Recently, I came into the possession of New Avengers #7. Given, it was drawn by Romita Jr so I was never going to like the art but at least he knows how to pace a story, which is just as well as this was another 5-minute read. I like Bendis' dialogue and that helped maintained interest in a comic comprised of only four scenes. I thought this was a perfect example of how modern mainstream comics have become poor value for money, a five minute read that's instantly forgettable.
And then I read the new Justice League. Better art, less characterisation and only TWO scenes. Yes, that's right. #1 consists entirely of Green Lantern teaming up with Batman in Gotham, then buggering off to Metropolis, where they interrupt football practice and meet Superman. THAT'S it.
And the big two wonder why they're losing readers? I have no problem with serialised storytelling but make each issue not only worth the reader's time but worthy of time in general. I'm reading DC Comics Presents: Metal Men at the minute: each chapter takes longer to read than either of the above two comics and represents better value as a result. Imagine paying for a cinema ticket only to be shown the pre-titles sequence before the end credits roll, because that's what a lot of current comics have become. The worrying thing is, with 70% of the US comic market shared between Marvel and DC, if they go down, the infrastructure supporting the smaller publishers collapses too.
Be afraid, comics readers, be afraid...
2 comments:
Actually, I think the movie analogy is to a big flashy sfx 3D Hollywood blockbuster in which all the attention is given to the fx sequences and none to the plot or script. I agree, it's worrying.
It's not all like this though. Dan Slott crams more story into each issue of Amazing Spider-Man these days than Bendis does into 6 Avengers.
Sadly, the big publishers have wrung out all affection for the characters I grew up with so I don't really follow much Marvel and Dc at the minute...I think they've been mishandling their lines for a while to the point where I think the cycle's turning back to the 90s before quesada kickstarted things by returning to quality story and art. We're too often faced with endless crossovers, rotating creative teams and poor creative choices...
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