Your 2021 Predictions, Part One: The Engagement.
Well, here we go, pals, for a relatively long-ish ride through all the predictions you all planted on me at the end of 2020. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get crackin’. (Also, don’t forget to give me your 2022 comic industry predictions!)
Bruce Baugh breaks in the following
“#1. There won’t be new issues of Miracleman in 2021.”
Nope, still no new issues yet, but right at the tail end of 2021, on the very last New Comics Day of the year, we got this.
“#2. There will be reprints of First Comics series – not the whole catalog, but a bunch. This is in addition to the Sable reprint being Kickstarted; I get no credit for prophesying things already happening.”
Hoo boy, I’m trying to think if anything came out last year (aside from Jon Sable). Anyway, did a little searching and the closest I can come up with is this Nexus Newspaper Strips paperback, which, you know, Nexus was published by First, and this book does contain a story from the First Comics years.
“#3. There’ll be a livestream of the entire process of making a regular issue of a monthly comic. The creative team and the audience will have fun and the issue won’t be very late.”
I’m sure this happens, on YouTube or Twitch or somewhere, on a regular basis. I did find this video (published on my birthday in 2021, no less!) about an artist who livestreams his comic creation. The video is literally titled “this artist draws entire comic books live on his Twitch streams,” so, um, there we go, I guess.
DK strikes again with
“1) LSH cancelled (what else is new). DC continues to blow it with this once-mighty franchise. Even Bendis can’t sell this concept to today’s readers. It needs a Grant Morrison.”
Well, with #12 in January 2021 being the last issue for the foreseeable future of the regular series, followed by a two-part Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes shortly thereafter, I think it’s safe to say that particular experiment is mostly ended. Though I should note that there is a Justice League/Legion of Super-Heroes mini coming out shortly, which may be the only way to get Legion characters on the stands anymore: team ’em up with other folks.
“2) The Thing will be the most surprising casting announcment for the MCU. It will be a very big name doing VO work for a Digital Grimm ™.”
We got a director announcement at the end of 2020 (Jon Watts) but no official word on actual casting far as I can tell. I saw a rumor (just a rumor!) about Seth Rogan as the Thing, and, you know, sure, why not. I’m sure it would upset somebody somewhere, but some people are always upset, y’know?
“3) The Immortal Hulk approach will be used to refresh another Marvel major. Everything you know is wrong, there’s a supernatural explanation for a science-based hero yada yada.”
Nothing really jumps out at me, but I don’t read every Marvel comic. At least, from a retailing standpoint, no series has “broken out” like Immortal Hulk did, with a wild new take on a character…except maybe the folling Hulk series. Hulk as a spaceship, powered by an angry Hulk, piloted by Bruce Banner. I mean, that feels like a magical reimagining, anyway.
googum googumed
“Ah, I keep telling you, I’m never right!”
Oh, don’t be like that, googum! Someday it’ll be your time to shine…and will it be today?
“1. Has there been a COVID-relief book yet? Feels like there should’ve been, but can’t think of one yet.”
And you were right! COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology (which I carry at my shop) was released, and according to the publisher’s website:
“The comics in this collection have been generously donated by their creators. A portion of the the proceeds from the sale of this volume are being donated by the publisher to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) in support of comics shops, bookstores, and their employees who have been adversely affected by the pandemic.”
So Yes googum, There Is A COVID Relief Book. I’m sure it won’t be the last.
“2. Is it time for a Legion of Super-Heroes event? When was the last time DC tried to use them as the tentpole for anything? Maybe it’s due.”
You were close! I mentioned the Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes above, which looks something like this:
…but it’s due to release in…well, just a few days, actually. So you weren’t too far off!
“3. I feel like the CW’s DC shows are all sputtering to a stop. That might not be quite right; those shows were probably successful, but not as big as DC/WB wanted them to be. Maybe Doom Patrol as well, that Alfred show, anything else they had going that wasn’t as big as the Mandalorian.”
I looked up this chart here, and if I’m understanding correctly, The Flash has dipped down a bit so far this season in ratings compared to the previous season. Now I don’t know what counts as “a lot” of viewers anymore, in this new world of much more competition for eyeballs. Realistically I’d expect everyone’s expectations to be down, that ratings that would mean death for a show in the past are now considered fine and dandy. Maybe those ratings are, like, “CW good.” Even if they’re only about 1/6th of Young Sheldon‘s take.
For comparison, Legends of Tomorrow‘s ratings last year seemed…well, fairly dire. Stargirl‘s ratings seem to be a bit closer to Flash, but again, I’m not sure what constitutes “good” here. (The latter was picked up for a third season, so they were “good enough” I suppose.)
Also, I don’t know if these ratings take in downloads, streaming, etc. I watched pretty much all of Stargirl on the CW app through my Roku.
Yes! positively offers theese
“1. The Boys Amazon show continues to be popular and zeitgeist defining, despite a general critical agreement that the third season’s writing fell off a cliff. This could be due Superhero-decontstruction-fatigue, total deviation from the comic, or choosing the wrong Garth Ennis gross-outs to bring into the adaptation.”
Season Three isn’t coming ’til this June, so it’s too soon to say if fans are sick of it yet. I know spinoffs (or at least a spinoff) is planned, so burnout on the show is a greater possibility should that happen.
And good ol’ Garth…some of the stuff he comes up with is, to an extent, tolerable on the printed page, but once moved to film of actual humans doing some of these things…sheesh, yeah, I get your meaning.
I gotta say, though…the forthcoming “superhero burnout” (deconstructed or not) has been offered up for a while in regards to all this media featuring comic book characters, and it hasn’t happened yet. Which frankly, surprises me, too. It’ll happene someday, I’m guessing.
“2. Disney and Warner Bros, sorry, Marvel and DC, announce an Amalgam level joint effort, but it gets derailed. Leaked proposals germinate on the internet and fuel so many clickbait articles.”
Wouldn’t that be something. It would probably take an near-collapse of the entire entertainment market for these two giants to even consider pairing up like that, like when Marvel and DC started doing crossovers all the time while the comics industry’s flaming roof came crashing down upon us all. See also: that Star Trek/Star Wars crossover everyone wants.
“3. Wonder Woman 1984 and Dune enter theaters and streams. No one can say if they made or lost money without a clear metric of success; one gets a sequel, one does not.”
I was looking at the Wiki entry of WW84 (sorry, too tired to type the whole thing, though I suppose I could have instead of typing this explanation), which basically says “yeah, it didn’t even break even in theaters because of COVID, but it sure got streamed a bunch.” Says two follow-up projects are in the works…another Wonder Woman movie (maybe WW92, which will show her waiting in line to buy the black-bagged copy of Superman #75) and a movie just focusing on the Amazons.
That new Dune was released later in the year, at a time when folks were pretending it was safe to go to theaters again, so it actually made back double its budget (or thereabouts) worldwide. Apparently not a breakeven point, according to the Wiki, but better than nuthin’. It also got streamed a’plenty as well. A follow-up is planned for this film as well, in 2023.
King of the Moon decrees
“Ryan North’s Power Pack will be a massive sleeper hit and Disney will recognize they have gold just sitting there in a kid’s super team with a spaceship.”
Power Pack the comic did…well, so-so, at least at my shop. And doing a quick search shows “yes, there’s a movie coming,” and “yes, there’s a TV show coming” and “nope, it’s all on hold” and I have no idea what’s happening with it now. It certainly is money being left on the table at this point, but I bet Marvel will get around to it soon or later.
Okay, that’s it for today…come back Wednesday for more perusing of your prognostications!
Someday my Power Pack tattoo will make sense to everyone! Someday!
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Yay, close!
I don’t know why I was so down on the CW in my prediction: I absolutely love Legends of Tomorrow. The Lois and Supes show and Stargirl were pretty good as well, but LoT’s still my fav.
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