DC Comics and Marvel have been battling it out for sales dominance for years now, but it was kind of one-sided for a long time. Marvel ruled the sales charts for years, with Batman being the only DC titles consistently in the top ten. There were a few times when DC was able to move a lot of issues — the beginnings of the New 52 and DC Rebirth — but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Marvel was on top. As a long time DC fan, I figured that this would be the state of affairs forever. Marvel had such a lead that it never seemed like DC was going to ever be able to catch up. However, things were looking up from a quality standpoint, with publishing initiatives like Dawn of DC and DC All-In giving readers much better stories than what Marvel was putting out. Then the Absolute Universe happened, and DC started to take the top ten from Marvel on a regular basis. Even Wonder Woman and Superman have been able to reach the top ten. Things had changed.
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Looking at DC’s overall success, it’s plain to see how they were able to rise to the top — they listened to the fans. DC fans had been complaining for years about multiple aspects of the publisher — getting the infinite multiverse back, not putting out more Batman books than the rest of their publishing line (this was the case in the Infinite Frontier publishing initiative), bringing back fan-favorite versions of characters, and finally sweeping away the last vestiges of the New 52. DC listened to their fans, and their fans started buying more books. DC has momentum, but is there any way for Marvel to make a comeback? The answer to that is yes, but in order to do so Marvel is going to have do something they’ve been very reticent to do — actually listen to the fans.
Marvel Refuses to Learn Anything from Fan Complaints
DC All-In has been firing on all cylinders, and it comes from fan esteem. Fans wanted something and DC gave it to them. This is the exact opposite of what happens at Marvel. While Marvel’s Ultimate books are beloved, it’s impossible to say the same thing about the rest of Marvel’s publishing line. When was the last time you heard anyone say anything good about the Spider-Man books? How many X-Men books have been started and cancelled since Tom Brevoort took over as editor of the X-books? When was the last time that anyone cared about the Avengers? Marvel has some outstanding books like Immortal Thor and Fantastic Four, but the rest of the line is floundering. The Amazing Spider-Man, the champion of sales for years, has fallen far from grace. The X-Men books sold like hotcakes after “From the Ashes” started, but other than Uncanny X-Men and X-Men, the line has fallen from the top of the sales charts. Avengers hasn’t been exciting in ages. Fans haven’t been reticent to tell Marvel this. Quite the opposite, actually. Marvel fan spaces are full of complaints about the publisher’s output. It’s all right there for the company to see.
Spider-Man and the X-Men are Marvel’s two bestselling franchises, yet the fans of both aren’t exactly thrilled with the books. However, Marvel refuses to change anything about the books. Now, obviously, that’s easier for me to say that than it is for Marvel to change. Comics are created months in advance, so in the short term, it’s impossible to make major changes quickly but these complaints have been going on for years in the case of The Amazing Spider-Man. The Ultimate books are quite popular, but if they’re anything like the last round of Ultimate comics, they’ll fizzle out when the novelty wears off. Marvel can’t keep depending on the Ultimate books to buoy sales, they need to find a way to make fans happy. Marvel has run on the idea that outraged readers are engaged readers (a quote from Tom Brevoort) for a while now, but that outrage is starting to bite them.
Marvel Needs to Start Listening to the Fans
Not every fan complaint should be listened to. The role of creatives is not to give readers what they want, but to create stories that will surprise and enthrall the readers. However, there are times when it’s best to listen to the fans. DC has learned this lesson, and it’s why we’re getting such great books from across their line. DC is eating Marvel’s lunch right now, and it’s because they’ve found a way to give fans what they want without becoming completely creatively bankrupt. Marvel, on the other hand, not only refuses to change anything, but often feels like its mocking anyone who doesn’t completely love what they’re doing.
Not every fan complaint needs to be listened to, but look at the Spider-Man books. There has been one major complaint about them — the dissolution of the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane — for almost twenty years now, yet Marvel does nothing. In fact, one can look at the character of Paul Rabin as Marvel spitting in the face of fans (one of the best parts about modern Marvel is that writer Al Ewing obviously hates Paul and does his best in every issue of All-New Venom to make fun of the character). The Amazing Spider-Man was once the consistent top seller every month. That’s not the case anymore. Marvel doesn’t need to completely tailor their line to fan demands, but they should listen to some of the fans’ complaints. If they did, they might be able to wrest control back from DC and show everyone why the House of Ideas was number one for so long.
What do you think about Marvel and their relationship to fans? Sound off in the comments below.
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