Marvel is teasing a new West Coast Avengers team. Comics and graphic novel sales were down in 2023, but still up from pre-COVID levels. Chip Zdarsky is reportedly releasing a surprise free magazine in stores titled Zdarsky Comic News. All on Comic Book Club News for July 17, 2024.
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Episode Transcript:
Marvel teases West Coast Avengers.
Comic sales were down 7% in 2023.
Chip Zdarsky releases surprise magazine.
This is Comic Book Club News for July 17, 2024.
Marvel Teases New West Coast Avengers Team:
Marvel is teasing a new West Coast Avengers team… But when or where they might appear is TBA. Spoilers for today’s comics past this point.
In the closing pages of Iron Man #20, Iron Man and War Machine have a game of Ton Ball — where they play basketball in armor with a one-ton metal ball — when they’re interrupted by a crashing rocket. And as they go to save the day, Tony Stark plugs that just because they’re on the West Coast doesn’t mean anything. Only to immediately turn around and say, “Okay, and maaaybe we’re starting a new West Coast Avengers. Just don’t tell anyone yet.” That’s followed by the tease, “Not the end!”
Writer Gerry Duggan doesn’t say anything more about the subject in his afterword, as he’s now leaving the series with writer Spencer Ackerman and artist Julius Ohta taking over next. However, in the previous issue of the series, he teased that War Machine would be building a team out of possibly redeemable villains, in what Tony calls “the work release Avengers,” and notes in his future looking narration “that team would save the world right out of the gate.”
So what’s next? Will Marvel announce a new West Coast Avengers title? Or is this just Duggan laying the seeds for some time in the far future? Stay tuned.
Comic And Graphic Novel Sales Down 7% In 2023:
Comic and graphic novel sales were down 7% in 2023, according to ICv2. However, before anyone yells the sky is falling, last year’s sales were actually up versus 2019, aka pre-COVID, by a whopping 70%.
In fact, pretty much across the board, the outlet’s survey of sales was even in a 7-9% drop for everything from single issue sales, to book sales, to digital sales. Overall combined sales were $1.865 billion, about the same as the previous two years when comic book sales boomed thanks to folks trapped inside due to COVID.
Other findings include book stores dominating the industry, with $1.145 billion in sales, versus comic book stores with $675 million.
However, the biggest gap from the past three years comes from the difference between single-issue comic books and graphic novels. In 2023, single issues made $410 million, while graphic novels made $1.455 billion. And a look at this over time shows that the comic book market rose from just under $400 million in 2018, 2019, and 2020, to just over $400 million for the past three years. Meanwhile, graphic novel sales have not only consistently risen, they more than doubled from 2018 to 2022, only falling slightly in the past year.
So there you go: despite the gloom and doom, everything is fine in the comic book industry. Unless you’re talking about comics.
Chip Zdarsky Releases Surprise Magazine, Zdarsky Comic News:
If there’s one industry that struggling more than the comic book industry, it’s the magazine industry. So naturally, writer and artist Chip Zdarsky is embracing both of them with his surprise free magazine Zdarsky Comic News, in stores today.
As reported by Bleeding Cool, the satirical leaflet contains news about all of Zdarsky’s work and even spends some time plugging other folks’ comics, as well. There’s also a word search, a column called “Chip’s Nitpicks,” and a cover packed with jokes about the comic book industry, all in magazine format.
While it’s unknown at this time if this is a one-off or not, Zdarsky does note he’s accepting advertising for the next issue. Which also could be a joke? But hey, if not, perhaps when the whole comics thing falls through, Zdarsky can get into the lucrative world of magazine publishing.
For Zdarsky Comic News, I’m Alex Zalben. I mean, Comic Book Club News, sorry, got confused there.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
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