Worries Of A Fanboy

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feebadger

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I'm worried.

The comics industry has, of course, gone through a massive upheaval in the past few years (as have most industries) as it struggled and shifted to the new demands set by the arrival of a true digital age. Formats changed, presentation, business plans and distribution have been thrown out the window and 'events' have taken the place of continual quality.

But at what cost?

Sure, Events sell well and, to be honest, have probably kept the industry afloat a good number of years now, but is there a longer, farther reaching and deeper cost to such an approach? Change for the sake of change is rarely a good thing and the constant shifting of the goal posts, most noticeably evident in Marvels approach to their four colour universe seems to leave the whole rather hollow. Personally, I have lost interest in reading a lot of mainstream comic books as they seemed to be geared toward serving the whims and ambitions of whichever writer has been assigned to it at the time. How is this any different to the past? Well, to me, when a writer used to take on a book, they wrote to the characters, not to themselves; they served the story (unless you're talking about John Byrne who ALWAYS served himself first).

Now, comics feel like a game of one one-upmanship, each consecutive writer trying to outdo the last in how many deaths, resurrections, status quo changes and general mass destruction of that particular part of the universe they can achieve.

Don't get me wrong, I love mass destruction as much as the next fan-person (no geek sexism here), but when it is used in lieu of a good idea, or well written characterisation, then I’m not interested (are you listening , Michael Bay?). It feels incredible manipulative and plain disrespectful to real comic book fans out there who have committed and continue to commit themselves to these books and these universes.

I worry that when faced with constant relaunches, eternal number ones that the strength of comics mythology, the most important part of comics in my opinion will be diluted, if not destroyed completely. The Marvel NOW sums it up in it's title; Now is all that seemingly matters in the industries outlook. I am absolutely sensitive to the fact that any print medium in this day and age is going to struggle to compete with, well, everything else, but is there a way to make a buck and keep integrity? Is that the age old question?

Sure, comic book characters are at their highest profile, probably ever with the multi billion dollar successes in the movie world, but how does that relate to the industry? When you check the sales figures, they seem to be levelling out about the same, which means that there is no trickle back to the comic book world itself; people care about the characters, but not about the books from where they came.

How many loved the Godfather movie? Jaws? 2001? The Shawshank Redemption?

Now, how many people have read the books they were based on?

Right.

So who are the comic book companies catering to now? Are comics simply to be used as amped up storyboards, drawn movie pitches with which studios can sell their movies to interested parties? Is Marvel now just a movie development plant for Disney (their recent scrapping of Wolverine and Fantastic Four to seemingly sabotage 20th Century Fox would seem to suggest so), DC the same for Warner?

And where does that leave us, the humble comic book fan who just wants to be thrilled and excited by these characters we have supported and loved when the movies and public acceptance failed us?

The Comic Book is the most exciting medium there is and it's power, it's mythology is unique.

I hope it stays that way.

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bflynn316

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I don't think that people will stop making comic books in our life time don't worry

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hatemalingsia

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Ok.

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feebadger

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#4  Edited By feebadger

@bflynn316: Not really what i was saying in the post, bflynn, more talking about the content and interest that will remain for actual comic fans in the future of those comics.

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bflynn316

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#5  Edited By bflynn316

@bflynn316: Not really what i was saying in the post, bflynn, more talking about the content and interest that will remain for actual comic fans in the future of those comics.

Oh alright that makes more sense. Sorry I tried kinda speed reading through it so I guess I missed your meaning. But yeah that is something that concerns me too. I'm all for there being comics for everyone, but I just hope they don't trade the stuff for real comic fans in exchange for stuff that the masses like more.

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deactivated-097092725

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You've brought up valid points. It seems a path has been chosen by the Big Two with their shockandawe type tactics in story direction (Superior Spider-Man, etc). It sells. Plus, the more popular CBMs become, the more comics will become glorified advertisements for them and long time fans will fall by the wayside. Guardians of the Galaxy was pushed hard prior to the film's release and the characters on panel now mimic those on screen. The push with Inhumans over mutants in comics feels the same. There is a strong loyalty to be found in comic fans, one that's been abused in my opinion by the Big Two for a long while now. Maybe they have a right to be complacent in not feeling they need to cater to this group. We are notorious for complaining and yet still buy, buy, buy.

Perhaps there will come a time in the future in which characters who were beloved for so long become too unrecognisable to those who have been loyal to them. That core group of consumers will fall away and I believe that is when the comics industry will simply putter out to nothing. What an awful future.

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feebadger

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@bflynn316: Exactly. Because that just leads to something being a fad and fads never last and do more damage to the product than good, i believe.

@ms-lola: I remember when the Daredevil movie came out and Marvel did back flips changing the comic versions to match the movies one, even before the movie had really properly been seen and it was a terrible move. I think movie versions are movie versions and this doesn't necessarily need to be mirrored in the comics. As you mentioned with the Inhumans, i'm equally dubious, especially when decisions about the characters are based on rivalries with other movie studios who holed the rights to their characters, thus the snuffing out of Wolverine, the Fantastic Four and the downplaying of mutants in favour of Inhumans. That, to me, shows nil respect for the readers of comic books and is a big screw you to any sense of loyalty. I understand that comics are a business and that money is the bottom line, but when the comic book movie starts to fall out of favour (which the law of averages and diminished returns dictates it must) and all those big movie ticket bucks go someplace else, i worry that there will be no real comic book fans left to do what they've always done, support their favourite books because, as you said, they will be unrecognisable to the average fan.

One huge example of this is in Man Of Steel when Superman does what he does at the end (not going to assume you've seen it and don't want to ruin it for you if you haven't). That single but pivotal change, if adopted in the comic book version would fundamentally change the character and twist him into something that is not recognisable as Superman anymore. Let's hope the rot hasn't already set in.

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@feebadger: No, I saw Man of Steel and I was just as shocked as everyone else in the theatre. There was a few things that felt off about Superman in that film already, but that last scene just kind of obliterated the hope things would get back to normal. Guess not, right?

I think the rot has set in already in some places. I'm hoping there is still time to carve it out. (:/)