Let's Get Digital

I came to the computer today planning to write an entry about how the major comic companies should be letting someone who buys a physical print copy of a comic access to download it as a digital comic for free.

Then Comics Alliance posted that Marvel has announced they are doing just that.

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/11/10/marvel-comics-ultimate-digital-download-codes/

Now, they are not doing it for every comic they publish, for now it is just the Ultimate line.  However, this is a really big step towards where I think digital needs to go.  I am not willing to pay the same amount for a digital copy and a print copy, as digital copies are one hard drive failure away from being lost, which is far more likely to happen than a flood or fire destroying my print comics.  However, I absolutely love reading comics on my Android tablet (Asus EEE Transformer ftw!).

This is the perfect solution for me.  I still buy my physical comics, can hold them in my hands, but if I'm away from home I don't have to haul my comics along with me (risking damaging them in my travel bag even though they are bagged and boarded). 

I don't think that polybagging every comic sold is going to be an option, but for now to get the ball rolling it's acceptable.  If I'm on the fence about picking up a book not being able to flip through it can be a deal breaker.  It does remove the "this is not a library" problem though I suppose, but realistically polybagging the books is an extra cost Marvel is going to want to eliminate.

My first thought was have a code you can scan with your device to get the book, but then someone could just scan it on their phone in the store and in effect "steal" the digital copy.  Maybe each store is given a list of codes for the comics they ordered, and they give them out upon purchase?  The bonus there could be is that after say, 2-3 months, the store could sell the upload codes separate from what are now back issues, which would be a nice show of support for the stores.  I can see problems with that system too, but I'm sure something can be worked out.

I do wish that digital titles were priced at $.99, as I would end up giving Marvel more money every month than I do know, as I would buy some titles digitally and others in print form (though I'd hope for the free download of that comic as well, as I've suggested).  I can see how that might be a concern to the brick and mortar stores though, as that price would cause some people to switch entirely.

Still, good start Marvel!

Kids and Comics

I have a 5 month old son, and I love him to pieces.  When we found out my wife was pregnant I had dreams of designing the Spider-Man bedroom of my dreams if we were to have a boy.  It turns out that everyone I know would outfit it for me since Griffin has already gotten a ton of Spider-Man stuff already.

But would I want him to read a current Spider-Man comic book?  I'm not so sure.

Now I should actually say right off the bat that I am not reading the Spider-Man books these days, for reasons that I will explore in another post in the future.  So let's just switch this to modern comic books in general.

As the comic book audience has aged over the years, so has the content.  Back in the day it was unheard of to use a swear word in a comic; "hades" was substituted for "hell", "blast" for "damn", and so on.  There was violence, sure, but it wasn't gory or over the top.  The books were smart and never talked down to the reader, but the content was appropriate for all readers.

Nowadays we have books like New Avengers #35, which features a savage beating of the superheroine Tigra by the Hood, a character I'm fairly happy to know nothing about or have an interest in.  I understand that violence is part of comics, I love a good comic fight as much as the next guy, but I don't want nor need to see violence on this scale depicted.  I certainly do not want my son reading this at the age of 8, the same age that I was reading Stan and Steve's run on Amazing Spider-Man in the reprint Spider-Man Classics line.

The line between good and evil is very blurred in comics these days.  I feel that I have a pretty strong moral center, and I feel that a big part of that is from reading about heroes who do the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do, like Captain America, Superman, and Thor.  Now Superman is throwing people off of buildings, Captain America is the new Nick Fury, and Thor is running around telling people to shut up and calling them a pain in the ass.

I appreciate that Marvel and DC have been putting books out aimed at kids, and that's good, but there was a time when comics were suitable for all ages, with something for the kids and something for the adults.  Some of the best movies are like that, and I miss the days when comics could do the same.

As it is, when it's time to introduce my son to comics, I've got a stack of beat up Spider-Man Classics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko waiting for him.

The Invincible Iron...Penance?

This week has been pretty busy for me so my apologies for the lack of proper articles, but I saw this and thought I'd share it.  It's a promo from Marvel for "The Mighty", part of the Fear Itself event I'm ignoring.  When I saw the image though, my first thought was "Is that Iron Man or Penance?".  I know it's Iron Man, but wow, it sure is hard to tell!

This really is a weird assortment of costumes.  Iron Man and Wolverine look completely different (Wolverine is easily recognizable but as I said Iron Man looks way too much like Penance), Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist and Spider-Man have different costumes but are easily identifiable, and it looks like they just got lazy with Hawkeye and black Widow by just adding neon lines to their regular costumes.  No comment on Dr. Strange and She-Rulk there since I don't follow the titles they're in enough to know what they normally look like these days.

I'll do a "Why I Skip Events" post later, but from what I've seen online I don't feel like I'm missing much from Fear Itself.  Outside of the cosmic books (Annihilation, War of Kings, etc) I can't remember the last event from Marvel that was actually very good.

Superheroes in Television

I think part of the problem with the transition of superheroes to the small screen is the creators spend too much time focusing on the super powers and not enough time on the characters.  Any good series is driven by strong characters and their relationships with each other, not on the spandex.

I still think this suit looks
better than Aqua-Superman
in the upcoming film.

I really think that the show that really got this right was Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  As a kid I watched it because it had Superman in it.  Now when I watch it on DVD, I'm watching for the relationship between the two title characters.  It is important to note the title; Superman gets third-billing, how often does that happen?  Pretty much never.

My wife, who has no interest in superheroes whatsoever (after watching Spider-Man 3 with me she didn't know who I was talking about when I referenced Venom, though in her defense I rewatched the movie and they never do call him that on-screen), loves Lois & Clark.  While we were dating long distance she and her best friend would borrow the seasons from me and they would devour them inside a week.  They wanted to see the love story, they didn't really care about Superman.

I keep hearing about new television series being developed by Marvel and DC; I've read about the Hulk, Mockingbird, and Cloak & Dagger from Marvel and Wonder Woman from DC.  I don't think any of those properties (especially from the synopsis' I've read) really fit the small screen very well.  Here, in no particular order, are the properties I think would translate well to television and how I would do them. The titles are just for fun though!

Daredevil

In my mind Daredevil is a slam dunk of a television show.  Rather than focus the majority of the show on Daredevil, shine the spotlight on Matt Murdock and his legal practice.  There are a ton of legal dramas on television, just add a swashbuckling vigilante into the mix.  I think Matt's blindness would also be able to give the show a different spin than your average show.  The best part about this series is you can easily work in guest stars from the Marvel Universe.  The Punisher could be a recurring character who Matt has worked with as Daredevil in the streets and defended (or prosecuted!) by attorney Matt Murdock in the courtroom. Work in Luke Cage as a bounty hunter or as Matt's personal security.  Jennifer Walters as a rival attorney.  So many characters could be worked in, but again, keep the focus on the characters, not on their superhero exploits.

X-Men
As much as I hate to admit it, putting the X-Men back into a high school setting (cliche, I know) would work extremely well.  X-Men Evolution did a great job with this concept; I resisted the idea at first, but after watching the show they developed a unique look at the X-Men's history and relationships that was very well done.  I would probably put the X-Men into a regular high school, so you can explore the prejudice and persecution angles, but also of acceptance.  I'm not even sure what line-up I'd use since almost any one I can come up with would make for a good show.

Justice League of America
I don't actually know what I'd call the series (Super Buddies, Formerly Known as the Justice League?), since using the Justice League name leads people to believe Superman, Batman and company are the stars.  No, I would base this show around the Giffen/DeMatteis/Macquire premise, as a comedy.  Guy Gardner, Sue Dibny, Elongated Man, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice and Maxwell Lord.  The characters aren't over-powered (the problem with including J'onn J'onnz), but the potential is there for a lot of laughs.  I would do the series in the same vein as the Tick live action series, which was hilarious.

SHIELD
Counter-terrorism shows are popular these days, so unleash Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Maria Hill and the other members of SHIELD.  Some weeks you can work in organizations like Hydra or AIM, others you can just use original creations.  No superpowers required.  My only requirement is we don't get a Samuel L. Jackson Fury...I like my Fury with greying temples and chomping on a cigar, thank you very much.

Power Pack
Why Disney hasn't put this into production for ABC Family, I do not know.  As much as I'd love to see Pixar's take on the Pack, it would be too similar to the Incredibles.  Therefore, give the Powers kids a live action series instead, the younger viewers will have a ball!


Damage Control
Rather than focus on super-powered beings fighting, how about focusing on cleaning up the mess afterwards?  For some reason I imagine this series being done in a similar tone to that of the Office, which is funny considering I rarely watch that show.  I think it would work.

I could keep going, but I'll stop there for now.  What shows would you like to see?

The Mighty Thor #5...Reworded

I've been picking up The Mighty Thor strictly because of Oliver Coipel's pencils. Somehow the dialogue gets worse each issue and I can hardly stand it anymore. At times Thor uses big words like "bloviating" and other times he calls people a "pain in the ass" (Fear Itself #5). It's maddening!

Here is my attempt at re-doing the dialogue, old school Marvel style (with dialogue added after the penciler has done his work based on the plot).  Assume the text fills in the existing word balloons, I won't add dialogue for the panels without dialogue. I'm going to do my best to emulate the dialogue of Thor from the JMS/Kieron period, but I'm by no means a professional so be kind!



PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: I did not seek this combat, Thor Odinson, but I will finish it if you continue to force my hand.



PANEL 1

Thor: While Asgard remains in peril I cannot yield.

PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: That energy...never have I felt its kind before. How did you become so afflicted?

PANEL 3

Thor: It matters not. It burns with the fire of Muspel, the brilliance of Elfheim, and the arctic bite of the Jotun cold, yet for the sake of all all the Nine Worlds it will not lay me low! FOR ASGARD!!

PANEL 4

Silver Surfer: I--

PANEL 5

Thor: It pains me to strike one I would call ally so, Surfer, but your master must be stopped, no matter the cost!



PANEL 2

Silver Surfer: Then the cost must be your very lifeblood, Odinson.

PANEL 3

Thor: That sound-

PANEL 4

Silver Surfer: I implore you once more Thor, lay down your arms.

PANEL 5

Thor: Never!

Silver Surfer: So be it!

Sif (off-panel): Boys!

PANEL 6

Sif: Look to the stars.



PANEL 1

Odin: Begone, scourge of worlds...

PANEL 2

Galactus: Little godling...

PANEL 3

Odin: Graggh! You have forced my hand devourer...

PANEL 5

Odin: ...thus let us battle on equal footing!



I could probably polish it up some yet, but I still think it's better than the dialogue we've been getting. Which is sad, really, for a character getting a big push in the theatres over the next year.

Fanboy That Broke The Camel's Back

Yesterday Bleeding Cool posted a story about penciller Brett Booth's reaction to a reader critiquing the finer points of Green Arrows archery form on a cover for the new DC Relaunch.  Long story short, Mr. Booth was not amused.  The full story can be found at http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/08/25/brett-booth-is-our-hero/.
I do think that Brett Booth could have responded a little more tactfully, but my guess is this comment was the one that broke the proverbial camels back.  People think they can say whatever they want on the internet and they are discussing things, not work done by people.  Comics fans are particularly vicious with their commentary.

The internet has opened up lines of communication between comics creators and fans that most people take for granted.  Not very long ago creators could only be accessed through letters page and at comic conventions, and that was it.  Now we can interact with them on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and message services like Formspring.  I worry that if comic readers keep taking the creators interactions for granted, creators will cease to make the effort.


One of the best
comic series of all time.

I remember while in high school I somehow obtained John Ostrander's e-mail address.  At the time he was working on his Martian Manhunter book, which I intend to do at least one or more blog posts about because it is some of the best work I've ever read; John is to the Manhunter as Walt Simonson is to Thor.  Anyway, we had a back and forth conversation over a few e-mails that was one of the highlights of my comics reading career.  Not because I criticized or gushed, but because we had a pleasant conversation.  I wish I still had his e-mails but unfortunately that account was lost and I lost all the messages within.  A true gentleman is John Ostrander.

The Big 2 & 1/2

I often read people bashing Tom Brevoort for being curt on his Formspring account, but based on the way so many fanboys come out swinging with negative comments I can't really say I blame him.  I've interacted with Tom on several occassions through his old blog while he was doing a comic trading project (the goal was to take 5 random comics and trade up until he got a Fantastic Four #1, then auction off all the books he had to benefit the Hero Initiative).  I found him very pleasant and friendly to deal with.  One trade, where I was going to get several issues of the Champions, fell through because the books never made it to Tom.  He offered me something else instead, which I took reluctantly and told him I was really looking forward to reading the Champions books because I had always wanted to check them out.  Tom then offered to include a copy volume 1 of the Champions trade paperback that he had on his shelf, though he certainly did not have to do so.  In another trade, where I got the full run of Secret Invasion, I made a comment about getting Bendis to sign them before he sent them if he was kicking around (I was joking but thought it couldn't hurt).  When the books showed up, Bendis hadn't signed them, but since he was the editor on the series, Tom signed them himself.  Does it bump up the value?  Not really.  Was it cool that he did so?  Absolutely.

Comics creators are people, and I think it's important that the fans remember that when interacting with them, especially online.  I don't need someone coming to my office to nitpick every little thing I do, and I think that anyone reading this wouldn't appreciate that either, so why do we have the right to do so to those crafting the stories we enjoy?  The fact is we don't.  We can criticize, yes, but I feel that criticism should be constructive and delivered without malice.

Did Anyone Get The Number of That Book?

Comics should not require research to read. It makes getting into the medium intimidating to new readers and off-putting even to experienced readers. A reader should not need to be experienced to follow a story!

Hulk no need
balanced breakfast.

The biggest problem here is that the publishers want to have their Hostess Fruit Pies and eat them too, in the form of constant re-number and re-titling of books. They want the boosted sales of a #1, but also the extra numbers that come with a milestone issue such as a #500.

For example, let's take a look at the publishing history of Thor. The God of Thunder got his start in Journey Into Mystery #83, and eventually the title of the book changed to reflect that of it's star, with issue #126 being re-titled as The Mighty Thor. This was the tend for several of Marvel's books that started as anthology titles but were taken over by the most popular feature character, such as Captain America taking over Tales of Suspense.

Hammer time.

The Mighty Thor kept the same number and title up until it's cancelation during the Heroes Reborn event, which was a reboot or reset of some of Marvel's flagship characters, such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

It was around this time that the third volume of Journey Into Mystery was launched (I don't even know how to slot JiM volume 2 into this article other than to say it existed and as far as I know had nothing do with Thor, it was an anthology title featuring various stories), for a grand total of 19 issues.

You only wish your
hammer was that shiny.

Thor became the star of his own book again with a relaunched Thor #1 (to go along with new Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, and Fantastic Four #1's) after Heroes Reborn: The Return, which saw the exiled heroes come back to the mainstream Marvel Universe. Thor had a run of 85 issues before being canceled. The character was killed off (in the extraordinary Ragnarok storyline) and put on the shelf for a few years.

Thor made his triumphant return to comics with a new #1. This new volume ran for a total of 12 issues before Marvel decided to bump up the bottom line by keeping the name but going back to the original Journey Into Mystery numbering with #600.

21 issues later Marvel then decided to launch a new book for Thor to call his own, The Mighty Thor #1. His "old" book was returned to the title Journey Into Mystery and continued on with #622.

Thor's mom made him
add the sleeves so he
wouldn't catch cold.

So if I'm a new comic book reader, and I decide I like the cover art on Journey Into Mystery #622 and pick it up, how am I supposed to know that if I want to backtrack to find more issues I have to look for Thor volume 1 #621? If I figure out that the book was last titled Thor, I'm going to be looking for the most recent volume, volume 3...but that stopped with #12 and continued into Thor volume 1 #600-621...I bought these books as they came out and even I get confused!

I'm not gonna lie, this also makes organizing your books really difficult. If you do it by title and volume, the reading order is all messed up. If you do it by reading order, then you have to mix in multiple titles that can't be sorted alphabetically.

I understand that a #622 is off-putting to new readers because there is a lot of potential backstory you may feel you need to read. But bouncing around from #1's to #600's makes it no easier.

Better movie means
better cover billing.

I think the big publishers need to look at a volume system. You could create a new volume every year or two. The numbers stay low, making it more palatable to new readers, but there is still a sense of history when you hit volume 20 #1. You can create a jumping on point for new readers with each new volume.

I'd like to think that DC Comics has an excellent opportunity to keep their titles numbering clean with the relaunching of their entire line with #1 issues for all titles, but I find it hard to believe they will pass up re-numbering Action Comics when the time comes for #1000. It's really a shame Action and Detective were re-numbered from a historical standpoint, but I'm sure DC will get their slice of those fruit pies however they can.

Don't mess with the Ding-a-Lings