In 2016, Marvel announced a new comic series called Immortal Iron Fists starring Danny Rand and Pei, a little girl newly imbued with the glowing fist of legend. But 2016 came and went without Iron Fists ever making its debut. A different Iron Fist comic was released instead, no doubt wanting to capitalize on the attention of the Netflix show releasing in March 2017. It turns out that Iron Fists, written by Kaare Andrews with art by Afu Chan, wasn’t canned but was being saved to kick off a new partnership between Marvel Comics and digital comics seller ComiXology (announced during July 2017’s San Diego Comic-Con) where it was released as the first-ever Marvel comic exclusive to the ComiXology Originals imprint. While this news might read like nothing more than the reveal of a new comic for most, it was actually Marvel taking an important step forward for the comic book industry.
Generally, digital comics are an afterthought to the Big Two when it comes to their core superhero comic lines. Just another way to sell the books they’re already producing for print. It’s been working quite well as a way to increase revenue, with digital comic sales for the industry leaping from $1 million in 2009 to $100 million in 2014 (according to sales estimates from ICv2 and Comics Chronicle). But there’s little emphasis on making digital an important platform when it comes to the superhero comics that affect continuity and get people talking.
That said, both Marvel and DC Comics (and other publishers) have put out digital-first content in the past several years, much of it quite good. DC in particular has a strong foothold in the digital space, from the monster hit Injustice that takes place in the universe of the video game to Batman ‘66 and other nostalgia-tinged titles that continue the adventures of beloved heroes from decades past. Those titles debut online and then get a print release a few weeks later. While Marvel hasn’t made any announcements about ComiXology Originals eventually going to print, an insider told me that they can and most likely will at a later date.
Marvel launching Iron Fists as a ComiXology Original is different, and important, because it doesn’t take place in some other reality. It exists within the Marvel Universe proper, meaning that it can (and usually will) have a ripple effect that influences other heroes’ stories. Danny might go to Jessica Jones for advice on raising a little girl. Pei could join the next iteration of the Young Avengers. You get the idea. Normally, you can get every piece of the Marvel puzzle in print, but this new endeavor will make readers jump to digital to have the whole story.
When digital first started taking off (ComiXology launched in 2007, DC Comics went day-and-date digital in 2011 with the New 52 reboot and Marvel soon followed suit), there was a fear that it would cannibalize print sales, but print has been steadily rising, going from earning $265 million in 2000 to raking in $940 million in 2015. The reasons for continued, sales growth for both print and digital are mostly speculative, but one undeniable factor is the ability to reach new markets. Before digital, fans outside the United States had to wait weeks or even months to get the latest print comic issues, leaving them in a state of constant catch-up. Digital platforms allow them access to issues on the day of release. Accessibility in general has been a huge boon to the comic industry. If you didn’t have a comic shop nearby, it was a hassle to get your books, but no longer. Digital audiences weren’t going to shops anyway, so it’s not like they were taking their money elsewhere, they just weren’t able to find anyone to give it to.
This is precisely why going digital with key Big Two comics is so integral to the future of the comic book industry. A big twist can now debut to a worldwide audience all at once. Instead of having big twists spoiled because a print issue got scanned and posted online before release -- a problem that has long plagued the industry, making the internet a spoiler minefield in the days leading up to big releases -- secrets can be preserved at least until the day of release. I’ve heard my fair share of crazy stories from industry insiders about the lengths publishers go through to avoid spoilers leaking once the comics ship to stores, but this becomes less likely if the comics remain internal before being published online.
Now, Iron Fists might seem like small potatoes to continuity nuts, and it is, but the door has been opened to make digital comics a premiere destination for comics content. Iron Fists was just the first in several more ComiXology Originals on the way from Marvel, the next being Thor & Hulk: Champions Of The Universe. More will come after that, creating a worldwide digital marketplace of original Marvel comics that live in the same universe as the core print titles. There have been other in-continuity digitial Marvel comics before, but those were more of an experiment whereas this is a larger, concerted effort to bring validity and exclusivity to digital. However, for digital-first comics to take the next big step and earn the attention (and respect) of readers, Marvel will have to use the platform to debut a Tier 1, A-list comic like The Avengers or Uncanny X-Men by big-name creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Stuart Immonen, and Jim Cheung. When a Big Two flagship title launches digital-first, then digital comics will have taken that step.
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
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