What else should Marvel change?

[roni190]

Stop letting Bendis take over existing titles, if you want to keep him on the give him creative control of a brand new title but stop letting him crap all over others prior work.

Start a Marvel Spotlight title that focuses on some of the more obscure Marvel heroes in mini story arcs (2-3 issues each) and keep it serious in nature instead of humorous.

Bring back the Annihilators and give Marvel's cosmic fans something to enjoy once more.

Hire legitimate artists, I don't care if the storyline is the best ever written if you publish art like this I refuse to waste a dime on it......

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[AJBopp]

Pay attention to the movies, and why the movies work. The comics division has lost the desire to explore the core of their characters. Everyone wants to follow the Frank Miller route and remake the characters into their own vision. There is no consistency, no character development, and no joy. The movies focus on the core of who the characters were, even while making startling changes (the propensity of heroes to kill, for instance).

Comics creators need to understand why the movies work, and emulate that.

[roni190]

Pay attention to the movies, and why the movies work. The comics division has lost the desire to explore the core of their characters. Everyone wants to follow the Frank Miller route and remake the characters into their own vision. There is no consistency, no character development, and no joy. The movies focus on the core of who the characters were, even while making startling changes (the propensity of heroes to kill, for instance).

Comics creators need to understand why the movies work, and emulate that.

Excellent points.

[KingsLeadHat]

I'd like to see some classic writers (Roger Stern, Chris Claremont, etc.) given a chance to see what they could do if teamed up with a hot modern artist and a strong promotional push. If it doesn't sell, then that's that, but a lot of the problem with older creators is that they're not in the current clique and are thrown scraps. I think the sensibilities of a lot of these older creators are far more conducive to shared universe comics where continuity is a part of the strength of the stories. Are these guys REALLY so out of touch, or is it simply that they haven't formulated relationships with younger artists and haven't had the opportunity to do an extended run with the likes of Stuart Immonen and Olivier Coipel?

[HaveAtThee]

Pay attention to the movies, and why the movies work. The comics division has lost the desire to explore the core of their characters. Everyone wants to follow the Frank Miller route and remake the characters into their own vision. There is no consistency, no character development, and no joy. The movies focus on the core of who the characters were, even while making startling changes (the propensity of heroes to kill, for instance).

Comics creators need to understand why the movies work, and emulate that.

I know what you're aiming at but in fairness to the books, the movies get to tell a linear story with a beginning, middle and end. Time moves and the characters evolve. Comics can only offer the illusion of change due to their IP considerations.

But I agree 100% about the "Watchmen"-izing of Marvel in the last 15 years.

[KingsLeadHat]

I know what you're aiming at but in fairness to the books, the movies get to tell a linear story with a beginning, middle and end. Time moves and the characters evolve. Comics can only offer the illusion of change due to their IP considerations.

But I agree 100% about the "Watchmen"-izing of Marvel in the last 15 years.

If you really pay attention to Marvel from 1965 to around 1985, it's remarkable how the characterizations stay consistent over this twenty year period. A lot of this had to do with a smaller line, but also creators and editors weren't dealing with the chaos caused by constant mandated events and crossovers that often force characters out of their elements and make them act in ways they shouldn't. Re-imagining a character is fine when it's something as generic as Swamp Thing, but doing this with much stronger concepts usually causes far more problems than the story warrants. I think what Miller did with DD worked so well because DD, up until that point, was really just a poor man's Spider-Man.

[Alan2099]

I realize you can't do this stuff forever, but I want to see them do this for ... oh, at least a year and a half.

First off, what's the best, more awesome, most icon version of the character you can think of? Okay. Now is that the version that stars in the book? No? Then how come I'm not reading about that version? If I pick up a book called Ironman, it needs to star Ironman. Not somebody filling in for Ironman. Not alternate reality Ironman. THE Ironman. This goes for teams as well. I don't need alternate reality X-men. I just need you to fix the actual X-men. Why are the Avengers not THE Best versions of the Avengers you can make them?

On that note, stop calling teams that AREN'T the Avengers or the X-men, Avengers and X-men. I don't need Avengers: Spy Ops or X-men except they're actually led by Mr. Sinister. If you're going to make those books, give them their own identity.

Every title should be the BEST version of that title you can make it.

Now for new writers. New writers don't get to change the status quo. You have to earn a status quo. Once you've established one, THEN you can shake it up. No "Hey, this is the new writer and he's brought in a completely new team line-up!". NO. He gets the same roster that the guy leaving the book had. if he wants to change it, there needs to be story reasons. Sure it's easy to justify dropping or adding a member or two, but it should still feel like the same book even if the writer is different.

Heroes should fight villains more than they fight other heroes. I thought this one was fairly easy to understand. Apparently I was wrong.

Now Variant covers ... I don't mind these. I don't usually buy them, but they're okay for the people that like that sort of thing. HOWEVER, you shouldn't have line-wide variants that have nothing to do with what's in the book. If you're doing J. Jonah Jameson Cover month, JJJ better at least cameo in every book you put out that month.

Costumes. Nobody is too cool for a costume. If you're a superhero, you wear a costume. Maybe some solo titles where the main character isn't doing superhero things can get away with it. Maybe. Superheroes that don't wear costumes when everybody else is wearing costumes? There is no excuse for that.

Also I miss superhero costumes that look like superhero costumes instead of trying to look like MOVIE versions of supehero costumes. I just feel that the tight colorful spandex look shows up better on paper and serves to make the book look more exciting and energetic than the combination Extreme sports/leather/Kevlar looks with visible seams.

If Bendis wants to write anything other than a solo street level book, hit him on the nose with a newspaper until he goes back into his corner. Also give that man an editor that isn't afraid to bust his chops.

[strathcona]

Now for new writers. New writers don't get to change the status quo. You have to earn a status quo. Once you've established one, THEN you can shake it up. No "Hey, this is the new writer and he's brought in a completely new team line-up!". NO. He gets the same roster that the guy leaving the book had. if he wants to change it, there needs to be story reasons. Sure it's easy to justify dropping or adding a member or two, but it should still feel like the same book even if the writer is different.

I agree with everything you say, especially the Bendis part. But I want to say I completely agree with this one. Back in the day when a new writer came on to a team book, they would gradually change the roster by telling stories that explain why certain people join/leave the team. Nowadays, the new lineup is often fully formed with little to no explanation given to the old line up, as soon as the new writer comes on. These stories are how you develop the character and make the changes feel natural. I'd love to see the type of writing that takes into account past continuity and characterization make a come back.

[nnelg]

I realize you can't do this stuff forever, but I want to see them do this for ... oh, at least a year and a half.

First off, what's the best, more awesome, most icon version of the character you can think of? Okay. Now is that the version that stars in the book? No? Then how come I'm not reading about that version? If I pick up a book called Ironman, it needs to star Ironman. Not somebody filling in for Ironman. Not alternate reality Ironman. THE Ironman. This goes for teams as well. I don't need alternate reality X-men. I just need you to fix the actual X-men. Why are the Avengers not THE Best versions of the Avengers you can make them?

On that note, stop calling teams that AREN'T the Avengers or the X-men, Avengers and X-men. I don't need Avengers: Spy Ops or X-men except they're actually led by Mr. Sinister. If you're going to make those books, give them their own identity.

Every title should be the BEST version of that title you can make it.

Now for new writers. New writers don't get to change the status quo. You have to earn a status quo. Once you've established one, THEN you can shake it up. No "Hey, this is the new writer and he's brought in a completely new team line-up!". NO. He gets the same roster that the guy leaving the book had. if he wants to change it, there needs to be story reasons. Sure it's easy to justify dropping or adding a member or two, but it should still feel like the same book even if the writer is different.

Heroes should fight villains more than they fight other heroes. I thought this one was fairly easy to understand. Apparently I was wrong.

Now Variant covers ... I don't mind these. I don't usually buy them, but they're okay for the people that like that sort of thing. HOWEVER, you shouldn't have line-wide variants that have nothing to do with what's in the book. If you're doing J. Jonah Jameson Cover month, JJJ better at least cameo in every book you put out that month.

Costumes. Nobody is too cool for a costume. If you're a superhero, you wear a costume. Maybe some solo titles where the main character isn't doing superhero things can get away with it. Maybe. Superheroes that don't wear costumes when everybody else is wearing costumes? There is no excuse for that.

Also I miss superhero costumes that look like superhero costumes instead of trying to look like MOVIE versions of supehero costumes. I just feel that the tight colorful spandex look shows up better on paper and serves to make the book look more exciting and energetic than the combination Extreme sports/leather/Kevlar looks with visible seams.

If Bendis wants to write anything other than a solo street level book, hit him on the nose with a newspaper until he goes back into his corner. Also give that man an editor that isn't afraid to bust his chops.

I agree with every bit of this.

[Sutekh]

Heroes should fight villains more than they fight other heroes. I thought this one was fairly easy to understand. Apparently I was wrong.

No, you're not wrong.

This is Marvel comics, not Mortal Kombat.

Heroes should fight villains, or monsters, or alien invasions, or natural (unnatural) disasters. Not each other. If you want to mix things up, maybe *villains* could occasionally join them, in an enemy-of-my-enemy sort of way, since even Doom, the Mandarin, etc. don't want the Skrulls or Dormammu to take over / destroy the world (and then go back to being villains, because not every villain needs to join the Avengers or X-Men)!

[omegafix]

why do some writers still use 616 while others use Earth Prime? Marvel needs to **** or get off the pot and decide which it is.

who are the definitive survivors of the Ultimate Universe?

[Alan2099]

why do some writers still use 616 while others use Earth Prime? Marvel needs to **** or get off the pot and decide which it is.

To be fair, it was 616 for decades and has only been Prime for a few years.

Even then Prime is really just "616 plus a few other things" and given how with various people coming from alternate timelines and realities 616 was already "616 plus a few other things" there really isn't much of a difference other than the fact that they think the new name sounds cool.

[DJ1107]

They can start getting writers & editors who actually care or have at least a general interest in the field of comics such as the lore of the characters, the mythos of the world, & what they've been through over the 70+ years rather then just getting a bunch of people to match the characters & they fart out an short lived & unenjoyable ongoings like Mockingbird, Occupy Avengers, or America.

That's a change I like to see happen. That & for them to acknowledge their f*** ups rather then pit each other against each other like they did with that whole "diversity doesn't sell" pitch.