CBR: When Words Collide - Dec 28, 2010

[CBR News]

Tim looks back on some of the important - and not-so-important - events of 2010, offering his perspective on everything from digital comics to "Shadowland" to "Brightest Day" to Frank Santoro's sense of Fusion.


Full article here.

[Thad]

even if we all moan about Event Comics, we will rush out and buy all the issues of that series, won't we?

No, "we" won't. Over the last several years I've dropped Green Lantern, Superman, Thor, and, most recently, Thunderbolts (which I have a near-complete run of; the last time I dropped it was during that awful little wrestler arc that ended the original series), because I'm sick of events, crossovers, and tie-ins. For me, "we" is just "you".

And that's the problem here -- events may still outsell other books among the demographic that goes to comic shops every Wednesday and reads CBR, but that group is shrinking. And one of the reasons it's shrinking is that people are sick of events.

Yes, some -- LOTS -- of people will moan about events and then go pick up Shadowland. But some will moan about them and NOT go pick up Shadowland, and will drop Thunderbolts after 150 issues besides because they're sick of it tying into every event since Civil War.

Shadowland isn't going to get any readers outside of the DC and Marvel faithful. It's not going to attract new fans. A kid-friendly, out-of-continuity book featuring a character who has a movie coming out next year, on the other hand, could easily attract a new generation of readers, especially if it also just happened to be the best book Marvel put out all year. But some bean counter somewhere thought that monthly sales, over the course of three issues, prior to the first trade release, were a better gauge of potential long-term success.

I'll grant events are successful (by the standards of monthly comics sold in specialty stores). I'll also grant that a lot of the people who complain about them are hypocrites who continue to support them. But I absolutely believe that, as a marketing strategy, they will do more harm than good in the long term. No, not next year, and maybe not in the next ten years.

Though we ARE in an odd-numbered decade, aren't we?

[Sijo]

I just want to say that I find it annoying when someone says that comics like "The Mighty Thor" didn't sell. It DID sell thousands of copies. Just not enough to justify its continued publication, as decided by Marvel. But that still means THOUSANDS of people bought the series. Acting like they don't count is being condescending. More importantly making sure a comics sells is THE PUBLISHER'S responsibility. It isn't as if the fans are one single-minded mass with a pact that requires them to buy any comics out of their (perceived) quality. Instead of whining about fans "not buying" a serieswhy not find out how the publishers failed to market them right?

[zooBATZ]

I was reading Daredevil and enjoying it until "Shadowland" took over. I immediately dropped the title and read none of "Shadowland." I understand that events bring in a lot of money and the only vote I have is with my wallet so I choose not to buy into them. I also have no problem if people do buy them, hey if that's your thing more power to ya. Things will change, economics dictates that, someday there may be no event comics and people will also lament that. I just look for good storytelling and stick with that, there's enough good stuff out there to support and that's what I do.
As far as digital comics I'm still on the fence. I love the idea of an IPad like device that delivers the goods, but until I hear it's the bees knees and the price of the device comes down I'm gonna wait.

[bongoes]

I don't know how anyone can read comics on an iPad. I've never used one, but not having the feel of a book in your hands just seems wrong.

I quite frankly, like events. I liked Blackest Night, I loved Final Crisis, heck, I even thought Siege was okay. (Civil War is the main exception, that was horrible). They aren't always the best comics and it does suck when a comic gets pulled into an event without really having a reason, but they're usually fun and almost always have some great artists drawing. As soon as I started reading that the big two were going to pull back on events I knew it wouldn't last long. To me a year without events feels like a summer without a big effects heavy blockbuster movie, sure it may leave more room for better low key movies to get attention, but it kind of feels wrong, like something's missing.

And Scott Snyder is awesome.

[MisterSmith]

I've yet to use an iPad, but as someone who finds comixology and the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited comics readable on my Mac and Droid, I can't imagine iPad reading would prove difficult for me.

I think Shadowland would have likely been much better if it had gone to what apparently was Diggle's original plan and have it be another arc in his Daredevil run. It just got crushed under its own weight. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Daredevil: Reborn turns out to be a pretty good conclusion since it's own its own. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

On the other hand, I don't quite agree with Shadowland's tie-ins being 'terrible;' I thought Power Man was fantastic and I enjoyed Blood on the Street as well. Neither of them were essential in the slightest, but I think that's what made them work in the first place, simply allowing the status quo of the main event to give these stories a backdrop to work with. Then again, the one shots weren't all that great and I didn't bother with the rest.

I've never once had a care for this First Wave stuff. I really don't care about Batman-With-A-Gun and his interactions with characters like Doc Savage. But The Spirit has really been enjoyable, so far as to say that it's honestly one of my favorite books out right now. I never thought I'd be able to say again once Darwyn Cooke stopped, and yet Hine & Moritat have proven to me otherwise.

[mistergoodman]

I don't know how anyone can read comics on an iPad. I've never used one, but not having the feel of a book in your hands just seems wrong.

Well, Apple offers a "case" for it that gives you a cover, just like a book or magazine:



Mine is covered with 70's era Marvel stickers.

[nyrdyv]

As difficult as it may seem, digital comics will inevitably play a larger and larger role as the years go by. It will definitely reduce the number of actually printed lines as time progresses, irrevocably changing the comic book industry.

Though I too will probably always like the physical medium and will continue to collect printed comic books, I also know that this wave is but the "first wave" of what is to come.