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Bill Collins
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Joined: 26 May 2005
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Posted: 25 September 2017 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Charles,that page alone is worth the money! There's
movement, mystery and characterisation in that one page
and not a caption or word balloon in sight, then there's
the beautiful draftsmanship
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Andrew W. Farago
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Joined: 19 July 2005
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Posted: 25 September 2017 at 6:13pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Half a dozen out the plethora of titles produced by
Marvel is not a representative amount.Try Comxology,you
can see the cover and first 3 pages of interior art of
each book,Previews does tend to only show the covers not
always the interior art,they just name the artist.


Maybe, but why is that an issue? Gil Kane drew tons of covers for Marvel in the seventies, whether he drew the interiors or not. It's not a new phenomenon, and as long as I'm enjoying the cover and the interior art, this is about the biggest non-issue there is.
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Drew Spence
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Posted: 26 September 2017 at 12:26am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I think it's complicated and the word 'depends' needs to be added.
--  whether we're speaking as a novice or 'new' comic buyer or someone who reads comics regularly.

Covers matter, but they never fooled me either.
I don't go by covers. I stopped doing that EARLY.
I also didn't go by names, I went by the interior.

Being at a comic book store was part of the experience so I read stuff while I was there and only the series I was hooked into -got bought without opening them - because I didn't want to SPOIL ANYTHING and savor every moment in a quiet place reading and being fully immersed in the comic.

I always open them and look through the insides. I bought lots of painted covers with black and white interiors. Manga and Conan.

I'm also the opposite in some ways. I LOVE portraits and love a better drawn image of the heroes for the cover. I always felt those 'middle of action' shots used for the covers were cheap outs- like, look here's a panel from page 14- and now we're going to use it as the cover!

I think covers are special and want special attention paid to them. When I display my comics, I see the cover. When I look at my collection of books and admire them, I spend a long time staring at the covers.

I like when the name of the story is on the cover or the art is linked to the story so I can read a particular story when I choose to. OR the story better be better/more than the cover.

Back to the action-shot used as a cover.
The effectiveness depends on the book- and the history of the series.
There's a time in every characters' timeline where they combined a really talented artist and writer - and you get a big arc of excellence. We all know what they are or were....Wolverine and the Ninjas.....
Daredevil and Bullseye/Sonja  - it's what they base all the movies around...

These arcs made certain characters HOT and then Marvel (DC too) would start to feature them everywhere. So, no- seeing Punisher on the cover wouldn't make me buy that Spiderman. At most, I'd pick it up, flip through it and see that Punisher busts through the window, Spidey says "Hold it, Punisher, you're mistaken" and nobody gets hurt and this whole episode was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

And then I'd put it back down.
Same for a bunch of other titles. X-Men always had exciting covers and minimal action.

Some covers are also showing you a new look for the character(s).
Or a new team configuration.
That's when the Sears photographer is your best friend.
Group portraits work in that context better than confusing the readers on who is who.
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Warren Scott
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Posted: 26 September 2017 at 5:42pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

It once was said that a cover helped to sell a comic to someone who has never read it because that's all the casual customer saw when he/she encountered it on a newsstand, magazine rack, whatever.
Based on that, the cover should have something that draws the potential buyer's attention. I'm partial to covers with lots of characters, action and blurbs because that was predominant when I started reading comics.
I did buy some comics in the 80s and 90s because I liked the artist's rendition of the title character even though the scene had nothing to do with the story. But I was already a fan of comics, if not a fan of that particular series.
What do you think, folks, can covers still attract new readers?
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Drew Spence
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Posted: 26 September 2017 at 6:15pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

What do you think, folks, can covers still attract new readers?

They MUST! In this age, more than ever. When you now have six books with Batman on the cover- dang it, if the kid isn't going to grab the one with the best cover first.

Best is the new subjective.
Batman in peril?
Batman surrounded by badguys?
Batman painted
Batman verse iconic badguy?
Batman and a new Robin?
Batman trashed and thrashed?

Which one do you grab?
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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132135
Posted: 26 September 2017 at 6:17pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

What do you think, folks, can covers still attract new readers?

••

This is what's happened: a mass market product has been turned into a niche market product.

The first American comics I saw, on the rack, were in the magazine department of a large chain store in downtown Edmonton. I soon found other such racks, and spinner racks, at gas stations, grocery stories, drug stories... even the bus depot! When I found new comics, it was a spontaneous event. I walked into a store, and there they were.

Now, to even begin reading comics, readers have to make a conscious decision to do so -- and then they have to seek out an outlet. The "impulse buy" is gone, so it really doesn't matter what's on the cover. The number of people who will be drawn in by them has shrunk almost to nothing.

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Michael Casselman
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Posted: 26 September 2017 at 6:32pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

In an age where a blank variant cover is actually offered, the need to draw 'new readers' in is loooong gone.
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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 26 September 2017 at 8:55pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Uhhh, JB's splash is clearly what is called an "establishing shot". (Sets up the story.) Being that it's JB, I'm pretty sure the comic book would be worth the money!

•••

That page was the splash to the first issue of FIVE, before I decided to push the opening deeper into the story, and call the series BABE.

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