David Whelan of Comic Castle in Beckley, West Virginia saw the news that Marvel's Civil War books were going to be delayed (see 'Civil War Delays Rile Retailers) and says this is going to hurt:

At my store, Comic Castle in Beckley, West Virginia, I have seen numerous new faces come in since Civil War began.  This push back hurts.  I stand to lose what could have been a large recruitment of new readers.

Further, the uncertainty of who will stick it out and who I will lose means I don't know how far to scale back my initial orders on these books.  I am sure I don't need to explain what kind of ripple effect this can have for a small store like mine, or any store, or even the industry for that matter.

This is just another example of why the publishers shouldn't release issue #Alpha of a miniseries until issue #Omega is finished.  Daredevil: Father, BattleChasers, Supernatural Freak Machine, All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder... and others.

I hear customers complain about these things for years.  It leaves them with a bad experience.  Especially for a company as large as Marvel and a series as hot as Civil War,  #5 should have been drawn and ready to print before #1 was advertised.  I realize there are constraints for the publishers and this may not be easy or particularly cost effective.  But having only one Civil War title coming out for an entire month and making old and new readers alike wait extra months before the climax of one of the greatest comic stories I have ever seen or sold, is going to be more costly in the long run.

I am sure that very little can be done about it in this situation.  It's too late.  But if there is anything Marvel can do, they must.  Even if it means a reduction in profit, it would be a good move to offer a better discount on the late books, so retailers aren't hit as hard if sales drop...

Comic store owners, managers, staff, fans...  Brace for impact!  There's an iceberg and we're closing on it fast.  This is going to hurt.

The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.