10 Classic Comics Genres Marvel Must Bring Back Soon

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The comic book industry has gone through an evolution in recent years as it moves from print to digital. But that's not the only major change that has happened throughout the company's timeline. In the early days, there was a cornucopia of genres to enjoy, as characters and narratives were taken from a massive range of archetypes. These days, for Marvel , superhero stories are the biggest sellers, with the comic book company continuing to sit comfortably within that genre.

Naturally, there are some alternatives within that ensemble. Space opera and sci-fi in general are still popular. General fantasy remains a part of Marvel's current trajectory. Espionage and crime are also on the agenda. Nonetheless, there's an array of lost genres that were once really crucial for Marvel's development and have now been lost to time. These genres deserve to make their way back into Marvel's publishing plans as the company looks to innovate and evolve for a new generation. A generation that loves variety.

Westerns were a cinematic juggernaut, and the world of comics was just trying to keep up. There was once a time when John Wayne was one of the most popular action heroes of the era, and Marvel and its predecessor companies saw fit to try and chase some of those typical themes. The Wild West became the backdrop for characters like Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid.

There have been attempts to revisit these characters and this throwback era, but none have really stuck. That's partially because Marvel has failed to find a way to make them relevant for modern readers and partially because those Western tales feel so distinct from the superhero fare. But with Westerns coming back in a big way on screen, now might be the time to revisit these ideas.

Horror comics are still a part of the puzzle over at Marvel , with Ghost Rider, Blade and Elsa Bloodstone featuring heavily in their publishing schedule. That was further supported by the rise in horror movies, as audiences lean back into those spookier stories. Monster movies and monster comics are not at the top of the agenda.

Man-Thing and Werewolf By Night might have had recent comic book runs, but there aren't any outlets for incoming monster stories that tell bizarre mysteries and contemplate urban legends. An anthology of some sort that introduces a new array of monsters to Marvel, that perhaps play on real-world tales, would act as a fascinating answer to the renaissance of horror.

Most superhero stories have a romance of some kind at their core. Spider-Man's tales, for example, have been driven by those love stories for years as readers hope to see Peter reunited with Mary Jane or at least find some success in finding a suitable partner. But the classic shape of the rom-com hasn't been delivered in a while.

Marvel's female readership once flocked to rom-com comics in the golden age, as they sought out stories that were about connection, friendship and fun. There is an audience out there for this sort of thing again, especially if the BookTok trends are to be believed. Maybe Marvel should give a story like this another go, and eventually adapt those characters to a groundbreaking big-screen romantic comedy of its own.

Younger readers are no longer being directly spoken to. Not like they once were. Teen dramas and teen comedies were massive in the golden era, as young heroes like Patsy Walker starred in much-loved tales that featured keen coming-of-age arcs and the kind of dramatic twists that one can only find in a high school social situation.

For younger readers, there are a lot of young superheroes to read, but very few comics that depict their real lives. It's more often the case that the alter ego part takes over, and the stories become about action and sacrifice and saving the world. It's time to slow it down and portray a young character whose conflicts aren't just about powers.

It wasn't that long ago that Marvel ran Damage Control, a comedy comic that was supposed to take readers into the heart of the organization and its hapless employees. It was a great read, but perhaps it didn't quite have the sales that Marvel hoped for. Because a comedy comic like that hasn't existed since.

There are different types of comedy comics, from satire to parody, the latter of which will be featured later. A well-written classic comedy comic is all about setting up a farcical situation and watching the dominoes fall. There are a lot of opportunities for a straight-up comedy series in the Marvel Universe, but too often the company relies on simply inserting jokes into ongoing runs.

The word noir is going to instantly bring up connotations of Spider-Man Noir, a Multiverse character that mimics the crime noir movies that shaped a generation. It's also true that noir storytelling has bled into Earth-616 too, with Jessica Jones primarily utilizing the tropes of that style. Sadly, that's about as wide-ranging as it gets.

While there are detective and mystery stories to be enjoyed, none combine the thrill and criminal elements that noir provides. Whether Marvel needs to introduce a new noir-style street-level character, or can use someone like Doctor Strange in this role, it's about time that the genre's true potential was showcased in the medium again, with all the twists that come along with it.

Parody comics might be a subgenre of comedy, but they go in a more absurdist direction with the material. The whole idea of a parody is to break down the tropes of another genre, and create something that feels similar but obviously makes a mockery of that original concept. There are a few good parody superhero stories in Marvel's archives.

The one thing Marvel really fails to do is create parody comics about other genres. The truth is, that's because its use of genre isn't too wide-ranging. So, for example, with horror becoming so popular on and off the page, perhaps a horror parody comic, featuring Marvel's famous vampires and ghouls, might be a natural place to start.

Fantasy comics are pretty easy to come by, especially because that term is quite broad. The thing that Marvel doesn't do as often is tap into the sword and sorcery series of yesteryear. There was once a time when Arthurian legend, the Black Knight, Excalibur, and other such classic entities were at the pinnacle of Marvel storytelling.

These days, most of those characters have been forgotten about, while Camelot has almost been written out of the universe. But with the likes of the Odyssey showing that sword and sandal could be popular again and an onslaught of fantasy movies in the works, now is the time to look at the potential of sword and sorcery and how that connects with modern Marvel.

Right now, the only time Marvel dips into what cyberpunk as a genre has to offer is when Spider-Man 2099 is being depicted. Outside of that, the comics don't tap into the future or a future reality all that much. When they do, they lean towards the dystopian, like with Age of Revelation, as opposed to something more tech-heavy.

But with the cyberpunk genre reintroduced in video games and cinema as a fascinating source of world-building, it would seem appropriate for Marvel to introduce a new canon location where technology creates a new, cyberpunk backdrop that changes everything. Iron Man would be an obvious character to guide this . Such a city could provide opportunities for new characters, stories, and catalysts for conflict.

War comics can be controversial if not handled correctly. When global conflicts like World War II were taking place, Marvel's predecessor publishers used comics as a point of propaganda and a way of exploring those wars in an accessible manner. Today, it's largely the Punisher, Captain America, and the Howling Commandos who tap into that storytelling space.

Yet, war movies that have something important to say are released every year, telling those tales from different perspectives. It's time Marvel was brave in its own storytelling and released a war comic that had a point of view and was relevant to Earth-616's own conflicted history. In a world looking out for direction, a comic like that could provide a big voice.