Secret Wars #1 Sells Out Seven Weeks Prior to Release

From Chuck at Mile High comics via Terry Hoknes of www.hoknescomics.com:
Secret Wars #1 has sold out at the distributor level weeks in advance of its release. Chuck of Mile High comics gives perspective on it.

Marvel Comics has unprecedented plans that are already in motion to use the upcoming SECRET WARS (2015) series as a springboard for massive changes in the Marvel Universe. What changes might those be? We have not the slightest idea. Never, ever, have we seen the staff at Marvel be so reticent about providing us with information about an upcoming event. As a case in point, we asked this morning if a couple of new Marvel series that will begin in May will be limited, or ongoing. Marvel’s staff refused to tell us, stating only that they tied in with SECRET WARS. Seriously?!? How can we order copies of upcoming titles correctly for our back issue department if we have no idea about the longevity of those titles? In all honesty, this is the very first time in my memory that a publisher has played this close to the vest with advance information about an entire universe-wide storyline.

Secret Wars #1
A second clue as to the craziness that is about to ensue has to do with the Final Order Cut-Off date for SECRET WARS (2015) #1. To explain, the FOC date on a comic book is the last day that comics retailers can increase (or decrease) their original orders with any degree of assurance that they will receive additional copies. In most instances, the FOC date for a title is about 21 days before shipping, which is the time needed for the typical printing and shipping cycle. In the case of SECRET WARS (2015) #1, that FOC date was set for last Thursday, eight weeks (!) before release.
So why is was the FOC date on SECRET WARS #1 set so early? Our best guess is that Marvel is printing an enhanced cover for #1 offshore, and thus needed to set a firm print number well in advance. If that is the case, you can forget about additional copies of SECRET WARS (2015) #1 being released into the marketplace at some later date, as the lead times for offshore printing a simply too long. Whatever the case may be, the first printing of SECRET WARS (2015) #1 is already posted as being totally sold out on Diamond Distributing’s website, seven weeks before release!

Secret Wars #0 FCBD
The conclusion that Will and I reached from all these bits of data is that all Marvel Comics fans should seek to immediately lock in copies of SECRET WARS (2015) #1 with their favorite comics retailer. Greg and Mario in our new comics subscription department do still have a couple dozen unallocated copies of the regular edition of SECRET WARS (2015) #1 available, but those will be committed very soon. We also recommend that you find a way to guarantee that you receive a copy of Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day release of SECRET WARS (2015) #0, as that will be the actual first issue of the 2015 series (not a reprint!). FYI, because the publishers set their print runs for all FCBD editions months in advance, it is now also too late for retailers to up their orders on SECRET WARS (2015) #0. That having been said, finding unallocated copies of SECRET WARS (2015) #0 coultuned up being a problem for many fans on Free Comic Book Day (May 2nd).