Comments on: Controversy LinkBlogging

By: DC Spinner Rack: Secret Six 22, Teen Titans 84, Doom Patrol 11, Wonder Woman 600, Tiny Titans 29 » Comics Worth Reading

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:32:11 +0000

[...] of Black Alice, I regret recommending the Coven of Three backup. (She’s one of the three, along with a boy Zatanna and Tracy Thirteen.) It’s [...]

By: Coming Up: DC Comics Due May 2010 » Comics Worth Reading

Coming Up: DC Comics Due May 2010 » Comics Worth Reading — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:47:26 +0000

[...] I am looking forward to Teen Titans #83, because of the new Coven backup, as I already mentioned, plus I’ll keep reading The Great Ten and The Unwritten. Otherwise… it’s a shame [...]

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:25:17 +0000

You’ve probably seen this by now, but for reference of those reading this post, When Fangirls Attack has a good collection of links to reviews (positive and negative, by men and women) for Girl Comics #1:

http://womenincomics.blogspot.com/2010/03/so-many-many-links-part-one.html

By: Avi Green

Avi Green — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:19:16 +0000

This isn’t the first time DC’s coughed out a story with a violent infanticide – a year and a half ago, Geoff Johns depicted Inertia doing it to Josh Jackam in Rogues’ Revenge, but I only became fully aware of it a couple months after the book was published when I read an update on Bill Walko’s Titans Tower fansite. After I realized what Johns had done for no good reason, I will never read his future output as a writer ever again. It’s almost ironic that Robinson, who co-wrote at least 2 series with Johns that were fairly better than what Johns wrote solo, would lose direction just as badly.

As far as sales are concerned, it’s worth noting that even crossover sales have begun stagnating, and it’ll be harder to continue justifying the low sales their whole output gets much longer.

By: Suzene

Suzene — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:58:10 +0000

Very much. As you said: these sorts of stories breed disgust, apathy, and resignation in the fanbase, and it is very hard to get someone you’ve burned to buy into your next project. The only good thing I can say about it is that occasionally I get people who’ve had their fill of the main books to spend their $4 on smaller titles that need some love.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:38:53 +0000

I understand the idea that controversy sells — Marvel’s Bill Jemas did it very well last decade, but the difference there is that the books were better than what DC is pushing now. They’ve successfully driven most casual readers out of the market, so you’re right, I suspect sales don’t change much, but that’s not a good thing. From my perspective, it’s the sign of a very unhealthy market, when only the die-hards are left.

Howard, you’re evil, but correct. :)

Barney, good point. A creator’s time is not infinite. If they do X, they can’t do Y. On the other hand, if Naifeh makes some good money from this gig, maybe that will free him up to do some others with different ways of making money.

By: Suzene

Suzene — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:31:58 +0000

Had to struggle with whether or not to pick up Girl Comics. Utterly loathe the name and the lack of thought behind it. Really like about half the writing talent, have severe aversions to others, but then Colleen Coover’s art makes up for a lot. In the end, issue #1 didn’t meet my “character I love/creator I trust” criteria for anthology books, so I gave it a pass. #2 will get another shot, though.

I probably will pick up Teen Titans #83, though. I don’t know the writer, but I’m fond of all of the characters, and I’d like to see Ted Naifeh’s take on them, especially Black Alice and her eternally-shifting wardrobe of gender-bent costumes.

I think so far as DC is concerned, anything that gets people talking about the book is a good thing, no matter if they’re raging or applauding (see also: Willingham on Spoiler; Kyle and Yost on their hill of dead child/C-list characters). It is lazy writing and playing into a tired genre stereotype, but “Cry for Justice” sold well, and odds are not enough people are going to drop books from their pulls to make anyone involved think twice before they haul out the next mini-fridge.

By: howard

howard — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:22:43 +0000

“Even though 50% (or whatever) of a lot of money would be better than 100% of none, they still fixate on the 100%. ”

To be a bit pedantic, this isn’t strictly true.

If they give Milestone 50%, the next Milestone would also want 50%. If they don’t, the next Milestone might give them 100%.

Also, instead of printing Milestone, they could push something a Zuda that gives them 100%.

There’s plenty of business reasons to want to destroy Milestone.

By: Barney

Barney — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:28:21 +0000

I can’t really get excited about Ted Naifeh working on Teen Titans. While I’m sure the money is good for him from my perspective, as a reader, it just means he won’t be working on comics that I’ll want to read. The same is true of Judd Winick, who seems to be hated by the superhero comic fans who are his audience now but is truly missed by anyone who enjoyed Barry Ween Boy Genius.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:18:25 +0000

If you come to my house and poop on my floor, you’ll get a reaction from me, too. Is that really something to aspire to?

By: Bytowner

Bytowner — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:55:07 +0000

As for the Milestone characters…we shouldn’t let it go. Or give up.

By: Bytowner

Bytowner — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:53:46 +0000

Seems as if there was a stereotype disguised as a genre convention to enforce with the Lian Harper decision: superheroes must never succeed at raising families. Same thing happened with the Parker-Watson marriage in the Spider-Man books over a year or two earlier. Ditto with the Dibnys in Identity Crisis. And on and on...