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Stephen Churay
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 March 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 8369
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 5:52pm | IP Logged | 1
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Chad: What I want to know is where all these people in charge of the
adultification of superhero comic books, particularly the icons, came
from.
I mean, what part of the culture actually produced men who think
these insipid "stories" and "events" are remotely as expertly crafted
as they were in "primitive" times of the Silver Age and so on.
You hear Stan Lee talk (notably in 80-plus year old car salesman
mode) and he is mind-boggled by how "good" the comics are now. What a
load! ++ Chad the people in charge grew up reading them just like you and me. When they got old enough to work in the field, they kept writing stories they wanted to read, to continue there enjoyment, not there audience. Who cares that they started reading at age 10 like everyone else . As antiquated as the comics code was, I'm beginning to think that it still has a purpose. It seems to me that the companies, that are the big two, do a piss poor job of policing themselves.
Obviously I can't know for a fact, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that even Stan thinks the books are too adult. But, why bite the hand that feeds you.
Heck, the average Joe, on the street, thinks that Stan is still in charge of Marvel.
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Rick Whiting
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 22 April 2004
Posts: 2249
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 8:26pm | IP Logged | 2
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I got interested in comics between the age of 8 and 10 due to my cousin (who was 2 years older then me) giving me his old comics and convincing me to watch superhero and action/adventure cartoons like Tarzan,The New Adventures of Batman,Space Sentinels,and Super Friends. I became a huge fan of superheroes, and since their weren't that many superhero cartoons around at that time (or as msany as I liked there to be) I started getting my superhero fix from comic books. And the rest, as they say, is history.
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Lee Painter
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 January 2009
Posts: 304
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 8:31pm | IP Logged | 3
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ironic enough I got into comics after seeing an issue of Amazing by McFarlane.
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Anthony Frail
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 09 October 2007
Posts: 960
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 9:01pm | IP Logged | 4
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QUOTE:
Americans have a need to change adults things into kids items if
kids show
an interest. I remember reading that Popeye was originally for adults and
then was changed once it was found out kids were attracted to the strip;
Superman and Batman were altered to be better role-models for kids-- if
kids like it, we better sanitize it for them rather than just say, "No. That's
not
for you."
••
Pity the reverse seems to be the order of business with superheroes these
days. |
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Well, who knows what the hell they're doing nowadays.
I think they're just doing what they think is cool from their perspective
and not really working through an actual business plan that has strategies
and realistic methods of building new readership. They think the readers
will just come because what they're doing is so "cool".
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Ron Chevrier
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1641
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 10:48pm | IP Logged | 5
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I recall meeting Batman and Spider-Man mainly through their respective TV shows, along with Hercules and Rocket Robin Hood (topical references for you Canucks who were kids in the late 60's, early 70s). Somehow, however, I remember always knowing Superman. This is odd because we didn't get the cartoon on TV, nor the old George Reeves show at the time that I was growing up. My dad, a staunch Mickey Mouse/Bugs Bunny/Capt. Marvel man, only got those comics for me to read, and yet, Superman was my favorite despite my limited exposure to him.
The first two Superman comics my dad ever bought for me were the issue in which Superman meets Cap knockoff Captain Thunder, and a World's Finest where Superman teams up with powerlless Wonder Woman to prevent the Earth from being consumed by pollution. I was about four or five at the time, but I knew about Clark Kent, Lois, Jimmy, the Daily PLanet, Krypto and Superman from waaay before I got those comics, curiously enough.
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Joe Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 August 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6712
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 12:03am | IP Logged | 6
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Electric Company and the Spidey Super Stories.
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Thanos Kollias
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 June 2004
Location: Greece
Posts: 5009
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 1:00am | IP Logged | 7
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I first got into comics around the late 70s mainly due to my older brother. He was buying all the greek translations (the began reprinting the Romita/Kane Spider-Man, Starlin Captain Marvel, Kirby Avengers & X-Men, S. Buscema Cap, J. Buscema FF, Trimpe Hulk, Gullacy Master of Kung Fu, Colan Dracula, Buscema Nova, most of the westerns, various terror titles, Hero for Hire etc).
At some point he decided to try some english language originals and we ended up reading John Byrne X-Men, Avengers and FF. Talk about timing..
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James Woodcock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8263
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 1:11am | IP Logged | 8
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I have trouble thinking of a time when comics weren't around. My eldest brother is seven years older than me and I have two other brothers three and four years older. By the time I was three Mighty World of Marvel was in the house and we were buying the Treasury editions of Fantastic Four, Thor etc.
One of my first clear memories of learning to read was looking at the page where Namor flies after the Baxter Building and the panels zoom in on him and he repeats the word in each panel (I think it's 'Go'). Before this, I had just looked at the pictures and thought they looked good. I took that page to my dad, asked what the first word was, he told me. I asked what the second word was and he told me. I asked if the third word was the same and he said yes. I learnt to read from comics. These things weren't just pictures, there was a story there!
Presented some problems for my parents when they promised one brother they could get the new X-Men comic and the other they could get the new Silver Surfer comic. Only to find out that both were being reprinted in the same comic. Oh the argument THAT one caused!
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Joe Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 August 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6712
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 2:23am | IP Logged | 9
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I had a cool moment with an almost 3 year old and his 5
year old brother today at the restaurant.
I had a copy of the Batman Brave & the Bold new series
comic, featuring Captain Marvel.
The younger brother had a firm hold on the book, and was
flipping pages. He'd alight on the Bionicle ad. Sigh.
Then, when an iconic shot of Batman caught his eye a page
or two later, I told him what was happening in the panel.
He asked why. I told him why.
Then I asked him if he wanted to find out who the dragon
with the lightning bolt on its chest was, and he said
yes. So, I told him to turn the page. (this time, it was
story on the left, ad on the right.)
I pointed to the dragon on the left page, and said,
'there he is again! He's trying to EAT Batman!!'
"Why?", he said.
I told him why, and said, "I wonder how little Batman is
going to beat that BIG Dragon??"
"How?", he asked me.
"Well.....TURN THE PAGE AND FIND OUT!!!" I shrieked!
(by now, older brother was seriously getting caught up in
all the excitement)
He turned the page, and the older brother yelped, "He's
blowing fire at Batman!"
I said, "WHOA!"
The younger child, to my amazement, said, "Batman's got a
book!! He's blocking the fire with a book!"
(I was psyched!!)
""wow! what happens now??!" I said.
The boy turned the page so fast he RIPPED IT! Not
completely, but on the bottom. I told him I didn't care,
and to tell me what happened.
"The lady is MELTING!!", screamed the youngest boy.
"And the dragon is turned into a Superman!", said the
older one.
"Who?", I said, and then I flipped the book on it's cover
and showed them it's CAPTAIN MARVEL!! Not Superman!
"See the Lightning Bolt on his chest?"
"OH>>>!!!"
Later on, I walked by, and the two of them were STILL
reading the same book, going over pages they'd read
already like three times, exclaiming what the pictures
were telling them.
I was so happy, they were reading comics! Nick and
Alex, my new comics buddies for life!
My good deed done for the day!
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John Peter Britton
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 May 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9129
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 4:37am | IP Logged | 10
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Over here in England there is not much in the way of English comics it's so sad to see the shelves filled with crap comics that are filled with toys and sweets!
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Leigh DJ Hunt
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 February 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1570
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 5:00am | IP Logged | 11
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Talk a few pages back of that Stegron story* reminded me that I first encountered that tale in a black and white British Annual full of reprints. Back then black and white reprints were my first exposure to this wonderful world. From what I understand Marvel UK still puts out lots of really good and thick reprint books packed with recent stories that are so much more affordable than buying the original comics.
*and i too still think really fondly of that story - porr old Steggy.
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Trevor Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 3604
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| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 5:16am | IP Logged | 12
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Well, this thread has drifted, but I'll add to it! As far
as I can remember, my first exposure to super-heroes was
the old 60s Spider-Man cartoon. I couldn't tell you what
the first episode was that I saw or anything that detailed,
but I have fond, fond memories of laying in front of the TV
every Saturday morning waiting for the the test pattern to
end so I could watch Spider-Man.
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Topic Closed)
