Well I'll continue to predict dramatic shake ups due to bad financials at the big publishers, though I will revise it a bit in light of the current economic situation (which a year ago seemed to be a simple slowdown and not a full fledged credit market collapse). Instead I'm going to say that the 22-page pamphlets are going to start vanishing fast with all publishers experimenting with new formats.

With regard to the Umbrella Academy I know I have a dissenting opinion but I didn't like it at all. I found it to be random with no meaning behind anything. There were many plot points that were poorly explained. I didn't even realize what one of the children's power was until a short story at the back of the book and it was a vital component of understanding some actions. The book felt like it was a lot of ideas that seemed cool thrown against the wall but little in the way of actual plot.
Just Some Guy | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 2:02 am | #

Well, one out of three ain't bad (I think DC's going to do a third weekly, but it won't take place over an entire year)...and several people have said that the 4th season of Who was "meh", so here goes some new predictions...

*a decline in comic movies after WATCHMEN - not because it's so great, but at least one critic will claim that it "takes itself too seriously"

*Spider-Man, rather than rebooting after BRAND NEW DAY, will settle into a period of comfortable mediocrity

*Howard Chaykin will take over ASB&RTBW, and the book will be slightly more over the top than Frank Miller

*At least one comics blog will fold, and then after an uncomfortable loss, the blogger will return. Unfortunately, this blogger will not be as cool as Dave Campbell (but what really *is*?)

*Speaking of Dave, he will totally rock our socks off.
Gordon | Email | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 3:59 am | #

My own predictions for last year largely ended up not happening. I figured Quesada and DiDio would be gone by now -- of course, I should have remembered that Evil always wins.

I did manage to peg "Blue Beetle" getting cancelled, unfortunately. :/
Scott | Email | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 5:45 am | #

Aside the standard predictions that there will be editorial, creator, and character changes that will be taken by partisans to reflect the creative/moral/market bankruptcy of companies or individuals--since that happens every year, several times--I'm going to predict that 2009 will see increased instability of the market, with no one major company able to reliably publish enough "sure thing" big sellers to have a truly reliable list. Experimentation will occur in terms of both creative decisions and publishing formats, and by the end of the year, we won't see any obvious solutions, but there will be signs of trending toward their discovery.

This is, of course, slightly optimistic, as it's at least as likely that everyone involved will desperately tread water by doing what they've done before, but with more hucksterism and, likely, price increase.
Derek B. Haas | Email | 01.06.09 - 5:49 am | #

Fans were complaining about comic book violence in the '70s? What particular titles or incidents were singled out?
suedenim | Email | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 6:29 am | #

Okay, okay, THIS year will see the triumphant return of Ultimate Hulk v. Wolverine. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V in next year's comments...

"At least one comics blog will fold, and then after an uncomfortable loss, the blogger will return. Unfortunately, this blogger will not be as cool as Dave Campbell (but what really *is*?)"

That might very well be yours truly, only I quit last year only to finally receive "Saga of the Swamp Thing" from my wife for Christmas. I've never read it and well, I think it'll deserve some critical writing and unorganized opionating. Next to Dave, I'm like the Sahara only hotter.
Jon Cormier | Email | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 7:26 am | #

If anything, I see Marvel doing a huge pitch toward digital comics right now... after the holidays (wise).

Seriously... not sure if I have some cookie on my computer that says "COMIC GEEK" or something, but I see banner ads for digital Marvel comics on a ton of sites I go to.

And the advertising is interesting too: "Tired of standing in line? DIGITAL COMICS mean no more going to those awful comic book stores!"
g23 | 01.06.09 - 7:37 am | #

I found the online advertising (AND the direct emailing) for the Marvel digital stuff to be hilarious (read: sad).

At Christmas (like the day or two before and right up to the wee hours of the morning) I was barraged with these "Be a HERO" pick-up lines, trying to get me to buy a subscription for anyone I hadn't got a gift for yet.

"Y'know... it's not too late to get a gift of digital comics for that person you so totally forgot."

That way, as opposed to a b.s. gift like a card stating that I made a donation in their name to "the human fund", at least with the digital comics, they'll GET to HAVE something...
oh... wait... no they won't.

Until Marvel makes them down-loadable, it won't go anywhere.
SanctumSanctorumComix | Email | Homepage | 01.06.09 - 8:34 am | #

I predict that in 2009 Avatar Press will not release an animated television series based on the comic book Crossed.

I have to admit, such a show would really liven things up on Nicktoons.
CW | 01.06.09 - 11:53 am | #

So, is this the right place for predictions for 2009?

John Byrne will have a falling out with Paramount or IDW, and will no longer be doing his Star Trek fan fiction. He will continue to badmouth DC and Marvel, and imply that IDW stabbed him in the back.

The Fables TV show will fail, but the series itself will increase in sales slightly.

DC will finally work out an online comics program to make their back catalog available. It will only consist of the usual suspects (Batman, Superman, JLA), and will not include the lesser known stuff (Scribbly, Sugar & Spike, Johnny Thunder) that I want despeartely to see. It will not include any characters/books for whom there might need to be additional payments (i.e., no Black Lightning.)

JSA sales will drop dramatically with the new creative team.

Fred Van Lente will get two more on-going series at Marvel.
Scott Rowland | Email | 01.06.09 - 11:55 am | #

Wasn't Redeemer by Joe Kubert, and supposed to be published by DC in the early 1980s?
Jim Kingman | Email | 01.06.09 - 12:11 pm | #

Yep. It seemed pretty far along when it was cancelled; even got an Amazing Heroes covers story. I believe that the rights were returned to Joe. Back Issue (I think) had an article on it several months back.
Scott Rowland | Email | 01.06.09 - 1:35 pm | #

I assume that Marvel's advert push for its digital comics service is related to the economy. Subscription-based services are notoriously vulnerable to a down economy.
Derek B. Haas | Email | 01.07.09 - 4:55 am | #

I'm still surprised that Wildstorm is limping along, although there's some writers over there I wish well. DC or whoever has gotta think there's some licensing money somewhere in Wildcats or the Midnighter or something.

2009, eh? Mattel and DC are both pushing the New Gods something fierce, and this year they had better break either way: a huge success, or go away for good. ("For good," being a relative term, probably five years in comics...)

Marvel or DC will step up to the digital plate with a free, ongoing weekly online strip, like Ellis' Freakangels. Gut feeling? DC would be more likely to have a name-brand writer or artist attached, Marvel more likely to give it to a second or third-chair team.

In an eleventh-hour deal, Watchmen will make it's release date, and I think it'll make a good showing; but it will cost. Fans will feel Fox acted unfairly, complain and vow boycotts, then do nothing.
googum | Email | Homepage | 01.07.09 - 5:41 am | #

The Namor the Sub-Mariner movie project will never get past the script stage as no one can agree how to pronounce either Namor or Sub-Mariner.

DC* will launch two ongoing titles that won't reach their first anniversary, Marvel 1 and 3/4**.
*including Vertigo. Well, specifically Vertigo.
**One cancelled, one retconned as a miniseries and then relaunched.

Guillermo del Toro's ability to utilise curse words in print interviews will develop into a deadly and mystical artform such that he is able to kill Meryl Streep from two time zones away.

A mathematician at the Univeristy of Wisconsin, Milwaukee will discover the algorithm proving that talkback threads running longer than 57 comments can no longer generate arguments relative to the initial subject.

An unrelated pro-am wrestler using the same fake name I do will begin to appear in low-grade videos on youtube.
Jake Saint | Email | Homepage | 01.07.09 - 8:24 am | #

The Blackest Night will be an utter disaster, of War of the Gods Proportions. Luckily for retailers, enough of the problem will have been scheduling-related that the worst-selling bits will end up being fully returnable.

After an old-school X-crossover next summer, all of the X-books (That is, everything with 'X-' in the title and without 'First Class' at the end) other than Uncanny will be canceled/folded into Uncanny, which will become weekly. The same thing will happen to the Avengers books around the end of the year, although they may go to the 3-a-month schedule like the spider-books instead of weekly.

The original Miracleman stories will, after an intricately complicated deal, finally be reprinted, although no new issues will be released in '09.
Jeff R. | Email | 01.07.09 - 2:17 pm | #

We just got AT&T Uverse thingummy in this house, with Thundarr showing on Boomerang weekday nights. A friend of mine adores the show now, and the Toynami action figures are still available from Amazon. So it's made a minor comeback, but it will take a DVD release, coupled with the full realization that Thundarr predated He-Man and, despite a similar haircut, is considerably butcher and just cooler all around, for change to sweep the nation. And possibly an internet meme involving Ookla the Mok hurling a wide variety of automobiles and appliances.
Andrew Leal | Email | 01.07.09 - 7:32 pm | #