Too Big To Succeed?
Are some comic book lines becoming too big to sustain themselves?
While Marvel and DC still dominate the American comic book market, they haven’t been the only game in town in some time. There are many other options, often putting out creative and daring books that push the medium forward.
But the biggest players continue to pump out gobs of material on a monthly basis. At some points, the sheer flow of product on the shelves (or available in the digital marketplace) is staggering. Is there a point where the slates of some publishers just get too big to be manageable?
The comic book industry has been in a mostly positive phase for the past few years. Overall, sales of monthly comics and collected editions have been strong. The embrace of digital distribution has mostly been additive, instead of cannibalizing physical sales. The high profiles many characters have enjoyed from successful appearances in films, TV shows and video games have brought new eyes to the industry. The aggressive attempt to embrace diversity, both in creators and content, has attracted fans. But what’s the limit?
Marvel and DC especially publish a lot of content on a monthly basis. In addition to their main superhero lines, each has other imprints, including licensed properties and books for young readers. While no one expects one fan to consume everything a publisher puts out, is there a point where a line is just too big?
Put another way, does a line reach a size where it’s just not possible for the publisher to effectively promote and support books? Where they’re bringing out so many series in an attempt to hit so many fan quadrants that they’ve drifted into irresponsibility.
Because while it’s great that publishers are trying to get as many different people under the tent as possible, in the long run those constituencies aren’t served by series that can’t sustain themselves. Or that need frequent re-launches and new #1 issues to get noticed.
Have we reached a point where the world of comic book options has become too big? Many publishers have recently released their May 2016 solicitations. Some seem reasonable. Excluding collected editions and re-prints, Dark Horse is soliciting 21 issues, Dynamite 16 and Valiant only 10. Given the size and resources of each of those publishers, those seem reasonable.
Valiant, especially, has been vocal about its desire to keep its line to a manageable size. While the success of the reborn publisher over the past few years could justify a bigger expansion, Valiant seems committed to keeping its monthly output to under 12 issues. Only flagship title X-O Manowar has extended beyond a 25th issue. Most other books have wrapped at either the 25th or 12th. Other characters appear only in miniseries or specials. Valiant frequently gives high profile properties a rest. By sidelining some characters, Valiant can produce a concise slate of series it can promote and support.
Other publishers seem headed toward “too big,” if they’re not there already. For May 2016, Image is soliciting 47 issues. For DC, it’s 72. And Marvel? A whopping 90 issues. That seems unsustainable.
Marvel is arguably the most successful comic book publisher of the past few years. But their line is often confusing. Many top titles will ship two issues in a month with no discernible pattern. Other series will skip months altogether, also for no apparent reason. A constant stream of big events has driven frequent re-launches. Some characters or teams have has as many as a half dozen #1 issues in as many years.
Marvel has embraced trying to launch characters in quirky, “slice of life” series. Many of them are quite good. But they often get lost in the shuffle. High media profiles in movies and TV have driven the likes of Howard the Duck, Hellcat, Vision and Scarlet Witch into solo series, with differing results. Meanwhile, the Avengers, X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises have metastasized beyond reason. They often choke out shelf space for the smaller titles that Marvel hopes will bring in diverse readers.
It’s not much better over at DC, which has been quick to launch unusual concepts since the dawn of “The New 52” and just as quick to cancel books before they’ve found their footing. DC seems poised to do another re-launch of its own.
Image was the poster child for the ’90s comic book bubble. It epitomized “too big,” with a bloated slate of series that flooded the market and eventually washed it out. Over the past decade or so, Image successfully remade itself as the destination for innovative, high quality creator-owned series. But as more and more creators want to go that route, the demand is once again bloating Image’s output. The quality level is questionable.
The comic book world feels like it’s getting too big to sustain itself. While a crash on the order of the ’90s may not be imminent, it’s hard not to feel like some retrenchment is inevitable. To some extent, that will be driven by the cycle of movie and television projects. A downward slope for those properties is inevitable.
It would be nice to see publishers release slates that are focused. Since the concept of an “ongoing” series already has been twisted beyond recognition, maybe Marvel and DC need to take a page from the smaller publishers. Keep a smaller stable of ongoing series and surround them with a rotating roster of well-crafted mini-series. Many fans would likely prefer five or six really good issues a year than a dozen so-so ones. Especially since a re-launch is all but inevitable anyway.
If publishers fail to manage their lines to prevent them from becoming too big, the consequences could be quite unpleasant for companies, creators and fans.
Originally published at thunderalleybcpcom.ipage.com on February 18, 2016. If you liked what you read, be sure to hit recommend below, and follow Panel & Frame for more emerging voices in Comics, Literature, Film, and Art!
