Is IDW Building Up To Issue #50?

[AlbaTross 1,586]

As someone who waits for the graphic novels, I'm not always the most up to date on the comics, but I was kind of intrigued that IDW broke their typical four issue volume format with volume 8. At the time I just assumed that they found the 4 issue format a little arbitrary, but then they returned to it for volume 9. Now I know that volume 10 will also have 5 issues and end with issue 42. If the next two volumes are typical four issue volumes, then volume 12 will end with issue 50.

 

That likely means that volume 12 will be comprised of a story arc that ends with issue 50. I don't have that much experience with comics, but I've observed that issue 50s tend to be treated as a special issue, as it's seen as a milestone. Do you think IDW has something special planned? If so, it probably won't be too much of a surprise as it's not an unheard of practice, but here's hoping we'll get something great.

[weesh 690]

...here's hoping we'll get something great.

 

eh.  define great?

I'm here more for the relational element than the high adventure.

I'd rather they have a neat business as usual stuff than spend four more issues on an adventure that I'm not going to care much about.

 

That said, the four issue Sombra arc would have been the sort of thing that could have ended on 50.  It was both high adventure AND high relationship, but that is pretty rare.  

[AlbaTross 1,586]

eh.  define great?

I'm here more for the relational element than the high adventure.

I'd rather they have a neat business as usual stuff than spend four more issues on an adventure that I'm not going to care much about.

 

That said, the four issue Sombra arc would have been the sort of thing that could have ended on 50.  It was both high adventure AND high relationship, but that is pretty rare.

 

Actually yeah, that is an epic arc. I personally like the adventure stories too, but I have gotten the sense that there's something holding them back on the relational side, likely some kind of clause in IDW's deal with Hasbro that states that nothing too substantial can happen in the comics because the show isn't going to acknowledge any of it, let alone require the audience to have read a particular comic issue in order to fully get a particular episode. I'm actually kind of surprised IDW got away with half of what they did with The Siege of the Crystal Empire. Maybe it's because as far as DHX is concerned, Sombra is dead and gone, and they have no plans to bring him back (except in the context of something like an alternate timeline). Maybe IDW could write a story like they did and have no bearing on future episodes because there will likely be none that feature Sombra. But yeah, that is awesome and I hope we get something like that in volume 12.

[weesh 690]

...I have gotten the sense that there's something holding them back on the relational side, likely some kind of clause in IDW's deal with Hasbro that states that nothing too substantial can happen in the comics because the show isn't going to acknowledge any of it...

 

They have made fantastic use of going back in history to show things, since they can choose just about any starting place they want.  some of my favorite issues are from that mold.