The best three days of the year came to a close once again on Sunday, as the sun set in Chicago on the massive C2E2 banner hanging in McCormick Place. Like any good con, C2E2 provides a snapshot of popular culture, and especially providing a look at what the trends are in comics. After three very full days of panels and floor-journeying, here is what we saw as the state of comics:
5. Marvel
Talk about a polar opposite. Marvel has struggled in the past year with decreasing sales and bad PR. Of late, the big story has been around Nick Spencer’s Captain America, and the upcoming “Secret Empire” event that doubles down on his allegiance to Hydra. Marvel’s Secret Empire panel provided a look into their strategy around this criticism: completely ignore it, and in fact, lean hard into what is viewed as the problem. It opened with the moderator asking if there were any Hydra members in the crowd; one fan stood immediately, proudly dressed in Hydra gear. He was cheered by the panel, and brought forward to read an advance copy of “Secret Empire.” Then they dived in, exploring the future plotlines of the event and the art, and the tie in books. And not once, in an hour plus, did they address the concerns of Steve Rogers being a Nazi. The crowd filled the room on this one, though was noticeably quieter than in DC’s Dark Matter panel. However, there was also a noticeable lack of dissent. Undoubtedly self-selection played a role, such that those who are more likely to read Secret Empire happily are more likely to go to the panel.
Other than Secret Empire, Marvel’s panels were relatively quiet. The most surprising was their X-Men panel, which was around half capacity. There were very few cheers at any of the news, and a noticeable silence around any Inhumans announcement. This was unthinkable in years past, when events like IvX, or the advertising around the Inhumans filled these panels to capacity. This spells bad news for the future of the larger X-Men and Inhumans franchise.
Their one advantage over DC should not come as a surprise: Marvel can promo anything. Free coloring books, inserts, one sheets, and comics flowed from their yearly booth. While last year the Michael Cho variant cover banners stood out over the floor, this year a massive Secret Empire banner welcomed every guest. Even if the event does flop or they are losing sales, one cannot help but think that they still garner more attention than DC, simply because they get their name out there more.
