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‘Where they deserve to be!’: Marvel could really learn a lesson from James Gunn’s instant impact on DC Comics sales

The 'Gunn Effect' is sending DC comics sales through the roof.

James Gunn attends Warner Bros. "Blue Beetle" Los Angeles Special Screening at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 15, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

On Wednesday, James Gunn took to social media to sing the praises of Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and veteran DC artists Phil Jimenez’s exploration of the early days of the Amazons was first released in 2021, but has just received a lavish hardback edition.

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Gunn described it as “a breathtaking work of sequential art & one of the best things to come out of [DC] & comics in the last few years,” and it has rocketed to number one on the DC books chart on Amazon. It feels like we rarely see Kevin Feige single out specific Marvel comics for praise, so perhaps he should take some cues from the distinguished competition?

On Threads, Gunn has been praised for “singlehandedly and heroically saving the comics industry”, and he couldn’t be happier:

James Gunn post
Image via Threads

Gunn has been open about which comics are inspiring his new DCU, with iconic writer Grant Morrison set to be a major one. For Superman: Legacy, Gunn has turned to Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s incredible All-Star Superman, which sees the Man of Steel becoming overloaded with solar radiation and realizing he needs to set his affairs in order before dying.

For his Batman movie The Brave and the Bold, he’s looking to Morrison’s late 2000s/early 2010s run, in which Bruce Wayne learns he has a son, Damian, and has to deal with his homicidal tendencies.

If Gunn really wanted to mine Morrison’s DC work for more inspiration, we’d love him to tap Final Crisis for a big superhero crossover. Or, if Gunn was looking for a more offbeat project, the Seven Soldiers project seems tailor-made for a series of movies leading up to a big team-up movie.

Either way, here’s hoping DC’s best comics continue to enjoy this sales boost.