Provisionally Yours, The Paragon Collection

 

And speaking of Chris Claremont...

A curious, but potentially profitable, product offer began making its way into advertising outlets (including Marvel's digital line of comics and, needless to say, websites) in late 2020:

The Paragon Collection, bound collector's volumes containing selected stories of a featured Marvel writer. I'd be interested to know if any of you alert PPC readers took the Hou$e of Idea$ up on this series--and apparently, that information was crucial to whether or not Marvel would proceed with this project at all. The premier offering, a 448-page hardcover book which celebrates the legacy of Claremont, was packaged with a bundle of enticements and made available in a special pre-order sale, which included some eyebrow-raising fine print: If the "minimum threshold" of 1,200 pre-orders wasn't met by the deadline (in this case, December 4), the product wouldn't be moved into production, and all pre-orders would be refunded. If, however, that threshold was met, the product would be shipped in March of the following year. Translation: What level of interest can be expected with this sort of product in the long run--and would this method of marketing produce a favorable return in perpetuity?

Offhand, I suppose the level of interest would be determined by whatever talent is chosen for a particular volume, which makes it improbable that each of these volumes is going to appeal to every comics reader who takes an interest in the Paragon series. And not to be morbid, but if the pre-orders continue to be signed by the featured writer, that person will still have to be among the living. The upside for the talent is that, presumably, they'll be offered remuneration for the use of their name and whatever new material they contribute. (In addition to signings, script notes, etc., Claremont and artist Salvador Larroca will produce a new 20-page story as well as a new Wolverine comic.)

As of December 5, the pre-order threshold was reached and exceeded, with 2,105 orders placed. At $199.00 per bundle (heaven forbid they just slap on $1.00 and round off that number), that works out to nearly $419,000.00 for Marvel (with the buyer responsible for tax and shipping costs)--a nice jumping-off point to general sales, since it's fair to assume "pre-order" implies later retail sales at some point. Whether or not retail outlets will be marking up the price when the product reaches stores (local or Internet) is anyone's guess; Marvel may even consider the $199 amount a special pre-order price and bump up the retail price to take into account their own distribution costs, though outlets such as Amazon might offer special opening deals of their own.

As for the content, the lithographs and other enticements are the real draw here, since quality reprint collections such as Marvel Masterworks and the Omnibus books cover most of the bases being addressed in the Paragon Collection, the difference being the subjective nature in the Paragon inclusions of what constitutes "the most iconic" stories of the writer. For those of you who have dedicated shelving to your comics memorabilia, there's also the lure of a leather-bound series of volumes to tempt you, depending on how many volumes this series produces as well as how completist you are in terms of springing for each and every one of them (though the slipcase each set arrives in will probably be what you end up shelving, à la the Lord of the Rings DVD set). Consider, however, that the leather of these volumes will be different from, say, your leather-bound Gutenberg Bible or your leather-bound collection of the works of Mark Twain, in that it will be "faux-leather" and not genuine; but for the conservationists among you, that may be more of a draw for you instead of a deal-breaker.

I can't help but be curious as to whether this series will be solely focused on writers or will at some point include artists. (Maybe a Volume II series devoted to different artists.) If the profits are encouraging, I suppose it's an option--but a series such as this is perhaps more attractive as a limited series, and with the thought in mind that a $200 price tag isn't going to be sustainable for buyers. But please, what do I know--one glance at the price of an individual comic book and you have to wonder if there's any reticence from comics buyers in emptying their pockets for packaged collections such as this.

With my collecting days behind me, I'll be giving the Paragon Collection a pass, but if you're sufficiently intrigued there's more information on its offerings and content, as well as a few YouTube vids on the subject.