Your 2024 Predictions, Part One: Fountain of Youth.
Okay, there’s been a couple of delays, but here we are, you’ve waited an
And…this particular comments section had more than its fair share of excess discussion and jokey predictions and whatnot, that I’ll be skipping over this year. Sorry, just don’t have it in me this time. In the future 1) try to have some kind of specific prediction I can work with, and 2) try to keep it to just predictions in the comments sections to those posts, please.
First off is Customer Sean, with
“1. Both DC and Marvel will ramp up the number of facsimile editions being reprinted in 2024–bringing more classic Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age key stories to the readers at prices that won’t break the bank.”
Doing a search on Diamond for “facsimile” for 2023 versus 2024, there definitely were more results for the latter year than the former. (Diamond still has solicits for DC in its system, if you’re wondering.) Heavier on Silver and later, but some Golden Age did pop up as well. An interesting trend is doing facsimile editions of full series, as Marvel did with Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars, Boom! did with a reprint of Marvel’s Labyrinth adaptation, and DC did with Crisis on Infinite Earths) and just started with the original Batman “Hush” storyline. Can’t tell you how many times a #1 facsimile came out and I was asked for a #2 reprint as well.
“2. Mark Millar will succeed in revamping the comics industry.”
No revamping that I’ve noticed!
“3. James Gunn will announce a Challengers of the Unknown film featuring Cillian Murphy as Prof., Ryan Gosling as Ace, Tom Hardy as Rocky, and Harry Styles as Red.”
No, but I wonder if the Challs just aren’t flashy enough for a big budget comic book movie. I mean, I like ’em…every time they bring the team back in comics, I read it…but maybe moviemakers just want something…bigger? Obviously a good movie can be made out this, and I’m sure folks got movie pitches, but the Supermans and the Batmans get first dibs.
Chris Gumprich cashes in with
“1. Tom King will write a Black Label series that takes an obscure character, messes up their life, and ultimately kills the character.
2. Not specific enough? Okay fine, the character will be… Shade the Changing Man.”
King’s up to some shenanigans in Wonder Woman, but that’s not Black Label. Nothing quite on the scale as his Mister Miracle or his Adam Strange mini, at least. King is writing a mini with Black Canary, Best of the Best, but I don’t think it’s doing the same thing those other series did. And it feels like we’re due for a new Shade the Changing Man thing…the last was “Shade the Changing Girl/Woman” from the Young Animal imprint a few years back.
3. Archie will continue to milk the RIVERDALE dollars by doing a crossover comic with ‘Beverly Hills 90210.'”
(Hey look, I did a different Archie prediction this year!)”
Not really anything along the lines of its edgier TV cousin (unless you count the reprint of Betty and Me #16).
Pal Nat predicts
“1. DC will figure out how to push subscriptions for Christmas, and most but not all retailers will recognize this as seeding the comics market rather than stealing customers.”
Not that I saw. Do Marvel and DC even have subscription departments any more? I suppose they must. It would be a nightmare what with all the relaunches with new #1s.
“2. One of the big YA graphic novelists will drop an adult GN, the comics version of when Judy Blume released Wifey.”
I actually conferred with Nat on this one, and neither of us can think of any YA comickers making this specific transition. But, honestly, it’s just a matter of time, I’m sure.
“3. Comics will be said to be dying, still, as almost always.”
Ummmmmm, yeah…that’s always a thing, but it certainly got a boost of late.
Mike Loughlin drops this in
“The new era of X-Men comics, shepherded by Tom Breevort, will sell well at first but quickly lose fan enthusiasm due to its retrograde nature. Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men will be a hit, for as long as she’s on the title.”
I would say that’s two predictions in there, but let’s cover the first one first.
Now, just based on my sales, Uncanny and Adjectiveless have dipped a tiny bit but remained strong, the other X-titles, including Exceptional, have stabilized at lower numbers. Which makes sense, since X-Men and Uncanny X-Men are the established names. We’re still within the first year of the relaunches, so let’s see where everything’s at by the time Year Two rolls around.
As far the Ultimate X-Men goes, yes, it’s still selling well, if not as much as the leader of the pack, Ultimate Spider-Man. I suppose that makes it a hit, as the people who like it really like it, but I’ve come across some folks who turn their noses up at it for not being a more traditional superhero comic (as much as the Ultimate books can be). Ah well, that’s how it goes.
Thanks for your patience as it took me a little extra bit to get started on this series of posts! Next Monday I’ll dive back in and continue the ride…well, probably!
Chris Grumpich: I really liked THE HUMAN TARGET by King, but I bought them as hardcovers from Amazon. Earth-Black Label is what it is. Sometimes it is better going in with half the story in your hands.
I’m a writer and its a lot of crime noir, but what nailed HT for me was Greg Smallwood’s art.It fit how some of my stories look in my mind. I’m not a fan of King’s, anyone still reading my monologue, what say you on Smallwood. If not for that, it had its moments, but it was still Tom King. Forget Hypertime. Whatever happens on Earth Black Label stays on Earth Black Label.
I would not mind Tom King killing off Larfleeze.
I would love to see another Tom King 12-part slightly alt-continuity story. Miracle Man and Strange Adventures are some of my favorite recent comics. The former could probably still fit in continuity, and the latter was more shocking because it seemed to be in continuity up until the end (which I won’t spoil here).
I don’t think Human Target was as successful a story as those series (or even as good as Rorschach, which came out at the same time), but Smallwood’s art was absolutely stunning. It’s worth picking up just for that, I agree.
You can skip the Human Target: Case Files one-shot or whatever they called it. That was just filler while we waited for Smallwood to finish the second half of the main story.
And, of course, I mean Mister Miracle above. I probably shouldn’t post before 10 a.m.
Well, I’m happy that one of my predictions was accurate. DC, in particular, seems to keep pumping out the Golden Age reprints. I believe Detective Comics no. 27 got rereleased twice in the last year or so, with the most recent version actually being Golden Aged-size on some sort of newsprint. I do wish that Marvel would release a bunch of Golden Age Timely Comics facsimile editions, however. And then there is the one company, whose name eludes me at the moment, which keeps releasing a bunch of public domain Golden Age Comics originally published by Nedor, Chesler, Fawcett, Holyoke, etc.
As to my Challengers idea, I still think it’s a great idea with a solid cast!
Also, it seems like Warner Bros. should be a bit more adventurous with all of the DC Comics I.P. I mean there’s about 90 years worth of characters and stories to mine from DC (and Quality, and Fawcett, and Charlton, and whatever other defunct publishers DC has acquired over the decades) and it’s various sub-imprints.
Even on a small budget and using mostly unknown actors (see what I did there?) a live action streaming series based on The Challengers or the Unknown could be really cool –and The Sea Devils, Dolphin, Cave Carson, etc. could also be brought into the mix. Likewise DC could utilize Rip Hunter again–as he was used to an extent in Legends of Tomorrow, but it wasn’t the best take on the character.
I think DC could also mine the Western and Horror anthology formats with like action streaming shows…get a House of Mystery or House of Secrets show up and running hosted by Cain, Able, or Madame Xanadu, and a Weird Western Tales which could rotate live action stories of Bat Lash, Scalp Hunter, El Diablo, and Cinnamon–and Jonah Hex (although he has made it to the big screen).
Mike, re: your recent post at Bluesky about a three-headed troll figurine having the faces of the Three Stooges–it seems like a perfect opportunity for you to do a Progressive Ruin piece all about the history of the Troll Lords comic, whose protagonists also resembled the Three Stooges. Maybe they should have fought against three other trolls who resembled Manny, Moe, and Jack!
https://youtu.be/ZFFBu0JWeBk?si=f8Wj0nwYJKSyQzbc
Whoops. Um…please ignore my prediction for 2026.
I like Ultimate X-Men, but I can see why some readers wouldn’t. Its horror manga vibes, weird pacing, and lack of popular X-Men characters can be alienating to people who want to read about alternate Wolverine and Storm fighting alternate Magneto. I like the weirdness, and the art is beautiful.
The 616 X-books have been a mixed bag, with Exceptional X-Men being my favorite. Uncanny & Adjectiveless have their strengths, but aren’t connecting with me. I think I’m in the minority among X-Men readers, as there’s been a decent amount of praise for the titles online. They just had a lackluster crossover, so we’ll see if that takes some bloom off the rose. I’m not rooting for the books to fail, they’re just not what I want in X-Men comics these days.
“2. Mark Millar will succeed in revamping the comics industry.”
For that, wouldn’t he need to have more than ONE idea?
” I do wish that Marvel would release a bunch of Golden Age Timely Comics facsimile editions”
Agreed!
“nd a Weird Western Tales which could rotate live action stories of Bat Lash, Scalp Hunter, El Diablo, and Cinnamon–and Jonah Hex”
I for that one! Though I’d just go with Hex & Scalpy.
“and Jonah Hex (although he has made it to the big screen).”
WE DON’T. MENTION. THAT MOVIE.
I ONLY they’d done it in the 70’s with CLint Eastwood like they shoulda!
@Snark Shark
Yeah, like I said, DC has so much IP out there. I’ve heard good things about the new Metamorpho book, and the character will appear in the upcoming Superman film, so why not give a Metamorpho or The Terrifics streaming series a go?
Back to The Challs/Sea Devils/Cave Carson, it seems like now they could be quite topical what with all of the Global Warming and Environmental issues–and it would be DC expanding its live action films or streaming series without having to resort to superheroes, which the general public is most likely getting fatigued by.
Challs could be in the Doc Savage/Indiana Jones tradition, except with an equal group. Sea Devils could be in the “Sea Hunt” tradition…maybe throw in a dash of “Man From Atlantis” as well. And Cave Carson could go in the “Land of the Lost” and general E.R. Burroughs direction. A Rip Hunter show could update “Time Tunnel,” “Quantum Leap,” etc.
As to Jonah Hex and Clint Eastwood…that ship has sailed, however there is always Clint’s son, Scott Eastwood; maybe they could give him a go at playing Jonah on a streaming series. And Bat Lash is such a fun character that he should be adapted to live action somewhere. Maybe Ryan Gosling as Bat Lash in a film?