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Post by badwolf on Mar 30, 2022 17:20:56 GMT -5
There are three ideas that seem to be coming up in a few threads lately: Idea #1: There are superhero stories made for children and there are superhero stories made for adults. Idea #2: Many superhero stories made for children and superhero stories made for adults use the same characters. Idea #3: Some adults wish Idea #2 would go away Nicely put. I would add that Idea #2 seems integral to attracting kids to comics, if it's even possible anymore. I know 10-15 years ago both Marvel and DC tried doing "...Adventures" type comics, that featured manga-ized, cartoony, chibi, or other distortions of the main characters, and they went nowhere. I think when a kid goes to the "rack" to find Spider-Man, they want the REAL Spider-Man, not some processed-cheese version that will be more "palatable" for kids with simplified art and stories that "don't matter". I've never figured out the simplified art style trope that they always fall back on. Why? Is it because of animation? Animated character designs are simplified to aid in having to draw repeated images, and it makes them easier to stay on model having a simpler image. But in comics, EVERY TIME they try to carry that style over to the comics page, as if that's what's expected. How does it help a kid's immersion in a comic, if the image is simpler? I understand if the comic is BASED on an animated version, it maybe should look like it, but otherwise, no. There's been an increasing attitude over the last few decades that younger readers need everything simplified. This has been painfully obvious in the design of kids' books as well. Here's a good example.
Back in the 70s and 80s when I was growing up young adult books (which also meant something different then) had properly illustrated, realistic covers.
Nowadays they're more inclined to look like........THIS:
(As an aside, there is NO CAT anywhere in this book.)
I mean...really.
I enjoy a classic YA or children's novel every so often for nostalgia and to cleanse my mental palate, but I always go out of my way to find one of the old cover editions.
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Post by dbutler69 on Mar 30, 2022 18:23:09 GMT -5
I actually liked the first Secret Wars. It wasn't high art, but it was entertaining. So that definitely gets my vote over Super Powers.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,051
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Post by Confessor on Mar 30, 2022 19:07:09 GMT -5
I too really like Secret Wars for what it is: big dumb superhero fun. I was about 10 when it came out, which was basically just the right age, I guess. Sure, there were much better comics coming out of Marvel at the time, but still, Secret Wars was a pretty fun read. It holds up to modern eyes too, as long as you try to read it through pre-teen eyes.
Never read Super Powers. I don't even remember ever hearing of it.
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 1, 2022 16:27:24 GMT -5
Nicely put. I would add that Idea #2 seems integral to attracting kids to comics, if it's even possible anymore. I know 10-15 years ago both Marvel and DC tried doing "...Adventures" type comics, that featured manga-ized, cartoony, chibi, or other distortions of the main characters, and they went nowhere. I think when a kid goes to the "rack" to find Spider-Man, they want the REAL Spider-Man, not some processed-cheese version that will be more "palatable" for kids with simplified art and stories that "don't matter". I've never figured out the simplified art style trope that they always fall back on. Why? Is it because of animation? Animated character designs are simplified to aid in having to draw repeated images, and it makes them easier to stay on model having a simpler image. But in comics, EVERY TIME they try to carry that style over to the comics page, as if that's what's expected. How does it help a kid's immersion in a comic, if the image is simpler? I understand if the comic is BASED on an animated version, it maybe should look like it, but otherwise, no. There's been an increasing attitude over the last few decades that younger readers need everything simplified. This has been painfully obvious in the design of kids' books as well. Here's a good example.
Back in the 70s and 80s when I was growing up young adult books (which also meant something different then) had properly illustrated, realistic covers.
Nowadays they're more inclined to look like........THIS:
(As an aside, there is NO CAT anywhere in this book.)
I mean...really.
I enjoy a classic YA or children's novel every so often for nostalgia and to cleanse my mental palate, but I always go out of my way to find one of the old cover editions.
The abilities and talents of kids have been underestimated for a long time now.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2022 20:49:49 GMT -5
This week pays homage to the rivalry of two major fandoms that both start with "star". From their earliest comic book forms, I present to you... Gold Key Star Trek versus Marvel Star Wars
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 4, 2022 20:53:46 GMT -5
I’ll generally pass on both. But Star Wars is the far better comic of the two. And I say that as someone who much prefers Star Trek to Star Wars.
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 4, 2022 22:13:55 GMT -5
I have neither Tribble nor Ewok in this fight.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 4, 2022 22:22:45 GMT -5
I definitely think Marvel's Star Wars comics did a much better job of presenting comics that felt like Star Wars. The gold Key Trek books often felt like random Sci fi stories with the Trek characters pasted in (One could agrue some of the original Trek series WAS random sci fi stories with it's characters pasted in, but I digress).
I don't think Trek really got a good treatment until DC in the 80s when they let PAD and Michael Jan Friedman loose on the property.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2022 2:46:46 GMT -5
I'm more familiar with the earlier runs of both series, but based on that, I never really felt like either series particularly brought the actual franchises to life in comic book form. I also still enjoyed both for what they were, and great nostalgia.
I actually generally like Alberto Giolitti's art in Star Trek, particularly his use of detailed backgrounds. The series was more general Sci-Fi than pure Star Trek, but it had a good feel to me, I find it very re-readable. Star Wars similarly felt more general science fantasy to me, closer to the movie than Star Trek was to the series, but again still more its own thing. I enjoy it as an "alternate mythos" more than pure Star Wars.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2022 2:56:48 GMT -5
I have neither Tribble nor Ewok in this fight. The alternate topic this week will be Tribbles versus Ewoks in combat, who would win (personally, it would be very cathartic to see the Tribbles win):
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Post by EdoBosnar on Apr 5, 2022 3:09:41 GMT -5
I've never read any of the Gold Key Trek comics, so I guess my response would be Star Wars by default (the first - and thus far - only Trek comics I've ever read are the various minis done by Byrne for IDW). Much as I was a Star Wars fan at the time, though, I never became a regular reader of Marvel series - because I really didn't like Infantino's art. That's too bad, because Goodwin's stories were usually pretty good (of course).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2022 4:41:57 GMT -5
Super Powers, in my opinion, is nearly unreadable. Just a marketing ploy mess... terrible story, and Kirby's worst art. *Takes jacket off* Would you care to step outside?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2022 4:44:48 GMT -5
Sometimes when one discusses mid-80's events, and our favorite topic of Crisis on Infinite Earths comes up, there's mention of Secret Wars over on the Marvel side. But I believe the true counterpart to Secret Wars is in fact Super Powers. This is so true! @jaska has articulated my thoughts on the series, so I see no need to repeat things. For me, Super Powers has that grandeur and escapism, that fantastical nature that always made DC just that tad more escapist for me.
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 5, 2022 4:53:25 GMT -5
I enjoyed Secret Wars. Maybe it was too long but , I felt the characters all were written faithfully and the story had some fun twists and Turns. I have acquired some Super Powers books and it was only to pick up more Kirby books. It felt really silly.
I generally have no interest in Movie or TV adaptations. Star Wars and Star Trek are books I wouldn't buy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2022 4:54:20 GMT -5
Sometimes when one discusses mid-80's events, and our favorite topic of Crisis on Infinite Earths comes up, there's mention of Secret Wars over on the Marvel side. But I believe the true counterpart to Secret Wars is in fact Super Powers. This is so true! @jaska has articulated my thoughts on the series, so I see no need to repeat things. For me, Super Powers has that grandeur and escapism, that fantastical nature that always made DC just that tad more escapist for me. I'm glad you jumped into this one, team Super Powers needed some support!
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