Marvel Comics is making a move to provide an accessible entry point for readers with a new line of trade paperbacks called the Marvel Premier Collection. The line will launch in February with classic works by Frank Miller and Ta-Nehesi Coates.
What makes Marvel Premier notable is its size: 6 x 9 inches, a standard size for trade paperbacks but smaller than the traditional 6 ⅝ x 10 ¼ inches that comic books and graphic novels are usually published in. The slightly smaller trim offers a portable and appealing size that readers are already familiar with, without sacrificing readability.
Marvel’s move has been in the works for a while, but comes after DC Comics' success with their own Compact Comics line, a bit smaller at 5 ½ x 8 ⅕, but publishing such perennials at Watchmen and All-Star Superman in an affordable $9.99 package. The format has been a hit with retailers and readers, and DC has been adding to their line at a brisk clip. Marvel Premier will have a higher price point at $14.99 but hopes to have a similar impact with readers.
The line was introduced at a small reception for retailers held in conjunction with New York Comic Con. Marvel president of comics and franchise Dan Buckley spoke and noted that “we recognize the fact that we have to get something out there in the world for hobby shops and the book market that has an easy entry point.”
A line aimed firmly at backlist sales is somewhat of a change for Marvel, which for years had resisted keeping even their most beloved titles consistently in print due to policies instituted by former president Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, who was removed from Marvel last year and sold all his stock in the company earlier this year.
The move also comes after Marvel licensees have had great success with their own Marvel lines, including Penguin Classics' Marvel Collection, Taschen's deluxe reprints, Scholastic’s YA titles, and Abrams' varied takes on the Marvel Universe by creators such as Patrick McDonnell and Alex Ross.
Launch titles for Marvel Premier Collection include Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli and Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze and Chris Sprouse, both out in February. It continues in April with Captain America: Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, and in June with Fantastic Four: Solve Everything by Jonathan Hickman, Dale Eaglesham, Neil Edwards, and Epting. All the books will have forewords and afterwords by noted comics creators and authors.
Buckley said that the hope is these titles will be a good entry for MCU fans who want to find a way into the comics, presenting stories with a beginning, middle, and end, while also tying in with media events, such as the upcoming Daredevil TV show on Disney+ and July’s Fantastic Four movie.
Marvel’s announcement came at the end of Retailer Day, a first-time event organized by NYCC and sponsored by Kickstarter that saw a slate of programming aimed at comics shop owners.
