|
2005: The Year in Comics
[For the first time, CBG moved its Year-in-Review online, running it as a countdown on CBGXtra.com from December 19-28, 2005. A discussion thread for this topic has been established here.]
1) Will Eisner’s death
by Maggie Thompson
Will Eisner March 16, 1917 - Jan. 3, 2005
Although the comics field lost many of its most admired professionals in 2005, it was the death of Will Eisner at the start of the year that sent shock waves through the industry. The loss of the man who had been a pioneer in both the art form itself and the production and merchandising as well left comics without its most important remaining icon.
There was no one else like him: a creator whose name was used in industry awards when he was still so active in the industry that he was eligible to receive “his own” tribute.
Eisner died of complications following quadruple heart-bypass surgery. His work in the comics field was unmatched: He not only pioneered many comic-book devices, but he also remained an avid practitioner of the art form throughout his life, while he continued to examine theories of creation and business.
The Eisner Awards had been created in 1988, when Eisner was 61, to honor the best comics creations and creators; the name was chosen precisely because of the quality and variety of his accomplishments. Those awards have been presented at the Comic-Con International event annually starting in 1990 -- in ceremonies presided over by Eisner himself.
Other comics-associated deaths through 2005 included:
Kelly Freas, Aug. 27, 1922 - Jan. 2
Doug Meirs, 1962 - Jan. 31
Bill Yoshida, Dec. 2, 1921- Feb. 17
Dale Messick, April 11, 1906 - April 5
Gene Hazelton, June 3, 1919 - April 6
Frank Gorshin April 5, 1934 - May 17
Howard Morris, Sept. 4, 1919 - May 21
John Albano, 1920s - May 23
Bruce Hamilton, Oct. 11, 1935 - June 18
Paul Winchell, Dec. 21, 1922 - June 24
John Fiedler, Feb. 3, 1925 - June 25
Owen McCarron 1929 - June 27
Rowland B. Wilson Aug. 30, 1930 - June 28
Selby Daley Kelly Aug. 13, 1917- late June
Byron Preiss, April 11, 1953 - July 9
Jim Aparo, Aug. 24, 1932 - July 19
James Doohan, March 3, 1920 - July 20
Jerry Marcus June 27, 1924 - July 22
Tom Gill, June 3, 1913 - Oct. 17
Phyllis Reed, 1918- November
Stan Berenstain, Sept. 29, 1923-Nov. 26, 2005
Michael Reilly, 1953-Dec. 18, 2005
Bud Blake, 1918-Dec. 26, 2005
For more information on these passages click here.
2) Hurricane Katrina hits the comics field
by Maggie Thompson
Hurricane Katrina, the sixth strongest storm ever in the Atlantic Basin, hit Louisiana Aug. 29 and left more than 1,000 dead in its wake, with much of the devastation due to the breach of New Orleans’ Lake Ponchartrain levy. Damage to stores within Louisiana and other regions of the United States struck by the storm ranged from decimation to destruction. The devastation of the storm also had an impact on the comics business.
By early September, despite the destruction of communications in the Katrina zone, some retailers were quickly able to contact CBG via e-mail. Some reported good news, and some bad, though there was typically a mixture.
Shortly after the storm struck, Diamond announced it was working in cooperation with Alliance Game Distributors on a case-by-case basis with affected retailers. The goal of the effort was "to help them recover and resume operations, with potential support." This support included providing free goods from suppliers, extending payment terms, canceling orders, and holding shipments as necessary.
Contacted just before the end of the year, Diamond Comic Distributor’s Roger Fletcher wrote CBG: "We have nine customers who have not reopened: BSI Comics, More Fun Comics, Crescent City Comics & Cards, and others -- and about a dozen more who experienced serious business interruption. We estimate $1 million in lost revenue to Diamond related to the hurricane. We continue to work with affected retailers to aid their recovery, in some cases extending payment terms, in others distributing free goods, accepting returns, etc."
More Fun and Crescent City were in New Orleans; BSI was in Metairie, La. A December call to Heroes & Legends in ZIP-denied Chalmette, La., prompted only a telephone disconnect message. On a cheerier note, Terrytown Comics & Cards, Suite B1, 506 Terry Pkwy, Terrytown, LA 70056, answered a mid-December call to (504) 368-5745 cheerily, saying, "I feel I’m not suffering any effects. It’s a matter of weights and balances; I’ve lost people, but I’ve gained people."
Wayne Markley told CBG that his FM Distribution had lost a couple of accounts who, then, couldn’t pay, but the effect on the distributor, he said, was minor. “Everyone we dealt with is healthy and alive, which is the most important part; the economic damage to us was minute.”
Mail-order dealers also dealt with the event. For example, Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics wrote CBG shortly before the end of the year, "I wish I could give you concrete information about Katrina effects, but it’s hard to tell what’s been happening. I can tell you that a combination of higher oil prices and higher minimum credit-card payments have been forcing some of our consumers to cut back. The oil price jump can be directly attributed to Katrina, but the credit-card-payment increase was long in the planning by the Federal Reserve. In any event, we saw a drop-off of about 15% after the hurricane -- partly from the loss of the customers from that region, but also I believe because of the shock of $3 gasoline.
"As regards special circumstances for Katrina victims, we’ve been holding orders for long time subscribers until they can get settled, and helping with free replacements for some of our long time back issue buyers."
Comics mail-order subscription service Westfield Company indicated the impact had been minimal on its business. Mary Carter told CBG in mid-December that Westfield had held some orders for a time. Since then, "One or two of our subscribers did contact us by phone, and I know at least one is living in a trailer now, but I don’t think we currently have anyone not getting shipments."
Pros worked to help the victims of the events. Creators Brian Michael Bendis, Rob Liefeld, Mike Avon Oeming, Guy Dorian, Mike Hawthorne, Scott Kurtz, and Frank Cho, among others, helped arrange several (and separate) online auctions of original art and other material to raise funds. Other pros and comics companies provided donations, as well. These included Peter David, Open Book Press, Broken Frontier; Runemaster Studios; Mile High Comics; Certified Collectibles Group, parent firm of Comics Guaranty LLC; Narwain Publishing; Sky-Dog Press; and Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers.
There were still effects felt in the comics field, with the following ZIP codes to which mail could not be sent by year’s end: 70101-70199, 70632, 70643, 70038, 70040, 70041, 70043, 70050, 70075, 70082, 70083, 70085, 70091, and 70092. By the end of 2005, there were no indications from the Postal Service of when shipping to those ZIP codes will resume.
3) Changes in two comics universes
by Ray Sidman
It was a year of epic changes for the Big Two universes.
DC Comics followed last year’s Identity Crisis, written by Brad Meltzer, with this year’s Infinite Crisis, written by Geoff Johns. That storyline will continue until March 2006, when the main DC universe will undergo a “jump month,” as all titles therein will suddenly skip a full year of continuity. DC has recently announced titles for the main universe after the jump. (See CBGXtra post here.) Who won’t survive Infinite Crisis or the jump year remains to be seen. DC will address these topics (and others) in the 52-issue limited series 52, which starts immediately following the conclusion of Infinite Crisis.
At Marvel Comics, 2005’s key event was House of M, written by Brian Michael Bendis. That series and its tie-ins concluded in the autumn with more than 90% of the mutant population losing its powers and mutant status. Those hit included some long time characters and big names, such as Iceman, Jubilee, and The Blob. By year’s end, Marvel was in the midst of Decimation, the aftermath to House of M. And the publisher recently announced that, on the tail of Decimation, will be Annihilation. (See CBGXtra post here.)
For DC and Marvel fans, 2006 will likely hold very different universes from those active in 2005.
4) The year of the comic-book movie
by James Mishler
2005 was the year of the comic book movie. From the return of Batman to the silver screen in Batman Begins and the long awaited premiere of the Fantastic Four, to the release of Frank Miller’s Sin City, and even somewhat less heralded flicks such as Elektra and Constantine, 2005 was a good year to be a comic book fan at the movies.
Three out of five of the movies were definitive hits financially and critically domestically, while the other two could easily reach profitability considering international receipts and licensing income. The trend with the successful movies has been toward -- as mentioned in #8, above -- the guidance of the comic-book auteur, whether that would be the original creator himself or a fan who has immersed himself in the characters and the world, such as David Goyer on Batman Begins or Michael France on Fantastic Four.
(Domestic grosses and estimated budgets are according to IMDb)
Batman Begins had a $205 million domestic gross with a $135 million estimated budget.
Fantastic Four had a $155 million domestic gross with a $100 million estimated budget.
Sin City had a $74 million domestic gross with a $46 million estimated budget.
Elektra had a $24 million domestic gross with a $43 million estimated budget.
Constantine had a $75 million domestic gross with a $100 million estimated budget.
The successes of X-Men in 2000 and Spider-Man in 2002 may have at first been considered flukes, but with the continuous development of comic-book based films, Hollywood is taking notice.
Superman Returns in 2006, as do The X-Men for their third great screen adventure, and Spider-Man swings back into theaters a third time in 2007.
2005 will be the year historians will look back as a watershed in the development of the comic-book movie genre.
5) Fifth straight year of sales growth for comics industry
by John Jackson Miller
It may not be a big deal for newcomers to the hobby -- but the fact that there are newcomers is a very big deal to those who make a living in it. Especially those who lived through 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, or 2000 -- all years in which the comics business shrank!
Diamond’s sales of comic books, trade paperbacks, and magazines to North American retailers are on pace for a $350 million year, up from $328 million in 2004. The figures are pending final results from December; as of November, Diamond's final sales of comic books, trade paperbacks, and magazines for the last 11 months stood at $320.7 million, up 8% over the same period in 2004.
It might not be the double-digit gains we were on pace for earlier in the year, or like we saw in 2002 -- but it’s better to be in a class with 2004, which saw modest growth, than 2001 or 2003, in which the industry eked out the narrowest of gains. And they all beat anything we went through in the mid- and late-1990s, when there were minus signs attached to everything. Dollarwise, 2005 is likely to be the best year since 1996.
It is not entirely due to trade paperbacks, nor is it entirely due to increases in comics prices. Diamond's Top 300 comic books for each month are up 2% in units and 4% in dollars. But trade paperbacks are definitely a huge part of the story. While overall trade paperback sales are harder to calculate, trades are likely to wind up in the $100-120 million range in the direct market for the year -- meaning they're nearly a third of overall sales. For every two dollars or so comic books make in the direct market, trade paperbacks contribute one. That ratio, if correct, would reflect the highest share for trade paperbacks yet -- although again, not necessarily at the expense of the comics themselves. And this does not count sales into the mass market or newsstand, either for comics or for trades.
Should you still call it a recovery after six years? Many in the business would like to find out in 2006...
6) Heroes Con wins
by Ray Sidman
The comic-book community called it David vs. Goliath. In a conversation with CBGXtra during the controversy, comic-book retailer and Heroes Con organizer Shelton Drum called it Heroes Con vs. "an 800 lb. gorilla," aka Wizard Entertainment.
On July 21, 2005, online reports broke stating Wizard had lined up its inaugural Wizard World Atlanta show on the same weekend -- and a mere 250 miles away from -- the 25th annual Heroes Con, set for June 30-July 2, 2006, in Charlotte, N.C., and also a show scheduled far in advance of any word about Wizard World.
The outpouring of support for Drum and Heroes Con was immediate and powerful. Fans and industry celebrities alike sounded off on comic-book message boards across the Web to garner support for Heroes Con and, at the same time, vociferously seeking to yank support from Wizard Entertainment.
Wizard denied the reports (CBGXtra included). However, Drum spoke up, saying Wizard officials had contacted him and asked him to move his show. (He refused.)
Perhaps the most damning evidence was the business card distributed at Comic-Con International: San Diego by Wizard, confirming the date and location of the online reports.
See CBGXtra reports of the story as it developed here , here , and here .
#7) The demise of Dreamwave
by Ray Sidman
Comics publishers faced hardships in 2005.
In fact, within days after the New Year, Dreamwave, known primarily for holding the Hasbro license to the hugely popular property The Transformers, filed for bankruptcy. Over the next several months, speculation ensued as to who would acquire the license. One name that popped up regularly was Devil’s Due Publishing, which had produced crossover limited series with its G.I. Joe property and Dreamwave’s Transformers. Ultimately, however, the license went to IDW Publishing, which released a #0 issue in October and will kick off multiple Transformers titles in 2006.
Meanwhile, in August, it was announced that Dreamwave’s assets had been purchased by Canadian entrepreneur Christian Dery.
See the CBGXtra report on IDW acquiring The Transformers’ license here .
And, you’ll find the CBGXtra report on the Dreamwave sale here.
#8) A movie to die for
by James Mishler
As reported in "Black Souls, Red Blood -- Sin City: Film Noir on the Silver Screen" in CBG #1604 (May 05), Frank Miller’s Sin City comic-book series of mini-series got the kind of movie treatment comic-book fans had always dreamed of -- translated virtually frame-for-frame from the page to the screen. Director Robert Rodriguez worked directly with Miller to keep the noir film as close to the original source as possible -- Rodriguez even quit the Director’s Guild of America in order to give Miller his proper credit as full director, along with special guest director Quentin Tarantino. People said that they were crazy, as they not only filmed a direct adaptation of the comic-book stories, but also maintained throughout the movie the original black and white shadowed style used by Miller in his comic book -- filming in black and white being considered suicide by Hollywood wisdom. But their efforts paid off, and theaters took in nearly two thirds of the movie’s $45 million budget in the opening weekend, with final domestic receipts alone reaching more than $74 million.
Sin City 2 is already in pre-production, with Rodriguez and Miller once again teaming up as co-directors. Is this the beginning of the age of the comic-book movie auteur? Only time will tell.
#9) Familiar names return to the industry
by Ray Sidman
Names that were widely visible in earlier years returned to view in 2005, when such individuals as Bill Jemas returned (with a new company and publishing line), Now Comics and Tony Caputo resurfaced, Chaos Comics rose again as a Devil’s Due Publishing imprint, John Taddeo came back with an award-winning animated short film and plans for a comic-book series thereof, and Dennis Mallonee restarted his Heroic Publishing titles.
Former Marvel exec Bill Jemas teamed with fellow Marvel alum Russ Brown to launch 360ep, an entertainment-property management company that announced its comic-book imprint 360jam in the fall. The first title, coming in 2006, will be Advent Rising, based on the videogame of the same name.
Tony Caputo used Marc Hansen’s Ralph Snart Adventures title to dust off Now Comics, which in its heyday had held the license to such books as (pre-Dark Horse) The Terminator, The Green Hornet, Married … with Children, Twilight Zone, and Fright Night. Besides Ralph Snart, the company now publishes such titles as MirrorWalker, Vespers, Weird Melvin, Syphons, and Vinny the Bug Man.
Chaos Comics, once the resting place of undead psycho-punk rocker Evil Ernie, lesbian succubus Purgatori, and other horror properties, was acquired by Devil’s Due. Issues starring Evil Ernie and Purgatori have already hit store shelves, with more titles forthcoming. To attract readers, the imprint even came with a satisfaction-guaranteed policy for the first year’s worth of issues: Anyone who doesn’t like an issue of a Chaos title can return it to Devil’s Due for a full refund.
John Taddeo, formerly of Marvel, CrossGen, and other comics houses, flashed back onto the scene with the animated short film Zoom Suit, which spent much of 2005 garnering awards from film festivals across the country. A four-issue comic book series adapting the series of Zoom Suit short films (more are forthcoming) is due to begin in April 2006.
In the 1980s, Dennis Mallonee owned and operated Heroic Publishing, which featured several mainstay characters, the best-known of which was Flare. In early 2005, Mallonee began publishing Flare and Flare Adventures and since has added several other characters to the mix, such as Black Enchantress.
#10) Diamond reins in small press
by James Mishler
The big news in distribution this year was the new minimum sales figure that Diamond Comic Distributors set for new comic titles in September. Previously, Diamond had a "soft" goal of $2,500 retail ($1,000 Diamond’s cost) per issue in order for Diamond to consider continuing to offer an existing title through Previews. In September, that figure moved up to $4,000 retail ($1,600 Diamond’s cost) per issue, while actual pre-orders for issues solicited in Previews had to break the $1,500 retail ($600 Diamond’s cost) mark, or the order itself would be canceled.
While Diamond representatives insisted that the numbers were malleable, based on the promise seen in the comic book and the publisher, several small press publishers were already concerned about the continued sales viability of some of their titles. These companies, including Claypool Comics, Speakeasy Comics, and others, reacted to the news in different ways, from publishing an appeal to consumers to altering schedules and their own publishing terms.
While the move by Diamond made the news in 2005, the change in policy is sure to have a ripple effect throughout the industry for years to come.
|