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Marveling At The Game Of Changes by Steven E. McDonald It seems that the upper management at Marvel Comics -- actually, we should perhaps call them Marvel Marketing Opportunities -- has finally come to agree with the rank-and-file of the comic-book readership at large. The abrupt hiring of Joe Quesada as Editor-In-Chief and internal relocation of Howard Mackie to an editorially less-sensitive position shows a determination to change the overall market position that the company has occupied for the last several years. This shift in attitude did not occur overnight, however, having been signaled by the return of Chris Claremont to the world of the X-Men (though he has now quit writing the X-titles again, even as Marvel announced that remains involved with the X-universe) and the appearance of a Punisher maxi-series written by Garth Ennis and published without the Comics Code Seal. Additionally, the success of the Marvel Knights line (edited by Quesada and fellow artist Jimmy Palmiotti, who has since left the line) provided a distinct pointer as to a better direction for the company to explore when it comes to comic books. Quesada is certainly no slouch when it comes to making changes. Within the first day of his hiring as Editor-in-Chief he was sketching out -- in broad strokes -- the direction that he intended to take the company in terms of increasing sales and interest, as well as airing his ideas regarding ways of revitalizing the comic book market, especially in light of the success of the X-Men movie (which failed to translate into significantly increased comic book sales for Marvel.) In very short order, changes at Marvel began to happen -- particularly welcome, no doubt, is the replacement of Howard Mackie as one of the Spider-Man writers, with J. Michael Straczynski. This kind of move is a very appealing one for both fans and management in that it offers up a fan favorite while further refining Marvel's connections to the movie and television industries -- no doubt we will see David Goyer's name in various places at Marvel before long, besides the usual links to movies, such as Ghost Rider and Blade 2 that have Goyer's credits on them. Another hopeful note has been sounded by Quesada about the possibility of Marvel returning to the edgier end of the comic book universe. While it seems unlikely that the long-dead Epic imprint will be revived (having gone out with a truly miserable whimper, rather than a glorious bang), it looks likely -- going by Quesada's hints, anyway -- that Marvel will eventually launch a new line of more mature and edgy books. Marvel being Marvel, however, I don't personally expect to see Garth Ennis finding a home for his more, er, depraved ideas. We can hope, however, that Marvel will once again spread its wings and soar, rather than lumbering along with the ostriches as it has for the best part of the past decade and a half.. ©2000 by Steven E. McDonald |
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