World Comic Book Review

19th March 2024

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 (review)

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1
DC Comics, December 21, 2016
Writer: Joshua Williamson

“Justice League vs. Suicide Squad” #1 is American publisher DC Comics’ blatant attempt to ride the momentum built by the 2016 “Suicide Squad” motion picture (which did not garner critical acclaim, but was commercially successful) and the hype currently being built around the upcoming “Justice League” motion picture. Both motion pictures were released by film studio Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers is the parent company of DC Comics. The marketing strategies of the two businesses are therefore broadly aligned.

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Revolution #1 (Review)

Revolution #1
IDW Publishing, September 2016
Writers: John Barber & Cullen Bunn

And now it seems IDW Publishing are following the tired, weary path of cross-selling. The title does not immediately make it clear but “Revolution” #1 is the first installment in a massive inter-franchise crossover event from IDW Publishing, featuring popular toys and cartoon properties including “Transformers”, “G.I. Joe”, “Action Man”, and “ROM”. While not present in the first issue, IDW also announced the inclusion of “MASK: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand”, another toy line from the 1980s. This follows on from an announcement in 2015 between IDW Publishing and Hasbro, a toy manufacturer, to extend their licensing arrangement for an unspecified period of time. The license apparently had an initial duration of ten years. Unsurprisingly, the crossover event excludes one of Hasbro’s most successful toy lines, “My Little Pony”.

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