As is Multiversity tradition, on Christmas day we celebrate by showing our lists to Santa (or whatever fictional cultural icon you choose to believe in) in regards to what we’d like to see from Marvel and DC in 2013. As always, we do not make lists for creator-owned companies as there would rather be no point, but rather we take this time to let our selfishness get the better of us as we put our wants and needs before others and ask: “If we were running Marvel and DC, what would we want to see?”
Read on as we all put on our hypothetical hats of ownership and see what we’d like to see from the respective homes of all your favorite superheroes!
Matthew Meylikhov
Marvel:
1. Make less comics
Double-shipping. A zillion #1s every month. I’m a big fan of Marvel comics, but come on, this is killing me.
Look — I get it. I don’t have to buy anything. It’s not about that; this isn’t some sort of plea for things “mattering” less or anything along those lines. Rather, I’m ultimately being forced to make choices about what comics I’ll buy and what I won’t because there are just too many. Marvel is in a very bright era as far as I’m concerned, and they’re forcing fans to make concessions due to their excess output. I would love to buy “Superior Foes of Spider-Man” in single issues in trade, but the amount of books I already bought before that even existed were double-shipped so often that I honestly couldn’t afford it.
This is getting crazy. The double-shipping was done to regain market share, and I think Marvel has done that in spades. So maybe cool it on the output and we’ll see less cancellations and all make less concessions, yes?
2. Don’t let Hawkeye end
I’m not quite sure where it has come from, but there are rumors that Fraction and Aja (and Wu) are bringing their collected “Hawkeye” end to some kind of conclusion.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I hate this rumor. Absolutely, positively, in every way. I think this rumor is just the worst thing. And with “Inhuman” no longer happening and “FF”/”Fantastic Four” over, I’d love for Marvel to do something to keep “Hawkeye” around for a long, long time.
I mean, everyone still agrees that this is one of the best Marvel books around, right? And I’m sure Matt and David and Chris and Matt and Annie and everyone involved in this book still love putting it all together, right?
So, if 2014 sees the end of “Hawkeye,” I think this’ll be a big loss in Marvel’s column, because there is just nothing like it from the Big Two on the stands, and that uniqueness is something Marvel can’t afford to lose.
3. Don’t mess-up all these female-led titles
“Elektra.” “She-Hulk.” “Black Widow.” “Captain Marvel.” “Ms. Marvel.” Wanna know what we call this? A good start. One thing that DC always held over Marvel is that they had more female-led output, and it was pretty bad. But Marvel clearly put in the effort and is trying to improve this aspect of their market, and I applaud that.
But what I don’t want to see is all this effort wasted or trashed at the first sign of decay in sales, or for them to let the comics fall to the way side. Black Widow is in several of their movies; there should be a huge marketing roll-out for this book. And Kelly Sue’s “Captain Marvel” has one of the most passionate fanbases in comics — utilize that in some way. I want to see all these comics see a major boom, and those that don’t should be given the concerted effort to make them get that boom.
If you ask me, it’s absolutely ludicrous that there aren’t more female-led titles on the market from Marvel, because I’d love to be reading them. My pre-orders are already put in these for these titles. If Marvel honestly puts in the effort, if they really work for these books to succeed to the same lengths that they see their Avengers or X-Men titles get appropriate headlines, then I’ll be happy.
Continued below4. Really let Jason Aaron wow us with this next Marvel event
I’ll be honest: one of my wishes would probably have just been for “no more events.” But that doesn’t seem like something I’m going to get, you know? I can pretend that events could go away, but that’s not the world that we live in. And, hey, silly me — I keep buying them. I’m just part of the problem.
So, how about this. We know that there is some kind of Jason Aaron written event involving the death of the Watcher (or some such thing) illustrated by Mike Deodato. And I really want to see this redeem all events.
I wasn’t a huge fan of “Age of Ultron,” “Infinity,” “Cataclysm” or “Battle of the Atom.” They were all fine at parts, but they were mostly indicative of just a lackluster approach to storytelling where the wrong things have the emphasis, despite all the books having talented creators on them. But now, with Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato, there’s a great chance to win hearts and minds. And, sure, I guess I probably would’ve said that with a Hickman-written event featuring Cheung, Opena and Weaver on art, but I was wrong there!
So that’s my challenge to you. Outside of “Battle of the Atom,” there hasn’t been a Jason Aaron-written comic that I haven’t loved. Don’t make this be the first one.
5. FINISH SHIELD ALREADY
I mean, come on. I’m sure one of your editors has to have some chains and whips in the closet, right? It’s ok, no one is judging — it’s 2013. Just put Hickman in a room with that editor, lock the door and don’t open it until he has all the scripts ready for Dustin Weaver to illustrate.
It’s ok. The Avengers can wait.
DC:
1. I
2. Don’t
3. Read
4. DC
5. Comics
In 2013, I gave up on DC. I said as much in our 2012 Wishlist Responses yesterday, but there is nothing at that company for me anymore. The direction, the treatment of creatives, all the Forever Evil nonsense — no, thank you. To me, it doesn’t really matter how much goodwill DC built with me as a reader over the years with all the things I did like; their actions as a company just don’t appeal to me anymore.
So what do I wish for from DC in 2014?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. DC can and will do whatever the hell they want, as they have shown and as is their wont, and I will continue to read books from better publishers.
Chad Bowers
Marvel:
1. Hawkeye-Up Hank Pym!
This has already started, I guess, with his role in Avengers A.I., but with Edgar Wright’s big screen portrayal of Ant-Man landing in theatres sometime in 2015, and Paul Rudd now officially attached, I’d like see Marvel step up their Hank Pym game a good bit in 2014, and do to Ant-Man what they’ve done with Hawkeye.
Hank “Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Yellowjacket/Goliath/Dr. Pym/Wasp/Ant-Man” Pym has been a favorite character of mine since I was an Ant-Kid (I’m very sorry). And look, that’s not even me back-claiming something that’s cool, I’m serious. I love Ant-Man. Always have, and I adore every aspect of the character that is Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym. But writers relying on mental instability as his primary character trait, and the slap heard ‘round the world (Avengers #213) have plagued the character for most of his existence. And y’know what, I get that. It’s ceratinly a touchstone moment in comics, and the characters’ life, and meant to shock. But it was one moment in a thousand, y’know, and some thirty years later, don’t we think it’s time to maybe move on? Look a little deeper, and you’ll find maybe the most nuanced hero in the Marvel Universe, and a guy, in my opinion, that’s well overdue a series that takes him to the next level, and raises his profile in the Marvel U.
Not for nothing, but I get the feeling Mark Waid’s got plans for Hank Pym in the not too distant future. The Waid scripted Age of Ultron 10A.I. wasn’t just an introduction to the Avengers A.I. team, but could’ve just as easily been a pilot issue for a Ant-Man ongoing. It defined Pym for the modern age better than anyone’s done before, and proved that he’s just as interesting as Tony Stark, if not moreso. That, and the fact that Waid’s pulled Pym into his Daredevil run several times now feels like a good indicator that he’s at the very least interested in exploring the diminutive doctor further. Whether he eventually does it monthly, or if it’s only a passing interest and nothing more is number one on my list of things to watch in 2014!
Continued below2. All New Ghost Rider Should Be Awesome!
Look, I know the haters are already burning up the internet with complaints about the new Ghost Rider having a car instead of a motorcycle, but let’s remember two things: 1) Ghost Rider used to ride a horse. Like, just a horse. The fucking thing wasn’t even on fire, okay? The motorcycle’s cool, but it’s not like there’s a precedent for changing up GR’s mode of transportation. And 2) cars are awesome, and there always need to be more cars in comics. So get over the fact that Marvel’s swapped out a chopper for a dragster, and get happy about Tradd Moore drawing Ghost Rider.
I so much want this new series to be incredible.
3. I Want Guardians of the Galaxy to be Really Weird (and Really Good)!
If the teaser at the end of [SPOILER] is any indication, Guardians of the Galaxy (August 2014) is going to be batshit crazy, and I can’t wait!
GotG will introduce audiences to an entirely different corner of the Marvel MovieVerse, and I hope it’s anything but by-the-numbers. I don’t want to see a movie called “Guardians of the Galaxy” to play it safe. I want Easter Eggs that don’t mean anything to ¾ of the viewers! I want to hear the words “Blast those Badoon!” no fewer than, like, fifteen times! I want to see Eternity in HD! ETERNITY, guys. That’s not asking for much.
4. I Hope Daredevil Doesn’t Lose Momentum.
Hawkeye gets a lot of love from the critics, and it’s well deserved. But in my opinion, Daredevil’s just as great, and maybe better, even, as it manages to be just as inventive while staying true to the core of the character, something I feel like Hawkeye often sacrifices.
Daredevil relaunches in March of 2014, with the current creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee returning, and I hope it’s even better the second time around!
5. Hold Onto Talent!
2013 saw more creators walk away from Marvel’s feeding trough, and into the greener pastures of creator owned work. Ed Brubaker’s gone. Cullen Bunn’s seemingly being pushed out. Jeff Parker’s at DC. And based on the recent creative shift surrounding Marvel’s Inhumanity series, rumors are swirling that Matt Fraction might be pushing away from the table.
Consider, also, that DC, Dark Horse, IDW, and every other comics publisher, basically, pull from the same talent pool, there’s a lot of competition out there these days.
Despite the success of their movie franchise, I truly believe the best thing Marvel Comics has going for them is their talent, and those creators’ ongoing relationships with editorial. Over the last decade, Marvel’s built an impressive House of Ideas aimed at the future, and it’s in their best interest to keep the best. At the same time, it’s only natural for creators to want to own their creations, and to stretch those creative muscles restricted by a (mostly) all ages publisher, so you can’t really blame them. The fact is, in many ways, Marvel almost needs them more than they need Marvel, and finding a balance between it all is a growing challenge for creators — Marvel, me, or a little bit of both?
Here’s hoping Marvel can hold it all together in 2014, and keep making the best superhero comics around.
DC
Okay, so here’s the thing: I don’t read DC Comics. Not anymore. Sure, I pick up the occasional title at someone’s recommendation or if it appeals to my unhealthy nature as a completist (The Sandman: Overture, anyone?), but to say “I read DC” or “I’m a DC guy” — both of which, statements I would’ve stood beside at various points in my comics reading life — makes about as much sense as someone saying “I’m a Avatar guy.” DC publishes a lot of comics, and unfortunately, most of them don’t even bother to try and speak to me. And that’s all right, really it is… but I can’t come up with five things I want from DC in 2014. So instead, I’ll simply say “Good luck with the move, DC!”
James Johnston
Continued belowMarvel
1. Solo Dr. Strange book (again)
Can’t stop won’t stop.
2. A suitable home for the Young Avengers
It’s not even sort of a secret at this point that “Young Avengers” was my favorite series of 2013 and I’m looking to you guys to keep the spirit alive. It doesn’t even need to be another “Young Avengers” series but find some place where I can have my Billy and Teddy fix.
3. Cool it on the tie-ins
Marvel definitely went overboard with three crossovers (four if you count “Battle of the Atom”) that generated a lot of tie-ins that were… alright I guess? I don’t mind the crossovers (I’m really digging Inhumanity so far) but not everything needs to get thrown in, no matter how miniscule the involvement might be.
4. Fix your animation department
As someone who was a huge fan of Spectacular Spider-Man and Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes I find it really weird that you smothered them, removed their organs, and resurrected them as Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble, two of the dullest cartoons you’ve ever put out. I’m not even asking for those shows to be nixed or anything, just give them some heart so they stop feeling like toyetic half-hearted attempts at making something “for the kids.” Also, someone please explain to me the development process for Hulk and the Agents of SMASH.
5. Don’t take over the world
This is largely riding on how 2014’s two Marvel films, Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy go. If the latter succeeds, then Marvel wins the game and can make a movie about literally anything. And truly, I really want Guardians to be great (even if they didn’t take my advice that Danny DeVito should play Rocket Raccoon.) But, if Marvel does succeed with their films this year, and does more great ideas like they had this year, then there’s no stopping htem for the foreseeable future.
And that frightens me.
DC
1. Make me care
Honestly it’ll take a lot for me to love DC again. It’s like an ex-flame of mine that I used to devote all my attention to but then I just started noticing other publishers. Marvel cleaned herself up and was offering some exciting new titles I could jump into, Image gave me experiences I never had before, and Monkeybrain Comics? MonkeyBrain Comics rides like a wild animal. Sure, Jeff Parker’s on “Aquaman” and you seem to have kidnapped Jae Lee, but I need something drastic to really make me want to come back to you.
2. Young Justice
It’s close to a year since Young Justice ended and over three since it debuted and you haven’t made a single attempt at making an in-universe tie-in? Even a book that had the name “Young Justice?” No, I get you have some books starring young heroes, but Scott Lobdell’s “Teen Titans” isn’t really going to bring in the massive fanbase Young Justice left in its wake.
3. Multiversity
I’m just putting this here so for next year’s reflections I can put that picture of Captain Haddock laughing and drinking.
4. Don’t give up on Vertigo
With “The Unwritten,” “Fables,” and other bastions of the old guard falling, don’t let Vertigo wither. Not only is it one of the most important imprints in the industry but it’s the only space where you can really distribute creator-owned work which is something you definitely need in your line-up.
5. Just have fun.
Don’t worry about cover gimmicks, don’t have gruesome plots for the sake of gruesomeness, don’t be trite. DC has such a great catalogue of really fun characters which is why it’s a shame that three of the most popular titles can basically be boiled down to “Evil Superman.”
Vince Ostrowski
Marvel:
1. More genre titles
So the “Morbius” book didn’t last long, but it wasn’t really much of a genre book in practice anyway. Marvel did a good job reviving their sci-fi adventure titles this last year, but I’d like to see more attempts at horror, fantasy, mystery, etc…
I know that generally Marvel is the more “grounded” company, but they used to do books like these back in the day and I’d like to see them attempt more of this stuff. It might not be financially successful though, and I suppose that’s the tail that wags the dog.
Continued below2. Better pricing on collected editions
Quite frankly, the prices on Marvel hardcovers are pretty appalling. When it comes to Marvel, if it’s not an omnibus, I’m not buying it. The value just isn’t there. Even if they’re hardcovers, buying in trade should always feel like a discount over buying in floppies. In other words, Marvel hardcover collections need to stop averaging out to $5 an issue, when the floppies cost much less than that.
3. Try a DC-style weekly series
Now that DC Comics’ has announced at least two of these at this point, I feel like pushing my luck and asking Marvel Comics to try the same. “Avengers vs. X-Men” was a bust, IMO, as far as a collective of architects writing an event – however, that’s not exactly the same as a long-form event that occurs at a weekly rate. With careful planning, and Steve Wacker as editor, Marvel can capture some of the magic that a project like DC’s “52” had – and beat them at their own game.
4. Less crappy event tie-ins
As much as I liked “Infinity”, I found the tie-ins to be, by and large, pretty substandard. I generally follow the “Meylikhov” rule, which is to refrain from buying any tie-in not written by the original author of the event or anything that I wasn’t already reading in series. That said, it shouldn’t be that way. Comics should be good. Even if they’re barely-related tie-in books.
5. Jason Aaron on an “Amazing Spider-Man” relaunch (with a caveat)
My caveat is that Dan Slott can write Spidey as long as he wants to. However, should he not want to any more, Jason Aaron is my ideal replacement. I’ve wanted him to write an ongoing Spidey book since his “Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine” miniseries. My word, was that good. And my word, did he write a good Peter Parker. Marvel. Mr. Aaron. Can we have this, please?
DC:
1. Okay, let’s try this “treat your creative better” wish again
Let’s try to go a whole year without a walk-out, yeah?
2. No, seriously, fix your “Young Justice” titles
This one is still a traveshamockery of epic proportions. I’m usually not one to pretend that I know more than people who have been working in comics for decades, but the Young Justice titles feel like they should be so easy to get right. The foundation, at least, should be simple. “Teen Titans” obviously sells well enough, I suppose, but there’s plenty of room for improvement in both sales and quality. I want three things: Simple, clean versions of the young DC Comics heroes. Tighter links to the Justice League – they should be bigger mentors. More fun in the side plots.
3. Please, please, please let the new weekly series titles be good
I want to be able to look forward to them every week, because I’m pretty sure I’ve decided that I’m going all-in on these.
4. A better plan for fill-in art
Follow the Marvel method of an arc on and then an arc off. “Batwoman” did this extremely well. “Wonder Woman” does pretty good in this regard. The rest of the ‘New 52′ – not especially. I feel like the ol’ switcheroo that happens between preordering and getting the issue in your hands was fine for years past. In this day and age, they should be able to give us that information faster or be more prepared for this. The days of long, unbroken art runs are over. Plan accordingly.
5. Most importantly, lighten up, Francis (That’s a Stripes reference, for you kids out there)
I just want things to be brighter. When I read DC Comics these days, I feel like a huge weight is sitting on my shoulders. Everything is so dark. I feel like a broken record, but is it not true? That “Justice League” issue where they were interviewing for new members of the team and there were a bunch of jokes and really fun Jesus Saiz art? More of that please. More time to breathe. And more levity while we’re breathing.
David Henderson
Marvel:
1. Make Deaths Meaningful Again
Continued belowSharon Carter, Rogue and Scarlet Witch all died this year, all to choruses of varying levels of “This is utter bullshit” which was met by choruses of varying levels of “Well, they’ll be back eventually.” This isn’t my feminist rant on the fact that those three deaths were written by the same writing (because I have neither the time nor space for that), but it’s my request for a moratorium on major deaths at Marvel for, like, a week at least.
It feels like damn near every week, a new major death has occurred which will change everything forever even though the writer probably already has plans to bring the character back in some way that won’t mess with the status quo. My point is: don’t kill a character if you’re going to bring them back. It’s lazy writing that allows for the benching of a character temporarily in order to ramp up a storyline. It’s also continually ruining the impact of actual, lasting deaths with the knee-jerk reaction that somewhere down the line the character will resurface.
2. Defrost The Fridge
In fact, no, I am going on a feminist rant. Stop fridging women in comics. The idea of Women In Refrigerators has been around since the mid-to-late 90s to call out writers who would kill off women in comics in order to create a plot point that allowed the male hero to be sad for a while. It’s now 2013. We have an unprecedented rise in the audience of comics that don’t fall in the straight, white male category. A good number of them have been introduced to comics thanks to Marvel’s recent focus on female-led solo titles in the wake of “Captain Marvel”. To continue the practice of fridging women as a plot point to continue male angst (Sharon Carter’s death was off-panel, only showing Steve’s reaction and subsequently only Steve has mourned Carter’s death as his proposed fiance instead of, say, anyone in a Marvel comic who was friend with her) is turning around and spitting in the face of the people who buy the stories you say you have bent over backwards to bring about. It needs to stop and it needs to stop now.
3. Miles In 616
I kind of blew myself out on serious wishes on those last two so the rest of these are going to be mostly joke-y because, honestly, Marvel has done a lot of good over the last year and I’d really just like to see them continue that. That being said, with the fate of the Ultimate Universe hanging in the balance (just let it die already), I think it’s time to bring back this gem. Miles Morales is arguably one of the few attempts to freshen the character of Spider-Man that has a major, widespread appeal. More so than “Superior Spider-Man”, I think. 2014 is the year I want to see Miles enter the main Marvel Universe and head up a renumbering of “Amazing Spider-Man”. Make it happen, Marvel. Please. Please, make it happen.
4. Superheroes Aren’t Just XY
Marvel Studios has a full slate of movies, with two films a year all the way up to 2016 and then we’re into uncharted territory. It’s expected that Kevin Feige will announce the Phase Three line-up of films at Comic Con International 2014 and I am saying right now that there should be a Captain Marvel announcement (with Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, obviously) in there. We have had film after film of all of Marvel’s best straight, white male action movie stars to the point where any character that isn’t gets relegated to the side (see: Rhodey and Falcon, Pepper Potts and Jane Foster). It’s time not only to let Marvel’s more racially diverse superheroes (cough Black Panter cough) in on the limelight, but also to give one of the great many female superheroes to hold a film on her own. Giving it to Captain Marvel would be a great boost in recognition for the character’s legitimacy and would allow it’s contained fandom to spread even more and giving it to Black Widow would mean actually putting their money where their mouth is and making her an important character who can hold a movie without the help of Captain America. Hell, give ‘em a both a movie. If you can make a movie with a walking, talking tree and a fucking racoon on a team, a woman headlining a movie isn’t that hard.
Continued below5. Keep Up The Good Work
This list actually gave me a bit of trouble because, even though it’s one of the few times we get leeway to voice our complaints (i.e. bitch and moan) about the comics industry, I found myself coming up short for Marvel. Instead, I kept thinking about how good this year has been for them between “Hawkeye” and “Captain Marvel” and the overall success of Marvel NOW! and “Infinity” cleansing our palate of the bitterly disappointing “Age Of Ultron”. And even looking to 2014, we’re seeing them take the success of the creator-focused, out of the box thinking that made Marvel NOW! a success and applying it to characters that wouldn’t be seeing an ongoing otherwise. So, I guess I just want to see that be a success? Even though that seems the case regardless.
DC:
1. Drawing The Line At What, Again?
Remember this? No, not that terrible Wonder Woman costume, the tagline. Now, I appreciate that times are different from before the New 52 and policies change, but my qualm isn’t with the number of $3.99 comics at DC, it’s with the sudden and silent removal of content from $3.99 books. Remember, way back at the start of the New 52, when $3.99 books all had back-up stories to justify the price point? Now, we get no back-ups and glossy covers and I’m not happy. I don’t want to be paying $3.99 for a comic and all I’m getting for my extra dollar is glossy cover stock. Either bring back the back-ups or find some other way to justify the price point (how about trying what Marvel is doing and have more than a half dozen books worth reading?) because this one stinks.
2. Make Me Care Again
I often worry that my disgruntlement with DC’s business practices over the past couple years gets misconstrued as me not liking the characters of universe of DC. That’s not true, nor is it even true that I hate all of the New 52. I hate some of it, sure, like it’s handling of Superman, but once upon a time I was reading between 10 and 20 New 52 books a month. Over the course of 2013 that has dropped down to between 1 and 3 depending on my mood any given week. Why? Because I simply have lost interest. I don’t care about the majority of New 52 storylines anymore because over the course of two years and change, they have all blended together tonally. Like, hey, remember that one New 52 storyline where everything was dark in tone and overtly pessimistic in which the main character probably acted like an asshole? Yeah, me neither because I can’t tell them apart at this point. There are creators, few and far between, trying to make something of the DCU and trying to buck the trend and I want to see more of that and less of… whatever the hell the rest is.
3. Talk To Me
One of the things I’ve noticed as a comic reader and as a member of this site is the difference between consumer communication between Marvel and DC. At Marvel, I know the names of those behind the scenes from the Editors on the titles I read all the way up to Axel Alonso up on top. I know most of them are available on Twitter or some other form of social media and I know that if that fails, the majority of Marvel titles still print a letters column that I can get in touch with. At DC, I have… Channel 52? And uh… I think Jim Lee and Dan Didio have twitters? The point is, there is a complete lack of communication between DC and the consumer and I respect Marvel’s very open policy on that communication much more and would like to see DC open up a bit more. Even if it does mean answering the same questions about Wally West 24/7.
4. Take A Chance
When it came out earlier in the year “Batman/Superman” made a lot of waves in how it broke the mold of the New 52 house-style with Jae Lee’s art. Then DC announced who would be illustrating the second arc and we got Brett Booth. Now, I have nothing against Booth as an artist or a person, but that was a very distinct shift in styles back towards the house style that actually took a lot of charm away from the book for me. What I’d like to see more from DC in 2014 is more books challenging their status quo like “Animal Man” or Greg Pak’s “Action Comics” or, hell, I’d even take more like “Wonder Woman” if it meant a change in artistic styles. This is especially true in the wake of the announcement of “Animal Man” ending as the New 52 will be losing a book that, for the most part, didn’t conform to the New 52 style.
Continued below5. Don’t Cancel “Adventures Of Superman”
It’s exactly what it says on the tin. I will be sad if you do.
Drew Bradley
Marvel:
1. Give creators the option of varying page counts on a regular basis.
Why, why, WHY are we still stuck with the 22 page standard comic? Is there some kind of restraint in the publishing system that makes that a magic number? It’s needlessly constraining to both the writer and the artist. Some stories (or chapters of stories) need a little more room than that, and some need less. Why not have a variable pricing system – $2.99 for 22 pages, $2.50 for 18 pages, $3.50 for 26 pages, and the like? Bump them up a buck if it’s one of your $4 titles. Then let the writer and artist decide on a monthly basis how many pages they need to best tell their story? The only other medium which forces itself into chunks like this is television (and maybe talk radio). Novels don’t have preset page counts. Movies don’t have cookie cutter run times. Please take these artificial chains off of your product.
2. Please, please go back to numbering your books with consecutive integers.
Once upon a time, Marvel said their .1 system was to signal the beginning of a new arc. That wasn’t a good idea for many reasons, but at least they had a system for using it. But if that’s what .1 is supposed to mean, then what in the world should I think when I see “Amazing Spider-Man” #700.4 on a shelf? Has anyone, anywhere professed to liking this numbering system? Instead of quietly disappearing like the “gold standard” covers they used to use for Ultimate books, it’s just become more common! These should go the way of…I don’t know. Something I forgot about really quick.
3. Do a better job with your solicitations.
When I got back into comics in 2005, the monthly previews came with almost a paragraph of solicitation for each book. Now I get at most three bullet points, and at least one of them is wasted on telling me a creator’s credits or making a stupid joke about how no, really, you mean the previous point. And how often are those solicitations inaccurate? Do the people writing your previews not have access to what’s actually happening in the book, or what? Come on, you used to do a lot better. You can do better now. You should do better now.
4. If you can’t stop completely, show some restraint with double shipping.
You know what books I’m kinda sorta a little intersted in trying? Your new “Black Widow” and “Punisher” books written by Nathan Edmonson. Did you know both of them are $3.99 each? Did you know they’re both double shipping their first month? Now, maybe I’m not a typical reader, but unless a comic’s first issue is just terrible, I have to think it over for a bit to decide if I want to keep reading it. But in the case of both of these titles, I’ll essentially be committing to $12 before I can even make my mind up about it. That’s a lotta money for a writer I’ve never tried anytime, but especially now when there are so many exciting books I have to put my buy list through triage. If I have the choice between a double sized #1 from Image for $2.99 or two regular sized books from you for $3.99 each, you’ll lose every time. EVERY TIME. And you know what? Even if that Image book is terrible, it’s very unlikely I’ll ever go back and give the book I skipped from you a shot. After all, it’ll just reboot next year anyway, right?
5. Give me some licensed books.
Marvel, you’re owned by Disney. Now, I’m sure there are some legal hurdles, but both of you have, in theory, access to HUGE troves of properties. Utilize them! Not in adapations. I’ll be honest – those suck. Give me new material from movies and TV shows. You’ve tried this to varying degrees of success with their “Prelude to next Marvel Studios Film”, but you can do better than that. Where’s my “Indiana Jones and the Goblet of Fire” comic? Where’s my “Pirates of the Carribean: Live Free or Pirate Hard” comic? Or any number of TV shows? If IDW taught us anything with their “My Little Pony” explosion, it’s that fans of franchises will come to a comic shop for the first time if they know there’s something they want in said shop. NOTE: This will require some marketing efforts on your part to reach these fans. If you only promote in Previews and on your site, you’ll only be selling to the subset of comic readers who also happen to like franchise X.
Continued belowDC:
1. Give creators the option of varying page counts on a regular basis.
See above. This is a game changing idea, really!
2. Please, please go back to numbering your books with consecutive integers.
DC, are you so desparate for ideas you’ll even steal bad ones? You abused this even worse by not even pretending to have a reason for it. Pity the poor collector of the future who will never be certain if he has all the backissues, or if he’s missing some hard-to-find 25.4 issue of “Green Lantern.” And yes, zero issues are just as bad. Here’s hoping your plan for next September isn’t special ‘minus one’ issues like Marvel did so many years ago.
3. Do a better job with your solicitations.
When I got back into comics in 2005, the monthly previews came with almost a paragraph of description for each book. Now I get bullet points, and they’re really only helpful if it’s a book I’m already reading.
4 Diversify your line again.
One of the best things about the New 52 was the variety in the initial offerings. “Demon Knights”, “Blackhawks”, “All-Star Western”, and “I, Vampire” were some off-beat books, and they all had their fans even if they never found a strong following. After a couple more tries with “GI Combat” and “Sword of Sorcery”, you seemed to give up. Here’s my suggestion: an anthology. Not like the “DCU Presents”, although that was a good try with some good stories in it. Take the Dark Horse method. (It’s not like you’re above stealing ideas from others, Mr. Batman 24.4, and Dark Horse has won more than one Eisner with thier book.) Put an 8 page Batman and a Superman story in each book. Put the opening chapter from the new “Green Lantern” or “Aquaman” arc in it. Then put in other stuff. How about an 8-page Simon Dark story? Or a three part Martian Manhunter story? Then – and here’s the most important part – put in a letter column and encourage people to write in Promise incentives for printed letters, like a free book or signed print or something. If people show strong support for a story, give the character a mini. If the mini does well, try an ongoing.
5. Give me some licensed books.
You’ve dipped your toe into the waters before with the “Heroes” and “Fringe” books. Now dive in. But remember – no adaptations. Give me new content for shows I enjoy. If you do these well, you’ll be bringing new readers into shops, and that’s good for everybody.
Brian Salvatore
Marvel:
1. Continue to Learn From (And Capitalize On) DC’s Mistakes
There is a part of me that will never stop thinking like a pro-wrestling fan, despite not having watched regularly in nearly a decade. Right now, Marvel is the early 00s WWE – the more popular, creative, satisfying, and powerful brand. Part of what made the WWE the sole wrestling organization that matters in 2013 is the fact that they kept waiting for WCW, their chief rival, to fuck up. WCW would treat a quality wrestler badly, and WWE would snatch them up and find a way to elevate them even higher. WCW would throw together a horribly stupid gimmick, and WWE would respond by going as far in the opposite direction as possible.
That is where Marvel is right now – they see DC mistreat James Robinson? Here are two flagship books James, have at ’em. DC chucks away all of its continuity? Marvel doubles down on their legacy characters. DC adopts a mid-90s house style? Marvel brings in more diverse artists to expand its visual palette.
I beg you, Marvel – keep doing this. Do you know how the WWE/WCW rivalry ended? WCW dug a hole so deep that the only way it could be saved was by WWE buying them. Sure, without competition, WWE stalled a little, but they have righted the ship to the extent that they are, for the most part, untouchable in terms of competition, unparalleled in terms of product, and have the best of all possible scenarios for their company.
Continued belowDo I think Marvel actually buys DC? Hell no – but if they put enough pressure on DC, perhaps key people will go away and Marvel will have some actual competition again. And that is a good thing.
2. Keep Honesty at the Forefront
The recent Matt Fraction/”Inhuman” debacle isn’t actually a debacle at all. It was a pretty straightforward business decision, which helped everyone involved better figure out what the book was supposed to be. Sure, fans of Fraction (like myself) are bummed, but ultimately, instead of wasting everyone’s money on a book that no one really believed in, they pulled the plug. And they did so publicly, without controversy, and kept everyone looking good.
Compare this to any DC creative shift in the past 5 years, and you’ll see why this is something they need to keep doing. No one likes to see drama, no one likes shitty comics, and no one wants to see creators unhappy. They’ve managed to avoid all of that by simply being honest. Keep that up, and creators will want to work for you, consumers will want to support your company and the competition will continue to look childish and silly.
3. A Better Digital Plan
The only area that DC is currently, and consistently, besting Marvel is in their digital offerings. I don’t mean giving out digital copies of their print books, I mean digital-first comics. DC has found a way to bring in fans from various other fanbases, whether from anime, or television, or video games, as well as creating some great short-arc stories built around their most popular franchises. Marvel has…done a few in-continuity, but clearly peripheral, stories and that’s just about it.
Digital comics are a great way to reach new fans, and Marvel’s digital offerings don’t seem to new fan-friendly. Nor are they the type of stories to get long time fans, but not necessarily fans of the character in question, to buy an issue. The digital line is a place to take chances, to try new things, and to attempt to court readers from other areas of interest. Marvel, currently, isn’t doing any of that. This will be a necessity a few years down the road, and would behoove them to get on the ball now.
4. Keep Culling
“Fantastic Four” wasn’t working, and instead of letting one of Marvel’s signature franchises suck and fester, they did something about it, and ended the series quickly. “Scarlet Spider” wasn’t selling, and now it isn’t sold. Marvel has been quick to cut books that aren’t working, and to do whatever they can to right the ship for that character(s).
This is very smart, and shows that Marvel values its characters and brand over its individual titles. People care about the Fantastic Four, not “Fantastic Four.” So, the book is being relaunched from a new creative team with a new #1. “Scarlet Spider” is ending, but Kaine has a role in “New Mutants” starting in a few months. A cancellation of a title doesn’t have to mean a destruction of a character, and Marvel is doing very well in that regard. Keep ’em coming – we want better books, not necessarily more books. That said…
5. More Character/Title Breaks
While I am all for burning a non-working series and starting new, sometimes there is no need to rush into a second volume of a book, or to bring a character back around. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you guys, and we don’t need a “Secret Avengers” Volume 3 to start a month after “Secret Avengers” Vol. 2 ends. Especially because “Secret Avengers” Volume 1 only started in 2010! Give it six months, and let us miss the property.
DC:
1. Learn from Arrow
One of the most pleasant surprises of the past year has been Arrow, specifically season 2 of the show. The show has found a way to be inviting to non-comics readers and yet elicit squees of delight from longtime fans. How did they do this seemingly impossible feat? By staying true to what makes the characters great, but by streamlining everything so as to not be cumbersome. For instance – Solomon Grundy? While he hasn’t appeared as the somnambulistic zombie we’ve seen in comics, they managed to “create” him in such a way that he’d appear more or less the same, but without the swampy origin.
Continued belowI’m not saying we should kill the goofy origins or the more peculiar characters – quite the contrary, actually. But what I am saying is that what is more important than anything else is the spirit in which the characters are presented. More than anything else, the New 52 Superman hasn’t felt like the reporter from Metropolis, the boy from Smallville, or the man of tomorrow. He’s felt like kind of a dick – and Superman should never, ever be kind of a dick.
I get why you, Detective Comics Comics, want to make things more new reader friendly, I really do. But new reader friendly doesn’t mean “tougher” or “edgier” – it means more direct. Tell a good Superman story and people will read it. And once you set up a base of simplicity and fun, you can go off the deep end a bit, and we’ll forgive it. Hell, Arrow re-cast Sara, made her not dead, and turned her into Black Canary. And you know what? It totally worked. It worked because the world was well established, the characters easy to understand, and the story well written. Make your comics look more like this show, and people will return.
2. Make the Weeklies Work
2 weekly comics have been announced for the new year – “Batman: Eternal” and “The New 52: Futures End.” There have been rumors of Superman and Justice League-based weeklies as well. This is a dangerous idea – expecting readers to buy multiple weekly comics is a serious gamble. However, this could also be a masterstroke on DC’s part. If the books are good – and based on their creative teams, they have an excellent shot at that – then fans will be dropping upwards of 12-16 bucks a week on DC weeklies alone (if all 4 are actually happening).
These series are the places where universes can be grown and fashioned into living, breathing things. Look at 52, DC’s first stab at this. It got modern comics readers to enjoy/appreciate Booster Gold, Elongated Man, Black Adam, Steel and Adam Strange. DC can use these weeklies to bring new characters to the forefront, reintroduce old favorites, and tell stories that are simultaneously grander in scope and smaller in impact than almost anywhere else.
Make these work. Make people drool over the idea of a weekly book that jumps through time or that really digs into Gotham City. Put more manpower than you really need behind these. You owe it to yourselves to use these platforms to finally make the New 52 something other than a cheesy display window of a comics universe. Make it come to life. Make these work.
3. Listen to the Fans (Finally)
Wally West. Donna Troy. Stephanie Brown. Cassandra Cain.
Those names may seem like a problem to you, but do you know what they sound like to me? Cash register drawers opening and closing. People are begging you to make content they want to buy. BEGGING YOU.
I get that you didn’t want to simply re-do the old 52, or whatever we’re calling the pre-“Flashpoint” universe. But now that you’ve had time to establish the rest of the universe, bring some love to these characters that people want to pay you money to read about.
4. Loosen the Chains on Creators
This one is simple – let creators tell their stories. Stop the micromanaging at the crazy fucking level you’re currently at. If you want to vet creators more before giving them a title, that makes total sense. Don’t hire talent you don’t believe in. But once you put them on something, let them do it their way. If there is a real disagreement (see Fraction, Matt), well, then you part ways. But you hire creators because the editorial staff can’t make comics without them. If Dan DiDio had the writing talent of Grant Morrison, he’d be Grant Morrison, not Dan DiDio. Again, look over at Marvel – the Avengers books feel like Hickman. The Spidey books feel like Dan Slott. The X-books feel like Brian Bendis. If you trust these guys with your money, trust them with your characters.
Continued below5. More “Vibe” – Really
I don’t mean I want this book to be brought back, or that I want Vibe to co-headline every other book. I mean this: more books that take a deep look at one character and his/her surroundings, and more books that help build words. While a doomed book from the start, “Justice League of America’s Vibe” was a place where two things happened – the scope of the DCU was expanded, and the characters of the DCU were brought into tight focus. Vibe, his brothers, the inner workings of A.R.G.U.S. – all of this was present, and not at the expense of anything else. The larger story was grounded in small moments and characters.
I’m sick of asking for specific books from DC, because that isn’t going to happen. Instead, I’m asking for them to have a mission statement other than “make money.” I know that will always be the bottom line, but “make money and great comics” isn’t a bad goal to have. Those two ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. By letting the creators take more control of their properties, by loosening the editorial interference, and bringing back some fun, you can do both.
Not every book can be a huge seller – we get that. But by taking a chance on a book like “Vibe,” the message is sent – we’re attempting something new. Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it can’t. Try again.
