Growing up in the ’90s meant a couple things for young geeks. First, you were still shoved into a locker or beat up every now and again, because kids can be terrible and geek wasn’t “in” quite yet. Second, and most importantly, it was a darn good decade for comic books. With record sales, and titles like The Thunderbolts, Kingdom Come, Spawn, Preacher, and more, it was a great time to be alive!
Things have changed a bit since those days. Geek has been chic for a while now, bringing in thousands of new eyes to the beloved heroes, villains, and even anti-heroes of our time. One thing that didn’t change was the stagnation of the comic book.
For decades, major comic houses like Marvel and DC have been struggling to get people engaged back in their books. Until recently their efforts were mostly in vain, but the staggering popularity of superhero films and television have helped ignite the spark for comics once again.
August 2016 hit record sales that we haven’t seen since years like ’96 and ’97. Leading the charge? Harley Quinn.
DC’s Rebirth may have been just another reset button on their comics universe, but it’s a reset button that seems to have worked. The colorful villainess’ lead may not be for August alone, either. Comichron theorizes that final numbers might lead it to outshine the popular Civil War II title that came out earlier this year.
Regardless of who comes out on top at the end of the year, it’s the consumers who win in the end. The potential for another comic book renaissance is an exciting one for the fans who have remained loyal to the medium for decades, and gives those new to the format an exciting look at how delightful getting lost in a good comic can be.
