support your LCS

[MrBedrock]

Welcome back from Vegas, Rich. I assume everything went off without a hitch.

Thanks Jim. No hitches. There was a hitching though

[DrWatson]

Welcome back from Vegas, Rich. I assume everything went off without a hitch.

Thanks Jim. No hitches. There was a hitching though

Oh, bad choice of words on my part. Been putting my foot in my mouth all day.

 

 

 

[sborock]

Welcome back from Vegas, Rich. I assume everything went off without a hitch.

Thanks Jim. No hitches. There was a hitching though

Oh, bad choice of words on my part. Been putting my foot in my mouth all day.

 

 

 

How's it taste

[DrWatson]

Welcome back from Vegas, Rich. I assume everything went off without a hitch.

Thanks Jim. No hitches. There was a hitching though

Oh, bad choice of words on my part. Been putting my foot in my mouth all day.

 

 

 

How's it taste

I am use to it. Everybody has an off day once in a while.

[awe4one]

Don't you see the problem with this statement. "I picked up a new X-Men comic for the first time in years awhile back". Why should a comic publisher keep the comic just the same, when readers like you drop off for years at a time? If it is not interesting enough for you to keep reading, they have to try something new. Just because 1 issue of X-Men was not what you expected, doesn't mean all new comics are bad.

 

Never said it was...and that is just one example out of many I could use. I think you're missing the point...if "I" can't tell what's happening with characters I should know pretty well due to two decades of reading their adventures then how will a new reader keep up? Again, it goes back to the impulse buy. Readers have to start sometime. And current comics do not provide an entry point to grab those new readers. It can/should start with the first comic they pick up...don't hook them then and they move on to something else...

 

Personally, I long for the days when Marvel had a "house style" and art styles and writing styles did not fly all over the place from arc to arc. If they did change artists or had a fill in, you didn't really notice that much. I guess that is one reason I have really enjoyed Ultimate Spider-man so much. The book has been consistent and good from the first issue to current.

 

That's a very nostalgic view...one I also share but be prepared to defend it against those who think creator's freedoms are being trampled upon in a system such as this...

 

My personal belief is Marvel and DC SHOULD go back to this model if only for consistency's sake and truly believe sales would increase across the line vs. issue by issue or story...if I was the publisher that's exactly what I'd do. And if a creator thought it was cramping his style then I'd show him the door and find someone else. Eventually they'd be back anyway since most creators are also long time fans as well...

 

Jim

[Dale Roberts]

Welcome back from Vegas, Rich. I assume everything went off without a hitch.

Thanks Jim. No hitches. There was a hitching though

 

People in love.....sheesh...

[Dale Roberts]

Don't you see the problem with this statement. "I picked up a new X-Men comic for the first time in years awhile back". Why should a comic publisher keep the comic just the same, when readers like you drop off for years at a time? If it is not interesting enough for you to keep reading, they have to try something new. Just because 1 issue of X-Men was not what you expected, doesn't mean all new comics are bad.

 

Never said it was...and that is just one example out of many I could use. I think you're missing the point...if "I" can't tell what's happening with characters I should know pretty well due to two decades of reading their adventures then how will a new reader keep up? Again, it goes back to the impulse buy. Readers have to start sometime. And current comics do not provide an entry point to grab those new readers. It can/should start with the first comic they pick up...don't hook them then and they move on to something else...

 

Personally, I long for the days when Marvel had a "house style" and art styles and writing styles did not fly all over the place from arc to arc. If they did change artists or had a fill in, you didn't really notice that much. I guess that is one reason I have really enjoyed Ultimate Spider-man so much. The book has been consistent and good from the first issue to current.

 

That's a very nostalgic view...one I also share but be prepared to defend it against those who think creator's freedoms are being trampled upon in a system such as this...

 

My personal belief is Marvel and DC SHOULD go back to this model if only for consistency's sake and truly believe sales would increase across the line vs. issue by issue or story...if I was the publisher that's exactly what I'd do. And if a creator thought it was cramping his style then I'd show him the door and find someone else. Eventually they'd be back anyway since most creators are also long time fans as well...

 

Jim

 

The problem with creative expression and freedom and the rest of that is that alot of it appeals to only a very small audience. I am just going to pick a name which I have personal experience with here.... Humberto Ramos may be an excellent artist and have quite a bit of appeal, but people who read Spider-man don't want to see him on the book, because it doesn't look like Spider-man. Yes, it will probably draw some people in who don't normally read the book, but many of the regular readers will drop the book like a bad habit (See Spectacular Spider-man #1 -6). It happens over and over, and Marvel and DC never learn. Another stupid thing they do is continue to put out the same year after year, series after failed series. How many times is Blue Beetle going to have a series? It doesn't matter how many times and different ways they package it, it is still garbage. Why not try something new instead of bringing back the same tired BAD stuff?

 

Spectacular Spider-man in the 1970s sold well because it looked, read, and acted like Amazing Spider-man. So did Marvel Team-up. And consequently, both books were huge sellers.

 

There is plenty of room in the market for all kinds of different books. And if people like different things, that is great. But why keep beating your head against a wall, when it has been proven that is won't work?

[MrBedrock]

There are fewer places to buy comics as monthlies. There are more places to buy comics in book format. The present distribution method is geared strictly to specialty shops, but if it wasn't for that distribution method a vast majority of the alternatively published titles would have never seen print. No Strangers in Paradise, 30 Days of Night, Acme Novelty Library, Sin City, etc. etc. etc.

The current distribution method has allowed a plethora (I like using that word) of creators to enter the market and present their vision. Some have succeeded and some have failed, but it has all led to the incredible amount of quality material available at present.

 

Mr. Borock is correct that online sales are one of the avenues that the LCS will have to explore to compete in the future comic market. I do have to disagree that we have to deep discount to compete though. Some choose that path, but they generally don't stay around for the long haul. They can't afford to. The Amazon.com sales model is not a viable option for the low margins involved in running a comic shop. At some point someone may figure out how to reach a mass of sales that allows for deeper discounting (and I hope it is me). We have chosen to diversify into toys, manga, and apparel to add to our bottom line, while still giving new and back issues the highest profile. We will always be a comic book store, even if we have to resort to selling women's shoes (or something else equally out of the realm) to allow us to do it.

 

[Scrooge]

Buying online is easy when you know what you want, but it seriously hinders the impulse buy and the possibility of checking out something new and/or different from what you are used to.

 

Actually buying online I find surprisingly has two very good side-effects for the industry and the LCS:

 

1) the service I used (I switched to an online service after continuing purchasing from my old LCS for years after I moved many states away) offers deep discount / promo prices on new series. I end up picking up and taking a chance on new books / series more frequently than I ever did before, and,

 

2) if you didn't order a book and it turns out to be a hit, I end up going to the LCS and giving it foot traffic and extra $$$ revenue that way (in addition to the fact that I still do go regularly (twice a month) to 2 LCSs with a buddy who is still shopping locally).

 

Combine this with Steve's observation that most of us end up spending the same amount of $$ online as we did at the LCS, we're helping the # of units sold go up by buying more series, trying more series, and still going to the LCS. Online comic buying is not an illness in this industry.

[Shadow]

There's been great points by many here. And I think that this issue isn't "cut & dried" or easily blamed on one factor.

 

Like Donut, I have found myself buying books that I no longer read. Probably the completionist in me. Yet, I find it hard to tell my LCS to stop a series. (My LCS is great. No complaints here.)

 

While most comics enthralled me at age 14, it's not the case today. Chalk it up to growing up I guess. I got Marvel Essentials: Marvel Team-Up Vol. 2 and wonder how I could have found some of this good back then. But, I was a kid then also. I do think that Marvel & DC have lost their way a bit in how to tell/illustrate a story on many titles. Maybe it's a lost art? Case in point: New Avengers over the last year. When it re-booted a couple of years ago, it was fairly entertaining. But then during Civil War they started throwing out "junk" issues that focused on one character and nothing happened. Mix in some awful art by Yu and it's hard to get through. But, someone could chime in right after me defending it. To each their own I guess. But for me, I want to see the Avengers go up against some big time villains with a bit of "soap opera" sub-plot built in. Not the other way around. It seems like the many writers don't know to pace a book anymore. For me, the challenge is to write a book that anyone could jump into and be entertained even if it's in the middle of a storyline.

 

That being said, there are still good comic reads out there today. I think the industry is in a Catch-22 though. The prices are way too high for the books yet I'm sure the production and talent costs are far higher than what the industry paid 25 years ago.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

[500Club]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

 

Do the same with the X-Men also..... (thumbs u

[DrWatson]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

 

Do the same with the X-Men also..... (thumbs u

I would agree with that too. All we need are Astonishing and Uncanny.

[Dale Roberts]

There's been great points by many here. And I think that this issue isn't "cut & dried" or easily blamed on one factor.

 

Like Donut, I have found myself buying books that I no longer read. Probably the completionist in me. Yet, I find it hard to tell my LCS to stop a series. (My LCS is great. No complaints here.)

 

While most comics enthralled me at age 14, it's not the case today. Chalk it up to growing up I guess. I got Marvel Essentials: Marvel Team-Up Vol. 2 and wonder how I could have found some of this good back then. But, I was a kid then also. I do think that Marvel & DC have lost their way a bit in how to tell/illustrate a story on many titles. Maybe it's a lost art? Case in point: New Avengers over the last year. When it re-booted a couple of years ago, it was fairly entertaining. But then during Civil War they started throwing out "junk" issues that focused on one character and nothing happened. Mix in some awful art by Yu and it's hard to get through. But, someone could chime in right after me defending it. To each their own I guess. But for me, I want to see the Avengers go up against some big time villains with a bit of "soap opera" sub-plot built in. Not the other way around. It seems like the many writers don't know to pace a book anymore. For me, the challenge is to write a book that anyone could jump into and be entertained even if it's in the middle of a storyline.

 

That being said, there are still good comic reads out there today. I think the industry is in a Catch-22 though. The prices are way too high for the books yet I'm sure the production and talent costs are far higher than what the industry paid 25 years ago.

 

Oh, there may well be people that defend it, but sales tells the real story. Sales started dropping on New Avengers with the Civil War issues and has never recovered. You are right, the art has definitely gone way down hill, and even with Bendis' strong story telling, it is hard to read. Like the brilliant move they made on Daredevil by putting David Mack on the book. Sure he is talented, but who wants to get dizzy trying to read a comic with the dialogue in a spiral.

 

You are exactly right. DC and Marvel should make comics that anyone can pick up and enjoy regardless of where it happens to fall in the storyline. I just don't understand how they have screwed up so much.

 

And then they bring some fat turd like Straczynski to completely disregard any sort of history and continuity with the character of Gwen Stacy. I can't believe the Marvel editors let that weak fly.....Please tell me where in the world that fell in continuity. I hate JMS.

[Dale Roberts]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

 

Do the same with the X-Men also..... (thumbs u

I would agree with that too. All we need are Astonishing and Uncanny.

 

You know the problem with this thinking? Astonishing might be 2 years between issues after Cassaday and Whedon are done, or it might turn to total , like the Millar Spider-man title did.

 

I can tell you right now, if you put a good writer with a sense of Marvel history and a good artist, any book on any of the major characters can work. And 4 Spiderman titles would not be too much if they were all good and handled correctly. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened in a long time.

 

I actually don't think there are enough good creators to go around anymore, so that just keep throwing at the wall to see what sticks.

[DrWatson]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

 

Do the same with the X-Men also..... (thumbs u

I would agree with that too. All we need are Astonishing and Uncanny.

 

You know the problem with this thinking? Astonishing might be 2 years between issues after Cassaday and Whedon are done, or it might turn to total , like the Millar Spider-man title did.

 

I can tell you right now, if you put a good writer with a sense of Marvel history and a good artist, any book on any of the major characters can work. And 4 Spiderman titles would not be too much if they were all good and handled correctly. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened in a long time.

 

I actually don't think there are enough good creators to go around anymore, so that just keep throwing at the wall to see what sticks.

Well, from where I am sitting you just validated mine, beyonder's and 500club's comments. There isn't enough talent to go around, so reduce the number titles and get the ones you keep on a monthly schedule.

[500Club]

Exactly.

 

The dilution of talent and the overexposure of major characters has been a huge problem.

[500Club]

There's been great points by many here. And I think that this issue isn't "cut & dried" or easily blamed on one factor.

 

Like Donut, I have found myself buying books that I no longer read. Probably the completionist in me. Yet, I find it hard to tell my LCS to stop a series. (My LCS is great. No complaints here.)

 

While most comics enthralled me at age 14, it's not the case today. Chalk it up to growing up I guess. I got Marvel Essentials: Marvel Team-Up Vol. 2 and wonder how I could have found some of this good back then. But, I was a kid then also. I do think that Marvel & DC have lost their way a bit in how to tell/illustrate a story on many titles. Maybe it's a lost art? Case in point: New Avengers over the last year. When it re-booted a couple of years ago, it was fairly entertaining. But then during Civil War they started throwing out "junk" issues that focused on one character and nothing happened. Mix in some awful art by Yu and it's hard to get through. But, someone could chime in right after me defending it. To each their own I guess. But for me, I want to see the Avengers go up against some big time villains with a bit of "soap opera" sub-plot built in. Not the other way around. It seems like the many writers don't know to pace a book anymore. For me, the challenge is to write a book that anyone could jump into and be entertained even if it's in the middle of a storyline.

 

That being said, there are still good comic reads out there today. I think the industry is in a Catch-22 though. The prices are way too high for the books yet I'm sure the production and talent costs are far higher than what the industry paid 25 years ago.

 

Oh, there may well be people that defend it, but sales tells the real story. Sales started dropping on New Avengers with the Civil War issues and has never recovered. You are right, the art has definitely gone way down hill, and even with Bendis' strong story telling, it is hard to read. Like the brilliant move they made on Daredevil by putting David Mack on the book. Sure he is talented, but who wants to get dizzy trying to read a comic with the dialogue in a spiral.

 

You are exactly right. DC and Marvel should make comics that anyone can pick up and enjoy regardless of where it happens to fall in the storyline. I just don't understand how they have screwed up so much.

 

And then they bring some fat turd like Straczynski to completely disregard any sort of history and continuity with the character of Gwen Stacy. I can't believe the Marvel editors let that weak fly.....Please tell me where in the world that fell in continuity. I hate JMS.

 

Yeah, the Gwen Stacy retcon was brutal.... but it's just the latest in a string of stupid storytelling decisions. Clone Saga, Osborn resurrection, AWOL baby, spider stingers ..... ad nauseum

 

Suspension of disbelief? Takes a bit more than that now.....

 

 

[Anfield Fox]

Reduce the overwhelming number of Spidey titles down to 2-3.....and I'll start reading Spidey again. Too many titles to even bother trying to follow my favourite web-slinger anymore.

 

Funny you should say that, they have cut it down to one title now, ASM. Of course it comes out 3 times a month now.

[Jeffro.]

 

And then they bring some fat turd like Straczynski to completely disregard any sort of history and continuity with the character of Gwen Stacy. I can't believe the Marvel editors let that weak fly.....Please tell me where in the world that fell in continuity. I hate JMS.

 

Continuity? Does such a thing even exist in modern books anymore? I remember getting into heated arguments with folks years ago when Marvel had their own message boards. I got reamed up and down because "continuity" was a hinderance to good storytelling. I remember people telling me that writers should not be shackled by 30+ years of continuity.