Is anyone else sick of the DC bashing?

[Starchild]

It seems like everytime I come on the DC forums, there's all sorts of negativity. Didio hate threads, appreciation threads where there is no appreciation going on, insults and rude comments towards writers and artists. I don't think I've been around such a hateful bunch before. Does anyone else feel this way? Is anyone overwhelmed?

[Vinsanity]

Yes and no. DC did have great ideas during the New52 but alas looks like back to status quo. In saying that the fans that dislike stuff (change, ideas and writers/artists) are more likely to be more vocal than those that like stuff.

So it is annoying to see people bash DC for stupid reasons, there are times when it is warranted.

[REAL]

Comic fans as a whole are quite the negative bunch.

DC fans are just more bitchy because dc comics and characters have the the potential to be really, really good. But they hardly deliver which makes fans bitter and angry.

[Old Man Ollie 1962]

Interesting. I thought everybody was used to it. Look at the last cover contest. Ha.

[Tony Stark]

People just constantly need to bitch and complain. It's like some comic fans come around just to talk about the books or characters they hate. Which makes no sense to me. I come here to talk about my heroes and my favorite books and who I think others should give a read. Don't let it get you down. I just brush it off like everything else. I can honestly say there are posters on here that might have said one good thing about a comic. To me this is a hobby which should be enjoyed. If you are not enjoying it. There are other things they can do and a good one is stop bitching around here.

[Outside_85]

In a way; yes.

But in reality... they seem to do everything they can to earn the ire.

[Starchild]

People just constantly need to bitch and complain. It's like some comic fans come around just to talk about the books or characters they hate. Which makes no sense to me. I come here to talk about my heroes and my favorite books and who I think others should give a read. Don't let it get you down. I just brush it off like everything else. I can honestly say there are posters on here that might have said one good thing about a comic. To me this is a hobby which should be enjoyed. If you are not enjoying it. There are other things they can do and a good one is stop bitching around here.

Thank you I appreciate that. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few things that I dislike right now. But I don't speak on it, I don't give it the time or energy. I focus on the things that I love and support. Do I like Superman/Wonder Woman? Not at all, it's not of the Tomasi's best moments. I just ignore it.

Then you have some people who try to make you feel bad because you like a title that the majority doesn't like. I won't apologize for liking Truth, I won't apologize for liking Venditti's Green Lantern, I won't apologize for liking Lobdell's Superman & RH/A, I won't apologize for liking Percy's Green Arrow or Levitz' Doctor Fate. We are all different.

[Sacred Knight]

Usually, yes. But as a Superman fan, not today. Today it was richly deserved.

Unless the rumors are wrong. If they are then they get a big fat apology, of course.

I'm usually defending them left and right. Hell just last week I was defending the news of Tomasi's crossover for the Superman line when everyone else was mad another crossover was happening. I argued it should get a pass because it could be just designed to be a lead in for good things going forward. Talk about being let down.

[Lee Stone]

Yes and no. DC did have great ideas during the New52 but alas looks like back to status quo. In saying that the fans that dislike stuff (change, ideas and writers/artists) are more likely to be more vocal than those that like stuff.

So it is annoying to see people bash DC for stupid reasons, there are times when it is warranted.

Pretty much this.
Most of the time, it just seems overly negative.
When was the last time you called the electric company and told them your power is working fine?
Most people aren't bothered to say anything unless they aren't happy.
Those "how was your experience?" customer surveys laying around at various businesses are guaranteed to go untouched until someone has a bad experience.
Now imagine that the complaints were actually genuine. That something really is wrong.
It would amplify to an incredible level.

Comics fandom reminds me of sports fans. When their team is doing really good, they're quick to broadcast it (usually by dogging other teams). If they failed to make it to a playoff in 10 years and the managers are making headscratching decisions, the fans can be quite vocal about how the team used to be better and how bad they are now.
But put the team anywhere between those two extremes and you barely hear anything.

The best thing you can do is accentuate the positive and remind the lady who got a burned steak that at least the waiter was helpful in getting it taken care of. And that the lighting gave her face a nice ambiance.
Just don't tell her to eat the steak and smile.

[Robotman]

I don't have a problem with constructive criticism but what really pisses me off is people who bash a book they don't even read. You dont find a lot of that on these message boards but more so on Facebook comments and other sites.

[colonyofcells]

Singing praises is boring.

[Steven Kaye]

Definitely sick of it. The Superman sub-forum is especially excruciating.

[Doctor Bifrost]

Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few things that I dislike right now. But I don't speak on it, I don't give it the time or energy. I focus on the things that I love and support. Do I like Superman/Wonder Woman? Not at all, it's not of the Tomasi's best moments. I just ignore it.

Then you have some people who try to make you feel bad because you like a title that the majority doesn't like. I won't apologize for liking Truth, I won't apologize for liking Venditti's Green Lantern, I won't apologize for liking Lobdell's Superman & RH/A, I won't apologize for liking Percy's Green Arrow or Levitz' Doctor Fate. We are all different.

You don't have to apologize for liking anything. And if you only want to talk about the things you like, that's certainly your prerogative.

But people are also permitted to discuss what they don't like, critique stories, and talk about what they would like better. And fans are in an ambiguous situation - they have a strong sense of engagement to the characters (or worlds) they like (that's what makes them "fans"), but they only get what the companies publish. So if, for example, you are a fan of Wonder Woman, and you really dislike the current Wonder Woman series, then you're not getting any Wonder Woman that you like. It's not unusual for that to be frustrating for a fan, and here's a place they can express that frustration, see if it's shared, and even imagine (probably without really believing it) that TPTB see the criticisms and they might have some impact. I don't see anything strange about that.

I do try, however, to make it clear that I don't think that people who enjoy things I do not are "doing it wrong." Different people value different things in stories.

[VolcanikTiger86]

To be honest I'm sick of bashing books period if you don't like a book don't read it, its not like a supporting character where you don't like the character so you don't want to read them fine read the book for the characters you do like and stay away from the forums relating to characters you dont seems simple to me.

[Lightning Rider]

No, a lot of us have had our favorite characters just completely shit on for the last 5 years. Completely stripped of their core, or erased, or distorted into mocking caricatures. I'm actually surprised there isn't more sometimes.

Hardcore fans of anything can definitely be overly negative. It becomes toxic when fans get involved in discussions in a community only to complain on a permanent negative feedback loop. Comic books also never seem to please everyone at once, which doesn't help mitigate a constant vocal crowd of bashers.

But I don't think that's the predominant case here. Most of the people I've seen who express frustration seem to do so out of love. Not hate. Genuine love for timeless icons and characters, love for a universe (using that term loosely) that feels like home, love for a history that has enthralled us for years, if not decades. And while we all have differing opinions whenever a change happens to a character or the industry, you can't say that lines haven't been crossed. You can't say themes and personalities people have invested years of enjoyment in haven't been thrown in the garbage. Because they have.

If anything, I'm sick of people justifying the establishment at every turn and painting any fan who complains as a whiny unreasonable fanboy. Telling unhappy fans to "grow up" or "face reality" or that they "aren't comic book industrialists, so shut up" doesn't make you any more mature or adult. It just makes you a dick.