As this column posts, fans and pros are working their way back home after the latest San Diego Comic-Con. As per usual, Marvel was often the topic of discussion there, I hear, although not in the way they would prefer.
IS MARVEL STILL ‘THE HOUSE OF IDEAS?’
Even as discussed here at MajorSpoilers, the recent changes at Marvel have fans and creators asking, “Whatever happened to Marvel?”
Let me back up a little bit to set the stage.
Marvel originally started out as this “upstart” new comics company that took on the “big, established” organization called DC (and others, of course, but fans mostly knew about the “Distinguished Competition”).
The comics industry had been put under the microscope because a certain number of parents saw comic books as a negative influence, scaring their children into “bad behavior.” What we might call today as “true crime” stories and horror books were seized upon by government agencies and other groups as making kids look into the dark too much, and they went after them.
From this entire event came an organization designed to make “safer,” “more realistic” comics—the Comics Code Authority. They were to look over every single issue before it was released, and a comic without their seal of approval on it was a sign to parents that this publication could not be trusted.
So, DC and other established companies worked to make books that this organization would not have trouble adding their seal to. That often lead to what was deemed “safe” and more “kid-friendly” comics. Interestingly, though, many kids found them less than enjoyable, at least for a while.
Along comes this new company that wasn’t shackled by previous perceptions. Marvel, to stand out from the crowd, took an “edgier,” “more dynamic” approach. Character growth, different interactions, going “where no comic had gone before” was apparently their motto.
Readers took to that immediately. A good example of this was a comparison between two of the “big” artists of the day—Curt Swan at DC, and Jack Kirby at Marvel.
Curt’s art, particularly on Superman and other DC characters, was stable, secure, more respectable. By contrast, Jack Kirby’s artwork was more dynamic, “edgier,” “popped off the page” as one fan described it.
Fans noticed the difference, and there developed two different fan groups, one that favored the “House of Ideas” and another that preferred DC’s take. Over time, though, more and more fans resulted in higher sales for Marvel, and DC had to take steps to at least maintain their numbers.
As one comics shop owner described it, Marvel became known as the “cool” company because of its edgier (sorry I have to keep using that word) art and storytelling. DC, with their long-established heroes that have been around for decades, was considered “old” and “stale” by comparison. When kids recommended comics to their friends, they would turn them on to what they liked, and that was often Marvel.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
For years and years, Marvel would always be the top-selling comics company. DC most often was the second company, something that was considered the norm for a long, long time.
To combat this, DC would, every so often, do a “reboot” or a rebranding of their books. There was the “New 52,” “One Year Later,” and several other reboots. The problem was that these happened so often and so regularly that they began to be taken for granted by fans and comics shops alike. “There they go again,” many fans would say when a new reboot was about to happen.
Recently, though, DC brought back popular Batman scribe Scott Snyder to breathe some life into their books. Instead of a mass release of EVERY book, Snyder started slow, first unleashing Absolute Batman in what was then called the “Absolute” Universe. Many stores underordered it because, well, they’d seen this kind of thing before.
However, Snyder’s new take shook up many aspects of the Dark Knight, and it caught fans (and shop owners) by surprise, apparently. Reprints started coming as demand continued to increase, with the first issue of this new book having at least eleven versions now available. Absolute Batman, which is now set to become an animated series, has become the “gold standard” for comics, a book which every other is measure against.
When the premiere issue of Ben 10 was released recently, it outsold the issue of Absolute Batman that came out at the same time, and that made news!
What’s interesting to me is that people even tangentially interested in comics have become aware of the “Absolute” Universe, and Absolute Batman in particular. Even if they don’t keep up with current comics, they want to know more about this event, and the sales are showing it.
And several of their “All In” books have been getting noticed, like The Fury of Firestorm and others. Good for DC!
MARVEL’S REACTION
Just like the rest of fandom, Marvel expected (and some in the company even said out loud) that this was “just another DC reboot”, so it was largely ignored.
Then, when it became too big to ignore, fans began to ask why Marvel wasn’t doing something as an answer to all this.
As has been noted here at MajorSpoilers, the company has made some major changes, including moving their offices to California to be near their TV and movie developers. They also have announced and are releasing a new “Midnight” line of comics that have a more “horror” view of main Marvel characters including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
The thing that matters to many fans is, “Who did it first?” There are long, continuous arguments on social media about who came first, Aquaman or Namor? And many of Marvel’s current moves seem to follow DC’s previous changes. For instance, DC moved from New York to California several years back. Now Marvel is doing the same thing.
The “Midnight” event is something that some fans see as the “Absolute-ization” of Marvel characters, following what DC did with the “Absolute” line. Bigger, bolder, maybe even better? But it still seems to be following DC’s lead.
Granted, almost everything that happens in comics has, at some point, been done before. What matters most to me is the quality of the storytelling. I’m looking forward to “Midnight” because the House of Ideas has put some top-level creators on it. Will it outshine “Absolute?” Only time will tell.
I notice that fewer comics fans refer to Marvel as the “cool” company these days. I even hear some fans calling Absolute Batman “the coolest character in comics.” THAT’s a big change!
But I think competition like this makes everyone better, so I welcome this! While I’m a bigger DC fan than a Marvel fan (always have been, though), I follow great creators and great stories, so I’m less concerned with the “political party” than I am the good stuff!
So, “Midnight” versus “Absolute?” Bring it on!
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