Thoughts On How To Save Comics

[CaptainEurope]

Maybe the paper they are printed out should have a refreshing minty scent?

[ed2962]

Going back to the idea of bringing all-star talent back to comics Ghost Machine is coming to Image featuring an interesting line up of creators

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...-Ghost-Machine

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/john...ghost-machine/

Seems intriguing, but again...it seems like something that would attract old fans back, but not necessarily fans new to the hobby.

[skyvolt2000]

Yes, I agree. I have read a unique comic book by BOOM! studios called "Fence". The Fence comic book's synopsis is about a 16-year old school student who is exposed to the competitive sport of fencing and has to fit in with the fencing team mates, including particularly a hotheaded rival. It was really good, I mean both the story and the art were good, and I enjoyed it, even though I am not familiar with fencing. But the problem was it didn't sell very well.

By the way, there are a couple of fencing manga in Japan that sold well.

Remember the sales standards for Boom are different from Marvel and DC.
Also some of those indy books are not meant to have long runs and do better as trades.

Fence (a book that I do own) is one of those.

It did floppies that lead to the trades and then did a OGN and at least one novel and recently did another mini.

The one MAJOR advantage that book along with Tynion's Backstagers and Wynd and another one of his books whose name I blanked on (but it was a SyFi series) is those trades and noels reach schools.

In other words what they don't make in floppies, they make up in school sales.

I got kids that will read those books and IGNORE X-Men and Batman trades. And this seems to be a trend school district wide.

About 59% of the US population today have never read a comic book at all. Almost everyone in Japan, even in the rural countryside has read at least one manga.

Excluding the online world-access to a comic tends to be an issue.

With more folks discovering a comic in the bins of Half Price book versus a comic book store.

And who do you see in those bins more than normal?
Batman not Fence.
X-Men not Static.

So they get shocked to discover shows like Bobs Burgers, Bart, TMNT, Power Rangers, Static, Jaime Reyes and even Spawn were comics.

And that is the same with most trades.

[Gaastra]

Was at my nieces grade school book fair yesterday at the schools harvest festival. First thing you see is a big dogman stand up and than our hero and spy family posters! Spy family poster in a grade school library!

Alot of books you expect like gabbys dollhouse and others but I was looking at the comics and manga!

Dogman, big nate, I survived, those young adult dramas, guts, stitch manga!!, spider-ham, miles spider-man, sonic the hedgehog, nightmare before christmas manga, tons of babysitters club, captain underpants, fgtvee, plants vs zombies, minecraft, pokemon, and other trades and manga! Picked up stitch manga vol 2 to help the school and teacher said graphic novels and manga blew up and they have a bunch in the library! Told how she tried to read a manga and read the wrong way and a grade school student had to scold her and tell her the right way to read a manga! LOl.

A good chunk of this book fair was comics! Kid in line with us bought spider-ham and sonic trades! More shocking is they were selling a miles spider-man and sonic floppy comic! A monthly floppy comic at a school fair! Never seen that before. Reports they have a kid trimmed naruto and our hero books now at grade school book fair also but not here.

So yes, from the librarian comics are big with kids right now! They have spy family and our hero on the wall of a grade school! Also, costumes saw three demon slayer costumes kids and one teen were wearing! Kids wearing demon slayer costumes!

Say what you wil about adult comics, young reader books and trades are selling great!

[ed2962]

LCS complains about creators self inserting themselves in comics

https://twitter.com/bumpkinsTV/statu...79225306141111

My thing is though is there's a lot of comics that aren't that. Shouldn't those comics be selling well? They aren't and I think it's a problem with an out of date business model.

[Username taken]

LCS complains about creators self inserting themselves in comics

https://twitter.com/bumpkinsTV/statu...79225306141111

My thing is though is there's a lot of comics that aren't that. Shouldn't those comics be selling well? They aren't and I think it's a problem with an out of date business model.

Some retailers are a big, big part of the problem. For many different reasons thar I don't want to get into.

In 2016 or thereabouts there were some pretty heated arguments about how some retailers reacted to some Marvel and DC changes. I'm not going to go over those topics (they've been banned on cbr) but some retailers attitudes towards the product they sell is interesting to say the least.

[Zelena]

I just spent a few days in France, and the comic book stores are thriving. Also huge comic book sections in most bookstores.

In 2022 in France 1 on 4 sold book was a comic. Mangas make an important contribution but among the most sold comics were also works from French authors. A graphic novel about energy and climate change, “World without End” has been the most sold book last year.

I have the impression that US comics are not so diverse in subjects and formats.

[Mister Mets]

LCS complains about creators self inserting themselves in comics

https://twitter.com/bumpkinsTV/statu...79225306141111

My thing is though is there's a lot of comics that aren't that. Shouldn't those comics be selling well? They aren't and I think it's a problem with an out of date business model.

What comics is he thinking of?

Is there a Batman run where people think Bruce Wayne reflects the writer's politics?

[ed2962]

Some retailers are a big, big part of the problem. For many different reasons thar I don't want to get into.

In 2016 or thereabouts there were some pretty heated arguments about how some retailers reacted to some Marvel and DC changes. I'm not going to go over those topics (they've been banned on cbr) but some retailers attitudes towards the product they sell is interesting to say the least.

You can talk about those topics but you have to be careful about naming certain ppl and how you talk about certain so-called "consumer revolt". CBR doesn't want ppl brigading the site and turning it into a toxic place or unsafe place.

[ed2962]

What comics is he thinking of?

Is there a Batman run where people think Bruce Wayne reflects the writer's politics?

He's repeating something a couple of famous grifters have said and every one of their fans parrots although they rarely if ever are able to provide an example. I however can think of a number of times that creators from Stan, Jack and Steve to Bryne and Miller to Morrison and Gaiman put themselves or view points into a comic or completely re-envisioned some character.

I mean, it's fine to not like the writing or art style of some creators or disagree with some political point some comic was making. But these guys pretend that so-called "self insertion" just started in the last ten years and that it's somehow a "problem". Before it was all "They are taking away all of our beloved heroes!" But once all those old came back they had to find something else to to pretend to be mad about.

[skyvolt2000]

What comics is he thinking of?

Is there a Batman run where people think Bruce Wayne reflects the writer's politics?

They can't tell you because they don't read the books.

They don't read the books-they only look at the covers and maybe a preview.

It's always generic and vague and generalizes mainly books at DC and Marvel with POC and women and LGBTQA+ as leads or creators.


If I had to name a Batman book that did reflect the writer's politics.

I would have to say Batman Seduction of the Gun from the 1990s.

A book I OWN. A book that was made in reply to a WB's executive whose son was killed by gun violence.

[ed2962]

Mark Milar weighing in on the recent debate

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar/sta...06418186408010

He'll also be talking to Comic Book Store Guy on is you tube channel soon

[Mister Mets]

He's repeating something a couple of famous grifters have said and every one of their fans parrots although they rarely if ever are able to provide an example. I however can think of a number of times that creators from Stan, Jack and Steve to Bryne and Miller to Morrison and Gaiman put themselves or view points into a comic or completely re-envisioned some character.

I mean, it's fine to not like the writing or art style of some creators or disagree with some political point some comic was making. But these guys pretend that so-called "self insertion" just started in the last ten years and that it's somehow a "problem". Before it was all "They are taking away all of our beloved heroes!" But once all those old came back they had to find something else to to pretend to be mad about.

Grant Morrison making Animal Man an animal rights activist seemed really successful, but I'm still not sure about how many new books are about self-insertion.

In some cases, writers tackle books with characters who have similar backgrounds. But Charles Soule didn't choose to make She-Hulk or Daredevil lawyers.

Sometimes, later writers often pick up on developments that connect to their lives.

Kieron Gillen reveals that Tony Stark is adopted, and this is something Bendis writes about in his run, partly because he has two adopted children.

Bendis confirms the speculation that Iceman is gay, and then gay writers like Sina Grace build on that.

But in these cases the writers with a personal connection weren't responsible for the change.

[Username taken]

Grant Morrison making Animal Man an animal rights activist seemed really successful, but I'm still not sure about how many new books are about self-insertion.

In some cases, writers tackle books with characters who have similar backgrounds. But Charles Soule didn't choose to make She-Hulk or Daredevil lawyers.

Sometimes, later writers often pick up on developments that connect to their lives.

Kieron Gillen reveals that Tony Stark is adopted, and this is something Bendis writes about in his run, partly because he has two adopted children.

Bendis confirms the speculation that Iceman is gay, and then gay writers like Sina Grace build on that.

But in these cases the writers with a personal connection weren't responsible for the change.

Good point.

I suspect the recent controversy is over Alan Scott being gay and Tim Sheridan writing the series being gay as well.

There's been a fair number of accusations towards Tim Sheridan writing the character as a self-insert....but he wasn't the one that turned Alan Scott gay.

[CaptCleghorn]

Good point.

I suspect the recent controversy is over Alan Scott being gay and Tim Sheridan writing the series being gay as well.

There's been a fair number of accusations towards Tim Sheridan writing the character as a self-insert....but he wasn't the one that turned Alan Scott gay.

A gay writer wring a gay character using their own experiences and feelings seems like a standard writing tool. I doubt anyone complains if the writer of FF uses their own parenting experiences to handle the team. Was there any complaining about Charles Soule's legal experiences on She-Hulk? It's not the existence of included personal life experience; it's the particular subject.