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Post by defiant1 on Dec 28, 2010 13:53:46 GMT -5
Jason Goodman has been following the discussions about the Atlas relaunch on the CPG site. I gave a good review of his comics which stunned a few people.
Here is a repost of what I wrote. I post as Aphelion on the board.
Jason,
I've been collecting comics since the early 70's. Even people who don't like my critical reviews take notice when I say I like something. I have eclectic tastes and the diverse range of items in my collection show it. My occupation is that of a quality inspector so it's my job to find fault with things. That is what a lot of people have come to expect from me but it misses the point of why I stand on my soap box and say what I say. My dad got me hooked on older classics like EC comics some 20 years after he quit buying comics. EC produced some incredible stuff with artists who are now considered legends. Despite the high quality of what they produced, the result was not one of longevity as a publisher. Most people don't want to hear criticism or listen when I suggest 'opportunities for improvement'. The comics business simply cannot return to it's former glory if companies keep making the same mistakes their competitors are making today. The 'art' of producing comics and growing a company are becoming lost. Basic storytelling elements (flow, pacing etc.) learned by people like Jack Kirby over the years are getting tossed aside in favor of splash panels on every other page and drawings a scantily clad women poking out their breasts. Comics have a potential to be more than that. The two #0 issues you sent me succeeded in pulling me in and making me care about what happens next. In the 70's Marvel was dominating DC because they had an organic soap opera style of storytelling. Everything mattered because it was ultimately going to bleed over into the other titles. It made the stories and the significance of each story more important. DC produced stand alone issues in the 70's and there was no reason to buy the next one or care whether you bought one next month or skipped over and just bought another comic in 6 months. DC gave collectors a stopping point with every issue. Modern publishers are making the exact same mistake DC made 40 years ago, but there is a new twist. Instead of giving readers a stopping point after one issue, they design everything for story arcs and give people a stopping point after 6 issues or after every summer 'event'. After that, they switch creative teams, negate everything that happened in the previous arc and give more readers a reason to quit buying a title. Publishers go on to sabotage the collectibility of their back issues by reprinting TPB's 6 months after a story is finished. It discourages comic shops from ordering extra inventory on the monthly comics because they know that when the TPB comes out, the comics that they bought for 50% of cover price are only going to be worth a quarter or less if they can sell them at all. Your hands on approach to marketing this line of comics is a refreshing change. The status quo attempt at marketing is to take an iconic character that is highly appreciated and kill him or run him through the ringer to horrify fans. Comics used to feature heroes. They were an inspiration and a reason for kids to don capes with the ambition to right wrongs and fix the world. Now all we read about is super-powered losers that don't overcome the evils of the world, but bend to it like a flag flapping in the wind. It isn't an inspiration to anyone, it's just a beefed up snapshot of everyone's daily lives. There are no easy answers in publishing these days. One of the products we build where I work is state of the art technology that runs the biggest printing presses. We were getting hefty orders a few years ago as the printing companies sought out newer technology to run cheaper and more efficiently. Orders are slowing down now. The future of printed material is cloudy at best. The key to a title's survival is growing a readership and making people care. With modern print runs being so low, most of the money brought in from comics goes straight to printing them. TPB sales are needed because the money has a higher percentage of profit. Diamond is only concerned about what they know makes a sales spike on a spreadsheet report. Only you have the ability to go out into the market and make the numbers grow and rise over time through good long term business decisions that have respect for the readers, respect for the characters, and respect for retailers need to make money. Every back issue sold by a retailer is money they have in their pocket to invest in new comics. Keep that in mind when you print TPB's or offer ordering incentives that coax stores into buying more comics than they will realistically be able to sell. Short term solutions may not facilitate the long term goals you have as a publisher or the collecting goals that fans have as a consumer. I wish you success in this new venture. I see something different in your approach. Go out and blaze a new trail that learns from mistakes made in the past.
Defiant1
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Post by G on Dec 29, 2010 0:22:49 GMT -5
You hit a ton of points right on the head with this. Especially the summation of the TPB mentality that I think is killing comics (at least for me). I preferred the more soap opera never ending storyline that continually evolved. Not the jump-on, jump-off nature we have now.
I really think I can talk about what I miss about comics until I'm blue in the face, I know what it is missing in my opinion but to many I'm coming off as too old school and behind the times. I appear bitter and short sighted. You did a good job of conveying a side not cared for by creators anymore.
Let us know how the responses turn out.
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Post by defiant1 on Dec 29, 2010 0:46:34 GMT -5
You hit a ton of points right on the head with this. Especially the summation of the TPB mentality that I think is killing comics (at least for me). I preferred the more soap opera never ending storyline that continually evolved. Not the jump-on, jump-off nature we have now. I really think I can talk about what I miss about comics until I'm blue in the face, I know what it is missing in my opinion but to many I'm coming off as too old school and behind the times. I appear bitter and short sighted. You did a good job of conveying a side not cared for by creators anymore. Let us know how the responses turn out. I posted Jason's response on my messageboard. To cut it short, he said I educated him on a few things and he was going to insist that his entire staff read my post. I can't ask for more than that. You'll notice that I didn't offer any solutions because in today's market there are no easy ones. All they can do is play it by ear and try to factor the points I made. df1 |
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Post by cyberstrike on Dec 29, 2010 9:28:43 GMT -5
I disagree with the superhero as losers but we've went around and around on this issue. I will say that in my book a flawed hero's problem with his or her's secret identity is far more interesting to me than a hero/villain slug fest. That bores me to death. I can't relate to Superman but I can relate to Clark Kent.
I agree about the growth of the soap opera aspect of comics is something that is almost loss, yet I seemed to have found it in IDW's ongoing Transformers series. Which writer Mike Costa does a great job doing despite all the fans that hate his work.
I would also like to suggest make the TPBs worth my money add additional content like sketch books, scripts, interviews with the creators, etc.
Do not use variant covers at all. They are simply a waste. Most companies print them in a 50/50 ratio and in the end they don't make a difference in sales. Jay Faber, the creator and writer of Noble Causes at Image said he did that for the first 12 issues of the ongoing series and when he saw the sales figures the variant covers weren't making him any extra money at best he was breaking even with them so after #13 he stopped doing them because they were a waste of his money and time to produce them.
I've seen at a LCS a small box of Marvel variants that the store was selling for every issue for $5 and this box was filled. If Neal Adams for example wants to draw a cover for Wulf vol. 2 #1 then have it as the sole cover and not as a variant if the series artist wants to draw it put one as a pin-up in the back of the book.
I want 1 cover per issue not 2 or 3 or 25.
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Post by bigw1966 on Dec 29, 2010 11:24:01 GMT -5
you hit some good points there defiant 1. I agree with all of it.
On some of the things others have mentioned, I like the longform soap opera aspect also. But, Considering how long these books have been around and the weird time ratio in comics, its nearly impossible to run a continual lifespan of events for these characters. It becomes far to unweildy. Perspectives change and outlooks become more diverse as we both age and become more enlightened. This has an effect on how we will enjoy something.
This is a reason that I would like to see one creative team stay on a book for longer periods of time.
Bendis on Ultimate spider-Man has crafted a great world and status quo for the character that would have been impossible if handled the way most comics are.
Grant Morrison has been on Batman for 5 years now and that book is pretty fucking good overall. Even the titles not handled by him are following his lead.
Geoff johns has been on Green Lantern now for over 6 years and it is easily the most popular title published by DC
Marvel with their 12 issue changeover bullshit is a major part IMO that the Marvel books have been so hit or miss.
I think the soap opera stuff should go on a ten year cycle. That is how long most trends last anyway so why not have comics follow suit.
Years of consistency and then bring about some drastic changes that do not remove what has come before but actually prepare the character for the next 10 years.
Basically have one or two underlying plot threads and have all of the other events either be random or tied into those underlying points even if its not revealed until later.
I always liked eading a book and then have to go and look at something from a year or two back that was the first mention of what is happening. some throwaway line or unassuming comment by a character that finally pays off.
TV Soap Operas do this already. do you have any idea how many times Luke and Laura have died and come back to life on General Hospital?
they could give comics a run for their money.
I am a trade waiter. but like cyberstrike mentioned, I would like to see more value for my buck. I want the script and sketchbooks and things that show the insight of the creators when they were coming up with the stories they tell.
I would prefer that Varient covers be used as pinups instead of alternate limited covers. That is just a way for an LCS to bend you over.
Problem is though is that comics have been dictated by Marketing departments for the last 15 years. Which is a major part of the problem.
The more I delve on it the more I realize that I would like a position of authority and decision making within one of these companies.
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Post by defiant1 on Dec 29, 2010 12:17:59 GMT -5
you hit some good points there defiant 1. I agree with all of it. On some of the things others have mentioned, I like the longform soap opera aspect also. But, Considering how long these books have been around and the weird time ratio in comics, its nearly impossible to run a continual lifespan of events for these characters. It becomes far to unweildy. Perspectives change and outlooks become more diverse as we both age and become more enlightened. This has an effect on how we will enjoy something. This is a reason that I would like to see one creative team stay on a book for longer periods of time. Bendis on Ultimate spider-Man has crafted a great world and status quo for the character that would have been impossible if handled the way most comics are. Grant Morrison has been on Batman for 5 years now and that book is pretty fucking good overall. Even the titles not handled by him are following his lead. Geoff johns has been on Green Lantern now for over 6 years and it is easily the most popular title published by DC Marvel with their 12 issue changeover bullshit is a major part IMO that the Marvel books have been so hit or miss. I think the soap opera stuff should go on a ten year cycle. That is how long most trends last anyway so why not have comics follow suit. Years of consistency and then bring about some drastic changes that do not remove what has come before but actually prepare the character for the next 10 years. Basically have one or two underlying plot threads and have all of the other events either be random or tied into those underlying points even if its not revealed until later. I always liked eading a book and then have to go and look at something from a year or two back that was the first mention of what is happening. some throwaway line or unassuming comment by a character that finally pays off. TV Soap Operas do this already. do you have any idea how many times Luke and Laura have died and come back to life on General Hospital? they could give comics a run for their money. I am a trade waiter. but like cyberstrike mentioned, I would like to see more value for my buck. I want the script and sketchbooks and things that show the insight of the creators when they were coming up with the stories they tell. I would prefer that Varient covers be used as pinups instead of alternate limited covers. That is just a way for an LCS to bend you over. Problem is though is that comics have been dictated by Marketing departments for the last 15 years. Which is a major part of the problem. The more I delve on it the more I realize that I would like a position of authority and decision making within one of these companies. You hit the nail on the head. Keep good creative teams on a book longer. Always have a stream of subplots that can surface a year or two down the line. It makes the books well rounded. In addition, quit publishing multiple titles a month for a given character. Do require that one title's writer coordinate with other writers to have some major or minor crossover events. Maybe a villain is plotting something against all the heroes. Plot that out between writers and let the Hulk writer use that villain towards the (sub)plot's final objective one month and let the Spider-man writer use that character a month or two later. Committee style writing can either be the most creative stories out there or the worst. If you can inspire creators to have fun with it they take it to new levels. if you force a plot on them, then you get some story that is phoned in. Trade waiting is a problem for publishers. It means the original issues are not reaching their full sales potential. It means they have to invest labor in prepping the reprint package. Trades are a problem for retailers because it sticks them with overordered back issues which are now devalued because the trade is a better value. The retailer is the one footing the bill for that better value, because if they hadn't ordered those unsold shelf copies, the single issues never would have succeeded in paying for the initial production costs. For the direct market to remain healthy, retailers have to be able to sell back issues. They can't order hundreds of books at 50% off cover and then pay rent for them to collect dust. Sure, some back issues do sell, but the majority each month gather dust as they are not relevant after a year. The soap opera style of story telling makes them relevant. If trades were not available, they'd be even be more relevant and the value could increase. Comics shops could actually profit off back issues like they did in the early 90's. That positive cash flow would be funneled back into their new comic orders and stores could order more titles. They could afford to gamble on ordering more non-superhero books which would offer the consumer more product diversity. Seriously, the industry is to blame for all it's problems. You don't give a kid three meals of candy simply because that's what they want. Also, the LCS is not bending over consumers when they jack up the price of variant comics. Most of these variants require that the shop order more copies that they will ever reasonably be able to sell. All they are doing is passing along the added costs that they are faced with. I've never had any problem with a comic shop giving me a variant for free if I volunteered to buy the 10, 20, or 200 copies that they have to order to get it. The problem is, some customers are not happy unless they have the variant. Collectors aren't happy with some common version of something when they look over at their buddy's collection and his copy is worth ten times what the common one is worth. People want the Lamboghini, not the Kia. That leaves the comic shop with the option of ordering thousands of unsaleable product to meet demand for a 1:200 variant or letting their customers walk out dissatisfied because they could not supply it. It's a lose/lose scenario for comic shops. No shop wants dissatisfied customers. No shop wants to have to order 200 copies of something the won't sell. No shop wants to pay rent on backstock that just sits in the boxes gathering dust. No store really wants to invest $20 into the acquisition of a comic just so they can turn around and sell it for for the price they paid when they know the comic 'should' be worth $3 (or 'cringe' $4). df1 |
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Post by defiant1 on Dec 29, 2010 12:48:57 GMT -5
I disagree with the superhero as losers but we've went around and around on this issue. I will say that in my book a flawed hero's problem with his or her's secret identity is far more interesting to me than a hero/villain slug fest. That bores me to death. I can't relate to Superman but I can relate to Clark Kent. I agree about the growth of the soap opera aspect of comics is something that is almost loss, yet I seemed to have found it in IDW's ongoing Transformers series. Which writer Mike Costa does a great job doing despite all the fans that hate his work. I would also like to suggest make the TPBs worth my money add additional content like sketch books, scripts, interviews with the creators, etc. Do not use variant covers at all. They are simply a waste. Most companies print them in a 50/50 ratio and in the end they don't make a difference in sales. Jay Faber, the creator and writer of Noble Causes at Image said he did that for the first 12 issues of the ongoing series and when he saw the sales figures the variant covers weren't making him any extra money at best he was breaking even with them so after #13 he stopped doing them because they were a waste of his money and time to produce them. I've seen at a LCS a small box of Marvel variants that the store was selling for every issue for $5 and this box was filled. If Neal Adams for example wants to draw a cover for Wulf vol. 2 #1 then have it as the sole cover and not as a variant if the series artist wants to draw it put one as a pin-up in the back of the book. I want 1 cover per issue not 2 or 3 or 25. My terminology in saying "Superheroes are losers" is intentionally a sweeping generalization. When you step back, a large number superheroes are failing to be super at all in the larger picture of things. There is a general use of calling someone a hero, but after analyzing the plot you see they were really just lucky or bounced around like a pinball in a pinball machine. I think back to an Indiana Jones movie where the bad guy backs into a planes propeller. Indiana Jones was not winning. The propeller solved his conflict. Obviously, a plot has to have conflict and setback for the characters, but ultimately a character should learn from the events and grow. For someone to be super and inspire kids, they have to overcome. Who cheer for the continuous loser and is inspired by that? A hero who is incapable of overcoming with his own providence ultimately looks like a fool. A story can run a full gamut of emotions, setbacks, struggle, but ultimately like a Sherlock Holmes plot, he should figure out how to triumph. At no point should I be seeing a hero dead with some stand-in taking his place. If I was buying Spider-man, I wasn't looking for the Scarlett Spider. Obviously writers could write anything and someone will like it. Russian movies are filled with hopelessness and despair. They end with all hope being lost and the characters learning nothing. That's fine and there is room for plots like that out there. For comics to succeed and pull in the weary masses in order to make them profitable, the line of good vs. evil needs to be a little more clear. People seek entertainment for a positive message and escape from the troubles of the world. All I'm saying is that for the health of the comics industry, they need to be providing that. df1 |
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Post by bigw1966 on Dec 29, 2010 13:31:32 GMT -5
I know its not the retailer directly that -bends- the customer over. But the Idea that companies manipulate them into overordering for that purpose is disgusting. the varients hold some level of value, but most are not worth shit inside of 6 months anymore. I have the varient for the death of Captain america. I sold a couple of them at $25 a pop. now I am lucky if I could get $3. This is true with most variants.
Really though its personal opinion. I have never been one of those multi-cover fans.
I understand where you are coming from with the line for Good -vs- Evil needing to be more clear, but lets face it. the reader is not that innocent as to not know that those things are in no way black and white. Good and Evil are more grey area and matter of perspective than anything else.
In the case of Supers, Lets posit a thought. Crazy Supervillain Causes an event that terrifies the city and to stop him he demands a billion dollars.
Righchous super-heroes- show up and have a massive battle with the Supervillain to "SAVE" the city.
They manage to stop the villain and win the day, but when the smoke clears, you see all of that collateral damage. a couple of buildings knocked down and untold numbers of people trapped in the rubble. A couple of others on fire. Some cars in the streets crushed under rubble from the destroyed buildings. who knows how many casualties there are.
Turns out after authorities watch video footage, that much of the damage was caused by the -heroes- knocking the -villain- through the buildings or firing energy beams at him which caused destruction.
In the end you have to wonder, who is the Hero and who is the Villain?
Sure its easy to point to the guy in the comic because he twirled his mustache and announced himself, but in reality, villains do not twirl their mustaches and make long speeches about how evil they are. they work under your nose moving pieces in the background.
Little kids can buy into the whole Black and white good-vs-evil thing, but older, smarter readers would lose interest in a second. We know there is more to things. We expect more because of it.
Because the readership of comics has grown up, the comics themselves have been forced to do so also.
I don't think there is a way to go back now.
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Post by defiant1 on Dec 29, 2010 14:16:31 GMT -5
I know its not the retailer directly that -bends- the customer over. But the Idea that companies manipulate them into overordering for that purpose is disgusting. the varients hold some level of value, but most are not worth shit inside of 6 months anymore. I have the varient for the death of Captain america. I sold a couple of them at $25 a pop. now I am lucky if I could get $3. This is true with most variants. Really though its personal opinion. I have never been one of those multi-cover fans. I understand where you are coming from with the line for Good -vs- Evil needing to be more clear, but lets face it. the reader is not that innocent as to not know that those things are in no way black and white. Good and Evil are more grey area and matter of perspective than anything else. In the case of Supers, Lets posit a thought. Crazy Supervillain Causes an event that terrifies the city and to stop him he demands a billion dollars. Righchous super-heroes- show up and have a massive battle with the Supervillain to "SAVE" the city. They manage to stop the villain and win the day, but when the smoke clears, you see all of that collateral damage. a couple of buildings knocked down and untold numbers of people trapped in the rubble. A couple of others on fire. Some cars in the streets crushed under rubble from the destroyed buildings. who knows how many casualties there are. Turns out after authorities watch video footage, that much of the damage was caused by the -heroes- knocking the -villain- through the buildings or firing energy beams at him which caused destruction. In the end you have to wonder, who is the Hero and who is the Villain? Sure its easy to point to the guy in the comic because he twirled his mustache and announced himself, but in reality, villains do not twirl their mustaches and make long speeches about how evil they are. they work under your nose moving pieces in the background. Little kids can buy into the whole Black and white good-vs-evil thing, but older, smarter readers would lose interest in a second. We know there is more to things. We expect more because of it. Because the readership of comics has grown up, the comics themselves have been forced to do so also. I don't think there is a way to go back now. Again though, those are the factors that need to be part of the story. I saw the last Die Hard movie shortly after having a roll-over crash in 2007. I was cringing every time I heard metal crunching in that movie. It featured car wrecks galore. I get annoyed when heroes walk away from a car wreck in movies smiling. Show them sitting on the phone for hours with insurance companies. Show them in court for lawsuits. Make the collateral damage a hurdle they must circumvent. It's possible to add realism and I'm 100% for that. Plenty of plots have shown the heroes pulling back because they know innocents can be hurt. They need to show why heroes are heroes. Overcoming those obstacles are proof that that heroes can do what's right over what's expedient. I saw a DC cartoon awhile back where heroes were just blasting away at people. Show Batman getting his back broken by all means, but show that was a risk that he was willing to take and that he had a contingency plan to get around it. "Luck" is used to often in plots these days. Show that these characters are smart like Sherlock Holmes was at solving crimes. Challenge the reader to figure out how they are going to overcome and still win. That pulls people in. It wouldn't even hurt to show a hero experiencing doubt or fear. If he plow in and loses, it just makes him look like an idiot. The risks are always there for choosing that role in life. Nothing typifies a hero more than Spider-man using all his strength to lift off tons of weight in order to get back and help his Aunt May. The fantastic Four venturing off into the Negative Zone offers enough challenge to pull a reader in and make them wonder why heroes do what they do. It shouldn't be a cake walk and might doesn't make right. The story should by all means explore that. df1 |
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Post by cyberstrike on Dec 29, 2010 15:44:33 GMT -5
you hit some good points there defiant 1. I agree with all of it. On some of the things others have mentioned, I like the longform soap opera aspect also. But, Considering how long these books have been around and the weird time ratio in comics, its nearly impossible to run a continual lifespan of events for these characters. It becomes far to unweildy. Perspectives change and outlooks become more diverse as we both age and become more enlightened. This has an effect on how we will enjoy something. This is a reason that I would like to see one creative team stay on a book for longer periods of time. Bendis on Ultimate spider-Man has crafted a great world and status quo for the character that would have been impossible if handled the way most comics are. Grant Morrison has been on Batman for 5 years now and that book is pretty fucking good overall. Even the titles not handled by him are following his lead. Geoff johns has been on Green Lantern now for over 6 years and it is easily the most popular title published by DC Marvel with their 12 issue changeover bullshit is a major part IMO that the Marvel books have been so hit or miss. I think the soap opera stuff should go on a ten year cycle. That is how long most trends last anyway so why not have comics follow suit. Years of consistency and then bring about some drastic changes that do not remove what has come before but actually prepare the character for the next 10 years. Basically have one or two underlying plot threads and have all of the other events either be random or tied into those underlying points even if its not revealed until later. I always liked eading a book and then have to go and look at something from a year or two back that was the first mention of what is happening. some throwaway line or unassuming comment by a character that finally pays off. TV Soap Operas do this already. do you have any idea how many times Luke and Laura have died and come back to life on General Hospital? they could give comics a run for their money. I am a trade waiter. but like cyberstrike mentioned, I would like to see more value for my buck. I want the script and sketchbooks and things that show the insight of the creators when they were coming up with the stories they tell. I would prefer that Varient covers be used as pinups instead of alternate limited covers. That is just a way for an LCS to bend you over. Problem is though is that comics have been dictated by Marketing departments for the last 15 years. Which is a major part of the problem. The more I delve on it the more I realize that I would like a position of authority and decision making within one of these companies. You hit the nail on the head. Keep good creative teams on a book longer. Always have a stream of subplots that can surface a year or two down the line. It makes the books well rounded. In addition, quit publishing multiple titles a month for a given character. Do require that one title's writer coordinate with other writers to have some major or minor crossover events. Maybe a villain is plotting something against all the heroes. Plot that out between writers and let the Hulk writer use that villain towards the (sub)plot's final objective one month and let the Spider-man writer use that character a month or two later. Committee style writing can either be the most creative stories out there or the worst. If you can inspire creators to have fun with it they take it to new levels. if you force a plot on them, then you get some story that is phoned in. Trade waiting is a problem for publishers. It means the original issues are not reaching their full sales potential. It means they have to invest labor in prepping the reprint package. Trades are a problem for retailers because it sticks them with overordered back issues which are now devalued because the trade is a better value. The retailer is the one footing the bill for that better value, because if they hadn't ordered those unsold shelf copies, the single issues never would have succeeded in paying for the initial production costs. For the direct market to remain healthy, retailers have to be able to sell back issues. They can't order hundreds of books at 50% off cover and then pay rent for them to collect dust. Sure, some back issues do sell, but the majority each month gather dust as they are not relevant after a year. The soap opera style of story telling makes them relevant. If trades were not available, they'd be even be more relevant and the value could increase. Comics shops could actually profit off back issues like they did in the early 90's. That positive cash flow would be funneled back into their new comic orders and stores could order more titles. They could afford to gamble on ordering more non-superhero books which would offer the consumer more product diversity. Seriously, the industry is to blame for all it's problems. You don't give a kid three meals of candy simply because that's what they want. Also, the LCS is not bending over consumers when they jack up the price of variant comics. Most of these variants require that the shop order more copies that they will ever reasonably be able to sell. All they are doing is passing along the added costs that they are faced with. I've never had any problem with a comic shop giving me a variant for free if I volunteered to buy the 10, 20, or 200 copies that they have to order to get it. The problem is, some customers are not happy unless they have the variant. Collectors aren't happy with some common version of something when they look over at their buddy's collection and his copy is worth ten times what the common one is worth. People want the Lamboghini, not the Kia. That leaves the comic shop with the option of ordering thousands of unsaleable product to meet demand for a 1:200 variant or letting their customers walk out dissatisfied because they could not supply it. It's a lose/lose scenario for comic shops. No shop wants dissatisfied customers. No shop wants to have to order 200 copies of something the won't sell. No shop wants to pay rent on backstock that just sits in the boxes gathering dust. No store really wants to invest $20 into the acquisition of a comic just so they can turn around and sell it for for the price they paid when they know the comic 'should' be worth $3 (or 'cringe' $4). df1 Mike Costa does IMHO a great job on IDW's The Transformers ongoing series but to majority of Transfans absolutely HATE everything he is doing. Yet Simon Furman can't do no wrong with the original Transformers because he's written them for about 20+ years, except rip off Raymond Chandler, technobabble straight out of Star Trek: Voyager, dog pile boring story lines on top of each other and waste over 50 issues building up to...nothing and most of the fans love him and his IDW run. Which IMHO is 97% pure crap. Or all the crap I have to take from people who want me to like the Dark Key titles and keep saying "Be patent and give it time." Well my time is the most precious thing that I can give, and I give a new series 2 issues and if they can't keep my interest or make me give a damn about the series by the end of #2 then I'll drop them like a bad habit. If you can' t get me interested by the second issue then chances are you are going to be able to keep my interest in the series. |
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