Episode 1564 Talkback - Comic Talk
Adam_Murdough
Posts: 506
Loosey-goosey, baby! The Geeks mull over a few 'All-New All-Different' Marvel news items and announcements; reveal which characters and/or creators make a comic an 'instant buy' for them; team up to answer the challenge of an especially demanding Muddle the Murd; and do the cha-cha like little, sissy girls. We like-a do the cha-cha. (1:42:49)
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As for my own back issue list, it's pretty simple, and anyone following the Comic Cover a Day thread knows it already. I mostly get stuff that will never be reprinted. Primarily I focus on The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, The Adventures of Bob Hope, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis—all three of which I get for the artwork of Bob Oksner and Owen Fitzgerald.
With the current books, there are only two creators I buy sight unseen: Darwyn Cooke and Paul Pope. And there are no characters I buy regardless of the creative team. That said, I have a pretty large monthly list of books I follow, and it seems like almost every month there's a new book I'm trying out, because my tastes are wide and varied.
I'm sure there will be an Amazing Spider-Man title with Peter in the blue and red. (Pause for a moment to reflect on how Amazing Spider-Man had one #1 issue for 37 years... then another one in 1999... then one in 2014... and now almost certainly a new ASM #1 scarcely a year later. Not complaining. Just saying.)
Count me as one fan who's thoroughly annoyed at how Marvel staggers these announcements for maximum confusion/controversy. They put out the "Miles as SPIDER-MAN #1!" announcement in order to suggest that Peter has been replaced. This divides the readership, creates controversy and also well-intentioned expectations on the part of some Miles fans who start to think "Hey, my guy is THE Spider-Man now!" ... And then a month or so later Marvel will (probably) announce another new ASM #1 with Peter starring and with Slott writing.
Basically, I don't like when Marvel does this, because I think that the fandom controversies it starts are nonproductive. (Not saying anything on CGS or the boards as been negative. I'm talking about other places online, where it's basically a race war and/or a flurry of "racist!" accusations whenever someone expresses preference for Peter Parker.) Even though the comics themselves have been very good -- and that's another whole discussion, just how GOOD Marvel Comics have been lately -- I find myself wearied by the way Marvel PR and to a lesser extent editorial sets things up, in the most misleading, faux-controversial, and divisive ways possible.
I think back to about five years ago when they relaunched "X-Men" with a bunch of ads featuring non-mutant characters like Spidey and She-Hulk standing in front of the X-Men logo. For about a month there were totally pointless controversies about "Well why SHOULDN'T these characters be X-Men???" and "Don't you ignorant morons know that non-mutants have been X-Men before??? What about Longshot!!!" And in the end all that happened was that these other characters guest-starred in the title for a couple issues max and never joined the team. A whole bunch of misleading advertisements and unnecessary arguments that served no purpose and didn't address the actual comics. And Marvel purposely did it to create "buzz".
To piggyback on this subject in a more positive way, for what it's worth I find myself totally indifferent as to whether or not some of the original heroes ever reclaim their mantles. I'm totally expecting a Peter Parker Spider-Man title, but it wouldn't bother me at all if there isn't one. For a long time now people have been saying things like "Yeah but you know by the time Cap 3 hits theaters, Steve will be back in the suit" or "Yeah but you know the original Thor is going to be THOR again in a year, tops". I don't know if those statements are true. We didn't have anything resembling the cinematic Avengers team in a comic book when Age of Ultron hit theaters. Marvel may not care so much. And if sales are good, who's to say that female Thor or "FalCap" are going anywhere? Fairly or unfairly, I think there would be a massively negative online fan reaction amongst the Tumblr crowd. I think Marvel cares about that. Then again, when sales are low and the properties matter, it's evident that they will make changes. The recent yanking of Kelly Sue DeConnick off of Captain Marvel, finally, is a case in point.
I think that what does seem "All-New and All-Different" about a lot of these newer and newish properties and titles that Marvel's been doing is that, from Nick Spencer on Ant Man to G. Willow Wilson on Ms. Marvel to Spider-Gwen to Sam Wilson as Cap, these "underdog"/replacement titles actually seem to have legs, get good reviews from readers, and actually "work" to develop the Marvel universe in new and worthwhile ways.
So they are teasing things so as still maintain some suspense in Secret Wars' outcome, but trying to give you enough information that you are still going to want to order the new titles before it ends. Which is always the delicate game you have to play with these sort of events.
The Fantastic Four is the one book I buy no matter who the creative team is. FF was my first comic and I love those characters.
I see BKV's name on a book and I'm in.
Characters, you give me a Swamp Thing book I'll buy it. Much like Shane I'll read the main Justice League book as long as it's around.
It does feel to me that, in the age of Bleeding Cool, and people on Twitter and blogs reposting and running with the speculation of the BCs of the world, that the marketing people for Marvel publishing (and perhaps editorial as well) have found the strategy you describe of, in some cases, seeding controversy and speculation. And when people make the wrong guess, instead of correcting anyone, they just let that anticipation (and, in some cases, controversy) build up over time. Those X-Men promos you mentioned are a great example of that misdirection. Another that comes to my mind is when this image was teased:
And I think at the time people assumed this would be a new kind of Captain America, or that Iron Man was becoming Cap, etc., and of course, the most noise created were by those who guessed wrong and hated the thing they figured this was. And later we found out that this was actually the Norman Osborn Iron Patriot.
And I think the other thing that Marvel does these days, and we saw this with the ending of the current volume of FF, is that if something gets controversal buzz ('They're cancelling FF because they hate Fox!!! There will be no more FF in the MU!!!') instead of getting out ahead of that, or countering that narrative, they let it play out. Because, hell, it is the most talk the FF had been getting since they 'killed' Johnny. And it boosted sales. The kickoff to the last FF story had a big bump over the prior month, and even the higher priced (I think it was $5 or even $6) final issue popped a big (well, big for FF) number as well. Had Marvel editorial countered the story that FF was being picked on because of studio politics, perhaps by hinting that there are about to be a LOT of other cancellations announced, maybe the final FF arc would have gotten lost in the shuffle. But by going with that first, and letting the controversy run its course, they sold more comics.
I think they are doing the same with the X-books now. Sure, newly appointed X-editor Mark Paniccia has hinted that it would be weird timing for him to be given the X-office if it was all about to go away. And Alonso has said some reassuring things about the future of the X-Men post-SW. But I am guessing the reason they have been left off of some of the teasers, and why they might be the last titles to be announced and launched, is exactly because they are playing the kinds of marketing games you are talking about.
I don't know that I blame them, as the job of marketers and digital strategy people is to try to keep the conversation going. And it seems that speculation-- including vocal negativity by those guessing the wrong thing and hating on the leaps they have made-- is good for sales. At least, short-to-medium term. So I don't agree that it serves no purpose. But I do agree that it may be, long-term, not the best, or fair-play, way to have a relationship with your readers and most passionate (or vocal) fans. You can only misdirect so many times before you are seen to be crying wolf about everything (to mix a metaphor).
My own lists of "must reads" would be:
Writers
Kurt Busiek
Chris Claremont
Peter David
J.M. DeMatteis
Grant Morrison
Paul Jenkins
Greg Rucka
J. Michael Straczynski
Mark Waid
Judd Winick
Characters
X-Men and X-Men related characters
Companies
Dark Horse
BOOM! Studios
Slave Labor Graphics
And yeah, anything Oksner is gold in my book, too. Fantastic comedy cartooning chops, and he drew what are arguably the cutest women in comics history. :x
Creators/Artists:
Paul Pope
Matt Fraction
Ed Brubaker
Steve Epting
Scott Snyder
Jason Aaron
Jeff Lemire
Greg Capullo
Fiona Staples
Brian K. Vaughan
Jim Mahfood
Ben Templesmith
Greg Rucka
Dan Brereton
Creators:
Ed Brubaker
Brian K Vaughan
James Tynion IV
Ethan van Sciver
Mike/Linda Allred
Fiona Staples
Characters/Titles:
Nightwing/Dick Grayson
Batman - main title
Sherlock Holmes - most anything I will try
Jonathon Hickman
Ed Brubaker
Brian K Vaughn
Charles Soule
Mark Waid
Nick Spencer
Matt Fraction
James Robinson
There's other "trusted names" who I may not get all of their work but if they're tied to a concept that looks to be in my wheelhouse, the book is likely to be a good bet for me:
Writers:
Rucka (catching up on Lazarus which is so good)
Lemire (I'll get most of his writing, if he's also drawing it I'll definitely pick up)
Snyder
Busiek
Aaron
Kirkman
and to a lesser extent Brubaker, Soule, Hickman, & Bendis
Artists:
Darwyn Cooke (like Lemire, when writing/drawing is a must buy)
Walt Simonson (again writing & drawing makes it a must- like on the current book Ragnarok)
Aja
Samnee
Lark
Azaceta
Jock
Maleev
Sean Murphy
Rafa Albuquerque
James Harren
Dustin Nguyen
Brian Hurtt (I'll check out his next work after Sixth Gun wraps up..)
There are MANY more artists that I like than these.. I just find that when they're tied to a concept and/or writer I like that seals the deal.. I just can't buy every book out there with cool art- there are too many. Looking through my pull list- I really have NO titles on there that have art that I'm indifferent to or don't like.
As for publishers & characters, I'm more of a Marvel guy among the big 2, and a Daredevil & Conan guy from way back.. but I'm flirting with the idea of taking a break from the Conan the Avenger title. For now, I'm still on board.