HudsonPhillips

January 5, 2010 11:01 am

This is always one of my favorite posts of the year.

How about seeing the numbers for user POWs?

July 9, 2008 5:37 pm Over the past few years, that's what has helped more than anything else... not the movies, but the mainstream press treating comics with respect... being referenced as "cool" entertainment by EW, USA Today, GQ, even Time Magazine.  It's that mainstream mindset that is currently being changed thanks to these media outlets.

July 8, 2008 8:07 pm

I just posted an essay along the same lines... and I completely agree.

The conclusion that I've come to is that the comics industry will never entice an audience who doesn't embrace the classic art forms.  Millions of people go to the movies, but the book industry is slowing shrinking.  And you read comics, you don't view them.  The majority of people just don't read. 

So, we need to be content to have a small piece (comics) of an already small market (books) because we'll never get mass-audiences (movies).

June 3, 2008 5:25 pm

Jimski & Tad - you guys are completely right.  In theory.  However, a book like Flash will never get cancelled. 

Dropping the book may make the publishers begin to question the creative team behind the book, but I'm sure (or i HOPE rather) that they look at more than just sales numbers to decide which books are successful.

If you want the quality of books to increase, dropping the crappy books isn'g goint to do much.  Especally on brand names like the Flash.  But buying the great books that no one is reading will make a huge difference.   If we all broadened our horizens outside of Marvel & DC and started picking up some truly great books that haven't received the numbers of the big 2 books, I think we'd start to see a change for the better.

June 3, 2008 11:22 am

Ron - Really great thoughts!

My issue with reading bad comics is that if everyone reads bad comics, then the companies are going to start making them.  There's no consumer backlash for creating a bad book if you read it just because you love the character.

The same thing is true in movies.  That's why they keep making crappy ones, but I go see movies that I know are going to be bad because I LOVE movies.  The same is true in comics. 

There are people who love the comics they love and then there are people who love comics, period.

I get that latter sense of love from you, Ron, and it's inspiring.

May 4, 2008 8:27 pm

AlexG - Thank you!  I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way. 

Mario - You are correct, but I was expecting this issue to be a "catch up" for Final Crisis, and it wasn't.  I did pick up Secret Invasion and enjoyed it, even though I'm not deep in the Marvel U, so hopefully Final Crisis will be the same.

Conor - You are correct.  It didn't live up to my expectations because it wasn't what I was expecting. That's my fault, I think.

But it leads to the question - Why DIDN'T they release a "catch up" for Final Crisis?  Why don't all publisher's do this before big events?  

May 1, 2008 11:18 am

I don't read the spiderman books or the flash (or much dc at all, really).

So, from my perspective, both of these news bits were "meh." 

There's already a Flash, so it's not like they are bringing back "the Flash."  Just one of the Flashes.  I don't know this Flash, so why should that be interesting to me?  I guess it just doesn't seem like a news bit that will get any new readers in.  (Like the death of Cap Am did.)

And the Spider-man thing is a little cooler. Also doesn't seem like something to get new readers, but the little teaser with MJ and Kravens grave and the venoms is kinda cool looking.  Probably still won't read it.

And anti-venom "designed" by JRJR?  They just reversed the colors... how did he design it, just press the "invert" button in photoshop?

April 29, 2008 4:31 pm Ugh... man, what a rip.  i was really excited about the idea of that.  Oh well... back to boredom.

April 25, 2008 11:02 am

My favorite bit about what to do with old comics comes from, I believe, Joe Quesada - He said that when he finishes a comic, he just leaves it wherever he is.  On the train, in the waiting room, on the bench, at the airport... wherever he is when he finishes the book, he leaves it.  This provides the opportunity for those who may never pick up a comic to pick one up and flip through it. 

To me the best thing you can do with your old comics is to bring in new readers.

April 14, 2008 2:20 pm

There are some fantastic nominations on here.  This is the first Eisner's I've ever really paid attention to and I'm excited.

Question: Both mainstream and indie books are well represented but why is no Manga represented on the list?  Those are, indeed, comic books, right?  I can understand ths divide in an opinion-oriented site like iFanboy, but the Eisner's are suppose to recognize the best work in all of sequential art, correct?