Midnight Comics should aspire to fold into DC or Marvel, right? I mean, that is what makes the most sense after all. In fact, any indie should be gunning to have their characters and stories incorporated into one of the big two. Why would you not want your talents seen on the biggest stages possible, making the most money possible? The upside is obvious, but is there any potential negative to leaving the indie pond? Let’s compare with a big budget film example.
It is July 2019. In front of God and country, Kevin Feige took the stage in Hall H of San Deigo Comic Con and introduced Mahershala Ali as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Blade. Crowds cheered, cloud parted, and sun shone bright over the land; a glorious day, indeed. Unfortunately, a staggering five years later, MCU Blade is still in the planning stages. Meanwhile, in that same span, we survived a global pandemic, Patrick Mahomes has won 3 nonconsecutive NFL Championships, and Ryan Coogler conceptualized, wrote, shot and is now promoting HIS new vampire film. The MCU Blade project’s prolonged gestation has been one of the most confusing, embarrassing chapters of the most profitable film franchise known to man. With every resource at their disposal, why can Blade not get off the ground?
Let’s focus in on Coogler’s vampire film for a moment. Sinners (2025) stars Michael B Jordan, playing twins in 1930’s Jim Crow south, having to deal with the spawn of Dracula and probably, you know… racism too. A film with a Black writer/director, Black lead, predominantly Black cast, is the type of film that consistently struggles to get made and marketed well because studios seemingly don’t REALLY believe in them. Sinners, however, is one of the most anticipated films of 2025 and Marvel should be punching air right now. Not only does Sinners collect several MCU talents (Coogler | Black Panther, Jordan | Black Panther, Steinfeld | Hawkeye, Mosaku | Loki), but it also hosts Delroy Lindo, who was forced to leave Blade due to the multitude of delays. The icing on top may be the formerly attached rising star Aaron Pierre now on the payroll at DC.
Blade is seemingly in trouble because there are too many chefs in the kitchen and no real recipe. There have been five writers and three directors. Seemingly Marvel wanted the character in their cinematic universe, but without clear vision for what the story was meant to be, artist are struggling to align to an ideal other than “be highly profitable”. Coogler’s film, on the other hand set in scale and clear in vision. The assumed budget ($90M) is manageable, especially considering the talent attached. Coogler was able to hand craft this from conception through execution. This is power that indie artists weld daily.
At Midnight Comics, Llyod and Natosha are the Alpha and Omega. They get to nurture their ideas from seed to tree. The hours are. Long, the work is hard, but there is a beauty in the control they have over every angle of the finished product. Not just them, but every indie artist. Be it comics, publishing, music, etc there is an oft times overlooked bliss to be found in walking the path yourself. Indie artist art not “unsuccessful” simply because they are not part of a larger machine. The struggle of Blade put on clear display that there can be a hefty price for swimming in the bigger pond. The indie path may not be for everyone, but as consumers, we will do well to remember that “indie” is not a “transitional space”. Indie is about forging your own path and claiming your seat at the table.
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