TOP 10 Worst Things To Happen In The History Of Comics

[Zonker]

There was Enemy Ace from Star Spangled War Stories, but I'm not sure what your standard is for being "historical."

 

(In fact, I think the final Kubert Enemy Ace short story from SSWS #200 featured a prototype jet engine in use towards the end of the First World War! )

[shadroch]

Titan Publishers had an on-going WW1 book back in the early 80s. I believe it was called Charlies War. It was released in America in a graphic novel format.

[skybolt]

Actually, what I was looking for was maybe something published during the war or maybe a couple of years after. It'll be a platinum age type book, with some references to the first world war. It could be a fictional story or even a parody. I just want to see what the comic book view was during World War I vs. World War II.

[nearmint]

Comics were still a decade or more away at the end of WW1.

[skybolt]

Comics were still a decade or more away at the end of WW1.

 

How about pulp like material or even newspaper clippings. I mean didn't for instance Olive Oyl make her first appearance in 1919? I'm sure there's some comic-like books that touched upon the subject or even had advertisements referencing the war. Maybe I'll look at the Platinum Age section of the OS guide for additional info.

[drice6900]

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

JC, there are quite a few modern comics out there for young readers, like Marvel Age and DC's Johnny DC line. Both companies have held the line with those books for far longer than I thought they would, but they just DO NOT SELL.

 

Fanboys are catered to because that is all there is left, sorry to say.

[otherworldcomics]

Could someone please tell me what these two sentences have to do with one another? If they're supposed to be related, it's the greatest leap of logic in the history of mankind.

 

This is the 30-50 year old guy who quit collecting/buying/reading comics 15-25 years ago but continues to trash all modern comics because they just don't meet his high standards like older comics.

 

To me this is a big problem because it does nothing to get new/young readers into the hobby.

 

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

It's not a great leap at all. As I said. you have a person who quit collecting years ago yet trashes the newer comics. So any new/younger reader would be turned off by that attitude. What kid wants to read older books? Most would want the new books that they can relate to. The same "moderns" that the older Elitist collector is trashing. So how does that help keep the hobby alive? It just drives away those new/young readers and all you have left is oh...old dudes posting on forums about how much better comics were 30 years ago.

[Scheradon]

Could someone please tell me what these two sentences have to do with one another? If they're supposed to be related, it's the greatest leap of logic in the history of mankind.

 

This is the 30-50 year old guy who quit collecting/buying/reading comics 15-25 years ago but continues to trash all modern comics because they just don't meet his high standards like older comics.

 

To me this is a big problem because it does nothing to get new/young readers into the hobby.

 

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

It's not a great leap at all. As I said. you have a person who quit collecting years ago yet trashes the newer comics. So any new/younger reader would be turned off by that attitude. What kid wants to read older books? Most would want the new books that they can relate to. The same "moderns" that the older Elitist collector is trashing. So how does that help keep the hobby alive? It just drives away those new/young readers and all you have left is oh...old dudes posting on forums about how much better comics were 30 years ago.

 

This isn't true at all. My nephew began to get interested in comics by looking at some of my BA CGC slabs, so I gave him a couple raw issues of some of those comics to read. He was very excited to show me his growing collection next time I visited. He had a mix of newer issues from BA to present. He certainly didn't get the new issues from me (since I am one of those who can't stand the modern drek and have let him know that), but his interest in my BA books led him to check out all comics, even the newest stuff. I've also let him know to collect whatever he thinks is cool. That's what it's all about. When I took him to the LCS and let him pick out a stack of comics for his birthday, he grabbed a variety from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's. So, if my take on newer comics has "turned him off", I don't see how.

 

One thing I'd also mention is that if the product and quality is there, then it won't matter what the "older Elitest collector" trashes or not, kids will want it and buy it. Believe me, that's giving way to much credit to us 30 to 50 year old "aging fanboys". Many other good reasons outlined in this thread and this wouldn't be anywhere near the top ten.

[joe_collector]

One thing I'd also mention is that if the product and quality is there, then it won't matter what the "older Elitest collector" trashes or not, kids will want it and buy it.

 

That was really what I was getting at. Kids don't buy what old farts tell them to, and the biggest hurdle to new, younger readers (other than price) is the fact that it's overrun with aging fanboys.

 

The last thing a kid wants to do is read something their Dad reads, and if anything, me slamming putrid Moderns would help make them MORE attractive to the kids.

 

If you really want kids to get into new comics, adults need to stop buying them.

[joe_collector]

JC, there are quite a few modern comics out there for young readers, like Marvel Age and DC's Johnny DC line. Both companies have held the line with those books for far longer than I thought they would, but they just DO NOT SELL.

 

No doubt, the minute you segregate anything into "kid lines" or "young readers" it's doomed to failure. Kids want to read the "real stuff", not some "kiddie books" designed by some fat, single person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point.

 

If you don't believe me, just see what video games kids are renting and how these are marketed.

[Deathlok]

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

No doubt, the minute you segregate anything into "kid lines" or "young readers" it's doomed to failure. Kids want to read the "real stuff", not some "kiddie books" designed by some fat, single person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point.

If you don't believe me, just see what video games kids are renting and how these are marketed.

 

 

[otherworldcomics]

Could someone please tell me what these two sentences have to do with one another? If they're supposed to be related, it's the greatest leap of logic in the history of mankind.

 

This is the 30-50 year old guy who quit collecting/buying/reading comics 15-25 years ago but continues to trash all modern comics because they just don't meet his high standards like older comics.

 

To me this is a big problem because it does nothing to get new/young readers into the hobby.

 

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

It's not a great leap at all. As I said. you have a person who quit collecting years ago yet trashes the newer comics. So any new/younger reader would be turned off by that attitude. What kid wants to read older books? Most would want the new books that they can relate to. The same "moderns" that the older Elitist collector is trashing. So how does that help keep the hobby alive? It just drives away those new/young readers and all you have left is oh...old dudes posting on forums about how much better comics were 30 years ago.

 

This isn't true at all. My nephew began to get interested in comics by looking at some of my BA CGC slabs, so I gave him a couple raw issues of some of those comics to read. He was very excited to show me his growing collection next time I visited. He had a mix of newer issues from BA to present. He certainly didn't get the new issues from me (since I am one of those who can't stand the modern drek and have let him know that), but his interest in my BA books led him to check out all comics, even the newest stuff. I've also let him know to collect whatever he thinks is cool. That's what it's all about. When I took him to the LCS and let him pick out a stack of comics for his birthday, he grabbed a variety from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's. So, if my take on newer comics has "turned him off", I don't see how.

 

One thing I'd also mention is that if the product and quality is there, then it won't matter what the "older Elitest collector" trashes or not, kids will want it and buy it. Believe me, that's giving way to much credit to us 30 to 50 year old "aging fanboys". Many other good reasons outlined in this thread and this wouldn't be anywhere near the top ten.

 

But as you said, you let him get whatever he wanted. And he got a wide range from the 70's to the new stuff. That's what I'm talking about. You may not like newer stuff, but you let him decide for himself what he wanted to get. My point is that you can't trash new stuff that the young people might like and expect them to want to get into the hobby. I would liken it to religion. Religious belief is passed down in families (usually). You grow up believing in whatever your parents believe in. Same way you may pass down your hobby interests to the next generation. Really my main point is for all of us be facilitators not haters. Share your love of the hobby with those new/young readers rather than just simply bashing ALL of the new stuff cause ALL of the new stuff isn't bad.

[joe_collector]

I get pissed at Modern drek BECAUSE it's priced, marketed and written specifically for aging fanboys, and NOT at young readers. That is my MAIN ISSUE with Marvel and DC, and I think anyone here can attest to that.

 

Or to paraphrase that other guy, comics used to be read by smart kids, but now they're written for dumb adults.

 

No doubt, the minute you segregate anything into "kid lines" or "young readers" it's doomed to failure. Kids want to read the "real stuff", not some "kiddie books" designed by some fat, single person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point.

If you don't believe me, just see what video games kids are renting and how these are marketed.

 

 

 

What's the problem?

 

The main Modern lines are written for aging fanboys, so the kids don't want to 'read what my old fogey Dad is reading' but neither do they want to be pandered to with a "young readers' line, like they're some kind of mental midget.

 

So they don't buy comics.

 

Like I said, if you want kids to get back into comics, then adults need to stop buying them.

[UnrulyAppendage]

UnrulyAppendage,

 

Could you maybe take one of those comics out of your sig line. Every thread that I read that you post on makes the screen scroll over to the right and I can't see who is posting what.

 

I think if you took off just one it would fix it right up

 

Done. However, higher res does give you more space and less scrolling up and down. If the text is too small, you can increase the font size so the text is bigger but the pics will remain the same.

[racnek63]

Some good candidates in this thread. I'd also like to add:

 

- lengthy story arcs - you can no longer pick up a single issue of many titles, instead you have to make a six-month-or-longer commitment if you want to see how a story ends. It's even worse when the story crosses over into multiple series, like Action, Superman, etc, a few years ago.

 

- comics eating their own tail - as with certain sci-fi shows (i.e., Doctor Who in the '80s), for readers to appreciate the meaning and power of a certain story often requires them to know and care about things that happened to the character 20, 30 or 40 years ago. In the early Spider-man issues, you cared about Spidey because you were like him, or at least could appreciate his problems. Now you're supposed to care about him because you remember that the Green Goblin threw his girlfriend off a bridge.

 

Both have led to the disappearance of the casual comic fan. No longer can someone just dip in and buy a single issue if they have a few hours to kill while waiting for a bus. Imagine if People Magazine or the NY Times continued stories over days. You're either a hard-core fanatic like us, or you don't buy comics at all. AT ALL.

 

I also don't like the perception that the price guide dictates prices, instead of reflects them. But I accept that's a losing battle.

[otherworldcomics]

Some good candidates in this thread. I'd also like to add:

 

- lengthy story arcs - you can no longer pick up a single issue of many titles, instead you have to make a six-month-or-longer commitment if you want to see how a story ends. It's even worse when the story crosses over into multiple series, like Action, Superman, etc, a few years ago.

 

- comics eating their own tail - as with certain sci-fi shows (i.e., Doctor Who in the '80s), for readers to appreciate the meaning and power of a certain story often requires them to know and care about things that happened to the character 20, 30 or 40 years ago. In the early Spider-man issues, you cared about Spidey because you were like him, or at least could appreciate his problems. Now you're supposed to care about him because you remember that the Green Goblin threw his girlfriend off a bridge.

 

Both have led to the disappearance of the casual comic fan. No longer can someone just dip in and buy a single issue if they have a few hours to kill while waiting for a bus. Imagine if People Magazine or the NY Times continued stories over days. You're either a hard-core fanatic like us, or you don't buy comics at all. AT ALL.

 

I also don't like the perception that the price guide dictates prices, instead of reflects them. But I accept that's a losing battle.

 

Very good points!

[UnrulyAppendage]

It's not a great leap at all. As I said. you have a person who quit collecting years ago yet trashes the newer comics. So any new/younger reader would be turned off by that attitude.

 

I have to disagree with that. I was introuduced to comics by my peers as a kid. I didn't care what "older" collectors were saying. I would not have read or collected comics as a kid if I went with the wishes of adults.

 

I agree with JC: get kids to read comics is to have less adults. As a kid, I liked it when adults took interest into the things I did. I didn't have much interest in what adults were into.

[tth2]

 

 

They certainly seem less literate...

 

omg r u kidding? kidz 2day r teh win.

[drice6900]

It's not a great leap at all. As I said. you have a person who quit collecting years ago yet trashes the newer comics. So any new/younger reader would be turned off by that attitude.

 

I have to disagree with that. I was introuduced to comics by my peers as a kid. I didn't care what "older" collectors were saying. I would not have read or collected comics as a kid if I went with the wishes of adults.

 

I agree with JC: get kids to read comics is to have less adults. As a kid, I liked it when adults took interest into the things I did. I didn't have much interest in what adults were into.

 

And I disagree, but I thik it is the definition of 'kid' that is the problem. 12 yrs old and younger seem to like to do what the adults are doing and sharing interests, and enjoy the attention they get from adults.

 

Teenagers on the other hand, are as you describe.

 

Either way, comics don't sell to either group.

[joe_collector]

And I disagree, but I thik it is the definition of 'kid' that is the problem. 12 yrs old and younger seem to like to do what the adults are doing and sharing interests, and enjoy the attention they get from adults.

 

Wow, how long ago were you 12?

 

These days, in the era of big business-led "age compression", where 6-year olds are carting around cel phones and public school kids have laptops, your "12-year old" estimate is way off-base. It probably hasn't been that high since the 60's.

 

I remember when I was a little guy, 7 years old was the breakaway point for me, and I took pleasure in buying comics and having my parents roll their eyes at "all the money you're wasting" and having to clean up my room to avoid the standard "those comics are taking up too much space" threat.

 

Comics were something that only kids "got" and if I went to the store and found tons of adult nerds at the comics rack, gabbing over who was stronger, Hulk or Thor, talking about why this writer is great, etc., I would have dropped the hobby right them and there.

 

The only way to get kids interested in comics again, is to get the adults to stop buying.