Robert Kirkman on how to fix the comic industry

[Abraham Smashington]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=17705

Pretty interesting and I pretty much agree with him. I'm much more interested in reading the smaller books and indie stuff than alot of the superhero Marvel and DC stuff.

[Abraham Smashington]

Although, he is a partner in Image Comics, so he could just be trying to steal people from them.

[Abraham Smashington]

Either way, I can't get into Marvel stuff anymore because it just seems so fucking convoluted as I haven't kept up on the plotlines and characters for years.

[Captain Russ]

Half and half, really.

He is trying to pick up readers in the worst way possible, as most artists and writers are already pretty well-versed in the idea that they could do creator-owned work if they wanted to.

They just haven't had the insane luck of the draw Kirkman has (so don't have the reader numbers/supplemental income), so they'd rather be getting paid well over at the big two.

You can listen to one dude's rebuttal to Kirkman's call to arms over at Word Balloon's podcast. Some guy named Bendis(?).

EDIT: Number 300. Marvel is nowhere near as awful as DC's business model, where much of their product is based around continuity instead of events being in service of a story. The stories serve continuity for continuity's sake. They both need to back the fuck off cross-overs.

[Abraham Smashington]

Oh Bendis.

It would be nice to knock Marvel and DC down a peg or two though. Granted I'm not what anyone would consider a "comic guy" anymore, but I've tried to read some newer stuff and it's just fucking annoying. Maybe it's because I could really give two shits about most superhero bs, but besides the random Batman story or X-men story, most of my comics now and back in the day were usually non-superhero stuff.

[Captain Russ]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, most of the continuity-based story arcs being published these days are a huge problem with the industry. I dare you to try picking up Batman RIP and not want to burn it in a continuity fire.

There aren't as many readers as there used to be, due in a large part to this issue, as well the over-reliance of publishers on "event" books to keep their numbers up. What financially works right now will cripple the industry in the long run, unless something drastic is done.

Kirkman's idea works in theory, just like Communism. It's just that it will take more than one person to turn such a huge tide.

[Abraham Smashington]

I'm totally with you man. The event books reek of desperation and the story arcs are fucking pointless. Especially when they space them out over like 15 different books and you are supposed to pick them all up. I'd rather get the trade. Which is what a lot of people are doing now. But I'm in full agreement with him on making those books made for "kids" as opposed to adults. Kids are the ones who should be reading Marvel and DC, at least the main superhero books, and it's a shame when there are alot of those books I wouldn't let my nephew read.

[Captain Russ]

Exactly. Which is why we should castrate Rob Liefeld.

Why? I don't know. It'll make me feel better.

LOOK AT THE PECS AND INCORRECT ANATOMY OF FREEDOM!

[Abraham Smashington]

I <3 that pic and the one that shows exactly how Cap would look if he was nude. And yet that guy makes mad money. ARHGHGHGH

[Captain Russ]

Ah yes. Even better when the paste a Liefeld face on the "stars and stripe" of Cap. Because Liefeld's a cockface.

*Picks up shovel and continues to beat the dead horse*