I just want to make something very clear:
WE ARE NOT IN A COMICS DEPRESSION, RECESSION, OR IMPENDING APOCALYPSE.
There. I think I said what I needed to say. Now let me run with this, and eventually beat it into the ground.
Recently I have been hearing (or reading rather) a lot of talk about how comics are entering some sort of Dark Age. A time where the stories don't make sense, they aren't fun, the big two are obsessed with money, and mega events threaten doom upon our favorite entertainment medium. This my friends, is a load of crap.
Now I understand as a retailer that I am in a position to tell you that everything is fine. That comics are good and that you are not wasting your money. PLEASE BUY COMICS. PLEASE. But honestly, I read and BUY these things too. Its not like I sit in the store all day and count wads of cash, and call everybody who buys something an idiot (only sometimes). I care, respect, and love comics. From epic battles in space to the everyday journeys of a man in Japan, I love comics, and we, the comic buyer are living in an amazing time for comic books. There are tons of publishers out there offering a load of great stories from all different walks of life. The art ranges greatly, from smaller, independent, personal styles (Jeffery Brown, Rutu Modan) to hand painted, grandiose masterpieces (Alex Ross, Esad Ribic, Gabrielle Del Otto). And the writing, don't even get me started. You have bestselling authors (Brad Meltzer, Orson Scott Card, Gail Simone) and indy masterminds (Bryan Lee O'Malley, Ted Naifeh, Jeff Smith, Kolchaka) coming up with amazing stories that shock, awe, and inspire. If anything, these aren't the trying times for the medium, these are the defining times.
But Look. A lot of stuff comes out every week. Somewhere between 50-70 new titles. It can't all be gold, but they can be fun, and really, enjoyable comics is something different to everyone. Don't beat yourself up because Justice League is terrible, just don't buy it. Read what happened in a comic forum instead and when the book returns with a writer/artist team you like (ala Spider-Man Brand New Day) jump aboard. I hadn't read JLA in forever, but when I saw Ethan Van Sciver aboard for issue #20 I was all over it. And it was great. Something about Wonder Woman convincing the Flash to be more involved in the League. Great Stuff. But I wander.
This all comes about because of a post made on the Second Printing blog, which I frequently check, titled "A Fan's Survival Guide In The Face of Comic Apocalypse" which really rubbed me the wrong way. It provides GREAT tips to break a rut, or "survive" the coming doom. But really tips like "got outside your comfort zone" and "go back in time" are just great things to let all comic readers know of. Like really good things to let them know that they can do. That its in your power to read a series in TPB because its there and you can or that you can add or drop a book to your subscription at any time (at least with us you can) because you can. Or that you can even walk away for a bit... if you really want to. I for one won't be doing that any time soon.
Really what I want to end on is that a lot of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you really think things are getting so bad, THAT YOU HAVE TO WALK AWAY, then you will. If you think that superheroes are played out, but you are unwilling to try anything else. Than you will walk away. Thats why I think our store does a better job than most. I am not content to let someone walk away from comics because DC or Marvel told a story that forced them away. Hell no. Absolutely not. Unacceptable. Shenanigans even. We have a great community, and great employees that pride themselves on helping each other find new comics to read and enjoy. Hell, if you find yourself saying "Hey, this sounds like me," let me know and I would be more than happy to help.
Okay, consider this beaten into the ground. Thanks for your time.
Recently I have been hearing (or reading rather) a lot of talk about how comics are entering some sort of Dark Age. A time where the stories don't make sense, they aren't fun, the big two are obsessed with money, and mega events threaten doom upon our favorite entertainment medium. This my friends, is a load of crap.
Now I understand as a retailer that I am in a position to tell you that everything is fine. That comics are good and that you are not wasting your money. PLEASE BUY COMICS. PLEASE. But honestly, I read and BUY these things too. Its not like I sit in the store all day and count wads of cash, and call everybody who buys something an idiot (only sometimes). I care, respect, and love comics. From epic battles in space to the everyday journeys of a man in Japan, I love comics, and we, the comic buyer are living in an amazing time for comic books. There are tons of publishers out there offering a load of great stories from all different walks of life. The art ranges greatly, from smaller, independent, personal styles (Jeffery Brown, Rutu Modan) to hand painted, grandiose masterpieces (Alex Ross, Esad Ribic, Gabrielle Del Otto). And the writing, don't even get me started. You have bestselling authors (Brad Meltzer, Orson Scott Card, Gail Simone) and indy masterminds (Bryan Lee O'Malley, Ted Naifeh, Jeff Smith, Kolchaka) coming up with amazing stories that shock, awe, and inspire. If anything, these aren't the trying times for the medium, these are the defining times.
But Look. A lot of stuff comes out every week. Somewhere between 50-70 new titles. It can't all be gold, but they can be fun, and really, enjoyable comics is something different to everyone. Don't beat yourself up because Justice League is terrible, just don't buy it. Read what happened in a comic forum instead and when the book returns with a writer/artist team you like (ala Spider-Man Brand New Day) jump aboard. I hadn't read JLA in forever, but when I saw Ethan Van Sciver aboard for issue #20 I was all over it. And it was great. Something about Wonder Woman convincing the Flash to be more involved in the League. Great Stuff. But I wander.
This all comes about because of a post made on the Second Printing blog, which I frequently check, titled "A Fan's Survival Guide In The Face of Comic Apocalypse" which really rubbed me the wrong way. It provides GREAT tips to break a rut, or "survive" the coming doom. But really tips like "got outside your comfort zone" and "go back in time" are just great things to let all comic readers know of. Like really good things to let them know that they can do. That its in your power to read a series in TPB because its there and you can or that you can add or drop a book to your subscription at any time (at least with us you can) because you can. Or that you can even walk away for a bit... if you really want to. I for one won't be doing that any time soon.
Really what I want to end on is that a lot of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you really think things are getting so bad, THAT YOU HAVE TO WALK AWAY, then you will. If you think that superheroes are played out, but you are unwilling to try anything else. Than you will walk away. Thats why I think our store does a better job than most. I am not content to let someone walk away from comics because DC or Marvel told a story that forced them away. Hell no. Absolutely not. Unacceptable. Shenanigans even. We have a great community, and great employees that pride themselves on helping each other find new comics to read and enjoy. Hell, if you find yourself saying "Hey, this sounds like me," let me know and I would be more than happy to help.
Okay, consider this beaten into the ground. Thanks for your time.
1 comment:
I agree one hundred percent on your assessment of these being the defining times of comics. For heaven sakes, for the first time ever the medium is being taken seriously for its own sake as part of literature and part of art. IF Comics were truly in a recession we would not be seeing University Courses dedicated to the subject, an entire college in fact! Now more than ever comics are making their own way in the world. Gone are the days when 2 cent stories and cartoons were equated to the likes of porn. The comics industry is no longer even primarily superhero based, but rather and array and plethora of exciting stories that ranges beyond capes. Is there crap out there? Of course! But just like Danielle Steele doesn't define all romance fiction the crap that does occur in the comics world shouldn't be considered the end all and be all. Welcome to the 21st Century, where there is a comic for EVERYONE.
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