DC and Marvel in Decline

[kybearfuzz]

I have had a lot of discussions among my comic book-collecting friends and the local comic book store owners about what I have viewed as a decline in the quality of what used to be the most popular comic books. One store owner told me that DC and Marvel aim for a 12-issue or so story-arc so they can generate trade paperbacks, that continuing storylines are too hard to maintain and that one-shot issues are nearly non-existent.

It's one of the things I've done with my own comic is to try to bring back some of that feeling. I generate write standalone issues, or maybe two or three issue arcs, but then back to the single story. It's how the comic books were when I was a kid and I loved it.

Such changes have led to a dwindling of my comic purchases. I have started learning more toward independent comics, horror comics, etc., instead of DC and Marvel.

Today I was reading a Facebook article with a link to Bleeding Cool, a comic book blog, that echoed a lot of the discussions I've had recently:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/01/27/retailers-complain-about-collapsing-marvel-and-dc-sales/

One of the discussion points the article brings up is the decline in the quality of artwork, specifically with Marvel Comics, where it's coming across as cartoonish and manga-esque. I was having a similar discussion with aceofspace a few weeks ago, saying that the comic art was shying away from realistic styles. One of my comments to him was that I felt the artwork for a lot of comics were ... well... sloppy. Of all the comic book artists out there competing for the opportunities to draw comics, I found it surprising that these artists were getting the work.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, but it was interesting to read such validating statements in the blog.

I've not given up comic book collecting, but the volume had definitely changed. I'll be very curious what the two big comics will try to woo readers back. I do worry if it might be too late.

Comments

[maxauburn.livejournal.com]

I still visit comic book stores from time to time.

I look at some comics. The art and stories both seem poor. The stories contain a lot of violence. They don't have lots of thought balloons which help reveal character, as they did years ago.

I'll stick to my Marvel Masterworks, Marvel Essentials, and Adventure Comics featuring Superboy & The Legion of Super Heroes collections, thank you!

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

I guess, like many things in life, it all comes down to money? I know nothing about comics, though, so I could be talking out of my arse...