Effective immediately, Marvel Entertainment has halted work on approximately one-third of its projected comic books for May and beyond, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The news was initially reported by Newsarama.com. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that work on a number of "select titles" originally scheduled for release in the coming months had been placed on pause, although the publisher did not reveal the exact number of issues affected by the hold, nor which series will be impacted by the decision. Creators were informed of Marvel’s decision Friday, and all work completed to this point will be paid for.
Heat Vision breakdown
The decision was made in the light of ongoing issues surrounding comic distribution and release in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, with all new releases currently on hold following Diamond Comics Distribution’s temporary closure and the resultant hold on digital publication.
Marvel had originally scheduled to release 103 individual issues in May alone, including reprints. In June, 106 issues were planned.
Updated 3pm Pacific: A Marvel spokesperson clarified to THR that the halt will affect around 20 percent of the company's series which, due to frequency of publication, will translate into roughly a third of its monthly output in terms of single issues.
