Stephen Wacker begins his tenure as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics with a simple idea: Readers shouldn’t have to wait for a designated starting point to start reading Marvel.
In what was described as his first major interview since taking on the role of EIC, Wacker appeared on Stone Kite’s Record the discussion podcast and explained how Marvel can make its comics more accessible without forcing readers to understand decades of continuity.
For Wacker, that starts with reconsidering the industry’s obsession with starting points.
Wacker recalled an earlier philosophy of comics in which readers simply pounced on whatever issue caught their attention.
“There were no jump points. You just jumped in,” Wacker said. “It was a quiet river. And you could just walk in, and the job of each individual issue was to get you up to speed and then get you up to speed on the issues.”
Wacker compared this approach to the way comics are marketed today, where publishers frequently emphasize new issue 1s, issue zeros, and the start of new story arcs.
“Jump points are important,” Wacker said.
But Wacker thinks individual Marvel comics should be able to convince readers no matter where they enter the story.
“I think it’s the responsibility of every Marvel comic to have enough content to make you want to come back,” Wacker said before jokingly stating, “New mandate.”
That’s not to say that Wacker expects every comic to explain the entirety of Marvel’s history.
“You don’t have 30, 50, 60 years of history in one comic book, but there should be enough to tickle your fancy and keep you coming back,” he said.
His advice to readers wondering where to start is considerably simpler than looking at a reading order.
“Let comics be the only thing you can judge by the cover,” Wacker said. “Just find a cover you like and read it.”
Wacker also gave some insight into how he plans to operate behind the scenes at Marvel.
One lesson he says he learned from his time at Stone Kite is what the company calls “silo-free development,” encouraging different departments and creative voices to communicate earlier in the process.
Wacker said he had already started using the term at Marvel.
“There are so many different branches of Marvel now that I have contact with that I never would have had before,” he said, pointing to areas such as Marvel’s licensed publishing business, which handles properties such as Star Wars And Stranger.
Wacker hopes this philosophy extends throughout Marvel editorial, including staffers who traditionally might not have been involved in conversations until later.
“I’m really trying to do this with the new editorial team, even at the assistant and associate level, to involve everyone in the conversations much earlier than usual,” Wacker said.
This is a first look at Wacker’s approach to running Marvel Comics, with accessibility on the page and increased communication behind it. I recommend checking out the full chat; It’s just under thirty minutes and a good listen!
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