I finally have 45 minutes on a Saturday morning that I am not working, and I want to use it to get some ideas out there about the comics market and hopefully incite some intelligent conversation.
2012 was a GREAT year for comic books. There were more well-crafted books coming out than I could keep up with, and I really enjoyed reading them month-to-month. DC continued their success with the New 52 books, Batman leading the way with gripping writing from Scott Snyder. The "Court of Owls" AND "Death of the Family" in less than 12 months!! And the Swamp Thing/Animal Man crossover "Rotworld" And Marvel, not one to sit idly on the sidelines, blew us away with "AvX" and "Everything Burns". And in between, there were a bunch of really well-written and drawn books, both on the grand and small stage, that were a pleasure to read.
So here we sit. 2013. The Mayans are relieved that we aren't blaming them for the end of the world. Third graders are toting guns to school in Far Rockaway. Anyone that pays taxes will be forking over more this year, and getting less in return. And there are new laws for gun owners and their guns which will have no impact whatsoever on those that have illegal guns. So how do comics fit into all of this, and why are there some burning questions inside of me about the industry?? Let's take a look inside the mind of a life-long comics fan.
I am not going to slam you with links to CBR or newsarama or any of that. Instead I will just spew out aggregated information in an abstract fashion to let you know where my mind is at.
Marvel and DC comics have been putting out a lot of books lately. A LOT. A fucking steaming shitload of new books. And variant covers, second and third and fourth printings, and trades. And new titles. DC has firmly planted itself in the New 52 universe without looking back, while Marvel is reinventing itself every Wednesday in a post-AvX universe with a plethora of NOW! books. And as much as I hate to admit it, I have been along for the ride for a loooooooooooooong time. And I hate to admit it, but they got me. Hook line and sinker, they got me.
However, lost in all the "YAY!!" enthusiasm is this creeping feeling of dread, of horror, crawling up my spine. It's like watching a movie and knowing what's about to happen, and feeling powerless to stop it.
Let me point out that in no way, shape, or form, am I taking any negative shots at ANY of the creators of these fun to read books. I am simply expressing my feelings on the industry right now, and the state it's in, and my HUGE concern for what's about to happen.
I read the new Captain America 3 last night. An overall spectacular book, filled with amazing art by JrJr and Klaus. And I was very, very impressed by Remender's writing, which is no shock to anyone that knows me. But when I finished reading it, I couldn't help but wonder...um, isn't Captain America in some other books? Like, Avengers? And...Uncanny Avengers?? Well, there he is, right on the covers of THOSE titles. So...how exactly has Cap been missing for a year in a far-away place while helming two of Marvel's flagship titles?
Is Arcade really killing off teens in Avengers Arena? And did Disney actually allow one of their sub-divisions to do this, right on the heals of Hunger Games(you know, the watered-down version of Battle Royal(also known as Lord of the Flies))??
I'm not even going into the Peter Parker "death". I think it was fantastically written by Dan Slott, and created a perfect storm of hype for Marvel. Hulk, Thor, Avengers, X-Men, Sif, Deadpool, and many other characters are being handled in new ways by new creators and most of it works. Especially the All-New X-Men. Bendis and Immonen are setting the bar for superhero comics, and they are setting it high. However...
It doesn't feel right. It seems to scattered. I wasn't expecting a cohesively shared universe, like Stan Lee created 50 years ago when he was "writing" 20 books every month. It seems rushed. It seems like a mad-dash attempt to catch up to DC and their phenomenal success with the New 52.
And make no mistake, DC his redefined the comics industry by taking a bold leap forward and re-whatever-ing their entire line of superhero books. It feels like a shared universe, not just because of the ongoing trend of multi-title crossovers events, but just on the most basic ground level, it feels like it is all happening at once, in the same universe, and it makes sense.
Lapham's "Age of Apocalypse" is being cancelled because it has fallen below the 20,000 line. 20,000. One of the best-written and drawn books on the market today. Maybe those numbers would be higher if people had a few more sheckles to spend on their monthly books. Maybe, just maybe, if they didn't buy that variant cover third printing of (insert title here) they would have the $2.99 to plop down on this amazing book. And therein lies the basic seed of my discontent.
Marvel is owned by Disney. DC is owned by WB/TimeWarner. You know, these gigantic media conglomerates that generate BILLIONS of dollars every year selling kids(well, usually parents) character-based stuff. And movies. And books. And I will point out here that based on their value, there is no way those companies are generating the same profit from publishing as they are from the rest of their product lines. So why are they both flooding the market with so many comic book titles?
I have my own theories, but this is the prevailing thought. Neither of these companies are content to just exist and produce profit-making properties. There is, and has always been, a driving desire to be THE company. And while that balance of power is ever-changing, it is a self-destructive cycle that hurts both of these companies more than they realize. And here's why.
Image. Dark Horse. ComixTribe. IDW. These companies are content with smaller sales numbers, and they are willing to take a chance on some lesser-known talent with unique creative visions. Anyone that reads a lot of different books will tell you that there are some really good books out there, filled with really good ideas. Just ask Marvel and DC-they are pulling Indie creators into their stables regularly now. But these indie publishers lack the wherewithal to pump out movies like the Big Two, so fun comics like Saga, Witch Doctor, Chew, Luther Strode(just to name a few) are just that- fun comics. Just think about how cool it would be to see a book like Revival or Harvest on the big screen. Or even on AMC.
But the two big media juggernauts just keep plowing along, feeding the fans effects-driven popcorn summer-blockbuster films that make money, and send kids to Toys-r-Us to grab up games and figures and pajamas. Everything seems so formulaic...put out a movie, keep making the monthly pamphlet advertisements for the characters, and so on. And it works. It is a very safe plan. It makes them money. But don't we, as creators and readers and consumers, deserve more??
Remember the 90's? Remember the glut?? The variants and multiple printings and implosion of the industry?? I do. If this industry is to survive, Marvel and DC must change. They have both effectively shot themselves in the foot in one are to be certain...the backlist of trade paperbacks is going to become obsolete in this post-NOW!/New 52 world. From my observations, people are more willing than ever before to check out one of those indie books they keep hearing about, but dammit, their buying piles are filled with Marvel and DC and they stick to what is safe, what they are comfortable with. I am among the fortunate-I order my books on-line and get 40% off of everything, if not more. I am able to pick up 100+ titles every month. I also have a great local shop that takes really good care of me, so there is not much that I miss. I guess it's a perk of being an indie creator or whatever, but I am thankful for it. But that guy that has 2 kids and 2 jobs and a working wife and bills up the ass? He's not gunna plunk down the coin I do on comics, especially on comics he has never read before. Those kids that pop in randomly? They are grabbing up Avengers and Spiderman and Batman and My Little Pony like crazy.
So what is Marvel and DC's overall plan? To control the market place? To squeeze every nickel out of the consumer? Ret-conning and rebooting and revitalizing works great with established familiar characters. But for real growth, and to stay healthy, the industry needs to expand it's vision and take more chances. New ideas. New creators. New characters. I might open a box of 50+ new comics, or come home from my local shop, and have a huge pile of new comics to sift through. But when I put together the reading pile, somehow Scam!, America's Got Powers, Prophet, Shadowman and Luther Strode sit at the top of the pile while some of the Marvels and DCs sit at the bottom, waiting to read last...or not at all. Please take a chance on some of these lesser-known titles. Diversity will keep this industry alive. Paper is going away folks. Is the comics market far behind? I am afraid that if we keep driving down this road, we will fall off of a cliff...
Comments? Feedback? Feel free to spout off.
