The return of the Mighty Mighty New 52 Discussion thread

[The Darknight Detective]

Life was much simpler in the bronze age when there were lots of one issue stories.

I agree. It was very easy back then for a newbie to take the plunge.

[Lee Stone]

How often have the movies/TV shows dictated the direction that the comics themselves have gone? Sure there were other media projects based on comics since the Golden Age, but they almost never were the driving force behind the creative decisions that shaped the comics coming out each week. They simply adapted the characters and did their own thing with them, which was for the better.

One classic example that I've heard of would be the '66 Batman series.
DC had just started the Batman comics towards a more serious direction but when the TV show was picked up they had based it on the campier style that DC had just moved away from.
The success of the Batman show, however, pushed DC to go back to a lighter tone again on all their books to appeal to tv fans.

[The Darknight Detective]

One classic example that I've heard of would be the '66 Batman series.
DC had just started the Batman comics towards a more serious direction but when the TV show was picked up they had based it on the campier style that DC had just moved away from.
The success of the Batman show, however, pushed DC to go back to a lighter tone again on all their books to appeal to tv fans.

The Lynda Carter series transformed Wondy's comic book from one featuring the Earth-1 Diana to one starring Earth-2's doppelganger during WWII.

[mr_crisp]

Life was much simpler in the bronze age when there were lots of one issue stories.

So what happened? Why does it take about six issues to tell a story nowadays?

[colonyofcells]

It was in the bronze age when the 4 issue stories started and it grew from there.

[The Darknight Detective]

It was in the bronze age when the 4 issue stories started and it grew from there.

True. That's where it started, but it was never like it is today.

[Gordonstar]

So what happened? Why does it take about six issues to tell a story nowadays?

It's what fans want nowadays, plus you can save a lot of material decompressing.

Plus it's very tv like.

[Pharozonk]

It's what fans want nowadays, plus you can save a lot of material decompressing.

Plus it's very tv like.

And then fans complain about decompression and drawn out events, but still continue to buy books week after week instead of voting with their wallet...

[Gordonstar]

Yeah, that's strange. If I hated that stuff, I wouldn't even buy it.

[andersonh1]

Batman '66 is the cure. One story per issue.

[Lee Stone]

So what happened? Why does it take about six issues to tell a story nowadays?

Brian Bendis?

[Lee Stone]

Batman '66 is the cure. One story per issue.

Too bad there's not a Like button or a +1.
But let's pretend there is.

[JasonTodd428]

It's what fans want nowadays, plus you can save a lot of material decompressing.

Plus it's very tv like.

I guess a lot of fans want that but I'm not a fan of decompression or of the writing for trade mentality a lot of writers adhere to so I don't really want it myself.

[Sirzechs]

I believe that's what new readers are talking about when they say it's difficult to get into comics. Back when I first started reading them most if not all of the stories where done in ones and the few that weren't were two parters. That makes it very easy to just jump in or to get caught up. Nowadays it's much more difficult to just jump in because a new reader might be "jumping in" in the middle of a arc that has been going on for several months. So instead of buying maybe an issue or two to catch up they need to buy several just to be able to follow and understand the arc they've started in the middle of or else they need to wiki the info. Frankly, I can well understand how that might be off putting to some people and even why they might not want to do so. I'm not saying, however, that it can't be done that way only that it may not be something that every new reader wants to do. Hence why there are so many new readers asking for where the best place to start a particular comic is.

Exactly when a book is done like Lemire's Green Arrow its no big deal because he practically ignores the issues that came before and just focus on his story, Robinson's FF is unreadable if you're not a long time fan.

[manofsteel1979]

Exactly when a book is done like Lemire's Green Arrow its no big deal because he practically ignores the issues that came before and just focus on his story, Robinson's FF is unreadable if you're not a long time fan.

To be fair, there is room for both approaches in comics. I think that was the goal of the New 52, to straddle that fence to a degree...which can be argued was one of the largest problems with the New 52 as well, especially at the start.