paradox creators also do work for Marvel or DC. However, the creators all have families to feed, and it would've been criminally unfair of us to demand they turn aside such regular work. Marvel and DC obviously have the most work to offer, so it made sense that the creators couldn't turn that down. Sometimes, scheduling with Marvel caused some headaches, but... no, no... our scheduling woes have nothing to do with why we're ending the series.
Q: Why didn't you just fire any creator who couldn't keep up?
A: As a wise man once said, "If you want something done well, give it to a busy person."
We hired the best talent we could find, but inevitably, the best talent is committed to other projects. I could have replaced anyone with a scheduling conflict, but that's a good way to shoot yourself in the foot, because the people best qualified to make deadline... simply aren't as good.
It becomes a question of whether you want to see brilliant material every once in awhile, or so-so material on a regular basis. I personally prefer the former.
Q: So... the long and the short of it?
A: Given the current super-hero domination of the market, and Image's current restructuring, and the immense cost and manpower involved in doing a comic when we could be doing something else... continuing the Faction Paradox series isn't a wise decision right now.
Q: Does this mean we're never going to see the end of the story begun in Faction Paradox #1?
A: It'll almost certainly get told in some fashion, at some point. Indeed, Lawrence plotted out the entire story long before we tried it out in comic book form (he essentially "borrowed" Sabbath from his own storyline to write The Adventuress of Henrietta Street, let's not forget), and he retains the rights to do whatever he likes with it. For that matter, there's far too much back-story contained in the first two issues to give up on it now. So barring accidents such as Lawrence getting hit by a bus, it's virtually certain that it'll be completed in some form. Just... don't hold your breath waiting for an issue #3.
Q: Generally speaking, how do you feel about ending the comic?
A: Like my arm's been cut off. Professionally speaking, nothing gives me greater satisfaction than working on Faction Paradox, but I have to do the right thing for Mad Norwegian Press, Lawrence and everyone involved. And at this time, continuing the comic series just isn't a smart move.
Still, we're honored to keep publishing the Faction Paradox novels, and we're soon to announce a major new project with Lawrence that we hope everyone will check out. I deeply appreciate the support of the Faction Paradox readers--whom I'm quite proud of, and consider the cream of the crop as far as readers go--and we'll do our utmost to make the novels... and Lawrence's new project... as exceptional as possible with or without the comic series.
Follow this link for a primer on the Faction Paradox universe.
What is Faction Paradox?
Click here for information on some of the Faction Paradox characters, plus information on the comic series' format.
