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curious if anyone has noticed or come across any trends in comics lately--specific books or the market in general. for example, the recent trend of running certain titles to death--like all the avengers books, all the bat books or superman books. there is also a trend toward more convoluted (though not necessarily better) plots. or is that just my imagination?

anything anyone has spotted out there?

Movie influence.

that's a good one. more characters are taking on their movie origins and personas.

I've noticed the current Batman trend for sure. He's being given a HUGE push across ALL different types of media--from toys, to games, to movies, etc. And the interesting thing about the numerous comic titles that carry the Bat-Brand is that pretty much all of them sell extremely well every single month. Can't blame DC for trying to milk that cash-cow for all it's worth.

...I'm also pretty sure that some of the push for Batman merchandise this past year stems from it being his 75th anniversary.

Originally posted by pym-ftw
Movie influence.

Yup, and this one is pretty big.

Bendis' move onto Avengers and GotG springs to mind....

not just movies. fraction and hickman both made their tv writing debuts doing da vinci's demons, which i love btw....

movies are earning so much, i guess it's not hard to see why comic books would start cow-towing to them. most people now-a-days probably know the characters more from movies than comics. maybe an exaggeration, but still, you know what i'm saying.

Hero on hero violence.

You guys tell me if i'm wrong, but from what i see in the Vs forum, at least at Marvel, seems the heroes spend more time fighting each other than anything else.

A costume trend for a few years now, especially in DC, is to have costumes look more "armor-y" by segmenting them. Ingenious, imo, a great evolution away from spandex, and a good way to tie in with "more realistic" movie versions of costumes.

Originally posted by leonidas
curious if anyone has noticed or come across any trends in comics lately--specific books or the market in general. for example, the recent trend of running certain titles to death--like all the avengers books, all the bat books or superman books. there is also a trend toward more convoluted (though not necessarily better) plots. or is that just my imagination?

anything anyone has spotted out there? Marvel - whoring themselves to the movies. I can almost see them bending over and taking it without lube in some of the comics. The most blatantly angering one is the black Nick Fury in the mainstream Universe, who also happens to have an eyepatch.

in all fairness, that 'version' of fury predates the films.

Originally posted by Galan007
in all fairness, that 'version' of fury predates the films. In the Ultimate universe. That's like making Superman black in the movies, then replacing it with a black one in the main Universe that looks like Obama.

Oookay...not touching this racial whim wham.

I do agree with mindship on the armory trend. I like it also.

Like what?

don't talk to me.

Free Country, bro.

Originally posted by riv6672
Like what?

I know there's Agent Coulson which has been added to the comics

personally i don't see what the big deal is, Not that much different to adding things from a tv show or other mediums.

Judging by the example, i'm pretty sure i know what the deal is.

I personally have no problem with canon immigration.
Marvel's been going it for years...
The Human Fly
X-23
Firestar
HERBIE
Morph
Reptil
JARVIS
White Tiger

Just saying. There have been way more hits than misses.

DC has also been doing it

Harley Quinn
Jimmy Olsen
Chloe Sullivan

not sure if there's anymore.

Mas y Menos
Wendy and Marvin
Wonder Twins
Roxy Rocket
Livewire
Isis

Heck, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen are two old ooold examples...

Firestar was a canon immigration? :O

And how can MOrph be one, he appeared back in the 60s?

Adding new characters isn't the same as hamfistedly morphing canon to fit the movies

Technically it is, but, i see your point/thats your opinion.
But you, Phil and Galan can at least take solace in the fact that Wolverine remains 5'2", and Perry White, still is.

Originally posted by krisblaze
Firestar was a canon immigration? :O

And how can MOrph be one, he appeared back in the 60s?
Just caught this, my bad.

Firestar was in Spider-man and His Amazing Friends, with Iceman.

Morph was an expy for someone or other in one of the bajillion X Men cartoons that have been made, i believe.

Originally posted by riv6672
Just caught this, my bad.

Firestar was in Spider-man and His Amazing Friends, with Iceman.

Morph was an expy for someone or other in one of the bajillion X Men cartoons that have been made, i believe.
Oh, you're thinking of shapeshifting morph, not morph from way back?

I think so.
Its way convoluted for me to pin down. Most things X related tend to get like that eventually!

Marvel has had a thing where when characters have movie versions, they've tried to make the comic versions wear costumes similar to the movies.

But that's a pretty minor thing.


Hm, they made Loki more movie-ish... though TeenLoki still isn't movie-Loki.

Originally posted by leonidas



curious if anyone has noticed or come across any trends in comics lately ... ?




There seems to be an intensification of religious allegory.
Especially as relates to lesser-known "End Times"/Apocalypse literature.


Examples abound, and I will be happy to share some for anyone who disagrees with this assertion.


Superman is renamed "Brutaal", for instance, adopts the Dragon-insignia costume of the recent Man of Steel movie, and goes on to murder score upon score of innocents.

Wonder Woman becomes the Goddess of War, a warrior riding a "KnightMare" (demon horse) and commands legions of the living and the dead.

The dark god Apollo on the other hand, Apollyon the Destroyer, finds himself temporarily thwarted by the "good" incarnations of Superman and Wonder Woman over in Soule's title.
They manage to do this by triggering a device activated when they adopt crucifix poses.

But Apollo then sends his power ("like lightning from heaven"?) into his two "disciples" to reverse the course of the battle.
The result is that Superman and Wonder Woman are soon treated to burial and resurrection.


Meanwhile, at Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange sells his soul to the Devil, in exchange for Earth-shaking power.
Interestingly, it is one of the "Light" (i.e. bright and angelic) and androgynous forms of Satan (looking strangely like Wonder Woman) that he performs this transaction with.
This story is arguably even more blatant, and goes so far as to explain soul-bartering is done in fifths and quasi-quotes "for this is the number of Man" from the Bible.
(New Avengers, #14, Volume 3, iirc)

Should we mention the appearance now of Sun God?
How about "Death's Sentry"?
Exitar's enacting Arishem's judgement upon the world?

Examined seriously, many of the comic book story arcs from today's major companies read like barely altered versions of Revelation.

To be sure, much of this was present before, but it's incredible to see just how much more direct such allusions are now.

Thats really interesting.

Originally posted by Kazenji
DC has also been doing it

Harley Quinn
Jimmy Olsen
Chloe Sullivan

not sure if there's anymore.


Livewire, I believe is another. The electric villain from Superman:TAS.


Btw, I would be surprised if Faora *doesn't* come over at some point, though she hasn't yet.


Both Aya (GL:TAS) and Artemis (YJ) were brought over... then killed off almost immediately...

something else i've been noticing recently vs what it was like in the past--characters seem to CHANGE, dramatically, often in both dc and marvel of late. they really seem to believe that the way to make a character better is by reinventing them in some way. the nonsense with hulk in the last couple years is a perfect example of that, and of course the wholesale reinvention of dc--not to mention some of the changes that have taken place in the dcnu characters already. i'm not saying the characters should be stagnant of course, but for DECADES it seemed characters MOSTLY remained the same, in both universes and it was through great stories that the characters evolved. now it seems change is done for the sake of change. not sure how clear i'm getting this across. also not saying all the stories were good in the past, but at least we were familiar with who everyone was. now, it's tough to even know anything about a character without really keeping up with all the changes.

too many changes, too few really great stories is a disturbing trend i'm seeing.