Its a good book, with sharp humor and a fast pace. I’d would be kinda sad to see it go(but with the sales as LOL-worthy as they are now, its soon to go the way of Captain Britain and Coke in green glass bottles).

As much as I wanted this title to succeed, I just didn’t have space on my pull list to be able to read it. I’ve heard good things about it though.

Could we, um…get a link to this petition?

Oh wait, MAIL campaign, I’m a moron. NVM

Nah, you were right the first time, Chris. The link appeared to have disappeared. It’s back in there now, though! Thanks for the head’s up!

I’ll be sending mine in on Monday.

I had passed this series up initially, despite being very interested in the premise, because I thought it was going to be a $3.99 series, and I just won’t pay that for a 22 page comic. But then I realized it was just for the first issue, and it is an over-sized issue, so I picked up the first 3 issues this week. I haven’t got a chance to read them yet, but I’m hoping it’s as good as everyone says it is. And if it is, I’m sure it will then get canceled in short notice.

Noooo! They cannot cancel this! It’s such a fun, different series!

the art really keeps me from buying the book, the depiction of the beast especially.

I can’t believe this. SWORD is my favorite thing Marvel’s publishing right now, I was looking forward to a long run. I had no idea the sales were low.

Enjoying the series, but considering that I had this placed in my ‘Captain Britain Memorial Pull List Slot featuring the Marvel Book Most Likely to be Cancelled in Under a Year’…I can’t say I’m surprised by the rumours.

But I’ll buy it til it’s gone because its fun, and features a little dragon with a bad attitude.

Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have trade waited on this one.

@gonzo The depiction of Beast is one of the best things about the art, in my opinion. Not only is it more influenced by Quitely’s original lion-based redesign than virtually any artist since, but it also allows for some really charming and unique expressions that help make Beast into a stronger lead than I’d have ever thought possible.

SWORD is a rare case of an artist and writer really understanding one another’s abilities and nailing the tone together. There’s almost nothing else like it on the stands, and regretfully, that’s probably why everyone’s expecting it to disappear so fast.

WHY WOULD MARVEL DO THIS?t! :O

Oh wait, silly questions. JERKS!!

I thought it was a limited series so I was waiting for the trade. Guess I gotta pull the backissues this week.

@Mario: of course they’re jerks. They’re cancelling the book specifically to piss you off. It has nothing to do with sales at all. Those big meanies…

Rich Johnston says it’s dead at #5.

Marvel really isn’t wasting time anymore. Doctor Voodoo got the early axe as well.

It’s unsurprising, given that they were trying to spin off an Astonishing X-Men property about two years too late and gave the impression of cannibalizing the premise with the infinitely higher-profile launch of the Spider-Woman book in which she hunts the Skrulls.

5 issues
Thats a bit harsh!

I dunno, I think had this been a mini series or series of back ups first, this probably would have done better as a “taster” and if sales had been good then rollout to a full scale series

Guess without the hint that Kitty was going to be saved in this series, interest has dropped off..

A pity, but it seems unless its part of the Xmen proper, Spiderman, Avengers, Hulk or Deadpool stable, any interesting series like MI:13 or AoA get cancelled

This should just be a back-up in a 3.99 book. Guardians of the Galaxy or Spider-Woman or Secret Warriors or even Uncanny.

The Weekly Crisis joins the save S.W.O.R.D. campaign with a brief message from Death’s Head

http://www.weeklycrisis.com/2010/01/brief-message-from-deaths-head.html

One thing I don’t get is all these people who, because they dislike the Beast’s horse face, try to claim that ALL the artwork is somehow incredibly bad as a result. I’m one of the people who absolutely hate the horseface on the Beast, but even given that I’d have to be blind to claim that that rendered ALL the artwork horrible. The artwork outside of the horseface was great.

I haven’t read the book, so I can’t comment directly on it, but I think that many people will look at the sales numbers and assume it isn’t very good because nobody is buying it. And that might be a direct result of pricing the first issue so high.

I haven’t read the book, so I can’t comment directly on it, but I think that many people will look at the sales numbers and assume it isn’t very good because nobody is buying it. And that might be a direct result of pricing the first issue so high.

“The series was cancelled with issue #5.” Wickedpedia sure doesn’t waste any time. Or are we being scammed? April 1 is coming all too soon.

[...] Appeal : Save SWORD! Are we going to be doing this every year, then? Yes, it looks like – for all intents and purposes – Kieron Gillen and Steve Sanders’ excellent S.W.O.R.D. ongoing is being forcibly turned into a miniseries, apparently missing from Marvel’s April solicitations and thus seemingly set to end after issue #5. Can anything be done to save it? Fan campaigns have worked in the past for the likes of Manhunter and Spider-Girl – although you wonder if they can have the same effect on a series cut short so early in its life. I feel particularly sorry for editor Nick Lowe, clearly one of the best visionaries that Marvel has, who’s now seen both this and Captain Britain prematurely canned despite doing his best to align exciting and inventive writing and artistic talent with interesting characters. Anyway, if you do want to join the attempts at persuading Marvel that they’re WRONG, then there’s more info here. [...]

Are the sales really that low? When I went to the comic book store this week to get #3, they were already sold out.

1) This sucks.

2) I really don’t understand the business decision-making process here. Did Marvel think this (or Dr Voodoo, for that matter) was going to shoot out of the gate at 30-50K copies? It appears that’s what’s required – there’s no way they can be expecting word-of-mouth and critical acclaim to raise sales in the course of 3-5 issues…right? I never put much credence into the “trademark maintenance” argument, and I certainly don’t buy it here as Hank McCoy/Beast is published elsewhere, and I don’t think anybody’s beating down the door to publish Abigail Brand comics. And why can Image, or Boom!, or any “indy” publish a comic that sells 10-20K/issue, but Marvel or DC can’t?

I really don’t understand the industry behind this medium that I love. But mostly I’m bummed that another smart, funny, exciting book is leaving the shelf just as it’s starting.

Are the sales really that low? When I went to the comic book store this week to get #3, they were already sold out.

Sure, but how many copies did they order? Probably not many beyond those going to subscribers.

I am hugely disappointed that Marvel is canceling SWORD after such a short run. It was a fantastic book, with wonderfully intricate characters and a fabulous female lead. I wish Marvel would reconsider, but I’m not really holding my breath.

I think you are all being unfair to marvel. The book was a low seller and they could not turn a profit. Don’t blame Marvel, blame the people who will buy anything with Wolverine but won’t try anything else.

The fact is that titles usually start off high and then shed readers until they stabilise. Like Doctor Voodoo this started off low and had nowhere to go but down.

It sucks but this is the market. By all means try the petition route but Marvel is a business and this is how business work

s1rude – you can’t compare Marvel to an indie title. Marvel has a rate they have to pay their contract employees where indy comic makers don’t.

Gods. That depiction of Death’s Head in the Weekly Crisis link looks nothing like any of the three versions…
Shame really. Death’s Head v1 is one of my favourite Marvel characters ever…