Comic Book Guy: It’s a Tie(in)

In 1984, toy manufacturer Mattel approached Marvel Inc. with a proposal to launch a new range of figures based on the comic publisher’s eclectic characters. In addition they asked them to create a new comic book storyline to help with the sales of the products, the result of which was the Secret Wars series. This was Marvel’s first major multi-character crossover and one of its largest omnibus to date: proof that there is indeed no harm in a tie-in. In fact, this concept has become an essential selling point within entertainment media as you could no longer go into a development meeting for say, Vampires in Space, without being ready to spiel on what is ‘the package’. Where are the spin offs, merchandise, ad campaign, cartoons, books, t-shirts and, more than ever, the comic? So as the shelves begin to fill with the illustrated versions of familiar faces from TV and film, such as Doctor Who or the Vampires of True Blood and Twilight, what does it mean to be part of ‘the package’?

Firstly we need to remember that Graphic Novels and graphic fiction are not a genre of modern literature but a format unto their own, a hybrid of art and literature with its own sub-genres already infused within. Classic genres expertly executed such as Horror - Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, or just the critically acclaimed satirical fiction of Brian Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man. It is imperative that distinctions be made within the format; that it’s not just ‘men in tights’. With this in mind the question has to be asked as to whether these new tie- in titles are boosting or diluting the medium.

Literature is already familiar with the tie-in, albeit usually at home within the Sci-fi/Fantasy section where you will find dozens of Doctor Who or Star Trek trash novels. But these easy reads may have brought a new demographic of readers to the bookstore and, perhaps, to wider literature itself. So it’s important not to be snobby here or look down on examples such as the Twilight Graphic Novel. To paraphrase film and comic book writer Kevin Smith “We need to encourage 14-year-old girls to read graphic novels now, because in 5 years time they will be 19-year-old girls reading graphic novels.” Exactly.