Your 2025 Predictions, Part Four: Occupation: Foole.

Yet more of your 2025 comic industry predictions are being covered today (and here are parts 1, 2, and 3). Also, don’t forget to get in your 2026 industry predictions!

And away we go:

Adam P. Knave goes low with

“1) the success of the recent amalgam and crossover omnibuses will result in at least one brand new Marvel and DC crossover”

We got two crossovers in 2025, despite most customers apparently thinking there was only the one. And we’re set for two more this year, where I hope everyone does a better job of convincing people that there are indeed two.

“2) there will be a Captain carrot and his amazing zoo crew cartoon announced using the original designs”

Honestly, why didn’t this happen during the peak of superhero media? Our only hope is James Gunn getting it done…or maybe Zack Snyder. Hey, imagine if DC announced “SNYDER IS BACK” and all the online Snyder dudes were all “YES, FINALLY” but it turned out his project was a dark, gritty Zoo Crew adaptation? …It would be all worth it.

“3) there will be a new champions-like team focused on Miles but the book will be called Spider-Man and his amazing friends.”

Well, we had some giveaway Spidey and His Amazing Friends comics, and Miles was in them, but I don’t think this was exactly what you were talking about.

• • •
Shannon Smith beats into shape

“1) Major boomer and/or gen X creators will put out works with major publishers embracing and using AI.”

When I was asked about A.I. in a previous installment of this year’s prediction coverage, I totally forgot about this particular scandal from late in the year. It’s not an “embracing” of the tech by any means…if anything, folks are trying to slip it by the consumer without pointing it out (see the Kickstartered Stardust book I mentioned before). A.I. usage in comics is, by and large, still in the “trying to pull a fast one on readers” stage.

“2) Critics and industry insiders will defend it saying, ‘but it’s actually really good.'”

We haven’t sunk to quite that level yet. People who praise A.I. art and its “creation” are still pretty solidly mocked ’round these parts.

“3) It will actually be very very bad.”

Yup.

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Dave Carter has yet another batch of predictions for us

“1) A publisher that has been publishing comics for at least ten years goes out of business and/or declares bankruptcy.”

Well, there was the U.S. division of Humanoids, which had been around over 20 years or so, which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy late last year. (Diamond’s bankruptcy is noted as a factor, and I imagine a lot of smaller publishers bit the dust as well because of that distrihutor shuttering its doors.)

“2) While variant covers continue to be a thing, one publisher prominently cuts back on the amount of variants that they solicit.”

Sadly, they all seem to be All-In on the variant thing still, as it continues to be a way to help artificially infate sales numbers. When it stops making publishers money is when they will go away.

“3) A major shake-up for the Superman comics is announced around the time that the movie premiers.”

No, not that I really noticed, outside of tying into the DC K.O. event, but that’s just Company-Wide Crossover Business As Usual. Well, he did get a new power in the recently-launched Superman Unlimited book, maybe we can call that a hit on the ol’ status quo.

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Hal Shipman sails in with

“1) The Legion will continue to lay fallow while the echoes of the Bendis version fade away. Another few years will pass before anything happens.”

We got that Evil Legion in the “All-In” hoohar, including some appearances in Superman…and a promise of a new Legion series in 2026!

“2) The rest of Levitz‘s LSH run (and the year of Tales of the LSH stories) will continue to not be reprinted.”

We did get The Curse, which gets us up to #313, but I haven’t seen an announcement for a follow-up to finish out the rest of the run. And then will they start doing hardcovers of the “Five Year Later” Baxter-paper Legion? I think they’ve done Omnibuses. Regardless, I’ll buy that last hardcover that reprints the regular series, and call it a day there. Whenever that comes out, that’ll mark over 35 years of me collecting the reprint books of all these Legion comics. Sheesh.

• • •
Bully the Little Forecasting Bull has this to say

“Having giving up on my oft-thwarted predictions that comics will be printed on lunch meat, I now boldly presage that comics will be printed on pressed and rolled sheets of tungsten.”

They do have comics with thin metal covers that would cost you an arm and a hoof, Bully, but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about. No solid metal comics yet! You’d think at least Ozzy would have warranted it.

• • •
Ray Cornwall pops in with

“1. Amazon will continue to debrand Comixology- possibly dropping the name altogether and either end Comixology Unlimited or fully merge it into Kindle Unlimited.”

There still appears to be a Comixology page up, and “Comixology Originals” are being announced, so I guess it’s still keepin’ on keepin’ on.

“2. Some investor buys the remains of Aftershock. I don’t think the bankruptcy has been resolved yet. In a perfect world, the creators who were scammed out of what they thought they were going to get in compensation will be made whole. But we don’t live in a perfect world.”

Here’s a story about them emerging from Chapter 11 and making promises to pay everyone the money they’re owed. Don’t know if there’s be any news after that.

“3. Someone will announce that they’ve used AI in a completely new way to circumvent some part of the comic book creation process. Everyone reacts in horror at the idea of humanity being taken out of the art of comics. Luckily, the new way sucks, we all have a laugh, and we go on, trying to ignore that people have less money for comics because AI took our jobs.”

As has been discussed a bit in this year’s prediction coverage, A.I. remains a shameful secret in the comics biz, with folks either hiding that they’re using it, or denying that they use it when called out. We’re a long way from anyone mainstreaming A.I. in comics,..I hope.

“(I spent this weekend in a class about AI and the hiring process. I’m a little pessimistic today.)”

Can’t blame ya.

• • •
Adam Farrar compresses distantly

“Prior to the Superman movie, DC will produce collections for all or most characters appearing in the film. Marvel will do a few collections for their movie characters but not until after the movies were released.”

Well, both DC and Marvel had a combo of trades and new comics for their movie releases…like, say, a Metamorpho trade, and a Mr. Terrific mini-series was launched, though the collected trade wasn’t available before the film. Marvel had a Red Hulk mini-series that sometimes had the Red Hulk in it, and, well, like that. So I don’t think there were any egregious delays in getting tie-in material onto shelves. In some cases (like, say, Superman or Fantastic Four) there’s already plenty out there!

“The 50th anniversary of Giant-Sized X-Men #1 will be an excuse to change up the X-line with some cancellations, some new titles and cast changes for surviving titles.”

I’ve said already that I don’t really follow the X-books, but they did have some “Age of Apocalypse Redux” later in the year. And we did have a “Giant-Size X-Men” comic come out with new stories. So, you know, there was a little somethin’. If there was more acknowledgement than that I missed or didn’t remember, fell free to remind me in the comments.

• • •
And Tom W wraps it up for today with

“Grant Morrison to write Aquaman, as it’s the only major Justice Leaguer they’ve yet to write.”

I’d pay real money to read a Morrison Aauaman. But alas, ’twas not to be.

• • •
That’s it for today…thanks for reading, pals, and I should hopefully be able to wrap up the prediction coverage on Wednesday.