Posted on 09/25/2020 3:58:16 PM PDT by tbw2
To state the obvious, comic book publishing is in serious trouble, with a business model that almost literally has no future. Yet comic books are a source of intellectual property for exploitation in all sorts of popular media and have never have greater potential.
So, why is this? Why do comics as a storytelling form (superhero and otherwise) have such an enormous impact on popular culture but comic book publishers are struggling to survive? Why are publishers almost universally failing to succeed at actual publishing? My basic answer is— they're pursuing the *wrong market.* And they've been doing so, with increasing desperation, since the late 1970s.
(Excerpt) Read more at bleedingcool.com ...
Punisher Creator Gerry Conway “Cancel Every Existing Superhero Comic”
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/punisher-creator-gerry-conway-cancel-every-existing-superhero-comic/
Unfortunately Gerry couldn’t work in the format that he’s proposing because he overwrites everything and insists and having long narratives. The reason that comics are having problems is the same reason the last Star Wars trilogy didn’t do well and is failing in merchandising, it’s because they’re trying to appeal to a primarily female and woke audience rather than the core audience that will always be lifelong fans, boys who later become men. Comics are modern mythology and the stories are best told around heroic values which are primarily masculine with a few exceptions like Wonder Woman. Comics also used to reflect strong family values as in the Fantastic Four but these were pulled apart by woke writers.
They made the heroes all gay, etc. That is why they are failing. Go woke, go broke.
Super heroes were always pro-American. Not any more, as far as I can tell.
Also, Conway didn’t “create” the Punisher, he stole it from Don Pendleton’s Executioner series. Mack Bolan is a better developed character.
It’s past time to cultivate some newer, younger comic book readers. That means giving them their own new sets of heroes and villains. That means holding back the trembling damn that separates material for children and early teens from material suitable for adults.
When selling to kids, keep race, sex and gender issues to a bare minimum. Race, sex and gender issues should not be THE story. Keep the stories about weaponry, science fiction, early romance or humor. A little well placed violence can go a long way in such stories. Stay outta the Bushes!
Best exemplified by a recent Superman movie where he denounces/denies being American.
There is a comic called Pigman about a superhero who fights a war against Islam but as you might Imagine he has a hard time marketing it.
Modern creators are all about deconstruction.
That doesn’t lend itself to traditional super hero tales, which are basically modern interpretations of ancient mythology.
It’s hard to tell morality stories when you have none.
I was talking with a friend about Superman. Appears that the Superman story strongly parallels Moses in the Bible.
I’m sure Siegel and Shuster were very well acquainted with the story of Moses.
I well remember peddling my bike to the quikie-mart with my grass cutting money to buy Batman and Superman comic books. I wasn't an avid collector, but liked to buy the double bonus $1 issues.
Wish I had those today.
One - comics use to be for kids and early teenagers.
Two - the stories had heroes with decent values.
Three - the violence was there but not over the top like today. No breaking necks, pulling out hearts, etc.
Four - many characters were retconned or made woke. A woman wears the Iron Man armor, Captain America was portrayed as always being HYDRA, the FF were broken up, the Hulk was killed off and someone named Amadeus Chou became the new Hulk, Superman renounces his American citizenship, the golden Green Lantern and the Rawhide Kid are retconned as gay, comics became too political - trouncing Republican/conservatives and showcasing Obama as a superhero.
Five - sold only in specialty stores and not at local news stands or drug stores, like years ago.
Six (this was not mentioned) - the artists in my opinion have serious hangups concerning women. Large breasted, scantily clad female villains and heroes, art that looks it should be in Playboy or Penthouse. I get the impression that just like movies and television, the writers and artists are not creating stories for boys or men but for themselves and their peers.
There was a Human Torch (Fantastic Four torch) story written by Stan Lee in the early 60's. The villain turned out to be a newspaper publisher. Could that story be written today?
Comics are, ideally, (or were, realistically) a form of Romantic escape. It’s a way to tell fantastic stories of (mostly) righteous smiting without invoking religion. People don’t get tired of listening to those stories, even though they know they aren’t real. They nevertheless give people ideals, values, and virtues to strive for.
For the last several decades, they’ve become props of the Left and yet another media stream for dispensing their poisonous propaganda.
They think that it is creative to tear down other’s icons if not appropriate them (making Thor a woman, making Iron Man black).
It proves they’re a cultural failure. They can’t create anything new. They can’t build on existing stories. NO, just the “shock” of tearing down someone else’s mythos and saying, “There, I’m better than you because I could attack it from all these angles.”
The thought had crossed my mind too.
The only JMS I can think of is the great J. Michael Straczynski.
Could a Hollywood producer actually be a Freeper?
Not bloody likely. Dude’s a genius, but a raving liberal.
No - although I admire his work greatly, especially Babylon 5 and many of his comic stories.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.