The current comic industry has totally turned its back on young readers, but
that's where the gold mine is.

Is the digital comic book a way to reach out to young readers or another way
to leave them behind?

MARVEL
The Avengers (GiAnt-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Wasp)
Black Panther
Captain America and the Falcon
Fantastic Four
Hulk and the Defenders
Iron Man
Marvel Team-Up (MU team-ups)
Power Man & Iron Fist
She-Hulk
Spider-Girl (Futureverse books)
Spider-Man
Thor
What If...?
X-Men: The Strangest Teens of All (the original team)
X-Men (the Giant-Size team minus the original team members)

DC
Action Comics (Jimmy Olsen, Guardian, The Newsboy Legion, etc.)
Batman & Robin
Batman & the Outsiders
Brave & the Bold (DCU team-ups)
Detective Comics (Blue Beetle, The Question, Martian Manhunter, etc.)
The Flash
Green Lantern
Jack Kirby's Fourth World
Justice League of America (Aquaman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Arrow,
Green Lantern, and Martian
Manhunter)
Strange Adventures (The Atom, The Creeper, the Demon, Dial "H" for
Hero, the Doom Patrol, Metamorpho,
Plastic Man, etc.)
Shazam!
Static
Superman
Teen Titans (rotating team of Aqualad, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Robin,
Speedy, Starfire, Wonder Girl, and the
Wonder Twins)
Wonder Woman

Edited by Wallace Sellars on 03 November 2010 at 7:40pm

Anyone else still curious what Brian Joseph Mayer does for a living?

I'm still curious myself!

You out there, Brian Joseph Mayer? :)

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Flavio: I am with Nathan.

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Oh well... Some things best remain a mystery! :)
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Sorry, I missed you asking. In terms of my day job, I am in organizational development. I am also an adjunct professor for a local university at night.

Here is a link to my website.
http://learnatpds.iowa.gov/about_us/pdsteam.html

I used to be surrounded by a team until budgetary cutbacks hit us hard. So now I am an army of one responsible for all training and OD initiatives for all departments in the entire State of Iowa.

What else would you like to know?

Great.  Now you guys have got me looking through Tom's Tweets (Blocked at work also):

If I don't do something at my job, I get in trouble. Why is it OK for writers and/or artists to turn in works weeks late, thus delaying comics, with seemingly no repercussions? Are there repercussions? (I don't mean to be rude, I'm honestly curious)

It's not all right, and there are consequences, but the thing you need to keep in mind is that, as a field of entertainment, comics is a meritocracy, and creators aren't created equal. Same as in the world of sports or in the worlds of television or movies or music. Certain people tap into the zeitgeist and can motivate a reaction from a large number of people that equates to dollars. And so, those people are more desirable, due to this very fact. Consequently, those people have more latitude to behave badly, because their overall popularity and draw power empowers them in a maner that isn't easy to replicate in others. While I'd assume you're skilled at your job, whatever it may be, you're not so specifically skilled that your presence doesn't represnet a significant increase in profits. You're not indispensible--you can be replaced, more or less. But in the worlds of entertainment, that's not really the case.

[Link]

Huh.  So, the Hollywood mentality has taken over...

••

He must have been given one of those desk calendars that teaches a new word every day.

Of course, it's not the best idea to base a whole business plan on one of them!

It's not all right, and there are consequences, but the thing you need to keep in mind is that, as a field of entertainment, comics is a meritocracy, and creators aren't created equal. Same as in the world of sports or in the worlds of television or movies or music. Certain people tap into the zeitgeist and can motivate a reaction from a large number of people that equates to dollars. And so, those people are more desirable, due to this very fact. Consequently, those people have more latitude to behave badly, because their overall popularity and draw power empowers them in a maner that isn't easy to replicate in others. While I'd assume you're skilled at your job, whatever it may be, you're not so specifically skilled that your presence doesn't represnet a significant increase in profits. You're not indispensible--you can be replaced, more or less. But in the worlds of entertainment, that's not really the case.

Which current superhero comics creators are so incredibly good that they can't be replaced? For that matter, which ones motivate a reaction from a large number of people that equates to dollars? Are we talking large, or large in the context of a withered industry? And what happens when they have to be replaced? Does the industry then just give up and die?

"Guys, I have bad news. Millar's going to Hollywood. As you know, he's indispensable. We've had a good run these last seventy-odd years, but comics - sob - comics are over."

The only creator I know of who came close to the above was Stan Lee, and my understanding is that he has actually been replaced. I don't think he worried much about "art". I don't think he was late much, either.

"As a field of entertainment". Like TV, where, as I've said several times, episodes are shown AT THE SAME TIME EVERY WEEK! And creators who don't deliver are always, always, dispensable. Every time.

All this talk about the entertainment industry and creating art makes me wonder whether these people give a shit about comics at all. "No, no, I don't make anything embarrassing like that. I'm in creative entertainment. I practically make movies."

It's bullshit. I feel insulted that we're being fed this crap.

IMP.

and creators aren't created equal

Wow, doesn't that put down creators who aren't considered 'superstars'? Then again, I guess every field has certain employees treated better than others, while reliable, hard-working ones are ignored or disregarded.

Brief novel related aside:

The Hollywood guy that really drives me crazy is George RR Martin. He can't keep deadlines that he makes for himself for the Ice & Fire books, the latest of which is 5 years late. Meanwhile on his blog, he has all the time in the world to fly all over the world to watch his TV show based on the books get filmed, play with hawks, go on vacation, watch sports, etc. and once in a while write a chapter of the 5 year delayed book. Drives me crazy.