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Gregg Halecki
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 June 2005
Posts: 759
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| Posted: 13 June 2008 at 10:45am | IP Logged | 1
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Unfortunately, charachters have been off model (even in their home books) to suit the story for years.
Imagine if you are a 12 year old kid back in 1985 (about) and the first time you see Hawkeye ever is in Secret Wars issue #1 where he gets like one line in the whole book, and uses it so spout off like a mutant hating biggot?
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Mal Gardiner
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 April 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 574
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| Posted: 13 June 2008 at 10:52am | IP Logged | 2
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As far as I've been able to work out, "Issue XX is a good jumping on point" generally means stand by, the new writer is about to destroy any semblance of continuity that may have been established by the previous creative team with no thought for the loyal long-term readers. Cynical, I know, but I got very disillusioned with mainstream comics since about 1997 or so.
Cheers! Mal
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Joakim Jahlmar
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 October 2005
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6080
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 6:23am | IP Logged | 3
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JB wrote:
"If every issue isn't a 'jumping on point' something is seriously wrong!"
True.
But that said, even when that's working well, there will always be some issues that are better jumping on points than others.
If I had to sell in your FF run to somebody very swiftly, for instance, I think I'd pick the "Doom retakes Latveria" story for instance, because it showcases both such a central FF villain (and in such a good way) and the characters on the whole so very well, and is a kick ass story to boost. Which isn't to say that the rest of the FF material isn't good or could hook people. Just that that particular story does that job extremely well. IMHO, of course.
Wallace wrote:
"Which [insert superhero name] comic book is safe for my son/daughter to read?"
Well, at least these days, you can easily answer that one with FX and for as long as Wayne keeps 'em coming, I'll bet you they'll stay on the fun and kiddie friendly side of things. :)
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Joakim Jahlmar
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 October 2005
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6080
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 6:26am | IP Logged | 4
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Martin wrote:
"After a hard week's work, nothing beats going to the comics shop to buy comics that all feature craniums being crushed open, that and REALLLLLYYYY BIG TITS!! Don't give me any substance to read or anything you know."
Yeah, isn't "mature" titles really mature and... hang on! Wasn't "mature" the one supposedly about substance? *sigh*
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Lars Johansson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 June 2004
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6113
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 6:47am | IP Logged | 5
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1. We are not mature here at the JBF.
2. We all are 10-12 years old (mentally).
3. We all wear Fisher Price shoes.
4. We will never change.
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Ted Pugliese
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 05 December 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 7985
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 7:02am | IP Logged | 6
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I do NOT wear Fisher Price shoes!
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133317
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 7:07am | IP Logged | 7
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So we are faced with a dilemma.
1) Do we want to read meaningful stories that effect a change about our
heroes?
2) Do we want our heroes to be iconic and never change?
••
Lee and Kirby, and Lee and Ditko did some powerful, "meaningful" stories
that, viewed as a whole cloth, had little or no effect on the overall lives of
the main characters. My last issue of FANTASTIC FOUR, as a teen, gave us
the Super Skrull masquerading as Franklin Storm, Sue's and Johnny's
father, who at the end sacrifices himself to save his children. Potent
stuff! But contained almost entirely in that issue, hardly a mention made
in later stories.
Something writers seem to have forgotten is that, if you want "growth and
change", you do it thru the guest stars, the characters who appear only in
that issue or story arc. That's where you address social issues that would
have lasting impact on the main characters if the stories were about
them. That's where characters die, marry, have kids. And, significantly,
are soon forgotten.
Admittedly, this approach depends in large part upon the traditional
audience turnover. If you're addressing a (mostly) new audience every
five years or so, these "tricks of the trade" do not become obvious. In five
years, a reader is a lot less likely to notice that no one is aging, or
changing, than in 20 years. Or forty.
This presents the Publishers with a conundrum: if the audience has
"changed", should the books be tailored to that changing audience, or
should they remain as broad in their appeal as possible? Is the answer,
as I have asked before thru this analogy, to produce sports cars for the
younger set and station wagons for the old married folk, or is the answer
this. . .
Unfortunately, we have ample evidence of what the Publishers would say,
these days.
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Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12708
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 7:30am | IP Logged | 8
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Something writers seem to have forgotten is that, if you want "growth and
change", you do it thru the guest stars, the characters who appear only in
that issue or story arc. That's where you address social issues that would
have lasting impact on the main characters if the stories were about
them.
***
Ah, see! Imagine if Tony Stark hadn't become an alcholic himself, but if Tony Stark the inveterate playboy had actually helped someone else deal with his or her alcoholism. Now that is a great story!
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Lars Johansson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 June 2004
Location: Sweden
Posts: 6113
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| Posted: 14 June 2008 at 8:24am | IP Logged | 9
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Thanks a lot for the script advice, JB.
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