Can Marvel’s X-Men Comics Ever Regain Their Sales Dominance?
Since the new millennium the X-books have seen a continual drop in sales, and a line that seemed almost untouchable in the ’80s and ’90s has become well acquainted with cancellations, countless relaunches and continual changes in direction. The launch of
New Avengers in 2004 seemed to show the Avengers replacing the X-Men as Marvel’s premiere franchise, and the intervening years have seen the mutant-driven line decrease further in both sales and fan attention.
In the
May 2018 sales charts, the highest ranking X-book is
X-Men: The Wedding Special in 19th place, followed by various
Hunt for Wolverine specials.
Of the core X-titles, the new X-Men Red series appears first in 31st place, followed by X-Men Gold in 50th place, Astonishing X-Men in 52nd, and X-Men Blue in 61st.
Suddenly, the ’90s seem a very long time away.
So what exactly has happened? Is there any one factor that’s contributed to the X-titles’ decline or is it simply a fact of life that nothing can stay on top forever?
In fairness it should be noted that their one time sales chart nemesis, Spawn, has also left the glory days behind, with the latest issue at 44th place.
It’s undeniable that
something has changed. In recent years, the X-line has reinvented itself on multiple occasions, both with titles, characters and creators, and with the
recently announced cancellation of
X-Men Gold and
X-Men Blue, looks set to do the same again. But why is this, and are such changes part of the problem or part of the solution?
When considering the performance of the comics, the influence of the movies is an obvious place to start.
The release of the first X-Men movie coincided with Chris Claremont’s first return to the X-titles, and eventually brought about his abrupt departure. Hoping to reel in a new generation of fans who were intrigued by the movie, Marvel executives were dismayed to find the core X-titles engaged in a convoluted story-line that featured barely any recognizable characters from the movie.
Could better synergy between comics and movies have led to increased comic sales? The relative under-performance of Fox’s X-films in comparison to Marvel’s films may suggest a reduced sales bumps for the comics themselves, but it’s worth noting that even the most successful Marvel film has yet to conclusively show a sustained increase in comic sales.
Could reader fatigue have played a part in declining sales? Did readers simply grow tired of the X-soap opera, the convoluted family trees and the melodrama, and seek out new characters and titles to enjoy? It’s an interesting question, and one without a definitive answer. The soap opera aspect of the X-books can be confusing to the uninitiated, but these relationships also continue to exert a powerful pull on many readers. Gambit and Rogue’s relationship may have proved divisive over the years, but Marvel is obviously confident enough of its attraction to make it the subject of its new X-series,
Mr and Mrs X.
Is the fact therefore that Marvel simply does not have the confidence in the X-line that it once did?
Fandom does love a good conspiracy theory, and a popular one in recent years holds that Marvel purposefully sidelined the X-books in favor of the Inhumans, due to Fox holding the film rights for the mutant corner of the Marvel universe. But while it’s highly unlikely that Marvel would intentionally take any action that would harm their profits, a bevy of new titles featuring the Inhumans and the
Inhumans vs X-Men miniseries only as served as further evidence to many fans.
A more likely reason is that the X-line is no longer the byword for innovation that it once was. A recurring problem in recent years is that many of the X-books have seemed uncertain whether to embrace change or merely recycle their greatest hits. No matter how enjoyable they may be, it’s often hard to make such interpretations feel organic and many of these storylines, whether the romance between Kitty Pryde and Colossus or the New Mutants reforming at regular intervals, have seemed rather forced, constantly pushing characters into predetermined roles.
Even the transportation of the original five X-Men to the present day – an interesting idea that has been extended long beyond its shelf-life – was made less effective by the fact that the books were already awash with alternate versions of popular heroes.
A more serious complaint is the X-Men’s rogues gallery, which has suffered greatly since their ’90s heyday. Many of the most popular X-villains have been killed off, reformed or been taken off the table, meaning that the books often fall into the holding pattern of seeing heroes fight yet another racist group or soon to be forgotten evolutionary advancement. The most depressing thing about the comics of the last half-decade is that the X-Men have spent as much time fighting among themselves as they have fighting bad guys, with the sniping and bad feeling increasingly tiresome to read month after month.
While many talented creators have worked on the X-books since the end of the ’90s, its clear that with a few exceptions such as Grant Morrison and Joss Whedon, the X-books are no longer an automatic destination for the biggest name in comics. Do fans follow titles/characters, or do they follow creators? Once the power of the X-Men brand meant that the identity of the writer or artist was perhaps of less importance. Now, in an increasingly crowded comics’ field where prices are constantly rising, this may be another barrier in the titles obtaining attention. And in fairness to the creators, the unforgiving nature of the modern comics market means that they are rarely given the opportunity to have a sustained run on a title, thereby establishing a legacy.
So what does the future have in store for the X-line?
The cancellation of both X-Men Gold and X-Men Blue strongly suggests that the time-displaced X-Men will finally be exiting the books and that a new X-title will be launched in their place – perhaps the inevitable return of
Uncanny X-men? Such a move would be welcomed by some, but would be no guarantee of success. The high turnover of core X-tiles in the past decade, including
Uncanny X-Men (twice),
Wolverine and the X-Men,
All New X-Men (twice),
X-Men Blue and
X-Men Gold has created the impression of a disjointed line where changes are only cosmetic, as evidenced by the increasingly short sales bump that each relaunch brings.
The X-books have too many good characters and too much popular recognition to rule out a return to the top of the sales charts, but the days when this could be taken for granted are a distant memory.
and this article expanded on a number of those in this post-Claremont X-Men world.
) the way they used to.
(I'm always taking suggestions on what to read.)
face.
