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Post by The Captain on Mar 26, 2020 13:27:19 GMT -5
I've been looking at EMPYRE in the free Marvel preview magazine my LCS and have zero interest in it, like 98% of the other things they have in their every month. It's a pretty sad state of affairs for them when the things I'm most interested in are the True Believers books, Facsimile editions, and Epic Collections. The vast majority of their current output just doesn't excite me in the least. I'm not interested in Empire either but for my money Marvel is putting out a lot of good books, I'm buying more Marvel than any other publisher for the first time since the Ultimate Universe was at its peak. I'm loving Hulk, Doctor Strange, Strikeforce, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Thor, Miles Morales: Spider-Man and the Star Wars books are solid too. Some of these books look good, but I'm not certain I want to start buying more monthly books. Space is getting limited in my storage area, so I want to just get the things that really blow me away. I read most of the first Star Wars series (the post-New Hope) and all of the Darth Vader one, and they were good but I'm not really feeling like I want to grab the current post-Empire stuff. I've leafed through Doctor Strange, but I don't really like the artwork (although I'm interested to know how Dr. Druid came back), but one thing I may get is the Strange Academy book that is due to come out, because I like a lot of the supporting cast (not the kids, but the adult teachers) and while I'm not a huge Ramos fan, Skottie Young does some good work as a writer (really loved I Hate Fairyland). |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 13:31:21 GMT -5
I'm not interested in Empire either but for my money Marvel is putting out a lot of good books, I'm buying more Marvel than any other publisher for the first time since the Ultimate Universe was at its peak. I'm loving Hulk, Doctor Strange, Strikeforce, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Thor, Miles Morales: Spider-Man and the Star Wars books are solid too. Some of these books look good, but I'm not certain I want to start buying more monthly books. Space is getting limited in my storage area, so I want to just get the things that really blow me away. I read most of the first Star Wars series (the post-New Hope) and all of the Darth Vader one, and they were good but I'm not really feeling like I want to grab the current post-Empire stuff. I've leafed through Doctor Strange, but I don't really like the artwork (although I'm interested to know how Dr. Druid came back), but one thing I may get is the Strange Academy book that is due to come out, because I like a lot of the supporting cast (not the kids, but the adult teachers) and while I'm not a huge Ramos fan, Skottie Young does some good work as a writer (really loved I Hate Fairyland). I liked the preview they gave of Strange Academy a few months back so I'm looking forward to that myself but I get what you mean about limited space and only wanting to buy what's totally awesome. |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 26, 2020 13:35:02 GMT -5
Yeah, i have read a lot of the new Marvel Star Wars series and while many were enjoyable, none were very memorable enough for me in wanting to hold onto them. I have passed them along to other friends and their kids who are more into modern Star Wars than I am. My Star Wars days were the classic Marvel in the day. Doctor Strange as The Captain states doesn't artistically interest me and a bit of what i have read or seen with all the "magic" changes don't do it for me either. I have picked up some new Marvel Conan and it just doesn't seem to be the Conan I know. I am looking to try out Hulk as the reviews here in the CCF has gotten my attention and perked my interest/curiosity. And I too am trying to keep only that which I want to read over again and keep around for my twilight years. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2020 14:05:14 GMT -5
For the bulk of modern big 2 super-hero books, I am content to wait and read them on Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe, or through Hoopla, where I can sample things at my discretion. If something strikes my fancy, I can keep reading or pick up a trade to have it on hand, or if it blows me away I can try to catch up on the 6 month gap and add it to my pull. There are exceptions-I am getting Hawkman from DC (plus most of the line of $4.99 giants) and Dr. Strange from Marvel, but most of what I choose to get monthly is either stuff outside the super-hero mainstream from the big 2 (Hill House and Sandman Universe mostly from DC, plus Last God) or stuff from "Indy Publishers" (Image, Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM!, Dynamite, Source Point, Abstract Studios, and others) that are mostly standalone books telling a single story.
From my view, the big 2 have spent so much time selling their shared universe as "the product" that it has made supporting or reading individual books almost irrelevant because few of them truly stand on their own or tell their own story anymore. So I'd rather pay for the lot as a subscription and pick and choose what I want form all eras of their shared universe playground than shell out any money for the individual books. They tried to make it an all or nothing game for their shared universe as a product, whenever given that choice, I usually choose the nothing. I've always felt the draw was the characters and the stories and the shared universe was more of a by-product of that, not the draw itself, and I think the biggest misstep the big 2 made was making the shared universe the main product and the characters and stories simply a by-product of that. More than the loss of newsstands and retreat into a ghetto market, I think that was the thing that caused comics to stop being a product with mass market appeal. They can do it in movies and TV in a more manageable manner, as the quantity of movies/shows you need to follow to get the story is smaller and are in manageable chunks (a 2-3 hour movie 2-3 times a year, a 3-4 weekly episodes running 22 of 52 weeks in a year), but trying to do it over 50-75 titles each month isn't manageable even if the books themselves were easier to get and less expensive. I do think DC is doing a decent job with the $4.99 giants, as they do tell continued stories in the new material, but each chapter stands on its own, they provide recaps of the story so far each issue, and everything you need to follow the story is in the issue. Plus you get 5 stories each month so if one doesn't grab you there are 4 others that might. And they do weave the tapestry of a bigger shared universe, but it is again the by-product and the focus has been on the characters and stories not that shared world-building.
And now there is rumors that there are creators/editors pushing the idea of massive DC/Marvel x-over to release when comic resume shipping to "save comics" and "bring the customers" back, and again, I shake my head and wonder when they are going to realize it is the stories and the characters told in manageable and accessible chunks that are capturing the audiences in movies and TV and not the massive world-first/shared universe/event driven approach that has made comics inaccessible to the mass market and driven away potential readers/fans/customers who love the characters and stories.
-M
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 26, 2020 14:10:19 GMT -5
For the bulk of modern big 2 super-hero books, I am content to wait and read them on Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe, or through Hoopla, where I can sample things at my discretion. If something strikes my fancy, I can keep reading or pick up a trade to have it on hand, or if it blows me away I can try to catch up on the 6 month gap and add it to my pull. There are exceptions-I am getting Hawkman from DC (plus most of the line of $4.99 giants) and Dr. Strange from Marvel, but most of what I choose to get monthly is either stuff outside the super-hero mainstream from the big 2 (Hill House and Sandman Universe mostly from DC, plus Last God) or stuff from "Indy Publishers" (Image, Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM!, Dynamite, Source Point, Abstract Studios, and others) that are mostly standalone books telling a single story. From my view, the big 2 have spent so much time selling their shared universe as "the product" that it has made supporting or reading individual books almost irrelevant because few of them truly stand on their own or tell their own story anymore. So I'd rather pay for the lot as a subscription and pick and choose what I want form all eras of their shared universe playground than shell out any money for the individual books. They tried to make it an all or nothing game for their shared universe as a product, whenever given that choice, I usually choose the nothing. I've always felt the draw was the characters and the stories and the shared universe was more of a by-product of that, not the draw itself, and I think the biggest misstep the big 2 made was making the shared universe the main product and the characters and stories simply a by-product of that. More than the loss of newsstands and retreat into a ghetto market, I think that was the thing that caused comics to stop being a product with mass market appeal. They can do it in movies and TV in a more manageable manner, as the quantity of movies/shows you need to follow to get the story is smaller and are in manageable chunks (a 2-3 hour movie 2-3 times a year, a 3-4 weekly episodes running 22 of 52 weeks in a year), but trying to do it over 50-75 titles each month isn't manageable even if the books themselves were easier to get and less expensive. I do think DC is doing a decent job with the $4.99 giants, as they do tell continued stories in the new material, but each chapter stands on its own, they provide recaps of the story so far each issue, and everything you need to follow the story is in the issue. Plus you get 5 stories each month so if one doesn't grab you there are 4 others that might. And they do weave the tapestry of a bigger shared universe, but it is again the by-product and the focus has been on the characters and stories not that shared world-building. And now there is rumors that there are creators/editors pushing the idea of massive DC/Marvel x-over to release when comic resume shipping to "save comics" and "bring the customers" back, and again, I shake my head and wonder when they are going to realize it is the stories and the characters told in manageable and accessible chunks that are capturing the audiences in movies and TV and not the massive world-first/shared universe/event driven approach that has made comics inaccessible to the mass market and driven away potential readers/fans/customers who love the characters and stories. -M Yeah, I'm not a fan of the big world building events myself; the books I'm enjoying are all pretty much stand alone books doing their own things. I'm not going to lie though...I'd probably at least try a big DC/Marvel mash up if it did come out. |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 26, 2020 14:18:02 GMT -5
Now, if they were going to do something different like many of the tweets from the creators are suggesting for a Marvel/DC cross over then I would certainly check them out. Creative and inventive match ups with unique and dynamic stories like the suggested Kamandi and Devil Dinosaur? I am there. But more of the DC Versus Marvel or the who is better crapola is a waste of time. The fun is when we the fans who adore our heroes and villains are imagining an discussing over who wins in a match up: Supes or Thor, Cap or Bats, Spidey or Bats, Titans or X-Men, Avengers or LOSH, FF or DP and the likes. And place fan favorite writers teamed with fan favorite artists together who have a passion for some characters which will show in the product. THAT is how you keep the BIG 2 ViTAL and ALIVE.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2020 20:24:11 GMT -5
If your LCS (or any other local business like restaurants for example) offers gift certificates, they are a great way to support local businesses. Buying the gift card snow gives them an influx of cash now, but lets you do custom with them once the crisis is passed. -M Took your advice. Talked to my LCS about ways I can help him over the next month. Thanks. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2020 20:28:25 GMT -5
Now, if they were going to do something different like many of the tweets from the creators are suggesting for a Marvel/DC cross over then I would certainly check them out. Creative and inventive match ups with unique and dynamic stories like the suggested Kamandi and Devil Dinosaur? I am there. But more of the DC Versus Marvel or the who is better crapola is a waste of time. The fun is when we the fans who adore our heroes and villains are imagining an discussing over who wins in a match up: Supes or Thor, Cap or Bats, Spidey or Bats, Titans or X-Men, Avengers or LOSH, FF or DP and the likes. And place fan favorite writers teamed with fan favorite artists together who have a passion for some characters which will show in the product. THAT is how you keep the BIG 2 ViTAL and ALIVE. I also think it would be cool to up the stakes. Have a multiple company crossover. Imagine Batman, Spider-Man AND Spawn illustrated by Todd McFarlane. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 28, 2020 21:18:33 GMT -5
You know what would be fun... a fight between DC and Marvel, with legit fan voting for results.
I would mind an 'acts of vengeance' style thing either, throw DC's villains at Marvel heroes and vise versa. I big epic 'first the fight, then they team up' thing like always? pass.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2020 22:41:09 GMT -5
If your LCS (or any other local business like restaurants for example) offers gift certificates, they are a great way to support local businesses. Buying the gift card snow gives them an influx of cash now, but lets you do custom with them once the crisis is passed. -M Took your advice. Talked to my LCS about ways I can help him over the next month. Thanks. You're welcome. -M |
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Post by hondobrode on Mar 29, 2020 10:59:54 GMT -5
You know what would be fun... a fight between DC and Marvel, with legit fan voting for results. I would mind an 'acts of vengeance' style thing either, throw DC's villains at Marvel heroes and vise versa. I big epic 'first the fight, then they team up' thing like always? pass.
I'm afraid Marvel would end up winning more of those fights because they have the higher market share.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 29, 2020 11:43:00 GMT -5
You know what would be fun... a fight between DC and Marvel, with legit fan voting for results. I would mind an 'acts of vengeance' style thing either, throw DC's villains at Marvel heroes and vise versa. I big epic 'first the fight, then they team up' thing like always? pass.
I'm afraid Marvel would end up winning more of those fights because they have the higher market share.
No fan voting, because that leads to PIS. I would be intrigued by an "Acts of Vengeance" kind of thing. Spidey against Flash's Rogues, Batman against the Sinister Six, stuff like that, but one problem I would foresee is that many of DC's heroes seem to be OP compared to Marvel's villains, so who could Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern fight that would give them a legitimate challenge without needing the above-mentioned PIS? |
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Post by hondobrode on Mar 29, 2020 20:22:24 GMT -5
I agree that the whole connected universe is hurting the Big 2 more than helping.
It's always been there, but it's taken to the extreme and comics aren't as cheap as they used to be.
I'm buying Hawkman, LoSH, and Shazam because I love the characters and can get a complete story, or at least chapter, every month.
My current comics enthusiasm is at the lowest it's ever been and as I get more time to organize my collection, I'll be selling some of it and reading and re-reading other stuff.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 29, 2020 21:16:42 GMT -5
I'm afraid Marvel would end up winning more of those fights because they have the higher market share.
No fan voting, because that leads to PIS. I would be intrigued by an "Acts of Vengeance" kind of thing. Spidey against Flash's Rogues, Batman against the Sinister Six, stuff like that, but one problem I would foresee is that many of DC's heroes seem to be OP compared to Marvel's villains, so who could Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern fight that would give them a legitimate challenge without needing the above-mentioned PIS? How about Superman Vs. Loki, Wonder Woman vs. Purple Man, Green Lantern vs. Magneto (or better yet, the whole old Brotherhood of Evil Mutants)... Flash vs... Taskmaster maybe? I' m sure guys like Mark Waid and Geoff Johns (though I'm not a fan) can figure something good out  I agree fan voting can be a bit crazy, but it would likely be engaging and lead to good sales. |
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Post by berkley on Apr 1, 2020 0:19:27 GMT -5
Isn't this idea of just staging fights between various characters from the different companies dumbing down superhero comics to their most simplistic, least interesting feature? What about exploring the characters themselves, what makes them tick, seeing how an interaction with another character they wouldn't normally encounter helps bring out something new but still intrinsic to them, in the view of the creators? If all they want to do is put two superheroes together and vote on who wins the fight, what could be more dull and dreary?
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