Two more pages today from Issue #10. Another thing strikes me about looking back at this work, the amount of story packed into the avergae issue of a comic then. I pick up books today and you don't even get a good bathroom read out of most. I wonder, how do the average 37-year-old comic readers feel about this? Are they even aware of it, feel that slight pinch of unfulfillment, like you could have another helping after the main course?Then look at the manga books. The avergae reader really gets a big chunk, so I figure they must be way more satisfied as readers?
I guess for the most part, that older way of telling stories is done? I remember a lot of 7-8 panel pages in my early days, Mark Gruenwald was a writer who really put a lot of story in each issue and I think since we grew up reading that type of story and storytelling that seemed normal. the bulk of the comics my generation read had 6-7-8 panels a page. Kirby had that standard six panel grip for most of his comics. When the Image boys hit, story merely became a suggestion to string together pages of mostly pin-up style art, and to my mind, besides Erik Larsen, stortelling was never the main strenght of any of the founding Image artists. However, fans didnt seem to care and were almost at times able to project into the comic the missing elements or ingredients, or maybe that stuff isn't really all that important to 90% of comic readers, at least back then, if the eye candy had enough high-frutose to it.
I've quit reading superhero comics. I'm sick of needing to read dozens of comics tied into one another in a incestuous-like interweaving to understand stories that seem like fan fiction. Too many writers of said books seem ore interested in satisfying editorial edicts to push product rather than TELLING A GODDAMN STORY.
ReplyDeleteComic book-inspired movies really do nothing to help bring new readers into the medium. A potential man interested in checking out an Iron Man comic book after seeing the movie will more than likely go away disappointed and confused, wondering "Why can't the comic be the like the movie?".
In the meantime the babymen (thank you so much for coining that term, Mike!) will bitch if some minor detail in the movie isn't included as if it was gospel.
The only shining star in the superhero genre IMO is the Marvel Adventures line. I love getting to indulge the 12 year old in me from time to time with stories starring versions of heroes I recognize in stories that are told in a single issue.
I simply adore your work! nothing else to say here sir :)
ReplyDeletewant to be like you someday...
cheers!
Jason, I can't really disagree with anything you say. I don't read any comic regularly, maybe except for Scalped because I really dig the art, and the story is good as well.
ReplyDeleteWe've all know TV and Movie success doesn't really float our boat, but the mother companies boat. Most people who saw Ironman will NEVER read a IM comics, nor would care to. if they did I bet they would go 'Five bucks for this?" and not come back.
I had two you girls request a spider-man sketch at Free Comic book day, and they had never been into a comic shop and didn't like the animated Spidey TV show because it wasn't like the movie.
How often does that happen? A lot I bet. But it's fruitless to try and convince the comic people that this is indeed the case. So instead of trying to waste that energy, we all do better trying to find avenues beyond Babymania. Comics are still hugely popular as a medium, the direct market globally is really an aboration of taste.
Well,I was waiting for a post like this.
ReplyDeleteThe pages you are posting are what comics have to be,but some publishers just don´t get it.
Today you can´t get a comic book and read that issue and understand whats going on.
Some caracters have no uniforms at all and I don´t know who is who anymore.
Sometimes I even dare to think, Were is Bob Harras. Belive me.
I mean ...what on earth are they doing with the caracters?
They don´t even call it caracters anymore ,it became "franchise".
I have to say that I like some of the artists,but there is to much fotorealism this days.
I rather see drawings like Mike Mignola. And I think that he is a good writer too.
They are wrong if they think that movies can get readers.I think is the oposite.
The Iron man movie and spiderman movies Supose to be like this animation:
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Nh1tVuGnw
And of course that people that watch Hellboy on the cinema will never read his comic book.
I think you´re right.