Posted in: Comics | Tagged: advertising, Comics, entertainment, marvel, Marvel Comics, rocket raccoon

There's Something Very Different About Today's Rocket Raccoon #1

Published Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:00:53 -0500

Today sees the publication of Rocket Raccoon #1 and The Legendary Star-Lord #1, both spinoffs from The Guardians Of The Galaxy. But there is something else that is different about them compared to other Marvel titles being published today.

And that's the ads.

There seem to be more ads than usual in this week's Marvel comics anyway and, in a time when print advertising has been fading, it sticks out.

Moon Knight, say, has ad for a gaming education course from Full Sail University, a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie ad and a co-product deal with Zing to make custom Marvel comic books.

But Rocket Raccoon and Starlord also carry full page outside ads for Wal-Mart, the Theodore Bone crime novels of John Grisham, a series of children's Penguin novels, Marvel branded toothbrushes from Reach Kids and a page of Sideshow Collectibles statues.

Why? Well, Rocket Raccoon, as we have pointed out, has up to 180,000 copies included in this month's Loot Crate subscription service, putting the comic in the hands of a whole load of new geeky readers. And an ad in a Marvel comic this week – whether restricted to one or two titles, or across the whole line – will reach a lot more eyes that usual. And buying an ad in a Marvel comic is probably cheaper than placing an ad in a Loot Crate…

But it makes me wonder – who had done a similar subscription deal with Starlord #1? Loot Crate again? Nerd Block? Booty Bin?

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