Broken Frontier

Advertising in comics is nothing new. However, the way advertising appears in comics is evolving to a whole new level.

McComics, The Spectacular Spider-Swoosh, Wonder Bra-Woman... welcome to the brave new world of mega-brand advertising in comics.

Just as product placement has revolutionized TV and film, with trendy computers appearing in office scenes, car brands dominating summer action blockbusters and shoe brands, clothing labels and restaurant chains featuring prominently in sitcoms, so has product placement come to the world of comics.

The Nike Swoosh is one of the world’s most instantly recognizable brands, and it is one that has been turning up in The New X-Men from Marvel Comics. Nike is an attractive brand. There is no doubt that one of their key markets is the teen demographic, so I guess that it makes sense that young teen X-Men would desire Nike products as much as a “normal” teen who wasn’t burdened with the X-gene.

Advertising and comics have always gone hand in hand, especially as this storytelling genre began to increase in popularity. However, there was a certain old school charm about those Sea Monkeys, X-Ray glasses, spy camera and Mr. Atlas muscles ads.

At least they were upfront.

What the New X-Men example displays is something a little more subtle and possibly more sinister... a hidden agenda to use superheroes to sell products.

Comics are full of conspiracies—the latest crossover blockbusters thrive on them. However, this conspiracy could change the face of comics as we know it.

Could it be possible that we will soon see story arcs written to allow product placement? Could the amazing adventures of Spider-Man, the JLA, Captain America or Batman simply become window dressing for more and more subtle (and not so subtle) advertising?

Could the day be that far away when a hungry or thirsty spandex-clad superhero says: “Why did you decide to trash NYC tonight? Why right now? Can’t you see that all I want to do is eat this Big Mac™ and Coke™ in peace? Sheesh!” …?

How soon are we going to read some dialogue between Supergirl, Starfire and Batgirl arguing the merits of their favourite clothing brand, or of Gen13 debating the edge of Sony PSP over the latest video iPod?

 I’d say it is a very real possibility.

This could be one of the largest evolutions undertaken in this modern period of comic book history.

Just as opponents of corporate sponsorship of schools and universities argue that undue corporate influence on the curriculum is a bad thing, so too do I think that any undue corporate influence on the future of my favourite heroes is a bad thing.

The problem is, I don’t think that I have a choice.

Comic book readership, despite recent event-driven sales spikes, has been in decline over the last decade.

As a result, comic book publishers like Marvel and DC have been hunting around for alternative sources of revenue. As much as we might like to believe that Avi Arad has had a lifelong desire to see the stories of Marvel characters on the silver screen, the facts are that money from the sales of comics are not swelling the Marvel coffers.... That is happening thanks to blockbuster movies and licensing Marvel properties to third parties. The licensing deals don’t come about based on the sales figures of Sensational Spider-Man, they materialize based on the box office pull of one of the largest ever superhero silver screen franchises.

It was always inevitable that, in the hunt for more funding to prop up a shrinking industry, comics would turn to corporations as a new source of advertising revenue.

I suspect that full-page advertisements in comic books are similar to those on television, in so much as few of us pay little, if any, attention to them.

I work in the world of PR, and while I am not involved in this side of the industry, it is true to say that there is a long-term trend away from direct advertising to more subtle PR strategies. The reason is that in-your-face advertising just doesn’t work anymore. By-and-large, as consumers we have learned to “switch off” when the advertisements invade our favourite prime-time offerings or our magazines.

As such, if hitting the consumer over the head doesn’t work anymore, subliminal messages just might do the trick.

I always enjoy reading comics that reflect real world culture—I believe that books like Ultimate Spider-Man have a certain brilliance about them when Bendis and Bagley blend reality and fiction so seamlessly.

I have a feeling that our tolerance is about to be tested.

Fan outrage has done little to quell the advertisements that appear midway through the story in many Marvel and DC titles, so I doubt that we will have any sway over these latest developments either.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.

I want to wrap this week’s column by saying that advertising and comics is not all bad. In fact, advertising can help to grow our industry. Just as product placement in comics is starting to flourish, there is always the possibility of comics appearing in other media and therefore delivering a boost to the industry’s profile (anyone remember WildStorm comics turning up in an episode of The O.C.?).

There are endless opportunities for comic book publishers to advertise in publications or on websites that serve sympathetic industries like gaming, animation or publishing. Internet options for advertising are endless, and often very affordable. Advertising swaps are also a great way for independent companies to support each other for little cost.

However, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I still want to buy the Sea Monkeys, X-Ray Glasses and Spy Cameras that I missed out on all those years ago, simply because I live on the wrong side of the globe. I am far more interested in purchasing these items than anything that is being advertised, overtly or covertly, in the pages of New X-Men.