This is a great time to be a comics fan! That’s so true on several levels!
MOVIES
Aquaman has been a big success in box offices around the world. (I know—Aquaman! Really!) The Fish Guy has a sequel in the works now, I hear! Once Upon a Deadpool recently raked in fan dollars as well. 2018 just may be the biggest year ever for comics-related movies.
Other Marvel Entertainment movies are coming, including more Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Inhumans, Avengers: Endgame and maybe even another Guardians of the Galaxy.
On the DC side of things, Wonder Woman also did extremely well, and there are rumors more featuring that character are on the way. Personally, I’m looking forward to Shazam! in particular. The trailers have me on board and ready!
I could fill this entire column with other comics optioned for films, but let me just mention a few: Heavenly Blues, The Mall, Queen & Country, Wytches, Day Men, Malignant Man, several Mark Millar projects and a personal favorite of mine, Rust.
DC also has a successful line of direct-to-DVD films happening, including Justice League Versus the Fatal Five. Looking forward to that! It’s always interesting to me that DC does such a great job in this field while Marvel seems to make theater films on a higher level.
TELEVISION
Turn on the TV many nights and you’ll find comics properties there as well.
DC Universe has been releasing some high-power programming, including Titans and Young Justice. Doom Patrol just debuted. Besides that, DC has Supergirl on Sundays on The CW, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on Mondays, and The Flash and Black Lightning on Tuesdays. They’re all renewed for another year, too! Marvel has Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returning before long to ABC. We aren’t certain where Daredevil and his fellow Defenders will land, but Netflix has more Punisher and Jessica Jones. And I could never forget The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead on AMC.
Before long, we’ll likely see new Lucifer on Netflix, and hopefully more Krypton on Syfy (I love that show), as well as Letter 44 and Ghost Projekt in the works. And this is only the tip of the iceberg!
MERCHANDISE
I don’t see as many comics-related t-shirts in Walmart or Target these days, which saddens me. Those were often great finds! But we do see DC specials on sale in Walmart, and they seem to be doing well given that they recently released a Halloween and a Christmas edition there.
DC is selling product through their website/store. Marvel’s offerings are in several locations as well as on their website. The recent news about MacFarlane Toys taking over DC from Mattel might shake up things a little bit.
You can also buy amazing statues and merchandise through Diamond Select! Some of those things truly amaze me!
COMICS
While Marvel remains firmly in the top spot, other companies continue to offer more diversity and quality than I can remember enjoying even as a long-time comics fan.
I like to point out that we’re seeing more diversity in lead characters, including women and people of color, than ever before. I think we’re also enjoying a wider variety of storytelling than I’ve noticed previously, including science fiction, horror, adventure, and romance.
It’s a phenomenal time for independent comics, or “Indies,” as well. Many fans with stories to tell are jumping in to write, draw, and distribute their own comics. Personally, I think the industry is better for it!
Digital comics continue to help fans keep up with their collections, but they haven’t replaced paper copies. At least, not yet. I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.
I haven’t heard much about the mail order “crates” that took off a few years back. I suspect that the ones who work best with customers are doing well while others may be falling off. We also saw more comics conventions than ever take place, with nearly every weekend hosting at least one!
MOVING AHEAD
Last year was a tumultuous one for the industry, with both of the Big Two companies shaking things up pretty seriously. Now, we have to see what all that means moving forward.
Bi-weekly comics have reduced in number, and rumors continue to abound that we’ll see regular issue prices jump up to $4.99 each on most mainstream comics before long.
Word recently hit that DC is cancelling Green Arrow, so we’ll see what that means for their other superheroic titles. I think we’ll likely see more upheaval, with Batman and Spider-Man books continuing to flourish and multiply, with others struggling to gain an audience.
The other comics companies have continued to test the waters with new offerings as well as try to chip away at the superhero market with their new ideas. I continue to wonder if horror and sci-fi will overtake the longjohns comics anytime soon.
More than that is anyone’s guess!
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