Byrne Robotics: Marvel’s "new look"

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Conner Dinkins
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 7:17pm \| IP Logged \| 1

You're right! Kids today wants to read about Captain America as a senior citizen!!! That's FRESH!!!

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Conner Dinkins
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 7:25pm \| IP Logged \| 2

The thing is, Marvel Comics isn't writing for the crowd here, the ever shrinking and aging fan base from the 80s etc. They're going after the current youth of the day, trying to make these characters appealing to the young crowd of the day. Argue the pros and cons of that sort of business model all day long, it won't change the fact that 40 something fanboys are not a majority readership and they're not the future of the publishing arm.
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I guess if it means I'm a fanboy for wanting characters to remain somewhat faithful to their original concepts then I am one. I don't think it's wrong to want some sort of continuity or stability with these characters. I showed my kids 11,12 and 14 Steve Rogers there and they hated it. They are the future, they love the Marvel movies and want to see the Captain America from the movies in the comics. They love the old comics because of me but I know they would enjoy some new adventures with those characters.

Like I said the old characters from the 80's 90's who were the same guys from the 40's to 70's pretty much are dead.

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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 7:34pm \| IP Logged \| 3

They're going after the current youth of the day, trying to make these characters appealing to the young crowd of the day.

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If they wanted to do that, they'd model them after the billion dollar movies. Who is Grandpa Steve Rogers supposed to appeal to?

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Conner Dinkins
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 7:57pm \| IP Logged \| 4

They're doing a pretty bad job of going after the youth of today.

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Peter Martin
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 8:22pm \| IP Logged \| 5

I don't understand any of this.

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Jeffrey Rice
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 9:13pm \| IP Logged \| 6

Meanwhile someone else thought they could improve on Spider-Man's costume.

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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 10:40pm \| IP Logged \| 7

It makes sense to either be true to the Lee/Kirby/Ditko/etc. classics or even to the immensely popular movie and TV empire Marvel Studios has been building. It makes no sense to--

1. Age CAPTAIN AMERICA into an old man

2. Age SHARON CARTER before she's even been called by name in the movies

3. Get rid of the suddenly popular FALCON i.d.

4. Turn THOR into a woman

5. Turn TONY STARK into an unlikeable a-hole

6. Put DAREDEVIL into a red 3-piece suit (right now) or change his outfit to black (soon)--just as the TV show is getting off the ground and finally putting him into a red uniform

--and other things I'm sure I'm not thinking of right now!

They say they're making this big "new start" to appeal to new readers, but new readers would logically come from the movies and TV shows--which these changes disagree with!

There may be some fans-turned-writers/editors that just want to mess with the status quo, but there's even more longtime fans who just want the best possible handling of the Stan Lee versions!

These weird re-purposings don't make sense or will really appeal to either the oldest fans or the newest ones.

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Rick Whiting
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Posted: 07 June 2015 at 10:46pm \| IP Logged \| 8

The thing is, Marvel Comics isn't writing for the crowd here, the ever shrinking and aging fan base from the 80s etc. They're going after the current youth of the day, trying to make these characters appealing to the young crowd of the day. Argue the pros and cons of that sort of business model all day long, it won't change the fact that 40 something fanboys are not a majority readership and they're not the future of the publishing arm.

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I disagree. Both Marvel and DC are writing for the aging and shrinking fan base who have been reading their comics since the 90's,80's,70's,and 60's. They are also aiming their books at speculators. The only new readers they are trying to attract are teens and adults (not young kids) who watch the movies and TV shows, but have very little or no interest in reading the comics that those movies and TV shows are based on. This is why the content in the books has become more explicit and "adult".

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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 12:18am \| IP Logged \| 9

I think the phrase I'm (and maybe some others here too) looking for is that Marvel's strategy right now is "neither fish nor fowl"--they're alienating the longtime fans (who are often "Give me the recognizable characters I've loved for decades!") AND also alientaing any new readers who might come in ("These aren't the characters from the movies!").

I honestly don't know who they're trying to reach with these "Let's mess with the status quo!" redesigns.

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Mark Haslett
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 1:32am \| IP Logged \| 10

I have never seen anyone look so bored with a giant ax as Doctor Strange in that drawing.

It's as if these character designs are so boring they put this artist to sleep while he was drawing them.

These designs really covered the gamut from "If you say so" to "whatever".

*I guess these brought out the Henny Youngman in me-- my post reads like sketches for a stand-up act.

Edited by Mark Haslett on 08 June 2015 at 1:35am

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Mark Haslett
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 1:39am \| IP Logged \| 11

Argue the pros and cons of that sort of business model all day long, it won't change the fact that 40 something fanboys are not a majority readership and they're not the future of the publishing arm.

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I'd be very curious to see data that supports this notion.

40 something year old readers may not be the majority, but I'll be surprised if even 10% of the readers are under 20.

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James Woodcock
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Posted: 08 June 2015 at 1:52am \| IP Logged \| 12

Someone has written as how this looks like the realisation of Jim Shooter's plan to change who was behind the mask of every Marvel hero and by and large, it does look that way.

While I can see the sense in pushing the next wave of characters, I cannot see the sense in changing the comics so far from their core, especially as it further separates them from the ever so successful movies.

How did we get to a world where we have movies that appeal to pretty much everyone, with on the whole pretty good interpretations of the characters and can be viewed by the vast majority of kids (no F words in Marvel produced movies, I'm not talking the X-Men ones) while the comics are either not the same characters or contain 18 certificate content?

I've been reading the TIME RUNS OUT story recently. It's just beyond belief. As a story, it has interesting concepts - different universes converging, people making moral choices on what they would be prepared to do in order to save their universe. However, as a depiction of the characters I grow up with and loved, it's hideous. Utterly hideous. Iron Man and Dr Strange wipe Captain America's mind because he won't go along with the plan to destroy universes. It really is right back to CIVIL WAR all over again - Iron Man, Mister Fantastic played as 'end justifies the means' type characters, no one matters provided OUR version survives.

I thought once they got to the 'Heroic Age' all that nonsense was supposed to be stopped. Yeah, they did a bang up job there they did.

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