This thread could've also been called "Marvel Kicks Everyone Else's Ass". Their earnings are up 78% from this time last year, with the publishing segment up 31%, specifically.
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124308
Yeah, it's been official for the last few months that whatever "lightening in a bottle" that DC had in 2006 is officially gone and Marvel is simply dominating them. Not only in comics, but on the big screen and other areas, too. I'd argue that the only area where DC still reigns supreme is in TV animation, and possibly DTV's (and if you don't believe me, just look up that teaser image for AVENGERS REBORN). Unfortunately, despite some 12 years of domination on the small screen, DC hasn't handled that advantage well.
Easy example? The Question was easily one of the breakout stars of JLU's second season. So what did DC do? Murder him and replace him with a lesbian Latina. Sometimes they can't help themselves.
Ironically, the cartoons mostly worked because they got to the heart of the characters, were able to maintain some sort of continuity, and were able to mix the classic and the modern in ways that appealed to wide audiences, something their comics are having trouble doing.
As for Marvel, right now it looks like they can do no wrong. WWH isn't having as explosive sales as CW did, but it's being reviewed better and is being recieved better. Marvel movies dominate and will continue to do so. They have a new Spidey cartoon coming up and their mediocre DTV's at least sell well. They were able to at least get minor profits on a B-List franchise like GHOST RIDER while the WB is scared of a WONDER WOMAN movie.
All this, of course, means one thing; the Parker marriage is over. With sales like this, the cold reality is that controversay equals sales, and so long as that is the reality, that is what is going to happen. So expect the end of a marriage, for Skrulls to retcon inconviences, and other assorted stuff that is set to irk you so that it will sell an extra 100k copies. On the positive side, plenty of new titles are coming out, and plenty of books have been relaunched or launched with success. Writers like Dan Slott are getting more oppurtunity and while I may not care for the idea of ending the Parker marriage, if that makes Slott's gig easier, so be it. JMS might finally want that bonus check for ending it (I've long fanboyishly believed Joe Q would offer a bonus check to anyone who ends the Parker Marriage). We also have Jeff Parker, Greg Pak, Fraction, Brubaker, and so on cranking out good work and getting chances. We have ANNIHILATION reviving the space genre in bold new ways. CW at least provided the chance to dust off a lot of old characters and even some new ones. Despite my fears for future bungles or cowardly splitsville for the Parkers (a Newsarama poll shows that is NOT what fans want, by a margin of at least 2-1), Marvel in 2007 has been looking up from the past 2 years.
And, hey, Thor's back. And sometime this year he might actually fight a villain, too.
