Special Edition Podcast
Show Notes
***SPOILER ALERT***
Warning! During this episode of Talksplode, we talk about the end of Secret Invasion, specifically, the events that occur at the end of Secret Invasion #8. If you don’t want it spoiled for you, we advise you read that comic first.
We sat down with Jim McCann of Marvel Comics for our annual chat where we ask Jim the question you provided a few weeks ago. The conversation ranges from the business of comics, to geeky character love to hearing about Jim’s new change in career as he begins writing comics. Jim was kind enough to provide some art for us to drool over:
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wow you guy are on top of everything
Sweet! Cool interivew, listening now. And he answered my questions, which totally rocked. (I always knew Millar could kick all their asses) 😛
Loved the podcast, guys. Big thanks to Jim!
@Ron: Thank you VERY much for being the first person in the comic’s press (that I know of) to call the "if fans were tired, they wouldn’t buy ’em" event-fatigue response to the carpet, and draw attention to the fact that comic fans will be fed up, but still buy out of a desire to stay in the loop.
This was an important sentiment that has gone unsaid for way too long.
This is why I go to Ifanboy over anyone else.
Paragraph fatique! Woo! I must have chopped the crap out of that question. Sorry.
In regards to Bob Bretall’s question about the Iron Man DVD, I think Jim McCann missed the point. Jim even said that it’s difficult to find a comic shop… THAT IS WHAT BOB WAS SAYING. Why wasn’t there a logo bug for the 1-888-comic shop somewhere within the DVD. THAT is how people find the mere 3000 shops.
I view the advertising responsibility as this, it is Marvel/DC/Dark Horse etc. job to get people in the shops and it is the LCS staff to keep them there.
When it comes to the "advertising is expensive" statement… of course it is. You gotta spend money to make money. The thing isn’t to just spend money hap hazardly, it’s all about spending it wisely. Even guerrilla marketing if done hap hazardly makes no sense.
It was stated that there were people in masks outside of a GMA taping. That’s great but if no one knows that these masks have anything to do with a comic storyline and where they can find it, they are nothing more than Halloween masks.
I have worked in advertising for years and there is an old mantra I always lived by… Possession without penetration is nothing more than masturbation.
the Tiki
As always, you guys have provided another informative and entertaining interview. Thank you very much.
The third one should involve whiskey and reefer.
Good round of questions guys. I still think that Icon is a weak attempt at Vertigo and wish Marvel pushed it more in that regard.
Any label with Criminal in its lineup is no slouch in terms of quality.
@ thefreakytiki’s comment:
"I view the advertising responsibility as this, it is Marvel/DC/Dark Horse etc. job to get people in the shops and it is the LCS staff to keep them there. "
Agreed. I also think the publishers should take more of an active effort to work with shops to better market and advertise in their respective localities. Jim McCann mentioned two interesting ways shops have advertised locally (passing out flyers outside of theater after the premiere of Iron Man, and giving away free back issues at the local universities and doctors’ offices) – these ideas should be better circulated.
Publishers should host small business seminars at conventions (and elsewhere) to get shop owners thinking and sharing ideas to better promote and perpetuate the business. With only 3,000 shops – publishers should be able to build stronger relationships with their retailers, and the stronger those relationships the better it will be for everyone involved.
Icon isn’t Vertigo, and it doesn’t seem like it’s trying to be. It’s an outlet for their most popular successful writers to publish creator owned books so they don’t have to go out of house, and can take advantage of Marvel’s bulk ordering and the lower prices that come of that. People just assumed they were trying to do a Vertigo line, and they’re just not.
Got two of my four questions answered, but thats cool. Maybe I touched on things that couldn’t be anounced yet? I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Always enjoy the JM interviews.
See, I know Marvel isn’t trying to necessarily do Vertigo, perhaps my phrasing is poor. I just wish they had more creator owned work since they have so much talent. There seem to be so few Icon titles and I’d rather see a new Jason Aaron book than a comic adaptation of Man in the Iron Mask or Wizard of Oz.
That said, I love Criminal and Powers, which I don’t think of as Icon though it is.
@brianmaru There are only like 3 Icon titles, and you named 2 of them. . .
Jim saying everyone is like: ‘ugh, secret invasion’ or any other type of major event is wrong for me at least. I anit groaning over Final Crisis or Batman RIP, I loved every issue that has come out from both of those. 🙂
Plus, the world Final Crisis is giving us is much, much MORE darker then what Dark Reign will probably give us. Oh and uh…if you need to read the entire Captain America run by Brubaker: issue #22-24 are Civil War tie-ins, so you definitely have a book tied in to Civil War which is the reason why Cap is getting arrested in the first place. It’s not like he just finished bringing back Bucky (winter solider) to the good side and just get suddenly arrested. So yeah, Brubaker might’ve had a plan before #21 and after #25 but the issues inbetween you need to know of Civil War in order to get the plot.
Good interview though
I had to listen to this in bits and pieces so I just finished this. . .interesting, thorough, entertaining interview as always. Jim’s enthusiasm is always infectious, and he’s now got me psyched about Mockingbird, who I really knew nothing about going into this podcast.