posted March 06, 2003 05:51 AM            

Anyway, I was looking for the post where I did the math for GA Flash. I no longer remember how many volumes each would last and at what point we would reach the good stuff. As I recall, both Flash and Green Lantern need more than 10 volumes. I think the earliest volume that people would consider part of the good period is 8. If someone can correct me, please do.

Bob said GA Flash is on the INITIAL list for 2004. Volume 1 was released in 1999. At this pace, we would get volume 3 in 2009. At this pace, we would get to volume 8 in 2034.

GA GL was released in 1999 and 2002. At this pace, we would get to volume 8 in 2020.

Would the pace increase, decrease, or stay the same? I see no reason for it to increase until we reach the "good" period. It seems likely to me that the pace will decrease for two reasons:
1. Later volumes (or issues of regular comics) usually sell fewer copies than the previous volume (or issue).

2. Over a period of 17 years for GL and 31 years for Flash, I believe that a substantial portion of the audience will die. Sorry.

posted March 06, 2003 06:06 AM            

First, we should get GA Flash 2. I think this will include All-Flash 1. Isn't this the third title to focus on a single character? This has got to be one of the most important GA comics that remains unArchived.

Also, we should get Comic Cavalcade 1 (which I believe will be an anthology including the big 3, and probably just the big 3). Regardless of how this series is done, we should get one volume before making a decision.

posted March 06, 2003 12:09 PM               

And I believe that in both cases, the later material would constitute only the final two volumes.

Once again, not only do I favor ultimately archiving all the material from both series, just as the strict chronologists do, but I really do believe that either the splitting or the skipping strategy would give them a better chance of actually reaching that point than they have now.
I'm damn near certain that we'll have more GA Flash and GA Green Lantern in print by 2015 or 2020 if skipping or splitting of the series takes place than we will if it doesn't.
That should be the deciding factor.

posted March 06, 2003 12:35 PM            

The other point I'll make for now is that I guess I'm a little more resigned to the wait between volumes than most people are. I can understand urgency if all you want to see is GA Flash or GA GL. I can also understand urgency if you're just plain old enough that you worry about never seeing this stuff. Not much to do about that death problem, though, and that could happen to any of us at any time anyway.

But I approach it not just from a desire to see GA Flash and GA GL Archived, but from a desire to see basically everything Archived. With such a broad goal, I appreciate that it's just plain going to take some time to get to everything. Sure, in a perfect world, I'd like every issue of GA Flash or GA GL out right now. But I'd like every Archive right now. If we have to wait 2 or 3 years for the next GA GL, that's fine with me, as long as we're getting steady Archives of other great stuff in the meantime. (I'm a bit concerned about DC continuing to focus on material other than it's super-heroes -- see the new Elfquest announcement -- but that's another debate.) So I'm somewhat resigned to breaks between volumes in longer-running series.