There are many reasons why Marvel is sitting at the top of the food chain when it comes to units sold and dollars sold in comic book stores. There are also many reasons why Marvel will continue to be on top. Let’s take a look at the strengths of Marvel and look at some of the new strengths which will be emerging by the end of the year.
Wait…What is This?
Over the next month or so, I am going to be working on a series which introduces you to the strengths of various comic book publishing companies. I spend time every week talking about weaknesses of particular publishing companies, so why not talk about their strengths for once?
I can’t get behind Avengers Assemble
Character Recognition
One of the greatest strengths Marvel has is character recondition. While the average person on the street might not recognize Wrecker or Scarlet Witch, there are many characters the average person can name. Merchandising, marketing, and the movies have helped certain characters become household names. Spider-Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, and many of the X-Men are known around the world and continue to bring in money year after year.
Massive Followings
Many smaller comic book publishing companies work hard towards gaining cult followings for their characters and titles. Marvel has been lucky enough to have gained both mass followings and cult followings for particular characters. There are Avengers fans and X-Men fans. There are Captain America fans, Spider-Man fans, and Wolverine fans. On the smaller side, Deadpool, Moon Knight, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and many others have gained cult followings which will continue to develop for many years.
Marvel Known as Marvel
Not only does Marvel have name recognition through characters, the mainstream audience knows Marvel. The company name is synonymous with comics, superheroes (or as they say super heroes), and major motion pictures. If you talk about some of the smaller comic book publishing companies, the general public might not know what the particular company does. Mention Marvel, and everyone knows which company you are talking about and what that company does.
The Movies
When your company puts out one of the top three highest grossing movies of all time, you have something to brag about. The Avengers was the monetary highlight of Phase 1, but there is so much more to come in Phase 2 and beyond. Who knows how much money the movies will generate when all is said and done?
All-Ages Access
There is a huge push right now towards bringing children into comics, but Marvel has had all-ages access with their characters for years. I remember playing Avengers when I was a little child. My daughter (who is 5) knows many of the Marvel characters through cartoons such as Ultimate Spider-Man which can give humor for an older crowd, but keeps comedy light and straight-forward enough for kids to laugh at. Since one particular show came out before the huge children’s push in comics, couldn’t we say that The Super Hero Squad Show was ahead of its time?
Games
Marvel has also dominated the video game market for many years. Granted, there have been a few turkeys, but many of the Marvel games have become classics over the years. Now, you know that I love Marvel Avengers Alliance, but I still consider Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as the best fighting game ever.
Upcoming
Marvel has many strengths which have not even fully seen the light of day year. Age of Ultron was a huge series, but Infinity and X-Men: War of the Atom are still coming. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is being predicted as being one of the top shows on TV (at least in viewership) over the next year. If these projects hold to expectations, Marvel is going to stay on top for a very long time.
They Have Learned from Mistakes
I am not going to hold back – The House of Ideas has made mistakes in the past. On the bright side, it is still around. Strengths such as being able to learn from mistakes, the ability to change course when changes happen, and being able to come back from certain death are qualities we look for in superheroes. Marvel has displayed these qualities for many years.
Am I forgetting Something?
If feels like I am forgetting something. Oh ya…Marvel is owned by Disney which is the biggest marketing giant in the world! Many of us were concerned when that marriage happened and wondered if it was made in Hell. Man, were we wrong. I could have also added on all of the other types of merch they put out, but I did not want a special section for toy, one for t-shirts, one for lunchboxes. They are the leaders for more reasons than I could list in this space. “Nuff said.
