1992 MARVEL MASTERPIECES 30th Anniversary Book

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

What a coincidence -- I was just reading your guys' comments when I got an email from FPG saying they have received shipping dates from their printers for mid-late December.

I'm excited -- can't wait. I'm definitely going to be posting my experience of opening this release.

Wow go figure! Just saw they posted the update to the campaign.

Good news. Of course I’m well past ‘fool me once, fool me twice’ territory and it’s more like ‘fool me 7 times’, so I’m still not holding breath and gong to wait until it’s actually shipped to us, before I get excited. Based on history this year, there is nothing that says there won’t be a next update saying, ‘sorry things aren’t quite done yet….yada yada…Covid. But we think it’ll be done in Jan!!!’

I also thought there was going to be a complete review of the list of possible lottery extras in this update, which someone asked for….but nothing on that. Maybe it’ll be when it gets closer.

Anyway, hope to be proven wrong in my skepticism, but we’ll have to see.

[jdandns]

This delay has been most unfortunate, especially, for those who haven't done KS before, but I've never dropped below 99% in terms of thinking I'd eventually receive the book...or went above that number.. There IS always some risk a project goes unfulfilled, but on a project collecting art that was completed over 30 years ago, and from a publisher who has been in the business a long time, it's minimal to say the least.

I think I waited almost this long for Horrorhound's "Half-Tone Horrors" a compendium of horror comic book covers, and this was when Covid delays were certainly still occurring industry-wide. But eventually, I got the book, and it was worth the wait. I think this one will be, too.

[fabiani12333]

I'm just totally guessing here, but I think the printing company was contractually obligated to fulfil the order within a year of the order being placed, which is why they're finally shipping them out in December. I think a year was a reasonable timeframe because of the pandemic causing delays and disruptions in the printing industry.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by jdandns

This delay has been most unfortunate, especially, for those who haven't done KS before, but I've never dropped below 99% in terms of thinking I'd eventually receive the book...or went above that number.. There IS always some risk a project goes unfulfilled, but on a project collecting art that was completed over 30 years ago, and from a publisher who has been in the business a long time, it's minimal to say the least.

I think I waited almost this long for Horrorhound's "Half-Tone Horrors" a compendium of horror comic book covers, and this was when Covid delays were certainly still occurring industry-wide. But eventually, I got the book, and it was worth the wait. I think this one will be, too.

I strongly suspect it will be worth the wait as well. Mr Jusko takes pride in his work and surely will want a quality product.

[HiltonL]

Originally Posted by glorbgorb

I've done almost 50 Kickstarters and this is the first time I have seen it handled in such a poor manner. Even the one-person self-published projects go smoother than this one.

I've done about a dozen Kickstarters and the worst two were in the early days when the project just plain didn't come through at all. I understand people are salivating over this one, but man, everything connected to Jusko seemingly gets delayed. MM16 was originally MM14 for example.

[jdandns]

We should also bear in mind that paint takes a long time to dry.

[Dukefett]

I've done a bunch of kickstarters and this isn't bothering me at all, I very much trust they're going to get delivered. Start getting into toy kickstarters where they've got to create steel molds and do paint samples back and forth from china etc., it takes forever. This is nothing lol

[DynaEtch]

So it's been a year, now since we paid for this- Dec 1st.

It's true that last update they said a shipping timeframe was given for mid to late Dec, but Im preparing myself for an update that says "well...we thought that would be the case, but dont worry, Jan looks promising". That would not be surprising given the history so far of the project. I am believing nothing until we get an actual shipping address form request and it's shipped.

[DynaEtch]

Does anyone think this book will actually get here by Christmas? Seems the tune is getting more vague per the kickstarter comments, as expected...'up to the printer now', still dont have a known date yet, etc.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

Does anyone think this book will actually get here by Christmas? Seems the tune is getting more vague per the kickstarter comments, as expected...'up to the printer now', still dont have a known date yet, etc.

What do you theorize could be the reason for why the book hasn't been printed yet?

I tried to do some research on the current state of the onshore book manufacturing industry and the only thing that stood out to me is the claim of rising costs:

Sep 22, 2023
Questions surrounding the future of book printing drew a capacity crowd of 155 publishing professionals to the BMI (Book Manufacturers Institute) Book Manufacturing Mastered conference, held September 14 at Penguin Random House’s New York City headquarters. And though the book manufacturing sector was booming during the pandemic, economic conditions have softened and costs for most materials are continuing to go up. Still, speakers at the conference said book printers are generally in a good place, albeit with a host of challenges ahead of them.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...-industry.html

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute previously published a survey of its manufacturing members, showing the capacity and lead times for digital and offset-printed hardcover and softcover books -- the last one published was for April 2023: https://www.bmibook.com/book-industry-monthly-barometer

The lead times and capacities earlier this year were much lower than in 2022, strongly implying that the pandemic disruptions and delays had significantly decreased.

[fabiani12333]

It's hard for me to believe Mr Jusko is somehow responsible for the delays. He painted all the recreations on time, after all. I mean, we're not talking about a novel here -- it's a book with primarily republished artwork. Maybe he wants it to be absolutely perfect. But why blame the printing industry?

If FPG was over budget, perhaps due to sharply rising costs, why would they promise all the freebies?

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

What do you theorize could be the reason for why the book hasn't been printed yet?

I tried to do some research on the current state of the onshore book manufacturing industry and the only thing that stood out to me is the claim of rising costs:


https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...-industry.html

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute previously published a survey of its manufacturing members, showing the capacity and lead times for digital and offset-printed hardcover and softcover books -- the last one published was for April 2023: https://www.bmibook.com/book-industry-monthly-barometer

The lead times and capacities earlier this year were much lower than in 2022, strongly implying that the pandemic disruptions and delays had significantly decreased.

It's a good question, and that's some interesting info, and does make you wonder. Even just on a superficial level, the pandemic has been in the rearview mirror for quite sometime now. Could a company just say 'covid delays' when there are other issues afoot? It's possible I suppose. We are essentially in the dark here about what was actually the holdup, as in the particulars.

It's been a bumpy road thus far, but this one will really put me off, not getting it after getting that Nov update saying the printer gave a shipping date of mid-late Dec. I have a lot put into this project, and its getting ridiculous. Maybe (hopefully) I'll be wrong and it shows up in the next few weeks, but we havent even received address surveys yet. All those comments last month expressing jubilation about having it before Christmas.....silly! We should know better by now given the history of this project.

Edit: to the Jusko point, agree I highly doubt it’s anything related to him. He got all the paintings done (at remarkable pace no less), and if this book is anything like the IDW book, there may be a small blurb for each of the 104 cards at most (I hope at least). Don’t see there being a page long essay for each card. I have to imagine Mr Jusko is already well past this now in terms of involvement. So that leaves either the design of the book or the printing of it for the inexplicable delays….

[BobCollects]

Just before the latest update, I sent Kickstarter support a message pointing out the FAQ clearly states "Further, this book will be printed in the USA, thusly eliminating any Covid-related shipping delays" and asking if campaigns are allowed to use money raised to create additional rewards/giveaways instead of shipping the product on time.

Here's the response:

It’s important to remember that many projects on Kickstarter are in the early stages of development and the final delivery can come with unavoidable delays. It’s also not uncommon for the estimated delivery date to change based on how the work is progressing. However, when a project is delayed we do expect creators to keep their backers in the loop with regular updates.

For specific questions about the status of the Joe Jusko's Art of the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces project we recommend getting in touch with the creator directly. They will be best placed to help answer your questions and should be able to provide more information. If you haven’t yet messaged the creator through Kickstarter, you can find the steps for how to do so in this help center article.

If you’ve already messaged the creator and haven’t heard back yet we’d suggest waiting a week before following up with them again. A creator’s inbox can quickly become overwhelmed, and they may still be making their way through the messages they’ve received.

You can also try reaching out to them through their social channels or website (where they might be more readily available for questions).

It seems Kickstarter itself doesn't concern itself with campaigns once they're funded and Kickstarter gets their cut.

[BipolarBear]

Just want to repost my earlier comment that, having somehow missed this during campaign, I'm happy to buyout the interest of anyone who wants to back out.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by BipolarBear

Just want to repost my earlier comment that, having somehow missed this during campaign, I'm happy to buyout the interest of anyone who wants to back out.

Out of curiosity, what would be your cutoff date? If the project is delayed another year, for example, would you still be willing to buy out someone's order?

[DynaEtch]

Tbh a big opportunity was missed here to get the book out into the retail sphere before Christmas. This could have been a pretty popular Christmas present for comic card or comic enthusiasts.

I don’t know when the retail version is dropping, but imagine if it’s right after Christmas or January.

I’m not holding my breath for the Kickstarter copies to arrive this month.

[BipolarBear]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

Out of curiosity, what would be your cutoff date? If the project is delayed another year, for example, would you still be willing to buy out someone's order?

Yeah, especially if it's a Tier 2 backer (the one with the Psylocke card). I'm confident this will show up eventually.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by BipolarBear

Yeah, especially if it's a Tier 2 backer (the one with the Psylocke card). I'm confident this will show up eventually.

What makes you confident? It seems like if this gets delayed another year, there must be something seriously wrong.

Just missing the most recent ETA is very concerning.

Some crowdfunded projects don't get fulfilled. The longer the delay is without any provided specified reasons for it, the more I think this could be one of those projects.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

Tbh a big opportunity was missed here to get the book out into the retail sphere before Christmas. This could have been a pretty popular Christmas present for comic card or comic enthusiasts.

I don’t know when the retail version is dropping, but imagine if it’s right after Christmas or January.

I’m not holding my breath for the Kickstarter copies to arrive this month.

They already sold everything at predetermined prices, right? So obviously the holiday buying season is not a strong incentive or consideration for them, unlike other book publishers.

This is quite a mystery as to why the books haven't been shipped yet. My imagination can run wild thinking about it. The most likely explanation is it's still being edited and refined -- perhaps Mr Jusko has been very busy this past year and underestimated the time needed to complete it. Or perhaps, in this high interest rate environment, interest is being accrued on the funding lol.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

They already sold everything at predetermined prices, right? So obviously the holiday buying season is not a strong incentive or consideration for them, unlike other book publishers.

This is quite a mystery as to why the books haven't been shipped yet. My imagination can run wild thinking about it. The most likely explanation is it's still being edited and refined -- perhaps Mr Jusko has been very busy this past year and underestimated the time needed to complete it. Or perhaps, in this high interest rate environment, interest is being accrued on the funding lol.

As far as I know, the book will be released to mass-market retail, where anyone can buy it. They won’t get any extras like bronze cards or the digest like the Kickstarter backers, it’ll just the Hulk book. Probably available in bookstores and online retailers. Would have been a good thing to get that out before Christmas.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

As far as I know, the book will be released to mass-market retail, where anyone can buy it. They won’t get any extras like bronze cards or the digest like the Kickstarter backers, it’ll just the Hulk book. Probably available in bookstores and online retailers. Would have been a good thing to get that out before Christmas.

Oh, okay -- that makes sense.

If they miss this shipping date, I think it's clear something is wrong. They said they received shipping dates from the printer, so all that needs to be done is the printing. You can only use printing delays as an excuse for so long. I can't imagine it will be very much longer before we finally get the books.

[glorbgorb]

Someone commented in the Kickstarter saying they hope the 1993 collection is next, to which FG responded "THAT IS THE PLAN!!!".

So, how many of you will contribute to that one after all the vitriol and delays with this one?

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by glorbgorb

Someone commented in the Kickstarter saying they hope the 1993 collection is next, to which FG responded "THAT IS THE PLAN!!!".

So, how many of you will contribute to that one after all the vitriol and delays with this one?

I have a hard time seeing they’d make a 1993 version. There were many artists on that set, the original art thing would be awfully convoluted to do. Plus they already covered the ~15 Jusko cards from that set in this one. Not sure if they were just answering that to give an answer or what. Something like a 1995MM would actually be a better fit for a retrospective book. I’d say 1996 but that was already done, though not nearly to this level.

We’ll see what happens here…but I wouldn’t have interest backing a 1993 Kickstarter given how this one is playing out. And this coming from someone who madly collects 1993MM, has a username after its inserts, and who couldn’t have been more excited for this 92 one, having gone all in on it with the tiers. I think what I’d do is just wait until it’s released, and buy things I want on the secondary market. This whole thing has put me off Kickstarter. My first backed project and not a fan.

[BipolarBear]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

What makes you confident? It seems like if this gets delayed another year, there must be something seriously wrong.

Just missing the most recent ETA is very concerning.

Some crowdfunded projects don't get fulfilled. The longer the delay is without any provided specified reasons for it, the more I think this could be one of those projects.

For one thing, they're still communicating, which means they are aware that people are upset and attempting to address (albeit poorly). If there was complete radio silence, I'd be concerned.

Jusko's involvement in the project also gives me confidence. Even though this is past the point where he has any actual role, he is a consummate professional who absolutely does care about his reputation among fans/collectors.

If you decide you want out, feel free to reach out to me. If it's just a matter of waiting, I'm completely fine with that

[fabiani12333]

Looking over my past emails from FPG, I can see the progression of the delays:

Their first estimated delivery time period was mid-summer -- they mentioned supplies they needed coming the following month:

May 9, 2023
The production of all things “JOE JUSKO’S Art of the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces” continues its forward progress throughout the manufacturing process! Pieces continue to arrive, and we now have a good idea of the time frame for the actual art book delivery from our printers.

The continued supply chain issues that haunt so many manufacturers are unfortunately still in place, causing daily frustrations. Despite this, we have received the great news that the supplies we have been waiting for will arrive next month and the book should be shipping to us by mid-summer!

Then they expanded the time frame to include late summer:

June 21, 2023
We are still looking at a mid to late summer ship date. July-September. We can see how things are moving ahead and have no reason to think otherwise.

Then they shifted the time frame to late summer and early fall:

August 8, 2023
We have an updated estimated shipping time of September-October.

We've been in publishing for 35 years, never delivered a late product, until COVID. Now, like other manufacturers, we are at the mercy of people and suppliers all in the same boat, navigating the waters with supply chain issues.

And then they casually mention fall as a new release time frame:

September 5, 2023
(Update: Book arrival now seems to be more like October-November.)

Then they provide a final ship date:

October 2, 2023:
While ALL elements of production have finally started to arrive, it looks like the final ship date will be in December. We are certainly hoping for sooner, but this is the “safe" estimation.

And finally, they said they have been given a ship date from the printer:

November 15, 2023
We have received shipping dates from our printers, and they are telling us a mid-late December shipping time. As in next month!!!!

So looking at all of that, it appears FPG initially claimed they had problems acquiring certain materials. It got pretty vague after that, until last month, when they strongly implied the books were ready to print.

So I can see how backers would get frustrated with the delays. But I think it's clear we're in the home stretch because the books appear ready to be printed -- no more supply chain issues.