Your 2022 Predictions, Part Four: Emerald Edition.

§ January 16th, 2023 § Filed under predictions § 16 Comments

Before I launch into this next batch of your 2022 comic industry predictions, I want to clarify my response to Chris V.’s submissions as I wasn’t clear. He’d said that Grant Morrison wasn’t going to do any new work for Marvel or DC last year, and my reply should have been “that’s correct, he didn’t…I thought for a moment that Superman and the Authority was this year, but it was the prelude to that long Warworld story and came out the year before.” I’d meant to emphasize that Superman and the Authority was not in 2022, I only thought it was, but in my usual muddled way I didn’t get that across. Sorry, Chris V., that was definitely a most palpable hit.

Okay, now to more of your predictions. You can find Parts One, Two and Three at those links right there, and there are still 11 1/2 months to go in 2023 to get in your predictions for the rest of this year here.

• • •

googum googums

“1. Marvel’s going to decide the traditional 616-continuity needs to look way more like the MCU. It’ll probably be an event no one really enjoys, but kind of lumps it and moves on.”

I don’t think Marvel’s leaned any farther in this direction than they normally do, aside from publishing more comics featuring characters that are being pushed in the films. Like, sure has been a lot of Kang goin’ around in the ol’ Marvel funnybooks lately. And we’re getting a new Wasp series just in time for the next Ant-Man/Wasp movie to come out. So I think it’s Business As Usual in regards to this, but if anyone out there who reads more Marvel comics than I do thinks differently, please let me know.

“2. DC brings back HOUSE OF MYSTERY, or one of their other horror books. (It was that or war comics.)”

Titles like House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Doorway to Nightmare, the straight-to-the-point Ghosts — all great titles, still sadly underused. Though to be fair DC did drag out Ghosts a couple of times this past decade, one 100-pagers and one of those squarebound anthology comics.

Actually, we did get the return of a title that combines both DC’s classic horror and classic war books: that new Sgt. Rock comic written by Bruce Campbell! So, I don’t know, 1/2 point to you?

“3. I’d be surprised if no one else guesses this: Marvel and DC will finally reprint JLA/AVENGERS. And…that’s it. It won’t restart intercompany crossovers; there will be a sense they had to be shamed into it.”

As discussed in the very first installment of this prediction coverage, a new JLA/Avengers printing did indeed happen! And while I could cynically interpret the reason for doing so as guilt, I prefer to think they did it to acknowledge the legacy of George Pérez.

“I have never been right, in the slightest, maybe a decade running!”

I don’t know, you did pretty well this time! You stick it out long enough, you eventually succeed!

• • •

Existentialman makes me hit Google with

“1) Dark Horse Comics will announce the sale of its IP to a major streaming service, most likely Netflix.”

And here it is, “Netflix Lands First Look Deal with Dark Horse Entertainment.” Netflix, sadly, did pass on Grendel, which I would have liked to have seen, but maybe we can finally get that live-action Wacky Squirrel adaptation I’ve been wanting. (Yes, I said live-action. I want an actual person in squirrel make-up as the star. Someone get Adrien Brody on the phone.)

“2) Communication Workers of America will continue to support Comic Book Workers United in their effort to unionize at Image comics. Much will be reported but ultimately the effort will not succeed in 2022.”

Well, they announced in late 2021 that they formed a union at Image Comics, and this article from late in 2022 goes over where everything stands at the moment.

“3) Mike Sterling will continue to entertain us throughout 2022 and it will be fabulous!”

• • •

Rob S. sends along

“1) My traditional LSH prediction: An ongoing Legion series will be announced to follow JLA vs the Legion of Super-Heroes. It will maintain the Bendis/Sook continuity, but will have a new creative team.”

Not so far…it’s so strange that so much effort was made into getting the Legion back into comics (including bringing them back twice, in Doomsday Clock and in a Superman storyline) just to let them lay fallow again. I’m sure something’s coming along eventually…with a Legion animated movie imminent, and I think some other form of adaptation in the works, maybe, something’s gotta come out. DC’s the opposite of Marvel in some ways…if Legion were a Marvel property, we’d already have a mini-series and trade paperbacks of same for every Legion character out on the shelves right now based just on a hint of a possible movie or TV show.

“2) DC will publish a second ongoing anthology in the style of Batman: Urban Legend, this one centered on Metropolis.”

Not yet. I’d read it!

“3) A new crowdfunding platform will emerge, taking a lot of projects that otherwise would have been set up on Kickstarter, thanks to KS’s recent foray into cryptocurrency & NFTs.”

There seem to be quite a few out there…Zoop is one that I’ve seen a bit about. Kickstarter’s still hanging in there, though, even as crypto and NFTs collapse all around us.

• • •

LondonKdS kids me with

“1) Marvel launches a webtoon on Tapas based on various X-Men characters as wacky Gen Z college dormmates with superpowers.”

Man, I don’t even know what Tapas is. I’m barely figuring out TikTok. But I took a look and as far as I can tell, this hasn’t happened yet. Or it’s being hidden from me becaues I’m An Old.

“2) DC’s younger readers line does a crossover book bringing together some of the more divergent versions of DC characters from their earlier GNs (Kid Constantine, Breaking Glass Harley, Overdrive Batman etc.)”

I bet that would be neat. But I wonder if DC would rather just keep everything relatively standalone and not follow the pamphlet-style comics and all their continuity hoohars.

“3) Following Dan Slott’s Doctor Who miniseries, Titan announces a Sarah Jane Adventures comic series written by Ryan North.”

I didn’t remember the Slott Who happening, and sure enough all orders on the 2022 Special (the first of three annual specials) were cancelled at Diamond. Unless it was available elsewhere, I don’t think it came out.

That said, I’m all for a Sarah Jane comic. The world could use one.

• • •

Roel Torres rolls in with

“I predict I will sell thousands of copies of my comics. Fingers crossed! Here’s hoping!”

How very dare you, sir…trying to trick me into promoting your comics, like this issue of Frankenrocker from Bad Kids Press?

Never would I sink so low.

• • •

That’s enough for this time…as always, if you’ve got information I don’t regarding the above predictions, please feel free to lay it on me. Thanks, and I’ll see you Wednesday.

16 Responses to “Your 2022 Predictions, Part Four: Emerald Edition.”

  • googum says:

    Hey-hey, way closer than usual! Nice work, past me!

  • JD says:

    While we didn’t get any Superman anthology title in 2022, it does kinda sound like the revamp of ACTION COMICS starting this month might be close ?

    Just in time for URBAN LEGENDS to get cancelled, so not laying any odds on that lasting for long.

    (And hey, it did serve as pilots for several ongoing titles – BATGIRLS, TIM DRAKE, WILDCATs – and minis – SWORD OF AZRAEL, TASK FORCE Z – as well as produce a bunch of quirky strips like Burnham’s Alfred or Russell’s Bat-Pets, so I’d say Mission Accomplished.)

  • Allan Hoffman says:

    @JD The last Action Comics anthology (Action Comics Weekly) lasted from May 24, 1988 to March 14, 1989 so less than a year. I guess we’ll see how long this version will go for.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    As far as Action Comics Weekly goes, my vote goes to ACW number 609 for best cover for that particular run –it features Brian Bolland’s superlative drawing of Black Canary burning her ugly Jazzercise costume and returning to her iconic original costume.

  • Snark Shark says:

    “sure has been a lot of Kang goin’ around”

    As Jerry Lee Lewis would have said, “There’s a Whole Lot of Kangin’ Goin On!”

    R.I.P. Jerry Lee.

    “while I could cynically interpret the reason for doing so as guilt, I prefer to think they did it to acknowledge the legacy of George Pérez”

    Why not both?

    Sean Mageean: “ACW number 609 for best cover for that particular run…Brian Bolland’s… Black Canary”

    ANY drawing of Black Canary by Bolland is going to be a great one! MAN THAT GUY CAN DRAW. His covers for the Eagle Comics Judge Dredd series are ICONIC, as far as I’m concerned.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Snark Shark:

    “ANY drawing of Black Canary by Bolland is going to be a great one! MAN THAT GUY CAN DRAW. His covers for the Eagle Comics Judge Dredd series are ICONIC, as far as I’m concerned.”

    Yes! I still recall being blown away by Bolland’s art sequence featuring Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Batman in JLA no. 200. And his Camelot 3000 art was amazing as well. He was and remains in a league of his own–although José Luis García-López, Steve Rude, and Dave Stevens would also go in the topnotch draftsmen category.

    To your R.I.P. Jerry Lee Lewis I will add R.I.P Jeff Beck–gearhead, guitar god, genius!

  • Aaron says:

    “ with a Legion animated movie imminent”

    How many reboots of Warner/DC management ago was that announced? While it still may be so, it sure is weird that the higher ups change as often as the DC universe.

  • Thom H. says:

    At least this new Action Comics anthology is about Superman and his family/associates. It’s more like the old Superman Family comic from the ’70s than Action Comics Weekly. As far as I remember Superman wasn’t even in ACW, was he? Until the end, maybe?

    In any case, the new Action Comics format will probably sell better than a book that headlined Black Canary, Wild Dog, Deadman, and the Secret Six. No offense — all the characters that appeared in ACW are great (well, maybe not Wild Dog), but there’s a reason they don’t have their own titles.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Thom H.

    Yeah, I never cared much for Wild Dog –although the actor who played him on The CW’s Arrow (Rick Gonzalez) brought some life to the character!

    ACW also featured Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Blackhawk.

    I was watching an interview with Chuck Cuidera (the co-creator of Blackhawk) the other day, and he claimed that during WWII Blackhawk outsold Batman, and I’ve read elsewhere that during the war Blackhawk was among the top three selling characters, along with the original Captain Marvel and Superman. Also of interest, when DC Comics bought Everett M. “Busy” Arnold’s Quality Comics characters, Blackhawk was one of the only ex-Quality Comics titles to continue uninterrupted–so, along with Superman, Batman and Robin, and Wonder Woman, Blackhawk’s comic continued publication from the Golden Age straight through the Silver Age until 1968.

    So, of course, the various attempts at reviving Blackhawk have not been long lasting (although the Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle run– Blackhawk no. 251-273–is quite good!), but even after ACW Blackhawk and crew did get a 15 issue revival. Hawkaaaa!

    Here’s a link to the Chuck Cuidera interview…he has some interesting things to say about working in Will Eisner’s sweatshop back in the 1940s!

    https://youtu.be/XLkyXQF5SAE

  • Mikester says:

    Aaron – The Legion animated movie is a done deal, and should be out Any Day Now. Other future planned adaptations are anybody’s guess right now.

    Thom H. – Superman was in every issue of Action Comics Weekly, primarily in the form of the two-page centerspread “Sunday page” drawn by Curt Swan.

  • Snark Shark says:

    Supes was in ACW, but for a measly 2 pages!

    I liked Wild Dog, but he is just a Punisher copy.

    “the Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle run– Blackhawk no. 251-273–is quite good!”

    Damn right!

  • D says:

    Sean Mageean – not just Blackhawk, G.I Combat was a Quality book as well!

  • Thom H. says:

    That’s cool about Blackhawk. I had no idea he was so popular for so long.

    I actually read Action Comics Weekly and don’t remember the Superman strip at all. The one I remember the best is Secret Six, of all things.

    The Legion movie looks good, at least from the trailer. So weird they’re using yet another set of redesigned characters, though. Way to water down the brand even further.

  • Joe Gualtieri says:

    That AW Superman story is actually collected, along with its sequel, as The Power Within.

  • Snark Shark says:

    “and don’t remember the Superman strip”

    At two pages, there wasn’t much to remember. I remember a reviewer calling it a Sunday paper comic strip!

  • Roel Torres says:

    Thanks for promoting the comic — you’re a good sport! I appreciate it!