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COMIC BOOKS AT THE GATE |
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Growler
on Superhero Comic Books >
INDEX
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The
superhero comic book is banging at the gate of popular entertainment.
Too
long kept out by self-doubt and historical misconceptions.
A new vanguard of talent is forging a permanent legacy, soon to be embedded
in everyday life.
Are
you ready for conquest?
Dawn
Trading
So.
What’s
been happening since I last wrote about comic books?
Well,
the official demise of CrossGen Comics and Dreamwave studios.
These
were two promising publishers, which bit the dust, collectively
owing thousands to writers and artists whom they employed.
Thankfully
many of these creators have found further work with Marvel, DC and
other publishers. This once again shows the high risk faced by new
comic book publishers.
In
my opinion and with much hindsight, the CrossGen marketing team
got it wrong from the beginning by declaring their characters were
not super heroes. It underestimated the sheer demand for that material.
Speaking as a die hard fan myself this was a clear mistake.
Click
here to check out Infinite Crisis: The Companion TPB (DC Comics)
by Greg Rucka
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In
reality, this is exactly what they were albeit without the spandex.
How so?
The
Sigil, the mark that gave most of their characters their powers.
This
is a classic superhero formula.
Also,
like it or not, superheroes sell.
There
is a market for it. A
huge market.
Superhero
comic books form the majority of the top 100 comic books sold in
UK and the US.
If
they weren’t popular they wouldn’t sell.
Simple.
Of
course, having a huge brand and a massive advertising and marketing
budget helps too.
Trade
paperbacks (Trades) or Graphic Novels are the way forward.
Click
here to check out Infinite Crisis: The Companion TPB (DC Comics)
by Greg Rucka
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I’ve
seen the light.
For
the sake of storage space and the need to read a whole story at once.
Reasons?
I’ll
give you two.
Planetary
and Rising Stars.
These
are two quality comics but can you remember what happened
in the last issue?
I
can’t.
And
there’s the point, when I started reading and collecting,
the monthly wait was acceptable and the next issue was rarely late.
Now,
lateness has become a fashion. And
my memory isn’t what it used to be.
So,
my first comic book purchased was Avengers Vol.1 # 257 (back in
1985!) and my last, single regular comic book purchased was New
Avengers # 2 (in 2005).
Bring on the trades!
Click
here to check out 52: Volume 1 TPB (DC Comics) by Grant Morrison,
Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
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For
the best UK comic book site go to the Down
The Tubes site. Run by John
Freeman, it’s a great experience!
Trades
I’m looking out for, New Avengers by Brian Bendis and David Finch,
Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita JR and Essential Thor
by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The
Essentials trade series are a great and cheap way to get into the classic
Marvel stories without paying big bucks.
Done
in the style everyone is still trying to copy!
Comic
book movies to check out, Batman Begins, Fantastic Four and Sin City.
That's
it for now.
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