So last week, in a parallel universe, DC Comics decided to generate a bit of publicity and buzz for Wonder Woman, one of the company's iconic properties. Among the bullet points announced was a new storyline and, most importantly, a new costume.
Like the rational society it is, the comic book internet community responded with tact and grace. While many were skeptical of the move, they applauded the creators involved for taking a chance, and said they would give DC the benefit of the doubt and adopt a wait-and-see approach to the changes.
Over in our universe, DC made the same announcement. And like the anarchistic society our comic book internet community is, we responded by hurling personal insults at the creators, cried about our childhoods being sullied, and declaring it one of the worst ideas in comics history.
You'd think with the amount of bile being spewed, Wonder Woman would be one of the top selling books in the industry. Yet it's barely a Top 100 book, finding itself at #78 in April 2010, selling just over 25,000 units, being out performed by both Supergirl and Batgirl in the process (source: ComicsBeat.com).
I tell ya... Nothing pisses off the comic book fanboy more than change, or at least change he didn't think of first. And this Wonder Woman hoopla is further proof of that.
What's really comical is when the storyline is over, hindsight will show this outrage to be misplaced, because we're talking about alternate timeline here. One in which Wonder Woman's memories of the original timeline will progressively return to her.
Therefore, I believe at the end of the story, the timeline will be restored, but Wonder Woman will retain her memories of her alternate life. And to show respect for her alt-self and her friends and loved-ones from that life, she will design a new costume, combining elements of the classic and alt versions.
But will the fanboys look back and say, “Oops. We overreacted. The whole Wonder Woman thing wasn't that horrible after all. Our bad”? Heck no. They won't remember anything about this. In fact, that short term memory will cease about a week after the first issue with the new costume hits the shelf. Such is the way of the internet.
So what was my reaction to all of this? Well, I added Wonder Woman to my pull list for the first time ever. Really. No joke.
I didn't add the title because I think the storyline and costume change are the greatest ideas ever in comic-dom though. It's more to show DC that not every fan is a whiny,self-important fanboy. In fact, had the internet not over reacted, I probably wouldn't have added the book.
“Big deal,” you say. “Don't act like you're making a huge sacrifice by picking up another book in the store each month.”
On the surface, you might have a point. But remember, I don't buy my books at a local comic book store; I buy online, and the deadlines for adjusting my July and August orders, of which Wonder Woman #601 and #602 would be a part, were long gone before DC made its announcement.
So I had to quickly email customer service imploring them, along with a healthy dose of sucking up, to adjust my orders. Fortunately, adding those two issues wasn't a problem. That's just one of many reasons DCBSerivce.com rules.
Had I been unable to adjust the orders, I'm not sure which would have won out; my frustration with whiny, self-important fanboys or my distaste for the comic book stores in my area? Fortunately, I won't have find out.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
This is Not a Lending Library!
With the release of the iPad, and the corresponding comic book apps, the comic book society on the internet was ripe with exclamations of hyperbole.
One camp decreed it a game changer. It will revolutionize the industry, they said, bringing in millions of new customers and saving the industry in the process. The other camp dug into the sand, explaining that comics on electronic devices are graphically inferior and that paper will never go away.
Interestingly, retailers were equally as divided, with some deluding themselves into believing comics on the iPad will bring new customers to their stores, and others predicting doom for the direct market.
Now, lest you think this post will be about my opinion on the iPad hoopla and its potential impact on the comic book industry, please remember I call this blog Retroactive Continuity for a reason. I have to wait at least another month or two before commenting so I can pretend that everything I say is an original thought.
So instead, I shall wax poetic on a sub-topic of the iPad debate; comics piracy. Not necessarily that the iPad will make it easier and more popular to pirate comic books, but whether piracy is actually stealing.
In a thread on Blog@ over at Newsarama, this post caught comparing the sharing of electronic versions of comics with reading comics for free in a store caught my eye:
"I only ask because, every week, I see people at my LCS reading the comics, but not necessarily buying. That is no different, really. They’ve just enjoyed the product at absolutely no cost. Should store owners crack down on people who read, but don’t buy?"
Well, as a former owner of a comic book store, I emphatically say, hell yes store owners should crack down on people who read, but don't buy. In fact, I'm taken aback by the poster's incredulous attitude that owners ever consider cracking down on people who read, but never buy, in their stores.
The policy at my store was quite simple; customers could feel free to browse through as many books as they'd like, perhaps even read a page or two, but that was it. Reading the issue, then placing it back on the shelf was not allowed.
Because we didn't want there to be any confusion over this policy, we placed signage around the store clearly, and politely, explaining the rules. And 99.9% of the time people were cool about it, because I those 99.9% of the people understand that reading a comic book in a comic book store without purchasing it is stealing. Yes, stealing.
Look, I wasn't a fascist about this. I didn't go around busting people's balls because they read one page too many, nor did I make a scene in the rare instance where I felt someone was taking advantage of our relaxed policy.
And I certainly didn't care when a regular customer read a book, because I knew he or she – oh who am I kidding, all of my regular customers were dudes – would drop $20 in my cash register before leaving, or would do so during his next visit.
But in more than one isolated incident, someone would actually sit down in a back corner of the store with a comic book or three and read them all cover to cover. Yes, they would actually sit down on the floor... the floor of a comic book store, and even though my store was cleaner than most, still...
In these cases, if the customer was new, I'd usually let the first book slide, thinking he would soon be walking up to the register with the rest of his stack. But once he started on the second book, I had to lay down the law – politely, of course.
What confuses me about all of this is that some people feel its acceptable, if not their right, to read books in a comic shop without then purchasing something. I mean, it IS shoplifting, right? Or am I way off-base with that opinion?
And what adds to my confusion is those same people wouldn't even consider taking the book home without paying for it because that's very clearly stealing. It's similar to how downloading music for free is considered acceptable, but stealing a CD from a store is wrong.
Is this because the people in question only consider it stealing if they end up with a physical object to show for their effort? And as long as they're only consuming something digital or words and pictures, leaving the paper on the shelf, it's totally fine? It's the location of that arbitrary line in the sand that perplexes me.
Actually, you what? I take that back. It doesn't confuse me. For we now live in a society with a couple of generations who expect handouts and people to take care of them, and at least one generation raised with the “it's on the internet, so it must be free” philosophy. Perhaps I'm the one with the bogus ethical code; too stuck in the past, and yearning for simpler times.
So I tell you what... the next time I open a comic book store, everybody is welcome to sit on the floor and read for free. I promise I'll vacuum even more frequently to keep everybody's butts clean.
One camp decreed it a game changer. It will revolutionize the industry, they said, bringing in millions of new customers and saving the industry in the process. The other camp dug into the sand, explaining that comics on electronic devices are graphically inferior and that paper will never go away.
Interestingly, retailers were equally as divided, with some deluding themselves into believing comics on the iPad will bring new customers to their stores, and others predicting doom for the direct market.
Now, lest you think this post will be about my opinion on the iPad hoopla and its potential impact on the comic book industry, please remember I call this blog Retroactive Continuity for a reason. I have to wait at least another month or two before commenting so I can pretend that everything I say is an original thought.
So instead, I shall wax poetic on a sub-topic of the iPad debate; comics piracy. Not necessarily that the iPad will make it easier and more popular to pirate comic books, but whether piracy is actually stealing.
In a thread on Blog@ over at Newsarama, this post caught comparing the sharing of electronic versions of comics with reading comics for free in a store caught my eye:
"I only ask because, every week, I see people at my LCS reading the comics, but not necessarily buying. That is no different, really. They’ve just enjoyed the product at absolutely no cost. Should store owners crack down on people who read, but don’t buy?"
Well, as a former owner of a comic book store, I emphatically say, hell yes store owners should crack down on people who read, but don't buy. In fact, I'm taken aback by the poster's incredulous attitude that owners ever consider cracking down on people who read, but never buy, in their stores.
The policy at my store was quite simple; customers could feel free to browse through as many books as they'd like, perhaps even read a page or two, but that was it. Reading the issue, then placing it back on the shelf was not allowed.
Because we didn't want there to be any confusion over this policy, we placed signage around the store clearly, and politely, explaining the rules. And 99.9% of the time people were cool about it, because I those 99.9% of the people understand that reading a comic book in a comic book store without purchasing it is stealing. Yes, stealing.
Look, I wasn't a fascist about this. I didn't go around busting people's balls because they read one page too many, nor did I make a scene in the rare instance where I felt someone was taking advantage of our relaxed policy.
And I certainly didn't care when a regular customer read a book, because I knew he or she – oh who am I kidding, all of my regular customers were dudes – would drop $20 in my cash register before leaving, or would do so during his next visit.
But in more than one isolated incident, someone would actually sit down in a back corner of the store with a comic book or three and read them all cover to cover. Yes, they would actually sit down on the floor... the floor of a comic book store, and even though my store was cleaner than most, still...
In these cases, if the customer was new, I'd usually let the first book slide, thinking he would soon be walking up to the register with the rest of his stack. But once he started on the second book, I had to lay down the law – politely, of course.
What confuses me about all of this is that some people feel its acceptable, if not their right, to read books in a comic shop without then purchasing something. I mean, it IS shoplifting, right? Or am I way off-base with that opinion?
And what adds to my confusion is those same people wouldn't even consider taking the book home without paying for it because that's very clearly stealing. It's similar to how downloading music for free is considered acceptable, but stealing a CD from a store is wrong.
Is this because the people in question only consider it stealing if they end up with a physical object to show for their effort? And as long as they're only consuming something digital or words and pictures, leaving the paper on the shelf, it's totally fine? It's the location of that arbitrary line in the sand that perplexes me.
Actually, you what? I take that back. It doesn't confuse me. For we now live in a society with a couple of generations who expect handouts and people to take care of them, and at least one generation raised with the “it's on the internet, so it must be free” philosophy. Perhaps I'm the one with the bogus ethical code; too stuck in the past, and yearning for simpler times.
So I tell you what... the next time I open a comic book store, everybody is welcome to sit on the floor and read for free. I promise I'll vacuum even more frequently to keep everybody's butts clean.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Plenty of Room at the Hotel Comi-Con?
I can't believe I just spoofed lyrics from an Eagles tune to start this blog post. I feel dirty and cheap... *shudder*
So a few weeks ago, Comic-Con International held its annual “let's work tens of thousands of people into a feeding frenzy of false hope and then crush their souls with rejection” also known as the day its blocks of hotel rooms open for reservations. And just like every other year, it was a tremendous success it always is.
Unlike the true “first come, first served” free-for-all of previous years, the 2010 event was setup like a lottery. At the sound of the starting pistol, participants submitted a form with their desired dates and hotels listed in order of preference. Submissions were then pulled at random by the hotel gods and reservations were granted based on availability at the time of selection.
As with any implementation of a new system, there were problems; not the least of which being incompatibility between the online form and the Firefox browser. How you fail to confirm browser compatibility in this age of internet sophistication and critical importance is just baffling. Baffling, I say!
Then, per tradition, later that day, the next annual Comic-Con International event began; the post-hotel reservation “I'm going to complain on the internet about getting shutout of any decent hotels for Comic-Con” tradition. Surely, there has to be a better way.
Now in the name of full disclosure, I've never participated in the hotel reservation carnival. But since when has a lack of firsthand knowledge or experience ever stopped an internet blogger from declaring, with authority, he or she has solved the problem in question? Exactly.
The lottery format is certainly a step in the right direction. And while I've never flogged myself by relying on the hotel carnival, I'm not a stranger to lotteries. In fact, I participate in them quite frequently for hiking and backpacking permits, and I think one or two lessons learned from those lotteries can apply to the hotel lottery.
In the hiking and backpacking world, the lottery for day and overnight permits for Mt. Whitney is one of the biggest. It functions in much the same way as CCI's hotel lottery. Hopefuls fills out a form with a list of starting dates for their trip in order of preference. The forms are thrown in a pile, selected at random, and then filled based on availability.
The big difference, however, is rather than accepting applications and filling applications upon the same starting bell, as CCI did this year, the Mt. Whitney lottery accepts applications for two weeks before starting to fill them. After those two weeks, applications are added to the pile and randomized as they are submitted.
They do this because applications are only accepted via fax, mail, or drop-offs; in other words, no internet applications. They don't want an unanticipated delay in the method of delivery to put someone at a disadvantage. But it also has the unintended result of buffering out any technical difficulties, like a fax machine being down.
Wouldn't this method improve the CCI hotel lottery? Instead of being in a panic over making sure you submit your application as soon as the clock on your computer hits the top of the hour – as if you're trying to score U2 tickets on Ticketmaster – you could submit it anytime during the week leading up to the deadline and not stress about it.
The application you submit on Wednesday, because a a wonky internet connection prevented you from submitting on Tuesday, has the same chance getting pulled as the one submitted on Monday. And specific to this year's lottery, you wouldn't have been screwed by the Firefox issue because you would have had time correct it.
I don't see a downside of such a quick and easy tweak to the process. Other than removing the traditional stress and adrenaline rush that people seem to love to hate, that is.
So a few weeks ago, Comic-Con International held its annual “let's work tens of thousands of people into a feeding frenzy of false hope and then crush their souls with rejection” also known as the day its blocks of hotel rooms open for reservations. And just like every other year, it was a tremendous success it always is.
Unlike the true “first come, first served” free-for-all of previous years, the 2010 event was setup like a lottery. At the sound of the starting pistol, participants submitted a form with their desired dates and hotels listed in order of preference. Submissions were then pulled at random by the hotel gods and reservations were granted based on availability at the time of selection.
As with any implementation of a new system, there were problems; not the least of which being incompatibility between the online form and the Firefox browser. How you fail to confirm browser compatibility in this age of internet sophistication and critical importance is just baffling. Baffling, I say!
Then, per tradition, later that day, the next annual Comic-Con International event began; the post-hotel reservation “I'm going to complain on the internet about getting shutout of any decent hotels for Comic-Con” tradition. Surely, there has to be a better way.
Now in the name of full disclosure, I've never participated in the hotel reservation carnival. But since when has a lack of firsthand knowledge or experience ever stopped an internet blogger from declaring, with authority, he or she has solved the problem in question? Exactly.
The lottery format is certainly a step in the right direction. And while I've never flogged myself by relying on the hotel carnival, I'm not a stranger to lotteries. In fact, I participate in them quite frequently for hiking and backpacking permits, and I think one or two lessons learned from those lotteries can apply to the hotel lottery.
In the hiking and backpacking world, the lottery for day and overnight permits for Mt. Whitney is one of the biggest. It functions in much the same way as CCI's hotel lottery. Hopefuls fills out a form with a list of starting dates for their trip in order of preference. The forms are thrown in a pile, selected at random, and then filled based on availability.
The big difference, however, is rather than accepting applications and filling applications upon the same starting bell, as CCI did this year, the Mt. Whitney lottery accepts applications for two weeks before starting to fill them. After those two weeks, applications are added to the pile and randomized as they are submitted.
They do this because applications are only accepted via fax, mail, or drop-offs; in other words, no internet applications. They don't want an unanticipated delay in the method of delivery to put someone at a disadvantage. But it also has the unintended result of buffering out any technical difficulties, like a fax machine being down.
Wouldn't this method improve the CCI hotel lottery? Instead of being in a panic over making sure you submit your application as soon as the clock on your computer hits the top of the hour – as if you're trying to score U2 tickets on Ticketmaster – you could submit it anytime during the week leading up to the deadline and not stress about it.
The application you submit on Wednesday, because a a wonky internet connection prevented you from submitting on Tuesday, has the same chance getting pulled as the one submitted on Monday. And specific to this year's lottery, you wouldn't have been screwed by the Firefox issue because you would have had time correct it.
I don't see a downside of such a quick and easy tweak to the process. Other than removing the traditional stress and adrenaline rush that people seem to love to hate, that is.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Marvel's Bounty on the Lantern Ring Books
In a rare occurrence here at Retroactive Continuity, I'm going to discuss a piece of comic book news that is less than a month old. In fact, it's actually less than a week old. Has hell frozen over? Are dogs and cats living together? Surely some supernatural power has intervened to push me into the realm of topical news.
Well, not really. Normally, I just don't like writing about the same issues everyone else is writing about. I'd rather revisit the topic months down the road after the dust has settled and perspective has been gotten. That's kinda one of the reasons I named this blog Retroactive Continuity. Plus, adding my two cents well after everybody else has moved on, helps me believe I'm capable of original ideas.
But in this case, this particular news item really got my panties in a wad. I mean, they're wadded to the point that I need to vent in order to unwad them. And just what is this piece of news? Well, that would be Marvel's “Siege variant for Blackest Night tie-ins” promotions.
In case you haven't read the press release from Marvel, please take a few minutes to do so. I'll wait...
Read it? Good. Let's get started.
Bottom line, this is one of the biggest dick moves I have ever seen from a comic book publisher. And before you say, “but Cody, by talking about it, you're just playing into Marvel's hand,” you're probably right. But it's still a dick move.
The press release opens with snarkiness, and Marvel's follow-up statements, especially those from Tom Brevoort, continue the snarkiness. Marvel can spin this anyway it wants, but the announcement effectively places a bounty on a competitor's product, and that is not cool in my book.
It's childish. It's one-upsmanship. It's a neener neener neener move. I think this promotion is a cheap shot and of questionable business ethics. And the fact that Marvel is disguising it as a noble “effort to provide assistance to comic retailers” is just dishonest.
If I was still a retailer, there is no way I would participate in this sham of a promotion. And I say this knowing that reckless ordering was one of main factors in the failure of my store. My focus was in other aspects of the store and business, and by the time I realized what was going on, it was unfortunately too late for my corrections to work.
I would love for there to have been an avenue to dump the ridiculous numbers of general back issues my store accumulated – that's just not how this business works though. Yet even if I had hundreds of the lantern ring books in stock, I wouldn't send any to Marvel just out of principle – something the comic book industry seems to have in short supply.
Also, I hate variant covers with a passion. Yes, they increase the quantities of books retailers order. That's why publishers keep printing them. But they don't at all help to increase the number of readers for that particular title. Think about it, are you going to pick up a book you've never read just because you have the opportunity to overpay for the variant cover? Didn't think so.
At least with incentives like the lantern rings, depending on how the retailer distributes them, readers are introduced to a new title like REBELS or Doom Patrol just to get the ring. Not only are they a retailer incentive, they're also a customer incentive. What a concept!
Immediate internet reaction to Marvel's offer shows retailers are falling on both sides of the issue. But I wouldn't consider that a statistically relevant sample, so it's difficult to predict how many retailers will take Marvel up on its offer. In an ideal world, zero retailers will participate.
But who am I kidding. The comic book industry is far from ideal. There are plenty of retailers out there who are just as childish as Marvel and whose ethics are just as questionable. And they will jump on this opportunity. After all, comic book retailers love to make a quick buck. That's why retailer incentives like the lantern rings and variant covers work in the first place. And that's why Marvel's dick move will work.
Well, not really. Normally, I just don't like writing about the same issues everyone else is writing about. I'd rather revisit the topic months down the road after the dust has settled and perspective has been gotten. That's kinda one of the reasons I named this blog Retroactive Continuity. Plus, adding my two cents well after everybody else has moved on, helps me believe I'm capable of original ideas.
But in this case, this particular news item really got my panties in a wad. I mean, they're wadded to the point that I need to vent in order to unwad them. And just what is this piece of news? Well, that would be Marvel's “Siege variant for Blackest Night tie-ins” promotions.
In case you haven't read the press release from Marvel, please take a few minutes to do so. I'll wait...
Read it? Good. Let's get started.
Bottom line, this is one of the biggest dick moves I have ever seen from a comic book publisher. And before you say, “but Cody, by talking about it, you're just playing into Marvel's hand,” you're probably right. But it's still a dick move.
The press release opens with snarkiness, and Marvel's follow-up statements, especially those from Tom Brevoort, continue the snarkiness. Marvel can spin this anyway it wants, but the announcement effectively places a bounty on a competitor's product, and that is not cool in my book.
It's childish. It's one-upsmanship. It's a neener neener neener move. I think this promotion is a cheap shot and of questionable business ethics. And the fact that Marvel is disguising it as a noble “effort to provide assistance to comic retailers” is just dishonest.
If I was still a retailer, there is no way I would participate in this sham of a promotion. And I say this knowing that reckless ordering was one of main factors in the failure of my store. My focus was in other aspects of the store and business, and by the time I realized what was going on, it was unfortunately too late for my corrections to work.
I would love for there to have been an avenue to dump the ridiculous numbers of general back issues my store accumulated – that's just not how this business works though. Yet even if I had hundreds of the lantern ring books in stock, I wouldn't send any to Marvel just out of principle – something the comic book industry seems to have in short supply.
Also, I hate variant covers with a passion. Yes, they increase the quantities of books retailers order. That's why publishers keep printing them. But they don't at all help to increase the number of readers for that particular title. Think about it, are you going to pick up a book you've never read just because you have the opportunity to overpay for the variant cover? Didn't think so.
At least with incentives like the lantern rings, depending on how the retailer distributes them, readers are introduced to a new title like REBELS or Doom Patrol just to get the ring. Not only are they a retailer incentive, they're also a customer incentive. What a concept!
Immediate internet reaction to Marvel's offer shows retailers are falling on both sides of the issue. But I wouldn't consider that a statistically relevant sample, so it's difficult to predict how many retailers will take Marvel up on its offer. In an ideal world, zero retailers will participate.
But who am I kidding. The comic book industry is far from ideal. There are plenty of retailers out there who are just as childish as Marvel and whose ethics are just as questionable. And they will jump on this opportunity. After all, comic book retailers love to make a quick buck. That's why retailer incentives like the lantern rings and variant covers work in the first place. And that's why Marvel's dick move will work.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Creator or Character: Which is More Important?
Earlier this week, I stumbled upon an interesting thread on the Newsarama message boards asking the following question: Which is the more important factor in your comic book purchasing decisions, the character or the creator? As all Newsarama threads do, it quickly degraded into a chest-pounding, battle of semantics. Yet it's still a very thought provoking question. And it's one I'd like to ask of myself.
To give fair warning, this column isn't going to draw any revolutionary conclusions on the subject or contain any inspiring anecdotes. It's just a little bit about my perspective on reading comic books, which hopefully the four of you who visit this blog will find interesting.
I started reading comic books in the early-90s, just as comic book gluttony was peaking. Back then, there was no internet, and I didn't seek out comic book shops. Hell, it's possible I wasn't even sophisticated enough to know they existed. I bought all of my comics at the grocery store and the monthly comic book conventions at the local mall.
Because I had no exposure to the industry beyond the comics themselves, I was pretty ignorant of the names in the bylines of the books I was enjoying. The only two names I was familiar with were Todd McFarlane and Frank Miller. And to be honest I doubt I could have recognized their work outside of Spawn or The Dark Knight Returns.
But I knew the characters. I was intimately familiar with Batman and the Bat-verse. I knew Superman, the Justice League, Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-men. I recognized Spawn, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, and Swamp Thing. And as a young man in his teens, I definitely recognized Witchblade for her... assets.
Fast forward nearly two decades, and with near infinite access to material and information on the internet, and years of exposure to the industry, I can recognize which artist drew what, and which writer wrote what. In fact, I get quite the kick out of browsing my old issues of Batman and Detective Comics, and seeing names like Chuck Dixon and Greg Rucka. I'm guessing that's a common maturation process for a lot of readers my age.
So what do my current reading habits say about me? Well, as you can see from my pull list to the right, I'm a total Bat-whore. Always have been, always will be. In fact, the only Bat-titles I don't purchase are Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman.
While I will always buy Batman and Dectective Comics due to the last shred of completism I haven't been able to purge from my body, I buy the rest of the Bat books because I enjoy the characters and stories, not because any particular creator is associated with them.
The same goes for the rest of my pull list. I've picked up Booster Gold from issue one, because I think the character, and time travel, kicks butt, not because Geoff Johns was the first writer. Same with Atomic Robo; I had no clue who the creators were when I picked it up, but the character and stories looked cool.
With that said, creators also play a role in my reading habits. Several writers will always get my attention – Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Joss Whedon – as will a couple of artists – Jim Lee and the late Michael Turner. However, while I'll give them the benefit of the doubt at first, I'm by no means a kool-aid drinker.
For example, I won't be picking of Geoff Johns' new Flash series for the simple reason I just don't care about Flash. Yet, I'm almost positive I'll buy Grant Morrison's Multiversity project when it hits the shelves because of its potential awesomeness, and Jim Lee's ridiculously awesome pencils sucker me into All-Star Batman & Robin even though I know it's not good for me. Damn you, Jim Lee.
So in the end, I guess it comes down to the characters for me. While there are certainly writers and artists I tend to enjoy more than others, and will always be on the look-out for their next projects, I always default to the characters. After all, an entertaining Batman story is an entertaining Batman story regardless of the creative team behind it.
To give fair warning, this column isn't going to draw any revolutionary conclusions on the subject or contain any inspiring anecdotes. It's just a little bit about my perspective on reading comic books, which hopefully the four of you who visit this blog will find interesting.
I started reading comic books in the early-90s, just as comic book gluttony was peaking. Back then, there was no internet, and I didn't seek out comic book shops. Hell, it's possible I wasn't even sophisticated enough to know they existed. I bought all of my comics at the grocery store and the monthly comic book conventions at the local mall.
Because I had no exposure to the industry beyond the comics themselves, I was pretty ignorant of the names in the bylines of the books I was enjoying. The only two names I was familiar with were Todd McFarlane and Frank Miller. And to be honest I doubt I could have recognized their work outside of Spawn or The Dark Knight Returns.
But I knew the characters. I was intimately familiar with Batman and the Bat-verse. I knew Superman, the Justice League, Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-men. I recognized Spawn, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, and Swamp Thing. And as a young man in his teens, I definitely recognized Witchblade for her... assets.
Fast forward nearly two decades, and with near infinite access to material and information on the internet, and years of exposure to the industry, I can recognize which artist drew what, and which writer wrote what. In fact, I get quite the kick out of browsing my old issues of Batman and Detective Comics, and seeing names like Chuck Dixon and Greg Rucka. I'm guessing that's a common maturation process for a lot of readers my age.
So what do my current reading habits say about me? Well, as you can see from my pull list to the right, I'm a total Bat-whore. Always have been, always will be. In fact, the only Bat-titles I don't purchase are Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman.
While I will always buy Batman and Dectective Comics due to the last shred of completism I haven't been able to purge from my body, I buy the rest of the Bat books because I enjoy the characters and stories, not because any particular creator is associated with them.
The same goes for the rest of my pull list. I've picked up Booster Gold from issue one, because I think the character, and time travel, kicks butt, not because Geoff Johns was the first writer. Same with Atomic Robo; I had no clue who the creators were when I picked it up, but the character and stories looked cool.
With that said, creators also play a role in my reading habits. Several writers will always get my attention – Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, Joss Whedon – as will a couple of artists – Jim Lee and the late Michael Turner. However, while I'll give them the benefit of the doubt at first, I'm by no means a kool-aid drinker.
For example, I won't be picking of Geoff Johns' new Flash series for the simple reason I just don't care about Flash. Yet, I'm almost positive I'll buy Grant Morrison's Multiversity project when it hits the shelves because of its potential awesomeness, and Jim Lee's ridiculously awesome pencils sucker me into All-Star Batman & Robin even though I know it's not good for me. Damn you, Jim Lee.
So in the end, I guess it comes down to the characters for me. While there are certainly writers and artists I tend to enjoy more than others, and will always be on the look-out for their next projects, I always default to the characters. After all, an entertaining Batman story is an entertaining Batman story regardless of the creative team behind it.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
New Reader Intimidation: The Root Cause
At the DC Nation panel during the Long Beach Comic Con in October, a fan asked the panel members when DC was going to create a line of books like Marvel’s Ultimate line, which is free of the company's convoluted continuity and thus new reader friendly. I audibly groaned.
In fact, I was so irrationally upset I wanted to stand up and shout to the guy, “WTF are you talking about, dude?!” I mean, I really enjoy the fact DC hasn’t given in and dumbed things down for the “short attention span, immediate satisfaction” generation. I appreciated the fact that the overall feeling in the room seemed to parallel my opinion.
Jump ahead about two months, and DC announces its line of Earth One graphic novels, the purpose of which is to create an entry point for new readers into a universe free of continuity, making a non-intimidating introduction to comics. *face palm*
I maintain the belief that un-indoctrinated readers are turned-off by pre-established continuity is bunk. The elusive new reader is just not that stupid.
The intimidating part is not coming in mid-story, or the decades of source material. It’s the stores themselves, whether they be mainstream bookstores (the apparent target of the Earth One books) or comic book specialty stores.
The majority of comic book stores can seem confusing and not inviting whatsoever, even to regular customers. Disorganized and non-intuitive merchandise layouts; no internal signage; smug, unfriendly employees behind the counter. As a result, a new customer may walk in, not know where to start browsing, and walk right out the door.
Even the graphic novel and trade paperback shelves at mainstreams book stores can leave a new reader with that deer-in-the-headlights looks. So what if the Earth One books are going to be on those shelves. Big whoop. How will the guy off the street know which books to start with?
Further, why is this alleged lack of gateways only mentioned in the comic book world? You never hear it mentioned in the context of television or novels.
Now, I’ll give you that coming into the middle of a story arc can be confusing, but I'm willing to bet the reader is smart enough to realize the “Part X” in the title or “Number Y of Z” on the cover means there are a few back issues that need to be picked up. It's just the same as coming into a TV show mid-season and needing to catch up on the reruns.
The difference is not the density or complexity of the material, but knowing where to look for it. For television shows, you can check-out sources such as Hulu, iTunes, or the network's own website. A quick search finds the episodes you're looking for front and center.
But comic books are a very different experience for the layperson. Let's say you pick a floppy from the shelves of your local comic book store. Are the previous issues next to it on the shelf, which is the most logical spot for them? At least that's how I'd look at it.
They certainly wouldn't be in those dingy looking, unwelcoming cardboard boxes on the tables, would they? Should I ask the greasy guy behind the counter who appears more interested in the book he's reading than helping me? Maybe I should just put the book back on the shelf and leave.
The graphic novel shelves at a bookstore are only slightly less confusing, because at least everything is right there in front of you. But because the books are most likely in alphabetical order rather than chronological order, it's still difficult to answer the “which book is first” question. Fortunately mainstream bookstore employees are typically more welcoming of questions, although they may lack knowledge specific to comic books.
I think we – meaning the comic book community – need to give the layperson more credit when it comes to reading comprehension. The problem is not intimidation from too much material or continuity; that's easy to sort through. The root cause of the intimidation is a lack of guidance and direction, be that from a messy, dungeon of a store or socially inept employees.
Thus, the burden of growing the customer base is on the owners and employees of comic book stores. It's truly a grassroots effort. They need to make their store inviting and open and user friendly. DC and Marvel can't do that for them.
No amount of “new reader friendly” material will increase the number of readers, if those readers aren’t coached on where to start.
In fact, I was so irrationally upset I wanted to stand up and shout to the guy, “WTF are you talking about, dude?!” I mean, I really enjoy the fact DC hasn’t given in and dumbed things down for the “short attention span, immediate satisfaction” generation. I appreciated the fact that the overall feeling in the room seemed to parallel my opinion.
Jump ahead about two months, and DC announces its line of Earth One graphic novels, the purpose of which is to create an entry point for new readers into a universe free of continuity, making a non-intimidating introduction to comics. *face palm*
I maintain the belief that un-indoctrinated readers are turned-off by pre-established continuity is bunk. The elusive new reader is just not that stupid.
The intimidating part is not coming in mid-story, or the decades of source material. It’s the stores themselves, whether they be mainstream bookstores (the apparent target of the Earth One books) or comic book specialty stores.
The majority of comic book stores can seem confusing and not inviting whatsoever, even to regular customers. Disorganized and non-intuitive merchandise layouts; no internal signage; smug, unfriendly employees behind the counter. As a result, a new customer may walk in, not know where to start browsing, and walk right out the door.
Even the graphic novel and trade paperback shelves at mainstreams book stores can leave a new reader with that deer-in-the-headlights looks. So what if the Earth One books are going to be on those shelves. Big whoop. How will the guy off the street know which books to start with?
Further, why is this alleged lack of gateways only mentioned in the comic book world? You never hear it mentioned in the context of television or novels.
Now, I’ll give you that coming into the middle of a story arc can be confusing, but I'm willing to bet the reader is smart enough to realize the “Part X” in the title or “Number Y of Z” on the cover means there are a few back issues that need to be picked up. It's just the same as coming into a TV show mid-season and needing to catch up on the reruns.
The difference is not the density or complexity of the material, but knowing where to look for it. For television shows, you can check-out sources such as Hulu, iTunes, or the network's own website. A quick search finds the episodes you're looking for front and center.
But comic books are a very different experience for the layperson. Let's say you pick a floppy from the shelves of your local comic book store. Are the previous issues next to it on the shelf, which is the most logical spot for them? At least that's how I'd look at it.
They certainly wouldn't be in those dingy looking, unwelcoming cardboard boxes on the tables, would they? Should I ask the greasy guy behind the counter who appears more interested in the book he's reading than helping me? Maybe I should just put the book back on the shelf and leave.
The graphic novel shelves at a bookstore are only slightly less confusing, because at least everything is right there in front of you. But because the books are most likely in alphabetical order rather than chronological order, it's still difficult to answer the “which book is first” question. Fortunately mainstream bookstore employees are typically more welcoming of questions, although they may lack knowledge specific to comic books.
I think we – meaning the comic book community – need to give the layperson more credit when it comes to reading comprehension. The problem is not intimidation from too much material or continuity; that's easy to sort through. The root cause of the intimidation is a lack of guidance and direction, be that from a messy, dungeon of a store or socially inept employees.
Thus, the burden of growing the customer base is on the owners and employees of comic book stores. It's truly a grassroots effort. They need to make their store inviting and open and user friendly. DC and Marvel can't do that for them.
No amount of “new reader friendly” material will increase the number of readers, if those readers aren’t coached on where to start.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Long Beach Comic Con 2009 - Day 1
I arrived at the convention center shortly after 2PM, and painlessly picked up my badge. With the ribbon cutting ceremony starring Stan Lee at 3PM, I had some time to kill. Thus, I walked around the “front porch” of the convention center and people watched.
It was your typical beautiful sunny day on the Southern California coast, with a slight ocean breeze only occasionally marred by cigarette smoke. I’m certainly glad I remembered to put on sunscreen before I left the apartment though.
By the time I rolled back inside (2:45ish), the crowd around the ceremonial ribbon was already about ten people deep. There was no way to see through it. It was like lead to Superman’s X-ray vision – ok, that analogy even made me cringe. But I definitely wasn’t going to see anything standing there. And then I looked up, and noticed the balcony.
So I walked up the stairs, and was presented with an unobstructed, birds-eye view of the ceremony. For the longest time, I was the only person up there. Eventually, I was joined by a half dozen people, including the local newspaper’s photographer, each telling me, “I saw you up here and thought ‘what a great idea.’” But let’s be clear here. I had the idea first. I’m a genius.
While I was looking down on the crowd content to stand on the floor with arms stretched above their heads holding their cameras and phones to record the ceremony rather than actually watching it, I first I thought the turn-out was low. I mean, there were, at most, only a few hundred people watching the ribbon cutting ceremony. But then I remembered this is the Los Angeles metro area, and we don’t do anything on-time around here.
We don’t show up until the third inning at baseball games, and barely make it to the arena in time for the main act at concerts. And when you tack on the 3PM start time and the Friday afternoon traffic, the lower turnout kinda makes sense. And perhaps it was for the best, as it resulted in a much more intimate affair. The fans watching Jeff Loeb proclaiming on behalf of LA County that October 2 was “Stan Lee Day” were the fans that truly wanted to be there.
But have no fear, the crowds definitely increased as people started getting off work. By the time I left around 4:30, thanks to the cold I’ve been battling all week flaring up again, there was a steadily increasing influx of people.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, I ran into a co-worker while I was outside taking a phone call. As we walked onto the exhibit floor, he proclaimed, “I’ve already forgotten the stench of Wizard World.” And I think that’s the perfect summary of Day 1 at the Long Beach Comic Con. Everything that Wizard did wrong, leading to the eventual downfall of its Los Angeles show – i.e. moving out of Long Beach, trying to be San Diego lite, not catering to the fans or creators, all the things I’ve discussed on this blog in the past – the good folks at Long Beach Comic Con did right.
But I was left with one nagging question: Which lantern corps t-shirt should I buy??
Click here for my Long Beach Comic Con 2009 photo album.
It was your typical beautiful sunny day on the Southern California coast, with a slight ocean breeze only occasionally marred by cigarette smoke. I’m certainly glad I remembered to put on sunscreen before I left the apartment though.
By the time I rolled back inside (2:45ish), the crowd around the ceremonial ribbon was already about ten people deep. There was no way to see through it. It was like lead to Superman’s X-ray vision – ok, that analogy even made me cringe. But I definitely wasn’t going to see anything standing there. And then I looked up, and noticed the balcony.
So I walked up the stairs, and was presented with an unobstructed, birds-eye view of the ceremony. For the longest time, I was the only person up there. Eventually, I was joined by a half dozen people, including the local newspaper’s photographer, each telling me, “I saw you up here and thought ‘what a great idea.’” But let’s be clear here. I had the idea first. I’m a genius.
While I was looking down on the crowd content to stand on the floor with arms stretched above their heads holding their cameras and phones to record the ceremony rather than actually watching it, I first I thought the turn-out was low. I mean, there were, at most, only a few hundred people watching the ribbon cutting ceremony. But then I remembered this is the Los Angeles metro area, and we don’t do anything on-time around here.
We don’t show up until the third inning at baseball games, and barely make it to the arena in time for the main act at concerts. And when you tack on the 3PM start time and the Friday afternoon traffic, the lower turnout kinda makes sense. And perhaps it was for the best, as it resulted in a much more intimate affair. The fans watching Jeff Loeb proclaiming on behalf of LA County that October 2 was “Stan Lee Day” were the fans that truly wanted to be there.
But have no fear, the crowds definitely increased as people started getting off work. By the time I left around 4:30, thanks to the cold I’ve been battling all week flaring up again, there was a steadily increasing influx of people.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, I ran into a co-worker while I was outside taking a phone call. As we walked onto the exhibit floor, he proclaimed, “I’ve already forgotten the stench of Wizard World.” And I think that’s the perfect summary of Day 1 at the Long Beach Comic Con. Everything that Wizard did wrong, leading to the eventual downfall of its Los Angeles show – i.e. moving out of Long Beach, trying to be San Diego lite, not catering to the fans or creators, all the things I’ve discussed on this blog in the past – the good folks at Long Beach Comic Con did right.
But I was left with one nagging question: Which lantern corps t-shirt should I buy??
Click here for my Long Beach Comic Con 2009 photo album.
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