Could studios try to make comics popular?

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

Multimedia franchises start to become a thing. We know the old Star Wars EU is dead but they seem to be pretty serious about making a multimedia empire, and the Prometheus/Alien franchise is supposed to be in the in the same continuity as the comics. NuTrek had not contradicted the Nutrek comics yet.

Could you see studios trying to popularize comics as a medium in order to create multimedia franchise loyalty and therefore make more money?

[Don C]

They have tried. Sin City and Batman Begins both had comics included in some DVD packs. Marvel have included free digital comics codes in some of their Blu Ray packs. Man of Steel had a free prequel comic they gave away.

Mainstream audiences just don't care.

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

They have tried. Sin City and Batman Begins both had comics included in some DVD packs. Marvel have included free digital comics codes in some of their Blu Ray packs. Man of Steel had a free prequel comic they gave away.

Mainstream audiences just don't care.

Every movie has a prequel comic nowadays, and the other occasions are understandable, but they must be somewhat serious if they are willing to tie the hands of creators in megafranchises for the sake of some comics and books.

[Arfguy]

If comics are going to become more mainstream, you have to make them accessible. That goes both for where you can buy them and how you read them.

I think when it comes to movies based on comics, I think people would have a lot easier time diving into a graphic novel/trade paperback than into the 15th issue of an ongoing. The only reason I say this is I have a friend who loves comic book movies and is very interested in comics, but has very little interest in reading back issues of comics that I say is awesome. He usually asks if there's a trade available, collecting all the stuff into one easy-to-read book.

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

Maybe some comcis could run alongside tv series on Netflix or HBO Go and tie into the story. Also be avaible without extra payment.

[Don C]

DC has/had digital comics for Arrow, The Flash, Batman '66, Wonder Woman '77 and Smallville. Arrow and The Flash are written by show writers. I, personally, am amazed there isn't a "Follow the story on Arrow digital comics. Go to dccomics.com to learn more" blurb at the end of each episode, but I guess DC doesn't think it would help sales. Or maybe they can't do that. I don't know.

They do have to charge for them, though. There isn't a whole lot of profit in giving away your product.

[ed2962]

The studios only care about comics as a source for ideas, they don't care that much for comics as an industry. They don't see a lot of profit in it.

[Kees_L]

Multimedia franchises start to become a thing. We know the old Star Wars EU is dead but they seem to be pretty serious about making a multimedia empire, and the Prometheus/Alien franchise is supposed to be in the in the same continuity as the comics. NuTrek had not contradicted the Nutrek comics yet.

Could you see studios trying to popularize comics as a medium in order to create multimedia franchise loyalty and therefore make more money?

Honestly I mainly feel I'm seeing a conscious tendency away from such if anything. It seems to me the popular (printed/advertizable) comics boom from the 1990s and even the early 2000s would really be over and hardly a viable business strategy anymore, if only because print does not compete with (online) imagery, not even digital distribution of what would have been print. Advertizing or big sales seem fully history for any printed media.

Any big campaigns like GOT / LOTR / Mass Effect / Halo / comics TV or comics movie series seem intent on offering their content as targeted toward novices or people NOT necesseraly keen on getting bitten by the bug of whatever fandom. No reading or being the completist or in-the-know required AT ALL.
Whereas any diehards or fan persons would be on board or "likely prey" easy enough already.

So to me it seems any comics movies or franchises are not intent or dedicated onto creating comic-like content. Moreover would many current comics movies be not reflecting comics or intent to inspire reading, but they seem translations of genre-specific stuff towards bigger audiences, like also those who wouldn't be caught dead while reading a book or comic.

And I don't think that would be weird. As comics to me seem mainly about creative dedication more rather than enormous turnouts. The Walking Dead, Hellboy, Peanuts, Crumb, Moebius, Will Eisner or Wally Wood or Kirby, Rice Burroughs or RE Howard, Tolkien and Star Wars were NEVER only about reaching the main audience, never about becoming the biggest selling thing in the world. Whereas instead they'd be rather particular and thought out story matter.

Movie Studios aren't about making comics. Games Studios aren't about making stories to read. And the public seems to think that would matter. Like the most likely candidate to produce some awesome comic or book would be someone dedicated towards just that.

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

DC has/had digital comics for Arrow, The Flash, Batman '66, Wonder Woman '77 and Smallville. Arrow and The Flash are written by show writers. I, personally, am amazed there isn't a "Follow the story on Arrow digital comics. Go to dccomics.com to learn more" blurb at the end of each episode, but I guess DC doesn't think it would help sales. Or maybe they can't do that. I don't know.

They do have to charge for them, though. There isn't a whole lot of profit in giving away your product.

I am pretty sure that people who want to read superhero comics are already reading superhero comics.

The studios only care about comics as a source for ideas, they don't care that much for comics as an industry. They don't see a lot of profit in it.

Every poll i saw said that the Star Wars EU accounted for 5-10% of Star Wars profits. That is steady money even when the movie or the tv show was tterrible and they need to shuffle things or give the franchise a rest.

[ed2962]

I am pretty sure that people who want to read superhero comics are already reading superhero comics.


Every poll i saw said that the Star Wars EU accounted for 5-10% of Star Wars profits. That is steady money even when the movie or the tv show was tterrible and they need to shuffle things or give the franchise a rest.

I'm not an expert on Stars Wars, the Expanded Universe includes the novels and cartoon shows?

While I agree that the comic book companies should be doing more to capitalize on the general public's interest in superheroes etc, I just think the larger corporations aren't that interested in the comic books themselves. Back in the 90's when the comic book industry was doing better, Disney ended their comic book division cuz they felt the profits they were making wasn't worth the effort. A popular comic these days moves like around 100k units and that's nothing to studio heads. The Avengers movie might have made 1 billion dollars world wide, but the comic sure isn't doing that kind of business...

The studios probably feel like they can make more money from merchandise bearing an actors likeness than they can from the original comic book.

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

I'm not an expert on Stars Wars, the Expanded Universe includes the novels and cartoon shows?

While I agree that the comic book companies should be doing more to capitalize on the general public's interest in superheroes etc, I just think the larger corporations aren't that interested in the comic books themselves. Back in the 90's when the comic book industry was doing better, Disney ended their comic book division cuz they felt the profits they were making wasn't worth the effort. A popular comic these days moves like around 100k units and that's nothing to studio heads. The Avengers movie might have made 1 billion dollars world wide, but the comic sure isn't doing that kind of business...

The studios probably feel like they can make more money from merchandise bearing an actors likeness than they can from the original comic book.

Action figures don't sell as much in the down years probably unlike books and comics. The EU means books and comics+sourcebooks combined. The animated stuff does not count.

Honestly I mainly feel I'm seeing a conscious tendency away from such if anything. It seems to me the popular (printed/advertizable) comics boom from the 1990s and even the early 2000s would really be over and hardly a viable business strategy anymore, if only because print does not compete with (online) imagery, not even digital distribution of what would have been print. Advertizing or big sales seem fully history for any printed media.

Any big campaigns like GOT / LOTR / Mass Effect / Halo / comics TV or comics movie series seem intent on offering their content as targeted toward novices or people NOT necesseraly keen on getting bitten by the bug of whatever fandom. No reading or being the completist or in-the-know required AT ALL.
Whereas any diehards or fan persons would be on board or "likely prey" easy enough already.

So to me it seems any comics movies or franchises are not intent or dedicated onto creating comic-like content. Moreover would many current comics movies be not reflecting comics or intent to inspire reading, but they seem translations of genre-specific stuff towards bigger audiences, like also those who wouldn't be caught dead while reading a book or comic.

And I don't think that would be weird. As comics to me seem mainly about creative dedication more rather than enormous turnouts. The Walking Dead, Hellboy, Peanuts, Crumb, Moebius, Will Eisner or Wally Wood or Kirby, Rice Burroughs or RE Howard, Tolkien and Star Wars were NEVER only about reaching the main audience, never about becoming the biggest selling thing in the world. Whereas instead they'd be rather particular and thought out story matter.

Movie Studios aren't about making comics. Games Studios aren't about making stories to read. And the public seems to think that would matter. Like the most likely candidate to produce some awesome comic or book would be someone dedicated towards just that.

With all due respect the SW EU had some awesome comics for example and lot of creative freedom.

[Kees_L]

With all due respect the SW EU had some awesome comics for example and lot of creative freedom.

I'm not about denying any such. But it isn't so that one needs studios or franchises for accomplishing awesome comics, since even one dedicated individual could bring about the making of a good comic.

A good comic doesn't necessarily become good as based on what studio or franchise or any certain publishing brand being behind it.

More rather will such be due primarily to at least one single individual bringing about good things into a comic as based on their dedication or experience or talents or knack towards it.

Any studio or franchise is not solely centered around doing comics per se, obviously, as the words 'franchise' and 'studio' clearly denote what they denote. Neither would they be excluded them from it but still, it's simply not true to suggest that either movie studios or game studios or the most massive entertainment studios would be the only ones capable of achieving quality comics.

The only thing that could be pointed out as key for whatever quality there could be to comics, would be any individual or folks as particularly inspired or dedicated towards it.
Individuals.
Like Kirby or Crumb or Eisner or even just Walt frickin' Disney himself, any of those folk as proving usually immensely independent and stubborn and uncompromizing toward what they'd aspire to achieve.
Any aspects such as corporate or popular or contractual would purely come secondary to that. Which would be so for all arts or entertainments both as any produce whatsoever.

[PretenderNX01]

Multimedia franchises start to become a thing. We know the old Star Wars EU is dead but they seem to be pretty serious about making a multimedia empire, and the Prometheus/Alien franchise is supposed to be in the in the same continuity as the comics. NuTrek had not contradicted the Nutrek comics yet.

Could you see studios trying to popularize comics as a medium in order to create multimedia franchise loyalty and therefore make more money?

DC just posted on their Facebook that fans of Constantine on NBC should check out the comics. Not sure why now as it's 11pm Eastern on Wednesday.
DCComicsFacebook.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/dccomics/ph...988485/?type=1

They also didn't hashtag any of it, so not sure if it'll just end up preaching to the choir. They should post that stuff right after episodes air so people searching for TV show info come across the comics.

The comment is just someone trying to tag their friend Shaun. A couple more have tagged friends and people say they just bought it. Someone wondered if it was his origin story.

[ed2962]

DC just posted on their Facebook that fans of Constantine on NBC should check out the comics. Not sure why now as it's 11pm Eastern on Wednesday.

They also didn't hashtag any of it, so not sure if it'll just end up preaching to the choir. They should post that stuff right after episodes air so people searching for TV show info come across the comics.

The comment is just someone trying to tag their friend Shaun. A couple more have tagged friends and people say they just bought it. Someone wondered if it was his origin story.

I agree. I think both Marvel and DC should do it with their TV and cartoon shows.

[Arundel Armor Hunter]

I'm not about denying any such. But it isn't so that one needs studios or franchises for accomplishing awesome comics, since even one dedicated individual could bring about the making of a good comic.

A good comic doesn't necessarily become good as based on what studio or franchise or any certain publishing brand being behind it.

More rather will such be due primarily to at least one single individual bringing about good things into a comic as based on their dedication or experience or talents or knack towards it.

Any studio or franchise is not solely centered around doing comics per se, obviously, as the words 'franchise' and 'studio' clearly denote what they denote. Neither would they be excluded them from it but still, it's simply not true to suggest that either movie studios or game studios or the most massive entertainment studios would be the only ones capable of achieving quality comics.

The only thing that could be pointed out as key for whatever quality there could be to comics, would be any individual or folks as particularly inspired or dedicated towards it.
Individuals.
Like Kirby or Crumb or Eisner or even just Walt frickin' Disney himself, any of those folk as proving usually immensely independent and stubborn and uncompromizing toward what they'd aspire to achieve.
Any aspects such as corporate or popular or contractual would purely come secondary to that. Which would be so for all arts or entertainments both as any produce whatsoever.

Isn't new people trying out comics in itself a good thing that makes it more likely that people will check out different stuff later?