Hope Springs Eternals

So I'd seen quite a bit or trepidation regarding Eternals, from retailers regarding how well it would sell and from readers regarding how well it would read. Most of the concern stemmed from Gaiman's last Marvel book 1602, which has (somewhat retroactively) come to be considered something of a low point for Gaiman. From a retail shop perspective, I have no problem with 1602, particularly because it sells surprisingly well to lapsed comic fans who enjoy the high concept coupled with pseudo-familiar superheroes. Plus, it's a essentially a complete story (which is a big plus for lapsed and new readers). Apparently many retailers saw sales of the singles drop off pretty dramatically as the series progressed which, when coupled with lukewarm reader response, left store owners less than convinced they had a sure seller with a much less "name brand" superhero book like Eternals. According to several other retailers there was also a distinct lack of pre-orders to help gauge demand.

That said, it was our best selling title last week and seems to have sold really well off the rack after a quick glance through at the shop. On top of that, its getting great coverage and reviews in places like Entertainment Weekly's Must List. I really enjoyed the first issue myself and I like that it has a tangential connection to the Marvel universe but one that really doesn't require much (if any) knowledge for a new reader. I expect this to be a title that will sell really well in collected format but may also surprise a few people with its ability to sell in single issues as well.