Comic Book Questions & Discussion

Originally posted by -Pr-
He just really, really didn't seem like he wanted to have Superman in the comic, to the point that he shoved Wonder Woman front and centre. Instead of making Wonder Woman just look good, he took the time to make her look good by making Superman look bad by comparison.

While I do understand your complaint... not sure if you know, but plenty of solo books do stuff like that.

It's... not some new or weird thing to do, exactly. It's just rarely discussed on battleboards (for obvious reasons...............) 😂

It's quite common in superhero books.

You buy character x's book. You see character y outperforming character x in it.

Marvel/DC: Yooo bro, check out character y's ongoing!

You check character y's run, and there's character z (or even character x, lol) doing better than him/her.

It's a very old marketing trick that works to this day, because we, comic book fans, are easily sodomized, my friend.

Originally posted by cdtm
Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall and hear how he justified that to the editors.

lol ikr?

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
While I do understand your complaint... not sure if you know, but plenty of solo books do stuff like that.

It's... not some new or weird thing to do, exactly. It's just rarely discussed on battleboards (for obvious reasons...............) 😂

It's quite common in superhero books.

You buy character x's book. You see character y outperforming character x in it.

Marvel/DC: Yooo bro, check out character y's ongoing!

You check character y's run, and there's character z (or even character x, lol) doing better than him/her.

It's a very old marketing trick that works to this day, because we, comic book fans, are easily sodomized, my friend.

Yes, and I agree with you... but the problem is that the book was supposed to be a team-up book.

Superman Batman, for example, was a team-up book where they balanced them out for the most part. Sure, it had its faults, but even at its worst I don't think it was this bad.

Was Wonder Woman included or mentioned in any way in the title? Trinity? Superman/Wonder Woman? Anything?

Just asking 😉

Originally posted by -Pr-
He just really, really didn't seem like he wanted to have Superman in the comic, to the point that he shoved Wonder Woman front and centre. Instead of making Wonder Woman just look good, he took the time to make her look good by making Superman look bad by comparison.

See, I think there's a middle ground. Sure, comics will always have that "hero fights villain" framework that they have to work with, but I think you can still make a good comic. Even a decent comic, within that.

But the issue for me, is that while you can say "we need to let writers take risks", the problem is that they aren't hiring good writers in the first place. Writers that when they take these risks, they'll give us the next Dark Phoenix or Death of Superman.

I honestly think Byrne's Superman is fine. Some nice ideas, some decent character moments, but plenty of silliness too. Like the Darkseid sex-tape thing.

That Bustle article is telling.

Editors wanted "exoticness" and characters who seem "different from us."

That tells.me they aren't after diversity for any of the right reasons. All they're after is a carnival sideshow to attract more readers.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
I think reading them online is not the same

That can be said about a whole lot of things, my friend.

Communicating is not the same.

Promoting oneself is not the same.

Looking for job is not the same.

Hell, even playing computer games is not the same (game experience mostly improves in this particular case, but still).

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
That can be said about a whole lot of things, my friend.

Communicating is not the same.

Promoting oneself is not the same.

Looking for job is not the same.

Hell, even playing computer games is not the same (game experience mostly improves in this particular case, but still).

Agreed.

I like reading them on a tablet.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
That can be said about a whole lot of things, my friend.

Communicating is not the same.

Promoting oneself is not the same.

Looking for job is not the same.

Hell, even playing computer games is not the same (game experience mostly improves in this particular case, but still).

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
Yeah, all true Stilt. I think Comics when you don't pay lose value, but why pay, when they are free?

Depends on the comic.

Some you can't buy. And some just plain aren't worth owning, but have a certain appeal.

Like Archie Sonic the Hedgehog. No way do I want them, I just wanted to feel the nostalgia of being a kid in the era where they wrote comics about Sonic the Hedgehog.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
Yeah, all true Stilt.

Reading them online in 2020 is actually better than irl... other than your eyes getting tired and having no physical contact, of course.

High res, perfect zoom, noticing details you couldn't see normally and so on. You can even download old comics remastered or scanned so good, you can appreciate them more.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
I think Comics when you don't pay lose value, but why pay, when they are free?

To be fair now, that can be said about a lot of things available on the web.

Music. Movies. Programs. F*cking doctorates.

Pics of some of your close friends nude --- you can find those, too, if you try.

We're all slaves to the Internet.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
Reading them online in 2020 is actually better than irl... other than your eyes getting tired and having no physical contact, of course.

High res, perfect zoom, noticing details you couldn't see normally and so on. You can even download old comics remastered or scanned so good, you can appreciate them more.

To be fair now, that can be said about a lot of things available on the web.

Music. Movies. Programs. F*cking doctorates.

Pics of some of your close friends nude --- you can find those, too, if you try.

We're all slaves to the Internet.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
It's that turning the page, that I miss, did you know when I was a kid, American comics were quite rare, they were used as ballast on ships. Amusing but true, I had a little shop around the corner which sold them you never even knew if the next month you would get the same comics. It was exciting.

What was some of the comics you guys had?

I know UK did Transformers. You even got your own stories exclusive in the UK, to pad out the time between US monthlies. Imo, many were better then what we got. That was in the 1980's though, I assume that's well after your kid days.

Originally posted by cdtm
What was some of the comics you guys had?

I know UK did Transformers. You even got your own stories exclusive in the UK, to pad out the time between US monthlies. Imo, many were better then what we got. That was in the 1980's though, I assume that's well after your kid days.

Originally posted by StiltmanFTW
Was Wonder Woman included or mentioned in any way in the title? Trinity? Superman/Wonder Woman? Anything?

Just asking 😉

How dare you.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
Byrnes Superman needed to happen to redraw and ground the stupidity of what was going on. We almost need it to happen again now tbh. Yeah, about good comics, I thought exactly the same as you when I was around your age on this board back in 2005, now I wonder if it was just nostalgia for my lost childhood. I still read comics, I don;t enjoy anywhere near as many, not because I think they are bad, I think reading them online is not the same, I think I value free comics less, but I think the biggest problem is most of the comics I saw as new and fresh and great have dated so badly. Most comics have always been bad, for every Dark Phoenix you have mostly shit that month in other titles. It's funny you mentioned the original DOS, I have 3 copies still unopened with the Armband, the print run was so high they will never be worth anything lol. I didn't really enjoy DOS, I far preferred the Warworld Byrne stories, although Byrne is a dick of the highest order. His "A flame about this high" column in Next Men was almost parody of how you imagine a brilliant but flawed man. Hey ho!

I'm not going to pretend that there weren't bad comics back in the day. The 90s alone is evidence of that, but it stretches back much further.

The problem I have, is that nowadays we have the low lows, but far less of the high highs.

And yes, John Byrne is a dick.

Originally posted by cdtm
That Bustle article is telling.

Editors wanted "exoticness" and characters who seem "different from us."

That tells.me they aren't after diversity for any of the right reasons. All they're after is a carnival sideshow to attract more readers.

They're all making the same mistake of alienating their core in the process.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
We got American comics. Our Famous British ones are 2000AD Dredd, Slaine etc. Warrior Marvel/Miracleman V for Vendetta, Shandor etc. Action comic, not Action comics, Action was incredibly violent. Alan Moore cut his teeth on 2000AD and Warrior btw, Pat Mills, Wagner and Mcmanus were all on Action.

I miss 2000AD.

Hulk: The Threshing Place was a really good but dark read.

Hulk is just straight up murdering humans.

Marvel is coming up with great one-shots, like the Cyclops origin one.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
We got American comics. Our Famous British ones are 2000AD Dredd, Slaine etc. Warrior Marvel/Miracleman V for Vendetta, Shandor etc. Action comic, not Action comics, Action was incredibly violent. Alan Moore cut his teeth on 2000AD and Warrior btw, Pat Mills, Wagner and Mcmanus were all on Action.

Marvelman would be worth good money if you gor your hands on that.

Originally posted by cdtm
Marvelman would be worth good money if you gor your hands on that.

Originally posted by Old Man Whirly!
I have all of Warrior, I also have all the Eclipse Miracleman. Some including issue 15 twice.

What did you think of Gaiman's work?

I tapped out after Moore's ending. It felt complete to me, and any more would just ruin it (I loved the idea of a Utopia only being possible if god comes down and forces it down our throats, which I think was his point there.)

Originally posted by cdtm
What did you think of Gaiman's work?

I tapped out after Moore's ending. It felt complete to me, and any more would just ruin it (I loved the idea of a Utopia only being possible if god comes down and forces it down our throats, which I think was his point there.)

Originally posted by Rage.Of.Olympus
Hulk: The Threshing Place was a really good but dark read.

Hulk is just straight up murdering humans.

Marvel is coming up with great one-shots, like the Cyclops origin one.