A Comic Book Discussion

[kybearfuzz]

After publishing the comic last week, I've been in a bit of a malaise. prisoncitybear coined the term "post-artum depression," the little bit of sadness after finishing an art project and the excitement dies down. That and some work stresses have left me feeling a bit out of sorts.

Today, I went out for a coffee and planned to do a bit of drawing. On the way, I stopped off at a local comic book shop and picked up a few titles. The shop guy and I started having a discussion after he asked me if I had seen this book or that book.

I told him that a lot of the current titles out didn't appeal to me anymore. The characters were the same in name, but, thanks to all the rebooting (which seems to happen twice a year or so), that's all that was familiar to me. For example, I told him that I wasn't an overall fan of the New 52 when it started. I told him that I lamented the loss of continuity and comic book history. Wonder Woman was particularly rough. She had gone from the "fight the war with love" character to being a vicious, almost callous, warrior. And she wasn't the only one. The clerk told me that the most recent "reboot" has Black Canary as the singer in a band with a mysterious history. No longer the wig-wearing wonder in fishnets, I was saddened by this desperate attempt to appeal to a new audience. Why can't DC just create new characters with new names and history? I'm sure the familiar name sells, but it seems to be a temporary boost in sales.

(I could make the same argument for the new "Jem and the Holograms" movie, but that's a separate post in itself.)

The clerk said something that made perfect sense in a way. He says that each title that comes out has a shelf-life of its own. He told me that most titles are lucky to make it to two years before the comic book company revamps or restarts it. It seems that the younger, modern-day reader has a short attention span when it comes to comics and maintaining their interest is nearly impossible. Per the clerk, a lot of new comics are automatically limited series.

I had recognized this phenomenon myself actually, but didn't realize it was so wide-spread. Most comic books are on-going stories, almost like serials, where the tales are continuous. Missing an issue means missing out on the continuity and getting lost. I told him that most of the comics I had bought were one-shot comics, or comics with short tales in them. When I started reading comics, stories were distinct from issue to issue (except for two or three-parters). If you missed an issue, the next issue was a separate story or adventure. My web-comic is like that too for the most part. Interest didn't seem like it waned so easily.

Where will comic books go from here? Who knows. I just wonder if this new business model has made me outgrow comic books for the most part.

After purchasing my comics, I made it to the bookstore for coffee and did some drawing of my own. With Halloween approaching, a lot of my drawings have been horror/sci-fi related. This one came to mind today and I put a bit of humor in it. I called it "Probe."


"Probe"

Comments

[prisoncitybear.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is the first time I have been tagged in a discussion on here in ages.
Hope you are well.
T

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

LOL! Well, LJ has become something of a ghost town, but I still haunt it.

Hope you're doing well! :)

[mikiedoggie.livejournal.com]

I'm still here too!


Kinda.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I do, too ... I wish I had something to add to the conversation, but the only comic I read is yours.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Any mention of probing aliens reminds me of two things...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tZar4wRP40

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MarLXymPIQ

Of course, neither of those have such a woofy probe subject... ;)

[mikiedoggie.livejournal.com]

Love the Probe drawing.

I have to say, I liked the reboot of Wonder Woman. I thought it was a fresh reimaging; most of the New 52 hasn't left any impression on me at all.

[geometrician.livejournal.com]

It seems to be that comics have been struggling as a medium in some ways, while finding more specialized niches in others. I began reading comics before I can remember, but as a kid didn't have access to be able to buy every issue of every series I liked, and couldn't afford to subscribe. It seems almost ridiculous now; I remember buying comics for 5 cents, then 10... 12... and the big jump to 20 cents. Fast forward, and I lost interest when I could no longer keep track of all of the different Earths and cannons without following multiple different storylines.

The misery that seems embedded in comics in the last several years has made them unappealing to me. I think that I wanted something softer and purer from comics, and a sense of goodness in the heroes that disappeared, at least for awhile.

I did try following Green Lantern electronically for awhile, and that was okay. It definitely is not the same as hanging onto that rag, though, feeling the way the paper feels--or used to--and smelling the way it smells. The cost is even more prohibitive for kids now, and the content is no longer as suitable for them--and that's the worst part.

You know what I like? I like Yale Stewart's JL8. It gives me nostalgia for the way it was, for me. And it isn't too complicated.