You need to #FOCUS
Comic Reviews for week ending 11/27/2022
Good morning, my friend,
Lately, I’m preoccupied with hashtags - those little words or short phrases prepended with the # symbol. I’m preoccupied with them because every social media platform uses them to connect readers with content. A hashtag is a trigger that says, “If you’re interested in XYZ, this content contains #XYZ.”
Beyond doing the needful things that cater to the algorithm of the moment, hashtags reflect the creator’s focus. Why? Because hashtags are a calling card… a virtual dinner bell… that tells the world the most important thing about what a creator has created.
Let’s take a very simple example.
Let’s say Marvel announces a spinoff New Mutants series starring a collection of brand new mutants but led by an old favorite, Nightcrawler. Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, is a solid choice because he is the soul of the X-Men in many ways.
Marvel knows (or they should know) that readers won’t know about or seek out this new title unless there’s a connection point to what readers already want. Loyal Marvel X-Men readers will consistently be looking for #XMen or #Nightcrawler or #Mutants or #Marvel.
Therein lies the power of hashtags. The “Build it, and they will come” approach to finding readers always has been and always will be a Hollywood myth. Simply existing isn’t enough to attract attention. Creators always need to put effort into finding readers based on what readers are already seeking out.
But wait, let’s put the marketing technobabble aside and dig a little deeper.
Hashtags are just a tool. Nothing more. But they’re a reflection of how well Comics Publishers understand the #FOCUS of their core audience. If I said…
Quick! Think fast! What’s the first thing you think of when I say Marvel Comics?
For most, the answer would be #SpiderMan or #Avengers or #CaptainAmerica. Right or wrong, Marvel readers are focused on superhero comics with action, adventure, world-threatening drama, and excitement. Superhero action/adventure is at the core of Marvel Comics as a brand, and when Marvel editorial leans into that focus, you succeed. Look at the first three phases of the MCU, all culled from the greatest superhero action/adventure stories in Marvel Comics history, as proof.
Conversely, when Marvel Comics leans away from its focus to capture a new or different reading audience, the results are almost always disastrous. Marvel’s YA line is struggling, and limited series runs with a decidedly slice-of-life bent to them invariably flop in terms of sales. Marvel’s “lifestyle” brand of merchandise and marketing has yet to catch on beyond a tiny collector market, and the Disney+ shows that stray away from action/adventure receive some critical success but fail to set the viewer numbers ablaze.
You may be thinking, “What’s the point, Gabe? You’re rambling.”
Well, maybe a little because I’m an explainer, but the focus of my point is all here.
Hashtags reflect the focus of a creator’s content, from a single comic to an entire publishing line of titles.
Hashtags are virtual calling cards that publishers use to connect the marketing of those comics with their intended audience.
But to come up with the right hashtags, a publisher has to have a very clear idea of what they offer and the audience that wants it.
So…
If you’re an indie comic creator, before you do any marketing or even begin creating your comic, figure out the focus of your comic and the type of reader that shares that focus. Are you creating a #horror comic filled with #vampires? Are you creating a #Manga comic set in the fast-paced world of #Curling? Whatever it is, seek out readers interested in those hashtags.
If you’re a small-, mid-, or large-sized publisher, lean into what your existing buyers want. To be clear, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a diverse range of titles. It does mean you can’t have everything and dominate every type of story or genre, so pick one and own it utterly. Expand only when your niche in the market is secure.
I’m looking at you, Scout Comics, Source Point Press, Zenescope, Mad Cave Studios, and Dynamite Comics.
For the Big 2, they have (or should have) smarter people than me on staff who already know this stuff. Why nobody is listening to those smart people is a mystery.
What do you think? If you’re an indie creator, what’s the focus of your comic? If you’re a fan, what’s the focus of your favorite publisher? Let us know in the Comments, and we’ll feature your comments in an upcoming newsletter.
Now, let’s focus on this past week’s reviews.
ROBYN HOOD: LAST STOP – Review
SIRENS GATE #2 – Review
LADY HEL #3 – Review
VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #7 – Review
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE #1 – Review
BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #3 – Review
BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERNS #3 – Review
LOVECRAFT: UNKNOWN KADATH #3 – Review
THE TIGER’S TONGUE #5 – Review
MYSTERIUM #1 – Review
POSTMASTERS #2 – Review
HEAVEN’S REJECTS #3 – Review
BORN OF BLOOD #3 – Advance Review
THE BREAKER (VOL. 4) OMNIBUS – Review
The Boogyman #3 (Ablaze Publishing)
Grimm Fairy Tales (Vol. 2) #66 (Zenescope Entertainment)
Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #5 (Dynamite Comics)
Cat-Man and Kitten (One-Shot) (Dynamite Comics)
007 #4 (Dynamite Comics)
Unbreakable Red Sonja #2 (Dynamite Comics)
Vampirella: Year One #4 (Dynamite Comics)
A. Guardian #2 (Source Point Press)
The Argus #2 (Source Point Press)
Good Boy (Vol. 3) #1 (Source Point Press)
Ninja Kaidan #5 (Blackbox Comics)
That’s the shortlist for now. We’ll add more titles and adjust as time and resources allow.
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Have a great day!