When the direct market rose in the early 1980s, it happened just as newsstands faded and graphic novels began finding their voice in the mid-to-late decade. Moments later, Black Monday and the stock market crash of 1987 hit the country, a reminder that the comic industry’s fortunes have often mirrored the tide of larger economic shifts — not unlike the geopolitical situation and markets of today.
Yet, by the early 1990s, comics were once again booming. X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee broke sales records, and publishers realized that speculators would pay top dollar for special editions. What followed was inevitable: speculation based on over-saturation, collapse, and near bankruptcy, a bubble that burst just a few years before, inevitably again on the macroeconomic level, the dot-com crash would do the same.
I stress all of this because this was always the point of this column. History will always repeat itself. The patterns more or less remain the same, as too, do the cycles of life. Monomythic was the storyteller’s way of looking at it, but I do believe it applies to… just about everything. Time being a flat circle.
Now, from that downturn of the bubble pop in the big two comics came a rebirth. The early 2000s brought the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Dark Knight trilogy in film, along with a new creative wave in comics: Marvel Knights, All-Star Superman, and a surge of independent storytelling that reshaped the medium. On top of all this, the early 2000s were a unique era in both the budding popularity of Manga in the US, but also the rise of Shonen appeal in the international market. Things were great, and then, fast forward to 2008: floppies struggled, but the rise in crossover events happened, and…well, you get the idea.
The film industry revived the comics industry of the West and put superheroes into the spotlight. It was only natural that video games seemed next in line to see comics’ boom in the 2010s, but for some strange reason, the initiative never clicked as well as we’d hoped. Probably because of a giant movie-making landscape known as the MCU. So much of the comic book industry is defined by these circular patterns.
Currently, we live in an era of total content saturation, and one increasingly defined by short-form media. As I have often warned, we are heading toward an even more accelerated age, where AI-generated summaries might replace the act of reading itself.
I run a pop-up where I sell graphic novels, variant covers, and my own works every weekend, which weirdly started, in this moment right here. The #1 thing that ruins my sales? People watching synopses or full voice-over recap videos of these said comics online.
My biggest concern, is what all this means for comics and for the art of storytelling. It’s a gruesome era where brevity, not depth, drives the market in a never-ending vie for attention. I’m also very concerned about AI-Synopses and content creation but I think Jim Lee did a very great job of addressing things more civilly just one week ago.
When I started this series, I didn’t know what it would become. I only knew I wanted to write something personal. Something about stories, structure, and the way they reflect our own messy, beautiful cycles of change. Because that’s what this has always been about…
Change.
On New Beginnings
Things shift. People grow. The seasons turn. The things we once loved evolve into something new. As do we.
I genuinely think the next step forward is in portraying genuine anecdotes of humanity and empathy. A willingness to make mistakes and the embrace of failures that make us who we are. Because that’s what we are, and that’s what AI can’t replace: the human voice of real genuine experiences. The ability to fail and the ability to be reborn again.
Monomythic began as a way for me to talk about my journalism journey. About what happens when your heroes fail you, and where do we go and what do we do from here? This column was never about the answers, but rather the question, becoming something else along the way—a way to understand how we live through stories, and how stories live through us. I didn’t write anywhere near as many of these as I hoped to. Still, I’m proud of what came out of it and grateful to everyone who read, shared, or reached out.
Thank you to Heidi MacDonald for taking me under her wing and teaching me how to believe in myself again. I’m grateful for my two years here at The Beat, along with every amazing editors I’ve worked with, and all the writers met along the way. I hope our friendships continue along the journey.
The Beat is thriving. Better than ever, in fact. It’s in good hands, and that means a lot.
As for me, I’m starting a new chapter. The Beat team recently took part in a team interview at Superfan Promotions that sorta hinted at where my future is for next year. I’m proud to announce I’ve been made Editor-in-Chief of The Demonster, Sami DeMonster’s Substack covering horror, comics, pop culture, and everything in between. Sami has been incredible to work with, and we’ve got some fun things coming soon—features, reviews, maybe even a few weird surprises.
I think we need more outlets and communities not less. So I figured try something here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that none of this can exist without the people who matter most. The audience, and the voice of the people, that’s the universal thread that ties our stories together.
Because the way we consume the web changes. Platforms rise and fall. But voices, however heard, however they resonate… they’re here to stay. Even if it’s echoes of a time that was. The dream of pursuing a better way. Especially in our tough times today.
It’s something special regarding the medium of comics. An art form unique only in the shape of what stories can be, as I see from so many indie creators pushing for, every single day.
So if you have a voice right now, use it. Speak honestly. Create something new that speaks true to your own voice today. It’s worth that feeling, it’s worth sharing that empathy.
Stand up for something real. That’s what the hero’s journey has always been about. The call to change and the courage to begin again.
Thank you for reading Monomythic and being part of this journey.
See you on the next adventure.
