In 2024, DC and Marvel Comics Staked Claim To a New Era With Help From Two Alternate Universes

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In 2024, Marvel radically reinvented its Ultimate continuity, while rival DC Comics introduced its own version, the Absolute Universe. As an employee at a comic shop, I’m impressed by the success that both publishers have had this year with the Ultimate line of comics, and the launch of the Absolute brand, respectively.

What has been especially exciting for me, as a comic book fan – and a comic retailer – is how effectively both of these new continuities have targeted new comic book readers, hopefully converting many of them to life-long enthusiasts.

I think it is worth taking a closer look at what, exactly, has made both Marvel’s Ultimate comics and DC’s new Absolute imprint such incredible success stories over the course of the past year. I’m sure both publishers are closely studying their success, and each others, as well, in order to replicate it in the new year.

Marvel’s Ultimate Comics Are A Refreshing New Take On A Twenty-Five-Year-Old Idea

The Ultimate Universe 2.0

Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Black Panther, and The Ultimates all continue to keep fans actively engaged, and anticipation for the upcoming Ultimate Wolverine is strong. With this successful relaunch of this alternate continuity imprint, Marvel set a high bar for the year, one I wasn’t sure DC could clear. Now, it is safe to say they have. At our local comic shop, Absolute Batman and the other debuting Absolute series have blown expectations out of the water, surpassing Marvel’s Ultimate comics in terms of subscribers.

Whatever the final sales tallies are, what I think is important is that both new continuities are bringing in a wave of new comic readers. That was the purpose of the original Ultimate Universe, the original version of which debuted in 2000, featuring younger versions of the publisher’s most famous characters, unburdened by the baggage of decades’ worth of continuity. The new version of the Ultimate is a novel take on this same publishing goal, and it has clearly been successful; in January 2024, Ultimate Spider-Man Issue #1 hit the shelves, and it barely lasted on those shelves. Even a month after the debut issue, people still called into the store asking if there were still copies left.

Even a month after the debut issue, people still called into the store asking if there were still copies left. That popularity led to the first issue getting a sixth printing, with Ultimate Spider-Man subverting what fans thought they knew about the iconic character. To say Ultimate Spider-Man and the other Ultimate titles have been popular is an understatement, and their popularity makes perfect sense. The Ultimate comics take place in a new continuity, one that gives new fans everything they need to follow along and enjoy the series from day one.

The Absolute Universe Is DC Comics’ Answer To Marvel’s “Ultimate” Success

DC Delivers Jumping On Points For New Readers

After the must-read event, DC’s Absolute Power, wrapped in October 2024, the publisher kicked off a new era for DC known as DC All-In. While the original DC Comics continuity continues on as ever, the event also inaugurated the Absolute Universe. Like Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, these books are switching things up for some of DC’s biggest characters, starting with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. For starters, all three heroes receive new origin stories. Batman grows up in a working-class family, Wonder Woman is raised by Circe instead of the Amazons, and Superman experiences life on Krypton before coming to Earth.

I can say from experience that the hype for these comics has been massive, with new customers coming in for the first time to order these comics months in advance. For example, Absolute Batman sold out before the weekend, and has become our store’s most subscribed to comic series, which makes sense, given it is the best-selling comic of 2024. Similarly, Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman don’t last a week on the shelves. With the announcement of Absolute Green Lantern, Absolute Flash, and Absolute Martian Manhunter, there’s already buzz around the store for these titles months ahead of release.

Marvel And DC Have Both Found A Successful Formula For Making Comics More Accesible

No Prior Continuity, No Problem

As someone who has worked at multiple comic shops over the course of several years, I have helped my fair share of new readers trying to find their starting point in comics. While I personally like to recommend independent comics to inexperience readers – like this year’s Helen of Wyndhorn, Dawn Runners, or Feral, just to name a few of the exceptional indie titles that were published this year – if someone comes in primarily interested in Marvel or DC, that conversation can be more difficult at times.

Marvel and DC have decades of history, as well as dozens of new issues hitting shelves every week. This can be intimidating to new readers. While trade paperbacks and graphic novels are easier starting places for these publishers, if someone wants to start with single issues, it can be difficult to know where to start if a series is not on Issue #1. It can also be intimidating for readers unfamiliar with the current continuity, as they may not know if they need to know anything prior to starting a series.

This is where Marvel’s biggest achievement of 2024, the Ultimate Universe, and DC’s top-selling Absolute Universe come in handy. Both of these universes are outside of continuity, so there is no history lesson needed to dive into these books. Meanwhile, for fans familiar with these characters, it’s fun to see what makes them different in these new titles. The Ultimate Universe and Absolute Universe are clear starting points that require no prior knowledge of the Marvel or DC Comics continuity; I’ve seen first-hand new readers expand their pull lists shortly after giving either the Ultimate Universe or Absolute Universe a shot.

“}]] Marvel and DC deliver easy entry points in 2024.  Read More