10 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ JANUARY 27, 2020
News
know], with characters that have enjoyed
success in TBP format, and in other story-
telling formats, like Miles Morales [the
Afro-hispanic version of Spider-Man], who
was popularized in Into the Spider-Verse,
and Ms. Marvel [the Muslim-American
version of Captain Marvel]. We do some
very young reader stuff through Disney
Publishing. There are some other projects
in the works, but it’s a little early to talk
about them.Is there a smooth path for readers to
move from the young reader books
into mainstream Marvel comic book
continuity? Is that a priority?
It’s about developing a reading habit. The
idea is to take advantage of heightened
awareness of the characters from the
films to enable people to become lifelong
consumers of Marvel storytelling. Rising
Readers is one program. There’s also a
licensed prose program with Scholastic.
Not everyone starts out as a comic book
reader. By creating middle grade prose titles—starting with
a title featuring Shuri from Black Panther, by YA author Nic
Stone—we create another way for fans of Black Panther to
enjoy the character. We’re also publishing Avengers
Assembly, featuring Miles, Squirrel Girl, and Ms. Marvel.Are you concerned about cannibalizing or undermining
monthly single issue sales with trade paperback editions?
For us, to use the movie analogy, traditional comic book
periodicals are our box office releases, and the trades are a
home entertainment product, like the DVD that comes out a
few months later. Periodicals create a lot of excitement around
story lines.
The best recent example is writer Jonathan Hickman’s work
on X-Men. That created a huge buzz in the comic shops. Fans
said, “I need to talk about this with my fellow fans. I need to
read it before the spoilers show up online.” It’s like the
people who need to watch a movie on the first screening.
In terms of value, it figures into our pricing decisions. We
don’t want to overprice those editions, but if we’re collecting
in that format, there’s a sense that it’s an important story
line that will impact Marvel for years to come. We want a
quality edition that reflects the expense of creating an
edition like that.How about the archival and collected print editions?
Our Marvel Select line is intended as basic stock items [that
offer key titles as an introduction to Marvel’s characters]
for anyone carrying graphic fiction or for a well-stocked
library. They’re in hardcover because we know librarians
need hardcover to hold up to wear and tear. Comic retailers
and bookstores need editions that can take people pulling
it off the shelf, looking through them. They’re meant to be
the core of any reader’s library.
One new program we’re very excited about is the Marvel
King Size editions, which are printed oversize in the dimen-
sions of the original artwork but in full color. We want to create
more of a luxury reading experience, like seeing a film in
IMAX. With that degree of resolution, you pick up on things
that you wouldn’t see. We use our crispest digital files to
replicate the power of the artwork of Jack Kirby or Jim Lee.On the business side, how would you characterize the
performance of the trade books relative to periodicals,
or general trade bookstores vs. the specialty direct
market comics shop channel?
We’ve had a very successful year in the comic specialty market,
both in periodical and trade. Graphic novels have bucked
the trend in trade book sales. It’s been a rough year in the
overall market for trade books, which is down 5%, but we
haven’t seen that impact.
We’ve seen a nice performance for our specialty market
periodicals, as well. Comics retailers are pretty happy with
the product that Marvel is producing right now. Also, we’re
seeing a blurring of the lines that have traditionally separated
comic shops and bookstores. Comic stores are acting more
like independent book stores, servicing casual customers as
well as the every-Wednesday fan customer, and indie book-
stores want more of our titles to keep on the shelf.
Young reader material is going great through both chan-
nels. We had a bunch of books tying in to the Spider-Verse
film doing well across channels. We’re at the point where
graphic novels have penetrated mainstream culture enough
that it’s become intergenerational, and parents are sharing
this material with their kids when they go to the bookstore.Your digital program, Marvel Unlimited, offers online
access to thousands of Marvel back issues for a monthly
fee. Has it had any impact on trade book sales?
We don’t have a lot of data on MU consumption patterns.
We have a dual path for digital consumption—Comixology
for day and date digital release and MU for the hardcore
Marvel fan who wants access to everything. We suspect