The Comic Book Bin
Search
Comic Book Bin 
 
 Comics
 Comic Reviews
 Manga Reviews
 Comic News
 Spotlight
 Phil's Bubble
 European Comics
 Canuck
 Black Astronaut
 Comics 101 (48)
 Web Comics
 Comic Strips
 
 Action Figures
 
 Video Games
 
 Fan Films
 
 Movies
 
 Books
 
 Interviews
 
 About
 Classifieds
 Newsletter
 RSS

 
Comics : Comics 101
Last Updated: Jan 1, 2009 - 6:19:39 PM




Marvel History Part 7 - Millennium Revival
By Frederic Haddox
Aug 29, 2008 - 8:53:36 AM

Email this article
 Printer friendly page

Add to Del.icio.us     Add To Reddit
Add To Digg     Add To Stumbleupon
Add To Technorati Favorites     Add To Ask


marvel_knights_v2_003.jpg
It had become increasingly apparent that through much of the 1990s Marvel Comics has struggled to satisfy its new readers without turning away its old ones.  Marvel Knights was one of the few attempts that seemed to fulfill this goal.  The series, under the creative lead of Joe Quesada, involved several characters who form a group and share a single storyline that spanned many issues and became an imprint for a line of titles.  Marvel Comics outsourced the work through Event Comics, owned by Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti. [16]   

The keys to Marvel Knight’s success include storylines that don’t interfere with the “actual” Marvel Universe, more edgy content and less involvement of top Marvel Comics characters.  After much popularity, the series became a normal line under Marvel Comics’ production.  

The most important factor that would definitely salvage Marvel Comics, as well as give it hope for the future was the New Line Cinema release of Blade Blade, originally appearing in the Spider-man series, was a powerful half-vampire who dedicated his life to killing vampires.  The enormous success of the film made Blade a franchise character.  It also created a cinema fan base that eagerly awaited more films based on Marvel Comics’ characters.

XMen1poster.jpg
The new millennium marked a new beginning for much of the industry.  While comic sales declined towards the end of the 1990s, the sales of graphic novel were rising.  Their inclusion in bookstores and libraries exposed readers, unfamiliar with comic books, to other genres outside of American mainstream comic books.  More literary columns were devoting space for graphic novels.  Thus sequential art received further attention by much of the traditional literary industry.  

Soon major publishing houses owned subsidiary comic companies.  Even though larger comic companies like DC and Marvel Comics had more experience, they still needed to remodel their marketing strategies.  In 2000, Quesada became Marvels 13th editor-in-chief. [1] Riding on the strength of the Marvel Knights series and the ambitious film release schedule, Marvel Comic’ future definitely looked positive.  

X-Men_Evolution_Comic_1.jpg
The film release of X-Men, proving more successful than Blade, forced the film industry to seriously consider the “profit potential” of comic book-based properties.  September 11th, 2001 set the overall tone for much of this decade.  The destruction of something that was thought to be indestructible brought about feelings of doubt and uncertainty.  Many people were forced to contemplate their own lives and the purpose behind them.  History has already proved that this was a time for super heroes.  

In memory of the September 11th tragedy, Marvel Comics released three titles. [17] One of these, Heroes, was a poster book.  The Amazing Spider-man #36 featured Spider-man and other character’s reactions to the event.  A Moment of Silence, inspired by true stories, included four wordless stories offering different points of view.  In 2002 and 2003, Spider-man and Daredevil were released in the cinemas. [13] Spider-man instantly became the largest seller since Blade thus far.  Marvel Comics set out to release three films a year.  Numerous animated series were being released as well.  In 2000, X-Men: Evolution, distributed through Warner Brothers, was perhaps the finest rendition of the X-Men made.  [36] The popular series, which won two Emmy Awards, was able to avoid the complications created by the Saban series in the 1990s.  Before long, Spider-man had two new animated series.  One was computer animated and followed traditional lines while the other was based on the 2099 character.

References

1.    ^Wikepedia, the free encylopedia: “Marvel Comics”
13.    ^ Internet movie database
16.    ^Wikepedia, the free encylopedia: “Marvel Knights”
17.    ^Wikepedia, the free encylopedia: “911 comics”


Related Articles:
Marvel History Part 8 - Marvel Today
Marvel History Part 7 - Millennium Revival
Marvel History Part 6 - 1990s Marvel
Marvel History Part 5 - The 1980s
Marvel History Part 4 - Mix Media
Marvel History Part 3 - The 1970s
Marvel History Part 2 - The Silver Age
Marvel History: Part 1 - The Golden Age



Comment Script Join the discussion:

Add a Comment

Comments


© Copyright 2002-2009, Coolstreak Cartoons Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document(including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Top of Page

The Historiography of Comic Books
Superman's historiography and history as revealed by comic books as source documents
Copyrights 101 - Why You Must Care About This
Copyrights laws are changing and although most people don't care about this arcane stuff, they have to. It affects their daily lives too much. It even affects how they can access this site.
Marvel History Part 8 - Marvel Today
Marvel Comics today and its success at the theater
Business Plan 101 for Comic Book Publishers - Exit Strategies?
What are the differences between a marketing plan and a business plan, what is an exit strategy and what is a call to action?
Marvel History Part 7 - Millennium Revival
Marvel Comics goes Phoenix thanks to Marvel Entertainment
Marvel History Part 6 - 1990s Marvel
Marvel Comics in the 1990s. From Boom to Bust
Marvel History Part 5 - The 1980s
1980s Marvel and why it remains nostalgic to all of us
Marvel History Part 4 - Mix Media
Marvel Comics spread out of the traditional comic book and get noticed
Marvel History Part 3 - The 1970s
Despite the growth of Marvel Comics, superhero comic books were once again on the downside
Marvel History Part 2 - The Silver Age
Most comic historians consider the 1960’s to be the silver age, but for Marvel Comics it was definitely golden
An Introduction to the Watchmen
Readers, who read The Watchmen, even in 2008, are still astounded by the freshness of the narrative and how it directly relates to their world
Marvel History: Part 1 - The Golden Age
Though prolific as this empire seems, Marvel Comics like any other, it had humble beginnings.
Business Plan 101 for Comic Book Publishers - The Marketing Mix
How does the marketing mix affects the business plans of comic book publishers - Part two of the Business plan series of articles for the comic book industry
About Michael Turner
Turner’s artwork combines superficially the line work of artist Jim Lee, with a touch of the crispiness and vibrancy of Marc Silverstri
An Introduction to Speed Racer
Who is he? When did he appear? Where has he appeared? Why should we care about him and what can I read and watch about Speed Racer?