Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 2021, comic store in your future

Comic Store In Your Future – A Wish List For 2021

Rod Lamberti of Rodman Comics writes weekly for Bleeding Cool. Find previous columns here. And he is looking to a potential 2021.

What do I hope to see in 2021? The end of the virus, of course. The return of "normal." Retail wise? For new comics, I would like to see new art talent that clicks with the next generation of comic fans. A hot new artist who does actual interiors for a new generation of readers can call their "own." I am all for old school art. Currently, I have been buying artwork from Greg Larocque. Greg worked on the first Marvel Team-Up series, Web of Spider-Man in 1985, Legion of Superheroes, and Wally West's first Flash series. I am a big fan of George Perez, Greg Capullo (it may be hard to believe with Greg Capullo currently being super popular that he has been in the comic business for a long time), Gary Frank, Jim Lee, Ed Benes (why hasn't DC put Ed on as the regular artist to a Wonder Woman title yet or back on a cool new Birds of Prey title?), Ivan Reis and many more.

For years now, it seems like we have not had much investment in new art talent. With DC seemingly going the cheap route with creative talent, the odds of seeing hot new art talent seems even less in the coming year.

The return of new movies in movie theaters. The virus, of course, made most of the movie releases for this year delayed. Warner Brothers announced Wonder Woman 1984 would be released in America on the same day it would be released on HBO Max. They then followed the announcement with news seventeen of their releases for 2021 would do the same. That surprised me; 2021 should be the year the virus finally gets under control, and things get back to normal. Instead, 2021 might be the year more movie theaters close.

AT&T taking over Time Warner, which of course also owned DC Comics, might be very bad for the talent pool of movie and comic creators. A third WW movie is something everyone wants, so a lot of money was paid to keep the talent and people involved happy. Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins reportedly received 10 million each to go along with the HBO Max showing. The other seventeen movies that are going to be a part of going to HBO Max on the same day American movie releases in theaters might see legal action against Warner Brothers. Some directors want their movies on the big screen before going to the small screen, such as Tenet and the Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan (who is not a fan of the announcement of movies releasing on HBO Max and movie theaters at the same time).

Here's hoping in 2021, some Disney or AT&T over-paid bigwig does not do something similar to what Warner Brothers did to the movie industry with Marvel or DC publishing. I can hear it now; Big wig: "What? We are still publishing comics? Aren't comics for kids?" Or even worse, "We are printing on paper? That is still done?"

I would like to see actual growth in the comic market. The lack of comic-based movies in 2020 did not hurt comic sales. The comic publishers have yet to figure out how to get new people who see movies of comic properties to check out the comic the movie is based on. The comic publishers, in my mind, for the most part, have given up.

Comic titles I would like to see return in 2021:

Green Arrow, why does he not have his own title? I get more people asking for a Green Arrow comic than any other title not published. When his previous title was canceled, I thought it was to make way for a new title, which was apparently never published.

Justice Society of America, this is the team book most requested. Stargirl is featured on the CW and could easily be a member of the JSA. I would guess former JSA writer Geoff Johns would write a new JSA title, making this a super easy comic to sell if he had the time. One of our customers even has on their pull list "JSA when they return."

If the powers that be, for whatever reason, are not going to have a new JSA title, then why not a new Stargirl series? Again, I would guess Geoff Johns would write it, and it would sell along with fans enjoying the series. A win for everyone.

Silver Surfer. I remember the days when a new Marvel title could actually last over a hundred issues instead of just being the latest in a Marvel limited series. Ron Marz and Ron Lim re-teaming on a Silver Surfer title would be something I would support.

Speaking of Ron Marz, why not have him return for a Kyle Rayner Green Lantern ongoing? See if artist and co-creator of Kyle, Darryl Banks, would be interested in doing interiors and/or cover art. I always felt Kyle was the most interesting when they were the creative team behind him.

The Defenders, Hulk and Namor's return arguing and fighting with each other, and Doctor Strange just seem too good not to see back in print.

Blade, the Vampire Hunter. 'Nuff said.

Robin, Son of Batman. Or even have Tim Drake return in a title with writer Chuck Dixon. His Robin and Nightwing runs were some of the best of their runs. With Dan DiDio no longer with DC, he may be interested.

Birds of Prey with Ed Benes as the artist. I would so over order this out of happiness. Who needs a bonus when there could be a well-drawn Ed Benes Birds of Prey title? Argus, the superhero created during DC's Bloodlines crossover. I always thought he had a cool costume. His one fan can dream.

If not an ongoing series, then at least a limited series where Wally West is redeemed. Yes, I know it has now been shown Zoom played a hand in what Wally did in Heroes in Crisis; there just needs to be more. The Heroes in Crisis limited series was a train wreck in itself while also making Wally West fans go what the? And not in a good way.

The return of the New Warriors with a creative team could get it to sell. Same with a Titans title.

The DC action figures' return, which were originally supposed to come out in 2020, such as the DC DCeased figures. The DC statues also. I have multiple people asking me about the Batman Black and White Todd McFarlane statue. It was due out and then nothing.

The Simpsons making a comic book comeback in 2021 would be great. I just had people in asking about Simpson Comics. It never sold super-fast off the shelf though each copy would sell. I think we sold over twenty copies of the last Simpsons issue. It was a sad day when the final issue came out. It would take a few months, though; we would always run out of each copy of The Simpsons.

Zelda and My Little Pony crossover. If My Little Pony can crossover with Transformers and Transformers can crossover with Back to the Future, why the heck not?

More X-titles and Batman titles in 2021 and the return of an Inhumans title. Nah, just kidding. No matter what happens next year, I hope everyone has a good 2021!

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