have they all run out of superheroes to create?

[justiceleaguer]

theres something ive been pondering as of late. for the last 10 years or so ive done my weekly pilgrimage to my local comic shop, as have all the rest of you im sure, some probably a lot longer than that. i've begun noticing however that there havent been very many new characters being developed in the past few years. sadly, its a trend that started many years ago with the sudden "resurgance" of classic heroes and villans. whether its been due to some hot comic book inspired movie, or because of the release of a new cartoon spinoff of a classic character, or simply because grown-ups are now re-interested in comic memories from their childhood, the old regime rules the racks. now, thats not neccessarily a bad thing. i love just about all of the original characters from the past. saying that, how long can this great hobby of ours continue without the continual influx of new characters? there must be 10 different batman titles, 10 different spiderman books, and i lost count on the x-men years ago. are theyre ANY recent characters that have been created that anyone can really say have gone mainstream....much less be remembered in another 10 years time? its obvious that the old greats are still here today because of their staying power, but what happens when their shelf life is over? have all the great comic book characters been created? where is the next great legacy? ..... just thought id share. thx.

[Room 237]

true, wolverine appears in 32 titles last month...

[aardvark88]

Pokemon the comic legacy. Is there a Sponge Pants Bob comic yet?

[Ares]

Its not that they can't create more heroes.

Its that they want to make as much as they can with the current ones they have.

If you have a product that sells well why waste your energy on creatign new ones when you can make money with what you got.

[Ariamus]

Actually, there are only 9 ongoing Batman titles printed monthly these days...Azrael was cancelled.

 

Seriously, though, I agree with your point. There's been a great lack of creativity in the comics industry for many years. IMO, a lot of this has to do with the fact that comic book characters don't age in real time. I often wish that the powers that be many years ago made a commitment to aging their characters in real time. This would have forced them to be more creative if they wanted to continue to be successful. Sure they would have found a way around this with some characters; Wolverine is, after all, ageless. But all in all, you can't really expect Batman to fight crime in his late 90's (which is how old he would be if he aged in real time). That doesn't mean there wouldn't be a Batman; just that it wouldn't be Bruce Wayne.

 

That being said, there have been some interesting characters created recently, especially by Marvel in their mutant books. The X-force/X-statix bunch is all very interesting and could provide years of fun and enjoyment if they're allowed to grow. We'll see.

[joe_collector]

This is a fact of life in the comic's world, as there are no kids entering and all the greybeards want their Silver Age and early Bronze characters, with little room for new ideas or concepts.

 

Marvel & DC are simply giving the aging readership what they want, which makes smart, though very short-term, business sense. Comic books are in a declining market, and the only way to stay afloat is to cater to the existing and dwindling readership.

 

The only chance new characters have to emerge, is for younger people to begin reading comics again, and demand change.

[Mushroom]

ANY recent characters that have been created that anyone can really say have gone mainstream....much less be remembered in another 10 years time? its obvious that the old greats are still here today because of their staying power, but what happens when their shelf life is over? have all the great comic book characters been created? where is the next great legacy? ..... just thought id share. thx.

 

TMNT's.....Cerebus....Preacher......Dawn......Transformers.

 

I think there is more out there than you realise.

 

My bet is for the Powerpuffgirls.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I think they should focus on the darker-side of comics for a while......the VILLIANS. I would like to "get inside" the heads of all of my favourites.....

[Ares]

I think they should focus on the darker-side of comics for a while......the VILLIANS. I would like to "get inside" the heads of all of my favourites.....

 

amen.. Without Villians Heroes are just guys in funny suits

 

I remember when Wizard did an all Villian Special.

[PovertyRow]

I think they should focus on the darker-side of comics for a while......the VILLIANS. I would like to "get inside" the heads of all of my favourites.....

 

I think one problem with "my favorites" is they are not gonna be old faves of the new readers. I think it is time for a new "Age". Looking back the superheroes dominated from the late 30's through the late 40's. After World War II was over the superhero decline was marked. Crime, Romance, Sci-Fi and Horror took over. These were all anthology books. Next came SA with more Superheros (most successful with a Marvel "real life angst" slant. Then came Bronze with its anti-heroes. Then came - well - efforts in quantity - many new chars. Many reflecting the SA pure hero. But mainly same old things recycled along with some continuing char books.

 

What we need is SOMETHING that slots the current social entity. So what is it? WAR to reflect the current Middle East crisis? Anthologies that reflect the current social/economic plight? Hi-tech characters to reflect the computer age? What? What IS it???

[Aman619]

check out Astro City. New heros appear in just about every isssue. Most never come back, but its a fertile breeding ground for new super-heroes. Sort of like Dial H for Hero (SOCKAMAGEE!) except better written and drawn and more realistic and clever and......nah its nothing like that old crappy comic!!

[PovertyRow]

check out Astro City. New heros appear in just about every isssue. Most never come back, but its a fertile breeding ground for new super-heroes. Sort of like Dial H for Hero (SOCKAMAGEE!) except better written and drawn and more realistic and clever and......nah its nothing like that old crappy comic!!

 

Whoah now bucko! I had a full run of Dial H in probably 9.4 so have a soft spot for them (and an angry spot for selling them to Payette!).

 

I guess what I am saying is this may not be so much a "hero" market nowadays.