Hot Topics
TWHP RSS Feeds
Newsletter
Sleeve Coat:
It stands to reason that some of DC’s New 52 wouldn’t sell as well as their other titles would. Was canceling them the right solution though? Was six issues long enough of a test? Who can say? I was thoroughly enjoying the Men Of War title, although I can easily see how it wouldn’t be everyone else’s cup of tea. Mister Terrific and Static Shock were two of DC’s more prominent African-American characters, and now, just like that, they’re gone. Still, I can’t help but wonder, couldn’t DC have done something to save these titles from cancellation. New writers? New artists? New ideas? Or am I just insane for thinking that? What do you make of it all?
JasonRed3:
I just heard that Fox canceled Terra Nova. In my house, we enjoyed watching the show… but lately, shows get canned long before they’ve had a chance to hit their groove. It’s far more brutal, and it creates an environment of fear. Why invest in a new show, if it’ll just get canceled? Which lowers viewership, and… it’s a vicious cycle, and it’s far more than a simple numbers game, at least to us, the consumers. DC is doing the same thing. Did they really expect people to latch on to all 52 books the minute they came out? Many comicbooks take a few issues to work out the kinks and find their grooves. But, why should readers buy into a title that will only get taken away from them? When it comes to Terra Nova, they’re trying to find a new network to pick it up (SyFy, anyone?) but comics don’t get that luxury. This isn’t out with the old, it’s out with the new! How aggravating.
Monkey Paw:
Agreed. It seems if there isn’t an instant following, a project get canned just to be replaced with a new one, and then another new one, until they find their “instant cash cow”. When I was growing up, there were many Marvel characters who I had no interest in, and then (along comes Mark Millar) and Marvel revamps the Marvel universe with the Ultimates. Those lame characters from the eighties are now some of my favorites.
Zen Turtle:
They say it takes any new business at least a year to start finding themselves making a profit. To cancel a television show, or comicbook, before it even reaches that one-year-mark is either admitting that the original idea to create such content was a bad one, or that the idea isn’t being given enough time to flourish. Either way, the creators should be ashamed of their publishing house for giving such a puny attempt at creating hype over a series. Sometimes I think 52 titles is too many. Maybe publishers should dwindle their titles, and promote them more creatively. Readers can only afford so many $4 comics. When there are too many issues to choose from, many go unread. If the publishers were to focus on making 25 incredible titles, each would sell much better than 52 mediocre ones.
I. A. Tollah:
We live in a “now now now” society. This doesn’t surprise me. Artists of any kind are no longer able to develop their trade, and make mistakes along the way. Most of the greats made many mistakes along the way, and learned from those mistakes, and built their art up to a higher level because of those mistakes. It really is sad. I do agree with Zen Turtle that perhaps the companies would do better developing 25 series instead of 52, and letting them breathe and develop and make mistakes, all for the greater good of the comicbook. I think the companies these days like to roll out a bunch of things at once hoping one becomes a hit, and maybe carries a few of the others…doesn’t usually work out too well for us, the consumer.
We live in a “now now now” society. This doesn’t surprise me. Artists of any kind are no longer able to develop their trade, and make mistakes along the way. Most of the greats made many mistakes along the way, and learned from those mistakes, and built their art up to a higher level because of those mistakes. It really is sad. I do agree with Zen Turtle that perhaps the companies would do better developing 25 series instead of 52, and letting them breathe and develop and make mistakes, all for the greater good of the comicbook. I think the companies these days like to roll out a bunch of things at once hoping one becomes a hit, and maybe carries a few of the others…doesn’t usually work out too well for us, the consumer.
Sleeve Coat:
Harrumph! It doesn’t surprise me either, I.A.. It also doesn’t impress me, and I sure don’t mind being impressed once in a while. The last time DC Comics impressed me was, hmmmm, well, in the big picture, I gotta give them credit in that department. The following new DC titles have been consistently impressing me: Batman, Swamp Thing, Catwoman, Legion Of Super Heroes, Batwoman, and Batgirl. The tales are action-packed. The writing is strong. The artwork is strong. I cannot say the same for the six titles which got the axe, for all of the obvious reasons. Men Of War was the only casualty that I was actually reading with any sort of consistency. The cover price was $1 more than most other comicbooks ($3.95 instead of $2.95). It had more pages, and it always included a side-story along with the main story. The side-story was not appealing to me, but the main story was fascinating, and there was a supernatural/superhuman plot device which anyone with half-a-brain would have enjoyed immensely. Why was it canceled? A better question might be, Why didn’t it sell?
Zen Turtle:
I. A., great point made about artists being allowed to make mistakes along the way. Michelangelo’s biggest mistake was signing his name on to David, because he overheard someone giving another artist credit for its creation. He never signed another piece of art again for the disgrace he felt when looking at how he had defaced his masterpiece. Vincent Van Gogh went on creating one piece of art after another, without ever thinking he had achieved anything. He died alone and miserable without a single fan in the world, yet you all know who he is. Great art is made great over time. There were only 12 issues of Watchmen…yet here we are, two decades later, still living in its wake.
Dr. Dapsoy:
Sorry it took so long to chime in. I was too busy reading fifty-two different #1 issues whilst sipping on New Coke. My laundry is almost done, I have to get my Islanders jersey with the fisherman logo before it wrinkles.
Sleeve Coat:
Welcome, Doctor! Lovely weather we’re having! And, Let’s Go Islanders! DC Comics is giving us six new titles, to effectively(?) replace the six titles which are being canceled. Tell me, my fellow Rantquakers…of these six new DC titles, which do you think will have the best chance of lasting longer than six issues, and why? “Batman Incorporated,” “Earth 2,” “World’s Finest,” “Dial H,” “G. I. Combat,” or “The Ravagers”? As far as my guess goes, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…
I. A. Tollah:
I would say of the titles you listed, Batman Incorporated sounds like it has the best chance for success…mostly because, well, its Batman. It’s a known commodity, and the fans of that commodity will tend to latch on to new ideas/products which are related to that commodity. I have always been a big Batman fan…be it Dark Knight, Adam West and his batgut, or basically anything Batman. This interests me. I can’t say that I speak for all Batfans, but I’m at least likely to give it a chance. That said, I’m curious to look into the other titles too, just to see what the scoop is on them. But many folks have their “comicbook” that they stick with, and they may not want to look into something that is not obviously in their comicbook vein.
Sleeve Coat:
Adam West and his batgut? ROFL! You know, I.A., you raise a very good point there, about the Batfans. I find that sometimes, try as we might, there’s just no emancipating a creature-of-habit from his (or her) comfort zone / natural habitat. It takes all kinds to make a world. Live and let live. While I often set time aside to enjoy a great many comicbook titles, from numerous publishing houses, I also know plenty of happy-go-lucky comicbook readers who can rarely see beyond Spider-Man and/or Superman. I also know plenty of readers who only want to swim in the Batman pool, and it satisfies them completely. That breed of “surgical strike” readers are happy and snug in their cozy little comicbook worlds. And there are TONS of those kinds of readers. Good on them. Batman Incorporated is very likely to outlast those five other new titles, exactly because of that breed of reader. And, if DC Comics is the richer for it, then everyone goes home happy with a ham sandwich. Everyone wins. Another reason why Batman Incorporated will outlast the other five titles, is Grant Morrison. Batman Incorporated was his idea, and his ideas have legs; big strong legs.
