So yes, I spent 1/12th of 2022 looking back at your 2021 comic industry predictions. Well, what can I tell you…you guys left me a lot last time. Anyway, today’s post will be catching upon on a few corrections/clarifications over my responses from the last (ahem) month, since I’m only mostly human and can’t catch every single thing that rolls down the road here. Look back at the previous installments (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight) and then let’s see what exactly I have to say for myself.

(I did edit in a correction into the body of the main post of part two, in regards to preliminary work on a Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon being announced, which I missed.)

• • •

From Part Three:

Here Daniel gives me a general explanation of the economics of streaming services. I mean, I figured it was something like that, but it’s nice to have it all spelled out.

Patrick Gaffney makes no mistake in saying

“There was a reprint of The New Warriors Omnibus in 2021, with a new Vol 2 coming in 2022. Maybe that hit the copyright needs of the above poster?”

…in reference to the suggestion that Marvel would put out a New Warriors issue maybe just for trademark purposes. Frankly, I think it would take a bit longer for New Warriors to get out from under Marvel’s control. But at least there was a New Warriors publication of some sort that got there.

• • •

From Post Four:

In reply to my not knowing about companies that put out a first issue then skipping to releasing the whole story in a collection, Glen came out of seclusion with

“Scout has an imprint called Nonstop that publishes a first issue and then a full ‘collection.'”

…and I took a look and sure ‘nough. I don’t see anything about the other “issues” being available digitally, which was a stipulation of the prediction, but hey, it’s close enough. (And I tried to edit that info into the original post at the time and messed it up, so here it is properly! And I fixed it in that post, too.)

• • •

From Part Six:

Billy boings on in with

“Who owns the Harvey properties now and why is that a thing?”

Harvey is now owned by Classic Media, though when I wrote my comment about Harvey’s owners probably wouldn’t want “adult” updated versions of their characters out there (like what DC did with Looney Tunes and Hanna Barbara) I somehow thought Harvey properties were still in control of someone from that Harvey family. Some properties, however, are still under the Harvey family purview, such as Sad Sack and Black Cat (as per Wikipedia). But the other characters…well, I still don’t think we’ll be seeing a deconstructive and lightly-edgy take on Stumbo the Giant anytime soon.

Also in this comments section was discussion over my statement that Marvel probably wouldn’t reprint Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey because that would involve licensing fees and stuff like that, since Marvel didn’t own it. There was some question as to who does actually own the rights to the film, which was under the MGM banner. This recent Forbes article, in short, says that Ted Turner bought the rights to a huge chunk of MGM library…which then fell under the Warner Bros. label when the two merged. As such…DC Comics is more likely to reprint that 2001 comic than Marvel. 2001 is currently streaming on HBO Max, in fact.

The rest of MGM’s catalog was just bought by Amazon, including the James Bond series, in case you were wondering where the rest of the studio went.

And in an email response to an omission from Part Six, where in talking about Legion of Super-Heroes reprints I forgot about the Before the Darkness HC Vol. 1, which not only came out in 2021, but I actually read the darned thing too.

Just slipped my dumb mind for some reason. Thanks to Paul for pointing this out.

• • •

From Part Seven:

Daniel (that dude again) asks

“[If comic books went away and trades/graphic novels took over] could most comic shops survive that change to what would essentially be a bookstore model?”

That’s a question folks in the biz have been wondering for years. Switching customers from visiting on a weekly basis to buy monthly-released comics over to…pricier formats released on a biannual or less frequent basis feels like quite the challenge. But a comic bookstore (versus a comic book store) would require more stock, and more diversity, to encourage more browsing and more buying….

I can’t go into every detail on this right this second, but I think if the change was gradual stores would probably be okay. If Marvel and DC said suddenly Scarlet Witch-style “no more floppies” that could be a problem.

Wayne Allen Sallee wonders

“did INFERIOR 5 finish the run? I thought COVID-19 killed it about 4 issues in, same with TERRIFICS, actually. The two month break and all.”

Both completed their runs in trade paperbacks, which included unpublished (at least in physical form) issues. I still need to finish reading Terrifics, in fact…that was a really good comic.

• • •

From Part Eight:

Matthew notes, in response to the prediction of a wisecracking kid version of John Constantine showing up

“We did get The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher: A Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel, so the ‘kid’ part of that came true at least.”

There you go! I meant to read this, but I’ll have to add it to the pile of approximately a million other things I need to read.

I boggle Daniel T’s mind with

“Have you really not read a Spider-Man comic in 20 years?”

I really do think that 9/11 issue was the last new Spidey-Sam comic I read from beginning to end. I’m just not a Spider-Man Comics guy, at least when it comes to recent stuff. I read all the McFarlane issues when they came out, and I actually had a subscription to the title around 1979, which was actually a replacement title when my Pizzazz subscription ended because that mag was cancelled.

Now I have read Spider-Man comics in the last 20 years, but mostly revisited the classic Lee/Ditko run, and I have a particular fondness for ’70s Spidey. But nothing going on in Spider-Man comics in the last couple of decades have been of any interest to me. Sorry, just Not My Thing, I guess.

And yes, in fairness to Chris V, the Big Wheel apparently has shown up in Iron Man, so he gets at least partial credit for his prediction of the return of this…whatever it is.

• • •

OKAY, IT’S FINALLY OVER…at least until next January, when I go over your predictions for this year! Thanks for reading, everyone, and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Phew! We’re almost done, honest! This post should wrap up the prediction coverage, then either Friday or, more likely, Monday, I’ll do one final installment going back over some corrections and additions an’ stuff. Also, sorry about no post on Wednesday, as the internet was out at the house Tuesday night and I wasn’t about to type all this out on my phone.

Okay, here are all the previous installments in this year’s coverage: one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. And now, let’s get to your submissions!

Signal Watch missed my signals with

“I just realized we were supposed to only do three. Uh, any three you please, I guess.”

You’re lucky I’m such a pushover (and so close to the end here) and I’ll go ahead and do all six. BUT Y’ALL READIN’ THIS DON’T GET ANY IDEAS ABOUT ALSO DOING THIS

“1. The new power-that-be at DC will finally have some time to sort out what they inherited from Didio and we’ll start to hear announcements that will freak everyone out (continuity refactoring), but which are actually a good idea.”

I feel like the only real DiDio-esque thing we got was Generations, and the universe-altering aspects of that series were pretty much downplayed. We haven’t had any real Breaking the Internet in Half shockers from DC in the past year regarding any tomfoolery with their fictional milieu, aside from an attempt in some series or ‘nother at playing with the “every story happened” conclusion of Death Metal. Think we’re still working out, or at least trying to figure out, the full ramifications of that.

“2. DC will keep the monthly format, but also have in-continuity OGNs closer in format to those books published at younger readers.”

Monthly format, yes, the in-continuity graphic novels, not so much. DC used to do those on a fairly regular basis (there was that Flash: Life Story one, a Superman one, that Morrison JLA/Crime Syndicate one). There were original graphic novels, sure (like Batman: The World) but nothing really quite like what you’re describing, with OGNs supplementing the mainline continuity of the monthly books on a regular schedule.

“3. Marvel will change Spidey’s costume back just as the solicits for the new but mid-00’s looking outfit appears on action figures, statues, etc…”

Okay, here’s the thing. I’d completely forgotten Spider-Man had changed costumes. I never noticed on the covers. Literally made no impact on me. I have no clue if he’d changed or not. And it’s almost impossible to Google (hello, lots of references to No Way Home).

Anyway, had to Google and remind myself and yeah, I’m pretty sure that costume hasn’t appeared in or on anything. I mean, I did a quick search and didn’t spot it, but maybe one of you out there who’s been paying attention could let me know. And maybe Spidey’s been wearing the costume inside the comic and not on the cover? I have no idea. I’m pretty sure the last new Spidey comic I read was that weird 9/11 one.

“4. X-book sales fall precipitously once it becomes clear they painted themselves into a narrative corner and magical swords could not get them out”

If X-Men sales have fallen, it’s probably more because of that’s the usual cycle of X-books (if not all comics) now, where a relaunch gets some extra eyeballs, then that additional audience gives way to the folks who always read the title. I think we’re at the low end of the cycle now, as all the X-titles are petering away into nothing, though X-Men itself is still doing…okay, but even that had a restart with a new #1 so maybe the new car smell hasn’t worn off that book yet.

“5. Big build up for The Big Wheel as Marvel’s new Galactus-level threat”

I literally had no idea what this was referring to. Honestly, my first thought was this:

…but what you meant was this, not to be confused with this. Anyway, more interesting than Kang, so Marvel missed the boat here.

“6. Swamp Thing will be rebranded as a hip teen with a shock of green hair who rides a hoverboard and tells people to recycle, along with sidekick/ pal J-Con, a wise-cracking British kid with, I dunno, a nosering”

Well, a couple of years ago we had Swamp Kid, which was close but no tuber. So, nothing this good came out last year, I’m afraid to report.

• • •
Wayne Allen Sallee sallies forth with

“Late to the party, Mike. Hope your eyes stay great, my Big Wish for 2021.”

My eyes have been…mostly stable this year. At least no major surgery needed!

“1/DC will think out of the box for a change and give us a Swamp Thing/Mogo maxi-series. Black Label, of course, so it doesn’t end up like Space Cabbie.”

Well, I gotta be honest, I haven’t read Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1 yet, so maybe Mogo’s in there!

“2/DC will continue to exist as a comic company.”

Like my eyeballs, still hanging in there.

“3/When Wayne buys Sterling Silver’s Bunches of Back Issues to help the economy, owner Mike Sterling will stop including copies of CYBER FORCE#2.”

Sorry, one of these must be included with every mail order purchase. Look, California has weird laws, what can I say.

• • •
Existentialman exists only to produce the following

“1) Marvel will begin introducing the Aliens and Predator IP into their super-hero continuity by April.”

Well, aside from variant covers (of course) where the Aliens faced off with, I don’t know, Power Pack, they’ve remained out of the actual Marvel Universe proper. I mean, the Brood Vs. Aliens? C’mon, it needs to happen. And Predator, of course, was a non-starter last year due to legal issues (though may be on the way now).

“2) Marvel will choose not to retire/cancel the Punisher character. Instead, they will release a story arc where he unflinchingly fights against white supremacists and racial hatred.”

I believe Marvel did have a story where the Punisher rejects the appropriation of his symbol by other parties, but that was a couple of years back. I haven’t read much Punisher of late, but aside from his general disdain for all racists, I don’t know that a story explicitly addressing these issues was done. I do know Marvel’s address this topic, as previously noted in these prediction response posts, by changing his logo to something that might as well have an expiration date on it for how long it’s gonna last outside that series.

“3) Mike Sterling will continue to bring us joy in 2021 through his kind, patient, fantastic sense of humor and insight into the human condition”

Why would I start now?

• • •
Daniel depresses me with

“‘Mazing Man: The Absolute Edition”

One of these days, ‘Mazing Man mania will spread across this country and a beautiful publication like this will see the light of day. Ah, a thing to dream of.

• • •
Damien has a bad omen with

“1. DC will relaunch the Showcase Presents line so that they can finally publish the Sugar and Spike collection and make all the money.”

I’d love to have Sugar & Spike back in any print format. I’d accept Sugar & Spike napkins at this point.

“2. There will be a big change in the management structure at Marvel with a surprise hire as Creative Director. Maybe a return to Marvel for Jim Lee or Brian Michael Bendis.”

I don’t think anything like this happened this year. At least, nothing quite so drastic as DC’s changes.

“3. A major comics feud will end when Alan Moore and Grant Morrison9 get married. They will claim that the ghosts of Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby were their bridesmaids but no one will believe them.”

We must never let them join forces. The danger to this world caused by the partnership of these wizards is unfathomable.

• • •
And BRRR puts all this nonsense on ice with

“1) Marvel will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first appearance of Deadpool with a six issue limited series. Each issue will have 30 variant covers.”

Given the date of your prediction is January 18th, 2021, and this news story about a Deadpool one-shot and 30 variant covers is in December of 2020, I think maybe you’re were being a little facetious. Anyway, those 30 variants…um, wore out their welcome right quick.

OKAY WE’RE DONE. Come back…yeah, probably Monday, and I’ll take a look at your comments and corrections. Thanks for reading as always, pals!

So you know the drill by now: I’m looking at your 2021 comic predictions that you posted here, and the previous installments of this series can be found here: one, two, three, four, five, and six.

And I know I have a response or two that should be addressed…I’ll get to them soon enough. Probably Friday, for an “epilogue” post.

Now, let’s jump in and see what we’ve got for this round!

Yours truly handsomely writes

“1. The comics division of Marvel will see cutbacks…not to the extent of DC’s current travails, but Disney’s gonna put the partial-kibosh on the publishing line.”

Not anything quite as drastic as this has happened, to my knowledge. At least, not any kind of sign that Disney has stepped in and said “OKAY, ENOUGH OF THAT” on anything. I suppose this could be extended to the ending of the Marvel Action line over at IDW, but even that’s not quite the behind-the-scenes bloodbath DC endured.

“2. We’re gonna find out who Olivia Jaimes, the pseudonymous cartoonist of the Nancy comic strip, really is.”

Did not happen, but I figure it will sooner or later. (Olivia Jaimes rips off the mask – “ah HA, it is I, Bill Watterson!”)

“3. A significant portion of DC’s comics line will switch over to a thicker, more expensive (but still comic-sized, not like Black Label album-sized) format. Like, $5.99 for 48 pages will be the norm, rather than reserved for specials and one-shots. Not everything, we’ll still have $3.99 books. But the cheaper format will clearly be on the way out.”

Well, it’s hard to say “yay” or “nay” to this one, and it all feels like it’s still in transition. Yes, a LOT of books are being released with higher price points, but $3.99 comics are still a thing. To be fair, this was already sort of happening when I initially made the prediction, but I haven’t seen too significant a shift in balance re: pricing yet that’s much different from before. A few more $5.99 books, maybe.

The trick is noting when the extra qualities of the higher-priced books (like page count and paper stock) start getting scaled back to what would be today’s $3.99 format, but keeping the $4.99 and up price points.

Okay, depressing myself, let’s move on.

• • •
Bully, The Bull That Walks Like A Stuffed Man, horns in with

“Once again I predict that this year, comics shall be printed on delicious deli ham.”

Friend Bully, I’m pleased to report that the comic strip Heathcliff is doing the Lord’s work and continuing to print comics on and about ham, such as this example from early last year:

…Now you probably meant actually physically printed on ham instead of paper. I bet if anyone’s going to do it, it’s Heathcliff.

“Also: one or more DC 12-issue limited series will be abandoned by the publisher mid-series.”

I know Nice House on the Lake had a mid-series break, but that was planned, not due to sales. I can’t think of any, though I’m surprised The Batman’s Grave made it to the end. If I’m missing something, let me know.

• • •
Kirk beams in these

“1 – Archie will cease publishing their own books.”

Archie is still hanging in there! It feels like they’re mostly doing digests, collections, and an entry or two in their horror line, but there’s still the occasional standard comic book (usually a holiday special of some sort).

“2 – Another new distributor will appear to battle Diamond & whoever the others are”

Well, Penguin Random House ain’t new but they certain shook things up a bit by becoming Marvel’s main inroad to the direct market. I can’t believe that was just last year.

“3 – Jim Lee will leave DC as they change their publishing strategy. Fewer comics, more prestige books “

Jim Lee’s still hangin’ on there, as are plain ol’ funnybooks! But I feel like more higher-end books will be in DC’s future.

• • •
Raymond Zinsius gets right zin there with

“I predict that DC Comics will fold entirely.”

Boy, people sure have it in for DC Comics! It was an easy target given the slashing of the publishing line and the cutting of employees, but it’s still floatin’ along there. “I DON’T WANT TO GO ON THE CART,” DC weakly exclaims.

• • •
Andrew-TLA has some true life questions for me

“1. A whole slew of new titles will be announced, each promising to be the next big thing.”

Well, it’s a typical thing for new comics to be announced all the time. And very few of them start off with “oh, I guess we’re okay, maybe you’ll like us.”

“2. 92% of said titles will fizzle out by the third issue, becoming nothing more than footnotes in comics history, relegated to quarter bins for all eternity.”

I can’t say to the percentage, but in my experience, unless it’s a huge hit, sales on most comics tend to settle down by about the third issue or so (usually because by then the retailer’s figured out the actual demand for the book). As far as outright “fizzling” — I did have a few new titles debuting over the last year that were not-starters, with no interest from my customers from the get-go. And a couple of others that may have started big, but were mostly bought by speculators who didn’t want any issues past the first one.

I’m trying to put an actual number to the percentage, and…well, there are a lot of comics, aren’t there. I’d say roughly about half of debuting series kept a readership of some sort as the series continued, and maybe half were D.O.A. I don’t know how accurate that is, but I think that’s more or less right.

“3. A lack of consistent updates regarding the Fantastic Four movie leads to the CW commissioning a Terrifics series set in the Arrowverse. Nevermind the fact that Simon Stagg was killed off in a very early episode of The Flash.”

I remember them killing off Stagg, and I was like “that’s not just a name of some random character you can plug in for verisimilitude.” That’s, like, an actual character with a position in the DCU.

Anyway, no Terrifics TV show, which is too bad because that would have been hilarious.

• • •
Ray Cornwall pops over the fence with

“1. Something drastic will happen at IDW- either a closure or a takeover. There’s a lot of smoke there. I’m not rooting for this, especially since I love the reprintings of old newspaper comics, and I hate to see any comics employees lose their jobs.”

Not sure if this is the sort of thing you’re thinking of, but IDW did announce it was following Marvel to Penguin Random House for exclusive distribution. Like I said in that post I wrote discussing Marvel’s move, IDW had a presence at PRH already, which likely smoothed over the transition. Wondering which company already with a PRH deal will be next?

“2. DC will launch a new digital comics platform just for their comics, separate from Comixology. There will be some comic that is exclusive to the platform.”

I mean, DC is still doing DC Universe Infinite for their online backlog for both print and digital, but otherwise they appear content to let Comixology handle the comic sales. I mean, as far as I know, I’m not much of a “buying digital” comics guy.

“3. We will see new Miracleman comics. We will not see new Saga comics.”

Mentioning once again Timeless, in just under the wire during the last week of December. A certain MM (no, not Mickey Mouse) has his logo appear…so not the big guy himself, but closer than we had been.

And Saga waited ’til this year to come back.

Okay, we’ll wrap up the 2021 predictions next time, and ’til then put in your predictions for 2022 already.

Back in the saddle again for a few more of your 2021 comic industry predictions! Here are the previous installments: one, two, three, four and five — and part six starts…NOW!

Rob S. steals the show with

“1) As always, I’ll include a hopeful Legion prediction: I expect that the Legion of Superheroes title will continue after Future State, and Brian Bendis will continue to write the series through at least issue 20 (which would bring his run to 24 issues, with Future State and Millennium included).”

Well…there’s a continuation of sorts, with the Justice League/LSH crossover event by Bendis. Whether there’ll be more Legion after that, I don’t know.

“2) Kirkman and Samnee’s Fire Power gets a TV series deal at Disney+.”

No news I’ve been able to find that it’s been optioned for anything, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. Didn’t stop some gossip site I found from pushing the idea that folks should be investing in copies should a TV show eventually materialize.

“3) There’s an attempt to resurrect some Harvey properties in the same vein as DC’s Hanna Barbera line a few years ago. Mark Russell is tapped to write Hot Stuff. Gail Simone writes Richie Rich.”

This would have been awesome, but I imagine the owner of the IP would probably be appalled. “What…our characters, modernized and interesting? FORGET IT! More retro merch instead, please!”

• • •
Voord 99 confounds my ability to crack wise about his name with

“After the hilarious disaster of my predictions last year, I’m just going with:”

Okay, Voord, lay it on me.

“1. A film will be released in some way.”

Movies were certainly released in some way, with an increased reliance on simultaneous streaming-and-in-theaters releases, and not without the occasional issue. The success of the new Spider-Man movie’s theater-only release may have brought us back to something resembling a regular movie-going experience, if it weren’t for…

“2. We will tell ourselves that something cannot possibly get worse, and it will.”

…oh, hello Omnicron variant.

“3. Following the pandemic, we have a second Roaring Twenties, with a resurgence of flappers, radio serials, and jazz. Superhero comics desperately try to hold on until 2038.”

So I put a rumble seat in my Hyundai Tuscon for nothing?

• • •
Adam Farrar goes the distance with

“1. Miracleman by Gaiman and Buckingham: The Silver Age #1 is released. Is there a sunk-cost fallacy to these predictions? I’ve been pulling for this for so long that I’d hate to drop it and then it actually happens. 2021 shows a lot of promise and maybe it even delivers this! Just one issue. Not all six issues. Not even new content.”

Couldn’t even manage just one reprint issue, alas. But as I’ve been saying throughout this batch of prediction coverage posts, that Timeless one-shot, while not the continuation of Miracleman we’re all waiting for, at least hinted at some new MM content on its way. (I’m betting it’ll be Marvelman, keeping the character distinct from the self-contained Miracleman story.)

“2. Some new Astro City is released. It will be through a new publisher which also starts reprinting the earlier volumes, maybe even in a new format.”

It’s beginning, away. It’s back at Image, and in December they took orders for a paperback reprinting the early issues. So stuff is happening!

“3. The new Spider-Man movie will include a connection to Into the Spider-Verse with cartoon Miles Morales appearing.”

I haven’t seen the movie yet (specifically because I’m not going back to theaters anytime soon) so I don’t know if there was a Miles Morales reference at all, cartoon or not. Apparently there was an oblique reference to Miles, if not by name, in Homecoming.

• • •
DavidG weighs us down with

“1. LSH will be cancelled again, in a new record for shortest run. DC will continue to reprint the Silver Age stuff, because there is still a demand for the zero personality Legion I guess.”

The series itself looks like it’s done, unlesss they pick up again after the Justice League crossover this year. It does look like they’re keeping some of the Silver Age reprint stuff in print, though the only new reprint book this year was a hardcover version of the 1970s treasury edition. …And I like the Silver Age Legion! I mean, it took a 13-year-old Jim Shooter to come in and give ’em personalities, but that was still technically the Silver Age!

“2. Still no new Miracleman. Gaiman will now start denying that he has ever heard of the character.”

Again, we got a peek in Timeless, but it’s likely leading to a Marvel Universe-friendly version and not the Moore/Gaiman one. Pretty sure Gaiman’s not at the “deny everything” point yet!

“3. DC will finally pull the plug on floppies, figuring they have 80 years of content that they don’t know how to exploit anyway, so why deal with the hassle of creating more. Instead they will ramp up repackaging the stuff they have produced despite themselves, the largely continuity free stuff with an actual ending.”

The monthly comics endure, though sometimes it feels like DC is moving to the “all Batman, all the Bat-time” model. I hope the reprinting of old material continues, however…it’s always welcome.

• • •
Dave Carter lusted in his heart with

“I couldn’t possible be more wrong than I was for my 2020 predictions, Right?”

“1) DC’s Kids & YA OGN line gets farmed out, in part or in whole, to one of the Warner book publishers imprints.”

DC’s still doin’ it, near as I can tell, though they appear to have other younger reader/children’s books through other publishers (not so much “farmed out” as just “licensed”).

“2) The threads of Event Leviathan are picked up in Bendis’s Justice League.”

DING DING DING I’m actually caught up on Justice League so I can confirm this as a very palpable hit.

“3) A manga title I’ve never heard of becomes a best seller due to an anime version I didn’t know existed showing up on a streaming platform.”

Um…this is a subjective one, so you tell me…had you ever heard of Demon Slayer?

• • •
will fires at me with

“1) a Black Orchid TV show”

Nope, but I’d certainly watch just to see what the hell they’d do with that.

“2) Disney will buy DC”

Oh man, can you imagine? A post-credits scene on, I don’t know, a fifth Ant Man movie introducing Superman?

• • •
Scott Rowland does…something to get the boat ashore with

“With the loss of yet more licensed properties to Marvel, Dark Horse will merge with another company in a ‘Kitchen Sink buys Tundra’ kind of way, which will involve a media push for the ‘Comics Greatest World’ Properties.”

Actually, it kinda moved in the opposite direction, with Dark Horse getting the license to the “general audiences” Star Wars comics (and if there’s a stupider phrase than “‘general audiences’ Star Wars comics,” man, I don’t know…). That may forestall a merger for at least the near future. Comics’ Greatest World remains largely unexploited in recent times, however.

“DC will continue to haphazardly add old comics to their digital service, but will continue to ignore Sugar and Spike.”

I’ll tell you what, I keep waiting for DC Universe to add more late ’70s/early ’80s Superman comics, but nuthin’ doin’. Still finding plenty to read, but I really want those. Also no go on those Sugar & Spike comics, because why clutter up the service with good stuff?

“Marvel will finally release the 2001 By Kirby Omnibus.”

A crime this hasn’t happened. And by all rights, the Omnibus dustjacket should be solid black. Also, it’s a licensed book, and Marvel ain’t gonna shell out to another company to reprint something.

Okay, enough for today, since the next set of predictions in line are from me and I may or may not spend some extra time on those. Yes, I’m playing favorites. In the meantime, get in your 2022 predictions, even though January is getting a little long in the tooth to still be accepting those and comments will likely be turned off soon. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you Monday!

Welcome to part five of about a thousand of my look back at your 2021 comic industry predictions! (Here are parts one, two, three and four). Also, I did drop in an edit to part four in regard to new information regarding a prediction I didn’t have an answer for!

And now…behold:

Michael Grabowski grips me with the following

“1. Riverdale of the Apes”

Look, Michael, how dare you throw this idea out there and have us proceed to deal with the fact it didn’t happen. Apehead! Archie Andrangutan! Reggie Mandrill!

“2. IDW hires Roger Langridge & Chris Samnee to finish their Thor: The Mighty Avenger series.”

That would have been interesting as part of the Marvel Action line, but alas, with that going away, I guess that’s that.

“3. DC hires Michel Fiffe to create a Grand Design-style limited series for the Legion of Superheroes.”

Another great idea which unfortunately didn’t happen (next “Grand Design” book will feature the Hulk). But honestly, DC could do worse. To paraphrase a thing I’ve said plenty of times: what’s DC afraid of, a Legion series that won’t sell?

• • •
Patrick Joseph sayeth

“1. Milestone’s relaunch gets pushed back another year/canceled.”

They actually did come out, and are still being released even now!

“2. Marvel acquires the license to the Hasbro books, and starts reprints of Micronauts and ROM”

Coincidentally, I was processing a certain issue of Incredible Hulk and brought up on the Twitters that Marvel couldn’t reprint this issue due to not having the license to ROM anymore. (As it turned out, Marvel has reprinted the issue, but with pages featuring ROM excised and replaced by a text explanation of what happened on them.)

Anyway, the one thing I wish the rights holders to ROM and Micronauts would realize is that the comics interest in these characters is centered around their connection to the Marvel Universe. Trying to feature the characters outside that context is…not really anything my customers ever wanted, that’s for sure. …So no, those two properties are still divided from the House of Licensed Ideas.

“3. DC goes all digital with periodicals, with collections and OGNs becoming their primary physical product.”

DCs still hanging in there, printin’ their funnybooks on dead trees, just like our primitive ancestors did!

• • •
Thom H shays

“1. Marvel will announce the wrap-up to Hickman’s big X-Men storyline by the end of the year.

Does anything really get wrapped up in the X-Men books? Hickman’s wrapping up his X-Men stint with that Inferno mini, which just ended. But I think the situation he set up is still going on even under the new creative team. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the X-books, so if Hickman had some big plot he was working on that did get wrapped up, I’m not sure. But like I said, the post-Hickman books appear to be of a piece with the work he did.

“2. I guess I can stop predicting the return of Injection at Image. The comic series and the show will both likely be announced as officially canceled.”

Yeaaaah, I wouldn’t look for any Ellis-related projects for the near future.

“3. One new issue of Miracleman is published in 2021.”

As discussed in a previous installment of these prediction posts…only if you count Timeless!

• • •
bret sector divides these up

“1. Brian Michael Bendis will leave comics to pursue hollywood full time…and then return to Marvel in 3 years to a triumphant (in the Kirby sense of the word) return.”

I don’t know about his showbiz pursuits (though a commentor here mentioned he was working on a Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon). He does seem to be in the process of leaving DC…but not back to Marvel just yet.

“2. Dark Nights: Metal and Dark Nights: Death Metal will surprisingly be followed-up this year by Dark Night: Bluegrass…not so surprisingly, Dark Swamp-Thing plays a major role in the storyline.”

It did surprise me that DC didn’t market any new series playing off the “Metal” theme (aside from releasing some variant covers for the series packaged with flexidiscs). But I guess Infinite Frontier was the official follow-up, though they missed the bet by calling it Infinite Metal.

Also, Dark Night: Bluegrass sounds okay, but I’d be mnore into Dark Night: New Wave. At last, dayglo colors on comic book covers again!

“3. Dark Nights: Ambush Bug will debut in 2020 and actually get me to read my first Dark Nights”

I presume you meant “2021,” if only because I think you should get a half-point for Ambush Bug returning in a regular comic. This time it’s Suicide Squad, but who knows where he’ll end up next!

• • •
Roel Torres rolls in with

“My prediction: I will be part of a creative team on a bunch of indy comics that will be published with Diamond Catalog distribution in 2021 and Mike will reference me in an ‘End of Civilization’ post.”

And there he is! Now I have to start doing my End of Civilization posts again to make fun of it. “Frankenrock? More like…uh, Franken-dumber! Amirite?”

• • •
Cassandra Miller crosses the following

“DC’s distributor will continue to alternate between semi-professional and amateurish at best, with no rhyme or reason, driving shop owners nuts. Instead of rethinking things, DC will double down on the ‘going it alone without Diamond’ thing. (They won’t actually *do* anything about the situation until 2022 though.)”

I have to say, I’ve had very few problems with Lunar Distribution. Always great packing, excellent fill rates, almost never have to report a damage. I think since I’ve started using them, I’ve maybe been shorted all copies of a single title twice at most, as compared to that happening nearly every week with a certain other distributor I could name.

Not to say that I haven’t seen complaints from other retailers about them, so maybe I’ve just been exceptionally lucky. As such, I don’t know if they’re “doing” anything about these problems or not, at least not directly. Really, the only problem I tend to have with Lunar is timeliness of shipments, but that seems to be more a FedEx issue. Even then, that’s not been too much of a hassle.

Okay pals, I’ve reached the end of my blogging time for the evening…will be back Friday with yet more prediction shenanigans! (And also contribute to the 2022 predictions right here!) Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.

Again, another short blogging window for today, so I’ll get through what I can of your predictions. (I promise to finish these sometime in January!) (Of 2022!) (Maybe!) Installments one, two and three can be found at…well, the pages I just linked to. And awaaaaaay we go!

Matthew crows about the following

“1. Marvel/DC do some series that go from digital serialization straight to collected version. No printed single issues.”

I know DC did…for example, there was this Harley Quinn: Black White and Red digital series that went straight to a print collection this year:

…And I could’ve sworn DC put out a book of all the Mark Russell-scripted Swamp Thing New Roots digital series, but I can only find a print volume that contains a couple of issues. Presumably the rest are on the way (or already out in a book that this aged brain can’t recall).

“2. Another publisher goes the A Wave Blue World route of only printing first issues and then releasing a collection. (Digital single issues still available.)”

I…am going to have to call “I don’t know” on this one. I’m having a devil of a time trying to research it, and may have to throw myself upon the mercy of my readers to set me straight. Problem is, I order so many comics for the shelf, and there are so many number ones, I can’t keep track of which ones just failed immediately and never put out a second issue, or used the print issue as a lead-in to their digital offerings. I checked a couple of publishers who were likely to do this, and no dice.

If anyone out there has info, let me know and I’ll updated this response.

EDIT: Glen to the rescue!

“Scout has an imprint called Nonstop that publishes a first issue and then a full ‘collection.'”

As we saw back in part two, we did have some in-person conventions, mostly later in the year as everyone figured the pandemic wouldn’t be that much of a problem by then. (SPOILER: they figured incorrectly.) One of them was the San Diego Comic Con at Thanksgiving-time, which I assume would fit the criterea of “major convention!”

• • •
Jason Sandberg overcomes his placebo addiction to bring us

“1: DC will launch a ‘Bat-Man and the New Gods’ title with Space Cabbie as the chauffeur of a hybrid Batmbobile/Whiz Wagon.”

I presume by hyphenating “Bat-Man,” you mean the red-suited, domino-masked Bat-Man Kane initially conceived prior to people with talent coming along and making something of the character. If that’s the case, I’m all for this comic idea, with Dumb Batman klutzing around and annoying Orion and Big Barda and the bunch. Alas, did not happen.

“2: We will get a Morisson/Mora KLAUS one-shot, with a sub-plot explaining why KLAUS didn’t appear in 2020 when we needed him the most! Seriously, what gives? C’mon, dudes.”

Make that TWO years without a Klaus! It’s been a blue Christmas without them, assuredly.

“3: DC will publish a ‘Swamp Thing by Rick Veitch Omnibus’ that will include the unpublished issue 88. This leads to a younger generation experiencing a Veitchaissance.”

Not yet, but I’m hoping something like that will happen someday! And I’m all for a Veitchaissance…I’ve loved his work for decades, and fully support it being discovered by new readers…y’know, so long as they, um, kinda look the other way if they come across this.

• • •
demoncat_4 raises a little hell with

“disney marvel will find out they own the rights to omega the unknown and annouce it as a tv series with steve gerber’s blessing and use his never told original ending”

Well, um, the trick with that would’ve been the “Gerber’s blessing” part, given that he, you know, came down with a touch of the “passed away” a few years back. But I do wonder how far deep into the library Disney will go before they adapt Omega into live-action? (And, I’m sad to say, probably not in a form that Gerber would’ve enjoyed.)

“disney will finaly let kevin smith have another crack at howard the duck as a live action tv show.”

Again, didn’t happen…greenlighting a Howard the Duck anything still feels like career suicide for studio execs who have lifespans of mayflies anyway. That said…I wouldn’t mind seeing Smith’s take on ol’ Howard. Yeah, yeah, I know, groaaaaan, but I generally like Smith’s work and think he might have at least have some understanding of the character (unlike the people responsible for that HtD movie, who didn’t at all).

“the cw will announce they have given the short lived swamp thing tv series a two season full order with recurring character ragman back in the dc live action fold at last”

I feel like the brief window of someone saving the show and reassembling the cast is long gone on this. I still hold out hope for some kind of new Swamp Thing TV show or movie, at least!

• • •
LondonKdS mashes up the following bangers

“1. As I predicted last year, DC gives up on traditional serial comics publication in favour of some other format.”

Not yet, though DC seems to be experimenting with other, pricier formats, so there’s that!

“2. Both Marvel and DC do plots in which a long-established big-name character comes out as LGBT. One of them is created by people who know what they’re doing and is praised by all except bigots, the other isn’t and becomes a notorious disaster.”

I don’t think anything’s been a straight-up disaster along these lines, at least from this particular cisgendered fella’s possibly ignorant perspective. But DC had two major stories featuring Tim “Robin” Drake and Jon “Superman” Kent each coming out, and yes, those were mostly well-received with the predictable “b-b-but they should make up NEW characters to be gay instead of changing old ones,” and um hello, Jon Kent.

So those made some headlines for DC, but I can’t recall anything similar for Marvel last year. I mean, I’m sure characters have been revealed to be LGBT (like, I saw Black Cat on a list…did that happen last year, because I missed that somehow, but then I don’t tend to read a lot of Black Cat comics) but nothing news-grabbing like DC. I mean, how do you beat “SUPERMAN’S GAY” as a headline, that’s amazing.

“3. One of the proposed Lumberjanes comics after the end of the main series is a Lumberjanes/Swamp Thing crossover. It ends up unexpectedly controversial, as the team-up involves the Lumberjanes making a major breakthrough in their understanding of the occult stuff going on around them by cooking Swampie’s tubers in the ashes of their campfire and tripping balls.”

why must you tempt me with comics that will never be

• • •
Robcat feverly scratches out these

“1- All DC’s new hire star writers for the monthlies, from outside of comics, will be gone, gone, gone by 2021, but one book will finish in 2022, limping along until it is put out of its misery.”

I was trying to think of something along these lines…maybe Joe Hill? The “Hill House” imprint mostly wrapped up in 2020, but it’s popped back up in 2021 with Refrigerator Full of Heads, the sequel to Hill’s Basketful of Heads, but the latter series is not written by him. Is that kind of what you’re thinking about?

“2- Geoff John’s Legion reboot/original Legionnaires will be back somehow, someway, somewhere. (Honestly, this should be a 2022 prediction. I’m pre-predicting.)”

We’re still technically dealing with the Brian Michael Bendis Legion at the moment, which peaced out with Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes in 2021. That version of the Legion just came back this year with a Justice League crossover mini-series. Who knows what will happen after that…the old Legionnaires coming back makes as much sense as anything else they’re doing with this franchise.

“3- I was gonna say DC abandons the monthly single story comic, but that’s been a regular prediction for a while, so I’m gonna go wild with this: DC brings back Batman Family as a $9.99 monthly comic in a test to see if they could eliminate the monthly single story comic. The cover is great, pin-ups look good, and one story has a star writer/artist team. The other stories are kinda… meh. By issue 4 people have lost interest.”

Like I said to LondonKdS, DC seems to be trying out new formats, and Batman: Urban Legends, a higher end monthly anthology actually is pretty close to your idea of a “Batman Family” comic. Sales seem relatively strong, considering, but being a Batman book helps sell the format. Given that DC is slowly turning into “Batman Comics, Inc.,” that’s probably good news for them.

“I wanted to predict Marvel announces a Fantastic Four movie with John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, Jenna Fischer as The Invisible Woman, Rainn Wilson as The Thing, and B.J. Novak as The Human Torch but didn’t want to burn a prediction on that piece of nonsense. Man, I’d pay good money to see that, though. Creed as Willy Lumpkin would be pure comedy gold!”

Ah, the old “sneaking in a fourth prediction by pretending it’s not a prediction” trick. Very clever indeed, Anyway, no casting news on FF yet, and I’m betting when they come I’ll recognize just as many names as I did with your list, which is “one.”

“Here’s hoping 2021 was a better year for your eyes.”

So far so good!

• • •
Okay, here’s hoping I can get through more next time! Thanks for reading, folks, and don’t forget to leave predictions for 2022!