comic watch

A panel from Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (1962). Photo courtesy of Comic Book Resources.

For nearly 50 years, Spider-Man has served Marvel Comics extremely well. He’s the company's flagship character and an established worldwide merchandising bonanza.

So why, then, has the Friendly Neighbourhood Webslinger been inspiring so much negative buzz the last few years?

Certainly, a fair share of the irritated grumblings have been aimed at his currently-in-production reboot film, directed by Marc Webb - which many on-line fans fear will be as underwhelming as 2007's poorly received Spider-Man 3 - and the disastrous Broadway musical Turn Off the Dark. 

However, for readers still following Spider-Man's monthly six-panel adventures, the last few years have been a grueling endurance test.

For the majority of the 2000s Amazing Spider-Man comics were overseen by writer J. Michael Straczynski, who handily reenergized the character after a mid-90s slump. Straczynski perfected the fast and funny voice of Spider-Man and his perpetually unlucky alter-ego Peter Parker, and masterfully utilized the character’s colourful supporting cast.

Additionally, he produced one of the most lauded and powerful issues of all time in Amazing Spider-Man No. 36, which paid tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11^th terrorist attacks.

Amazing Spider-Man #36 (2001). Photo courtesy of Bleeding Cool.

Yet, for all of his strengths, Straczynski’s affection for mysticism-heavy storytelling frequently mired the hero in a web of convoluted supernatural nonsense.

He also drew fans’ collective ire with stories which rewrote beloved continuity, such as the Sins Past story arc, which took place in Amazing Spider-Man No. 509-514 and revealed that Peter Parker’s deceased former love Gwen Stacy had been romantically involved with arch-nemesis Norman Osborn and produced two super-powered adult children.

In 2006, Straczynski began to fall victim to the creative demands of Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. This grim period led to head-scratching arcs such as the 12-part, cross-title storyline The Other, which was penned by Straczynski and writers Peter David and Reginald Hudlin.

Unfortunately for Straczynski, his ownership of the title came to a crashing end at the close of 2007 with the four-issue arc One More Day. The story featured Peter Parker making a pact with devil figure Mephisto to sacrifice his marriage to longtime wife Mary Jane Watson in order to save the life of his dying aunt.

In addition, the issue ended with the protagonist waking up in an alternate reality where long-dead characters were once again alive and a new group of romantic interests were waiting in the wings.

The arc inspired significant protest, with dozens upon dozens of fuming reviews appearing across the blogger-verse and YouTube.

Amazing Spider-Man No. 545 (2007). Photo by Cam Smith.

With Straczynski out of the picture, Marvel boosted Amazing Spider-Man’s publishing output to three monthly issues and divided the duties amongst writers Dan Slott, Bob Gale, Marc Guggenheim and Zeb Wells.

The group kicked off their 102-issue run on the series, dubbed Brand New Day, with Amazing Spider-Man No. 546 in January of 2008.

Due to the accelerated publishing schedule and lack of cohesive authorial voice, the title became a mess of lazy storytelling, publicity stunts and confusing continuity.  Although the readership stuck around, by the time the group of writers left the book in October 2010 the book lacked much momentum or focus.

Dan Slott took over Amazing Spider-Man as sole writer in November 2010 to mixed reception. While the majority of opinions respected the writer’s past efforts on titles such as Avengers: The Initiative and Spider-Man/Human Torch, concerns remained regarding the current convoluted continuity. 

Marvel further hurt confidence in the title's creative integrity with last December’s Amazing Spider-Man #650, an ill-advised corporate tie-in wherein Spider-Man sported a new suit based on the costumes featured in new parent company Disney’s Tron: Legacy.

Amazing Spider-Man #650 (2010). Photo by Cam Smith.

Slott, for his part, seems to sympathize with fan concerns.

In an interview with Newsarama, he expressed his thoughts on dealing with comic book continuity.

“My take on continuity, it’s the bedrock that we stand on. Stories should not be wallowing in continuity. Stories shouldn’t be obsessing about continuity, and the story should never be about continuity. But continuity should be there for you and to help you tell the best story you can. It’s there for us to stand on the shoulders of giants, to reach different heights,” he said.

Although Slott’s heart appears to be in the right place, and sales remain consistent, the question still remains whether Marvel will allow him to strike out on his own and liberate his stories from years of bad decisions.

Because at this point, the bedrock that is Spider-Man continuity is far too unstable to successfully build on.

Amazing Spider-Man No. 654.1 (2011). Photo by Cam Smith.

 

The five most controversial contemporary Spider-Man arcs:

• The Clone Saga (1994-1996) - A five-book storyline that revealed that the Peter Parker fans had grown to know and love was actually a clone. The real Peter Parker, referred to as Ben Reilly, took over and essentially restarted the series. Readership plummeted and the entire storyline was eventually abandoned.

• Chapter One (1998-1999) -  Marvel attempted to reboot Spider-Man continuity with this oft-ridiculed miniseries written by John Byrne, which was intended to kick-start a new ongoing creative path for the character. Sales were so poor the entire plan was immediately scrapped.

• Sins Past (2004-2005) - Spider-Man must contend with the previously unknown of children of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn. The arc, and its 2005 follow-up Sins Remembered, proved so unpopular that the bold revelations were never referenced again.  

• The Other (2005-2006) - Spider-Man is killed by supernatural enemy Morlun and reborn into a new body with advanced powers and stingers protruding from his wrists. The majority of The Other’s story developments were written out of continuity following vocal fan protest.

• One More Day (2007) - The arc that ended Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage received widespread backlash and inspired a much-derided new continuity. Marvel attempted to calm lingering resentment with a 2010 storyline entitled One Moment in Time, which only reignited fan tempers.

MarvelBatman No. 428 (1988). Photo by Cam Smith.

It’s a well-known grim truth that death can be very a profitable business venture. For many artists, shuffling off the mortal coil is the ultimate career move and can reap major financial rewards.  Likewise, coroners, morticians, casket makers and funeral directors will never be out of work, as they'll never run out of customers.

The comic book industry has long recognized the value in embracing the Grim Reaper. While fans of any given series may grow bored of a title, it often takes only one major character demise to send them sprinting back to the comic shop. For a business that’s posting weaker numbers by the year, death offers an easy opportunity to draw free publicity, mainstream attention and escalated sales.

How could any bottom-line conscious company ever resist?

Since the early 1990s, they haven’t tried very hard.

In the last 20 years, Marvel has killed off Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Punisher, Captain America, Professor X, Jean Grey, Sentry, Colossus and Ghost Rider (to name a few), while DC has offed almost half of its stable of characters in various event storylines such as Grant Morrison's Final Crisis miniseries.

Few stayed dead for long.

Just this past month, Marvel published both the untimely end of the Human Torch in Fantastic Four No. 587 and began an arc called The Death of Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man No. 153. In both cases, the media blitz announcing the heroes sad fates began weeks before.

There was a moment in time when the death of a major character was taken fairly seriously in the comic biz. Captain America was haunted for almost four decades by the loss of teenage sidekick Bucky Barnes, who died heroically in flashback in 1968’s Avengers No. 56. The Death of Gwen Stacy, in 1973’s Amazing Spider-Man No. 121, became a powerful turning point for the series and is regularly regarded as one of the finest Spider-Man tales ever told.

The Death of Gwen Stacy trade paperback (1999). Photo by Cam Smith.

The beginning of the death for dollars craze

The shift towards using death as a means of producing cheap publicity stunts can be neatly traced to two watershed DC Comics titles.

In the 1988 Batman story arc Death in the Family, Robin was savagely beaten to a pulp by the Joker and left to die in a fiery explosion at the close of issue No. 427. Instead of predetermining an ending to the story, DC Comics created a telephone poll which placed the Boy Wonder's fate in readers’ hands.

The fans chose death.

The ensuing controversy was, according to former DC editor Dennis O’Neil, covered in “hundreds of newspapers, and on as many radio and television broadcasts,” and generated gargantuan sales.

At the time, O’Neil said “It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back.”

This past decade, DC did just that.

The second landmark was the much-hyped Death of Superman in 1992’s Superman No. 75. The issue flew off store shelves and became a must-have collector’s item. Although the issue has since almost completely bottomed out in value - you can now purchase a copy for as low as $8, according to Comics Price Guide - the event sent a crystal clear message to the industry.

Superman Vol. 2 No. 75 (1992). Photo by Cam Smith.

Vancouver vendors voice their thoughts on the issue

Comic book retailers highlight Superman No. 75 as being most responsible for the paradigm shift.

Winson Tan, owner of Comic Land, said Superman’s death was the true precursor to such highly publicized and lucrative events as Captain America’s famous end in Captain America Vol. 5 No. 25 in 2007.

“When they killed off Superman it was the first big, big name that they killed off... He was basically the Holy Grail of the superhero world,” he said.

“[Nowadays], some marketing guy needs a promotion and he’s like ‘What’s the best way to promote? Hey it worked for Superman, let’s go kill somebody!’”

Aaron Birkenhead, owner of RX Comics, shared a similar opinion as Tan, and said the Superman issue was such a huge phenomenon it was impossible to ignore. He said, since then, the trend has led to noticeable reader apathy.

“It seems like not a year can go by that they don’t kill off a character. And then everybody knows they’re going to bring the character back, so it doesn’t have the impact that it did 50 years ago,” he said. “[Back then] there wasn’t an assurance that the character would be coming back, whereas now you can pretty much bet that in a year you’ll be seeing them return in some form.”

Birkenhead said the events do still generate sales, though, as the death of the Human Torch “sold more than double” the average Fantastic Four issue. However, the sales boost doesn’t usually last long.

“[It] tends to be specifically for the one issue where the event takes place,” he said.

For Tan, the most frustrating aspect of the trend is that these deaths rarely ever lead to good writing.

“It’s a gimmick when you kill somebody. It’s not something you need to do. Over the years they’ve killed characters just for the sake of killing them... It didn’t add anything to the story whether the character was there or not,” he said.

Captain America Vol. 5 No. 25 (2007). Photo by Cam Smith.

Although fatality fatigue may be wearing on readers and vendors, the time may eventually come when even comic book creators themselves begin to show discontent towards the trend.

Marvel Entertainment chief creative officer Joe Quesada, one of the industry's most prominent forces, recently called comic book character deaths a "very cliche" method of storytelling in a piece on the Human Torch in The News Chronicle. If even Quesada, who defended the decision to kill Captain America, can speak ill of the craze, is there hope it could end?

Sadly, logic dictates that for now, as long as books featuring superhero deaths keep flying of shelves, the chances are mighty slim   

1992 CNN Headline News report on the Death of Superman.

By CAM SMITH

Wizard magazine September 2002 and July 1995 issues. Photo by PetLvr.

Following years of continuously dropping sales, Wizard magazine, the once ubiquitous monthly bible for comic book fans, has ceased production for good.

Pop culture blog Bleeding Cool broke the news of the magazine’s sad fate late last month.  According to the story, Wizard Entertainment laid off the majority of the publication’s staff and all freelance engagements were cancelled. Wizard content will now be distributed as a digital publication, scheduled to launch March 2.

Yet, despite the almost 20-year-old magazine's one-time popularity with the comic book audience, the end came, oddly, with a pathetic wimper rather than a bang. There was a point in time when Wizard spurred serious discussion with articles focusing on fan-casting superhero movies and trumpeting the latest Marvel, Image and DC releases. In recent days, though, one would be hard-pressed to find a customer willing to pay the $6.99 cover price.

Many have been quick to blame the pandering stance the magazine took in recent years, often aiming at the lowest common-denominator and ignoring the increasing number of sophisticated adult readers. It's tough to feel pity for a brand that lazily perpetuated the fanboy mentality that few modern readers wish to subscribe to anymore.

Regardless of its editorial short-comings, however, Wizard played a crucial role in the comic book community for many years. It offered fans a glimpse inside an industry that, beyond the odd back-page letters section or Bullpen Bulletin, was closed off to enthusiasts. Comic book writers and artists were no longer mysterious figures who operated in secret. The magazine gave them a platform to be heard and, in turn, properly celebrated.

Perhaps not surprisingly, few retailers were surprised by the announcement.

Ethan Peacock, owner of Elfsar Comics and Toys in Vancouver, said that, like many other print publications, Wizard fell victim to the digital age and was unable to keep up with the accelerated flow of information.

“I think we sold seven copies a month,” he said. “[Outside of an exclusive] interview with a writer/director, or a comic book writer or artist… it was like ‘Oh yeah, I heard about that a month ago'.”

Peacock also questioned whether Wizard’s diminishing numbers were caused by a shift in comic buyer trends. Whereas the magazine was once popular for its exclusive mail-order comics and variant covers, those became less desired after the big comic boom of the 90s ended.

“Wizard was like the T.V. Guide to comics… It outsold even certain [comic] books.  It helped comic book sales [by motivating collectors to buy] multiple copies,” he said. “But, over time, I think comic collectors became more readers and it was the content that was more important than the collectability.”

Captain America Vol. 5 No. 25 (Wizard World variant cover). Photo by Cam Smith.

Brent Stratichuk, owner of Vancouver’s The Comicshop, said he thought the magazine made a mistake in cancelling its monthly price guide feature. He said it was often more reliable than the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, which has been the industry go-to since arriving in 1970.

“The Overstreet was better for older back issues but the Wizard was better for more contemporary current market trends as far as price went,” he said. “If they weren’t going to continue with the updating of the pricelists pretty much everything else in the magazine was stuff you could find with a click on the computer.”

Like Peacock, Stratichuk also questioned how relevant the magazine’s content was to today’s fans. He said few customers mention reading Wizard anymore.

“People weren’t really talking about the different articles in Wizard like they were, say, 10, 15 years ago,” he said.

However, while Wizard Entertainment’s print publishing line is over, the company continues to remain a prominent name in the industry, hosting conventions across North America under the Wizard World banner.

Wizard's final issue, which features a cover story on the impending Ryan Reynolds summer superhero epic Green Lantern, is currently available on newsstands.

Wizard magazine trivia

• 235 issues were released since its inception in 1991.

• The first issue featured a cover illustration by Todd McFarlane depicting Spider-Man in a wizard costume.

• The April 2009 issue was a special edition celebrating Barack Obama's inaugeration. The cover portrayed Obama in a Superman-like pose, opening his suit to reveal a superhero costume beneath.

• The May 2009 also featured Obama on the cover as a variant to the regular X-Men Origins: Wolverine version. The illustration featured Barack and Michelle Obama giving each other a fist bump.

• The magazine spawned four now-defunct sister publications: Toyfare, Anime Insider, Toy Wishes and Inquest Gamer (which was aimed at collectible game card enthusiasts).

• Sin City and 300 creator Frank Miller publicly slammed Wizard during a controversial acceptance speech at the 2001 Harvey Awards. He refered to the magazine as a "bible written by Satan" and a "tree killer," accusing it of "regularly [cheapening] and [poisoning] our field."

By CAM SMITH

Monthly comic book issues. Photo by blue_j

The comic book industry currently occupies a powerful role in pop culture. Superheroes have dominated the multiplex since Bryan Singer’s X-Men bowed in 2000, grabbing mainstream attention and generating billions of dollars in merchandising revenues. Marvel and DC have become widely trusted household brands. Comic book conventions such as the San Diego Comic Con, once a haven for only the most fervent of fans, have been embraced by Hollywood and the mass media alike.

So why, then, have monthly comic book sales never been worse?

Since the mid-nineties, the monthly comic book market has been in freefall, posting lower annual grosses with every passing year. 2010 continued this sad trend with a five per cent drop in sales from 2009, and 69.2 million issues sold.

Compare those figures to the 100.3 million issues sold during the turbulent year of 1997, when the industry was recovering from the disastrous market crash of the mid-nineties and nary a superhero popped up on theatre screens.

Market-watch site The Comics Chronicles adds another dismal record to last year’s list of accomplishments. 2010 marked the lowest-selling #1 title since the rise of the artform, with the debut issue of Batman: The Dark Knight moving just under 90,000 units.  

Just fifteen years ago, heavy-hitting heroes such as Spider-Man and Batman could be depended on to post six figure issue sales.

What went wrong?

• The removal of comic books from supermarkets

Like many collectors, I fondly recall making weekly pilgrimages to the local corner store in search of the latest issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Silver Surfer. The rise of Diamond Comics Distributors, which became the comic world's sole distribution company in 1997 , put an end to this era. Comics became available solely in comic book stores, meaning enthusiastic young readers were far less likely to stumble upon them and become regular buyers.    

Silver Surfer Vol. 2 No. 1 (1982). Photo by Cam Smith.

•   Escalating prices

In 1995, one could purchase an issue of Wolverine for $2. Current monthly issue prices begin at $4, with added charges frequently tacked on for novelty covers or expanded stories. The accumulated cost of following a handful of titles is a burden for many adults and entirely unrealistic for the majority of school-aged fans.

• Convoluted event-sized stories

The nineties gave birth to the cross-title event storyline. No longer could one follow a story arc in a single series, they had to purchase tie-ins and outside titles as well. These events aren’t just expensive; they often dominate a company’s titles for months at a time, making it intimidating for prospective readers to come aboard.

Marvel Civil War mini-series #4 (2006). Photo by Cam Smith.mini-series No. 4 (2006) (2006).  Photo by Cam Smith. 

• The internet

There was a point in time when one could only read a new issue if they bought it or borrowed it from a friend. Now, pirated digital comics allow readers to save hard-earned cash and attain their issues for free. While Marvel and DC have experimented with methods of offering digital comics to fans, they have yet to figure out a satisfying means of delivering content.

• The availability of trade paperbacks

In the past, bound collections were a rarity for most series. Now, compilations ompilations of almost every single title can be found on shelves. This has led to many fans choosing to hold off buying expensive single issues and snapping up $20 collections a few months down the road.

Batman in the Fifties trade paperback (2002). Photo by Cam Smith.

While many of the above factors seem to spell doom, the popularization of trades comes with a silver lining. Trade sales have increased exponentially since 2001 and held reasonably steady the last few years. 2010 experienced only a two per cent drop, with 76.3 million dollars earned, from 2009’s record high of 77.6 million. Titles such as The Walking Dead, Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim benefited hugely from the format, and could been seen in many bookstore bestseller racks.   

These figures are encouraging and seem to indicate that, should the monthly comic book go the way of the one dollar cover price, colourful six-panel adventures will continue to ensue.