Panelology - Fanenomics

by Brandon

Yes, this is yet another depressing article on the economy. The economy has fallen like the sales of a new Quasar series. The economy hasn’t just affected those on Wall Street. Comic book fans are keenly aware of the impact a slow-moving economy has on their pastime. As the price for gas, food, and other cost of living items increase, our ability to support our favorite hobby decreases, or it is hampered at best. Try as they might, I haven’t heard Barack Obama or John McCain’s outline a plan for helping out the struggling comic book fan. Obama did mention Superman last weekend and McCain is more and more acting like a piss-poor Spider-Man villain plotting his petty revenge, but that does little for our ability to purchase funny books. So, fans are stuck in limbo, forced to choose between continuing to pick up Title A or Title B because their tightening budget won’t allow for both.

What can a struggling fan do? I offer up a few suggestions this week on how to handle hard economic times as a fan. The advice is free. Trust me, you won't find a better price anywhere!


Cut the Fat
Let’s face it; many of us collect some books out of a misguided sense of loyalty to a character, group of characters, concept, or creative team. While loyalty is one of the most admirable qualities of comic book fans, it doesn’t make sense from an economic perspective. Think about how much time and money is wasted in our hobby on titles people just don’t simply enjoy. Read any comic book message board and you will see misguided fans bemoaning the latest disappointing issue of a title they once, long ago, truly loved and admired.

It’s hard to dump a title you’ve been with for a while. Breaking up is hard to do, even if you don’t really like the title in question. For instance, take my long struggle with Jack of Fables,. Jack and I haven’t really spoken for a year now. The last issue I read of the title was back in New York in November of 2007. Ever since then, our relationship has grown cold. We barely even look at one another, let alone speak. Monthly, I glance his way and quickly stow him in a poly bag, moving onto another without a care as to his feelings. I love Fables, don’t get me wrong, but jack of Fables just seems to be hollow. I’ve read online that many people see something different in Jack that I don’t see, some even claim to love him. Maybe they do. I can’t be sure.

Two weeks ago, as I stared at my monthly order form for Mail Order Comics, I decided it was time to let Jack go. I dropped him from my pull list. As a collector, it’s tough to look at that empty spot in the long box where future issues would go. However, your wallet will thank you.

Quality *AND* Quantity
Quality of the books deeply impacts enjoyment, but so can the actual amount of books you buy monthly. The law of comic book quality states that the more books you buy in a month, the greater the chance is that you won’t enjoy some of them. If you’re like me, finding time to squeeze in all your reading is tough. I’ve learned the hard way that there is just no way to red as many books as I want in a month’s time.

Being choosy can be good for fans. Limiting the number of comic books you purchase in a month makes good monetary and quality control sense. If you tell yourself that you are only going to buy ten comic books a month, it tends to force you into selecting those books you want to have in your read pile as opposed to those you are buying out of habit. Each person has to decide on their limit and stick to it.


Go Team, Go!
When the going gets tough, the team books get going. Team books are an excellent way to enjoy a wide variety of superheroes for a minimum entry price. Superhero teams, especially long established ones, are populated by a broad range of characters, many of them staring in solo books or appearing as supporting cast members for other A-list team members. These books offer lots of character. Think about it as buying superhero books in bulk.

I watched a special feature recently on some comic book themed dvd (one of those animated Avengers features, perhaps) where Mark Millar offered up this reasoning as why he enjoyed the Avengers as a child. He was kid who didn’t have a lot of cash, so team books helped him get his fix. Team books could provide an opportunity to get your, say, Wolverine fix for the month without buying the two monthly Wolverine comics. Plus, you get to read far more interesting characters than the largely one-dimensional Wolverine in a team book. See? That’s got to be a positive for you.

Discounts Rock
This doesn’t just come down to me being cheap. It’s just practicality. Most shops do offer some type of discount for customers with established pull lists. Seeking out these shops can help soften the blow when they ring up all eighty-five monthly X-books you buy. Most online vendors also offer discounts. Some obviously offer better discounts than others, but I’ve found that online shops offer better discounts than actual local comic shops.

There is a hippie-dippy downside to shopping online as opposed to going to a local comic shop. By going to your local comic shop, you are helping out the local economy. Those shop owners are operating in the same sluggish economy you are. Times are tough everywhere and it comes down to the ethics of the customer as to whether or not they would rather save a nickel or support a local shop. Me? My local shop caters to the CCG crowd more than comic books fans. I don’t feel so bad about going online. However, you might have wonderful shops in your area that need and depend on your business.

Comic Fans Need a Bailout
Ultimately, as I talked about a few weeks ago in my Declaration of Independence from Event Comics, I think comic book publishers will start to slow on these admittedly splurge titles. I think we will begin to see a decrease in these events over the next year as the economy tries to balance itself out. The ability to buy tons of books with millions of tie-in issues is diminished now for most fans. Companies will naturally become more conservative with their titles, slinging less towards the wall to see what sticks.

This could be good in theory. With the fanbase less likely to overindulge in their purchasing, publishers may be forced to think in more qualitative terms rather than quantitative. We could see an increase in the quality of some products. And for our hard earned and well spent dollar, they better be good! If most fans are like me, fans have to carefully invest their hobby money now.

Let’s hope we all make it through this. Except for Jack of Fables. He can go.
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Panelology - Who Do We Read? (Part 1)

by Brandon

Panelology triumphantly returns this week after a long, but necessary, mental health hiatus! Continuing on with my look at the essentials of collecting comic books, I'm taking up the issue of comic book companies. Who do we read? Why do we slavishly follow companies? Is there hope for mankind? Read on!

Comic book fans are pretty unusual. Our purchasing habits tend to follow one company or line with great regularity. Sure, we all venture out, but we tend to follow a company's titles as a general rule of thumb. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a curious phenomenon that happens within our hobby. I'm a huge music buff, but I don't tend to follow record labels around. I, like any proud fanboy, also love movies. Yet, I don't find myself lining up at the the local yokel movie theater every time something from Paramount or Warner Brothers comes out. Even gamers tend to sample across the spectrum.

This isn't a rule for everybody, but many in our community tend to stay with one company for a majority of their purchases. I'm no different. I freely admit that I am Marvel fan. I do tend to dip out into other books and companies, but I would say a full two-thirds of all of my purchases come from the House of Ideas. Just this past weekend at HeroCon, I heard a young man exclaim as he was rifling through the 50% off TPB boxes, "Man, all of this shit is Marvel! Why would anybody read this stuff?"

Well, let's see...

Marvel
I love Marvel. I think Marvel tends to do a great job of mixing the fantastic with reality. I think in terms of character development in the superhero realm, Marvel does a better job than anybody out there. For super-heroics, Marvel offers a wide variety of titles, both solo and team books. Marvel doesn't seem to be afraid to take risks with their properties. Just look at Brand New Day and the Death of Captain America arcs if you don't buy this argument. For better or for worse, Marvel likes risks. I don't think they are as risky as they were back about eight years ago or so, but that was more of a function of survival than anything. Plus, they have a quasi-impressive line of labels now. Max, Ultimate, and Icon have solid potential. I believe the Ultimate line may be the only one that has at least lived up to its potential, but if rumors are true about this line, it could be going the way of Valiant pretty soon.


DC
Ah, the "old" guard. If someone wants superhero titles, DC is where it is at. Marvel has them too, but DC seems to be focused so much on the superhero that they seem to lose the characterization Marvel tends to focus on. That could be my own bias of DC coming in, but I don't think that focusing on superheroes is a bad thing. I think DC appeals to those fans who want heavy continuity and stability. I don't see them as risk takers, but more as stability-setters. They really have bought into the event trend, which is great for their readers because they tend to demand a more cohesive, connected universe of titles. Their Vertigo line is also one of the best lines out there for mature readers. It mixes fantasy, crime, science fiction, and mystery so well. Unlike the Ultimate line, Vertigo has far exceeded its potential. Vertigo acts almost like an indie label being hawked off by a major company. I really enjoy many titles from this line. Except for Jack of Fables.

Dark Horse
DH is an interesting company right now. They have tons of opportunities going for them. They have a good mix of licensed properties and original titles. On the licensed properties front, they have some big licenses with Star Wars, Conan, Indiana Jones, Buffy, Aliens, and Predator to name just a few. I bet DC and Marvel would cream themselves to snap up those properties! These properties bring in a locked-in fanbase that tend to follow the titles out of love for the characters. This is good money for DH. Chances are that at least one of those properties interests you, my fine readers. DH also has some really good original titles. Hellboy, Fear Agents and The End League immediately come to mind. All three of these titles are exceedingly well done. DH seems to be more willing to take a dip in the original title pool lately, which seems to be working for them. Also, their collected editions

Image
Image has a lot going for it these days. They have a stable of some really excellent titles that are very diverse. To use a terrible word, Image has cornered the market on "funky" titles. That's right, funky. That's probably not the right word, but it works for the time being. They have a zombie book, outlandish and grounded superhero titles, spy books, and action/adventure titles. Image seems to do a bit of everything and they are able to filter it through their funky lens to make it unique. Fell, Casanova, The Walking Dead, and Savage Dragon are all strong books in my mind from this company. Image has tons of potential, and I think Erik Larsen is doing a fine job tapping that potential.

Those are just four of the "big" companies. Just between those four, there is enough diversity in comic books for anybody to find a title they love. But what about the other comic publishers? Great question! Next week, I'll take us on a journey through some of the indie publishers.

I'll definitely be getting back on a regular weekly schedule too. Between taking two grad classes, teaching a creative writing class, and wrapping up the school year, things have been a little hectic around here for me. But never fear! I'll be back next week with Part 2!
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Panelology – Why We Read (Part 2)

by Brandon
Here is the second installment of the series that examines the who, what, when, where, why and how of comic book collecting essentials. Last week, I literally took a cerebral look at the reason why we read comic books. This week, I look at a more grounded approach to why we fancy the funny books.

Do you know why you read comic books? You probably don’t think about it too much. You just pick up your books and enjoy them. Nothing more, nothing less. Right? But that’s why the fine people at this blog pay me the big bucks to do your thinking for you! Or is that Fox News? No matter, I hope to offer some more insight into this “why we read” question this week.

Editor's note: We pay Brandon in wookie porn.

Our individual learning styles aside, comic book collecting inspires very a fanatical fan base. I don’t want that to sound like a negative, that comic fans are militant or narrow-minded when it comes to our hobby. Something about comics books attract us to the medium. One of the most often quoted reasons is the escapism. Many say that comic books offer some form escapism for its readers. I don’t necessarily buy that reason hook, line and sinker. While I believe many do like the fantastical distraction comic books can provide from the curmudgeonly world we populate, I just don’t buy it as a viable reason for the success of the medium. If people are looking for an escape, they will find one whether they have an issue of Detective Comics sitting in front of them or not.

Here are five more reasons why I think people read comics beyond their brain:

1) Unique Format
Comic books do what they do best. Does that sound too Wolverine for you? Well, deal with it. No other medium blends the printed word and visuals quite like comic books do. Reading is a very personal activity, and when reading books, newspapers, magazines, or even this blog, a scene has to be acted out in your head. Comic books provide us with a visual that entices us to read a scene on many different levels. We have to pay attention to the attitude and cadence of the dialogue. We have to pay attention to the tone of the art work, inking, and coloring. We have to take in the context of the character interactions. Books don’t offer you information. Film and television can sometimes offer us too much information. With comics, it’s just right. Not to go back to the brain bit too much, but comic books exercise our brains! Fans like being challenged to formulate new ways of thinking about their characters. Up until recently, special effects in Hollywood just weren’t up to snuff for putting brilliant action scenes on the silver screen. Comic books were literally the only gig in town where you could see spectacular and otherworldly effects without having to break a leg fitting it into the budget. The unique format that comic books provide gives us just enough information for our brains to run wild.

2) Diversity
Despite the perception of comic books as being one large superhero sausage party, there is quite a diverse range of titles available for readers out there. It is true that our market is dominated by the superhero genre. Looking at Diamonds top 100 sellers for the month of April 2008, I counted a total of ten titles that I would consider to not be in the superhero genre. Does that mean we all read superhero comics? Well, to a degree, I think the answer is yes. Does that mean all comic books are superhero comics? Absolutely not. If you flip through a copy of Previews, you will see a wide variety of non-superhero titles from all companies, not just the indie publishers. The diversity beyond superheroes is out there, and I think people would find titles they'd like if they would just look for them. Historically speaking, this medium has serviced the superhero quite well. But just because one genre is at the forefront doesn’t mean that there is no diversity in superhero books. Heavens no! There are so many books out there to try that if you can’t find a comic book you like, you are either an unhappy person who should probably leave the medium or you just hate America, Jesus, and Coca-Cola. The challenge for comic companies is to be fresh when presenting content. Many people think comics never change. While there may be some degree of merit to that argument, comic books routinely need to change in order to keep us interested!

3) Continuity
Uh oh. The “C” word. Continuity is second only to the word “Liefeld” in generating heated debate within our community. Love it or hate it, continuity keeps us coming back time and time again to read our favorite titles. The very continuing nature of this medium speaks to its uniqueness. How many fictional TV shows can say they have been plugging along for forty or fifty years? Comic books place us, the ever inquisitive fans, in the position of always asking "what’s next?" For better or worse, we are afforded that opportunity around twelve times a year for as long as people continue to buy the comic. We like making connections to past story lines we have read because it makes our interest and understanding of the character stronger. Hey, remember that time the X-Men teamed up with the Micronauts? That was intense! Okay, so maybe it wasn’t, but we like making those connections and strengthening our bond with the title characters. Continuity allows us to do just that. Now, if only continuity would make Avengers fans love the New Avengers, the world would be a better place.

4) Amenable to Fan Feedback
Comic books have always been about the fans to a large degree. Despite what His Holiness Joe Quesada tells you, I think we fans have an unprecedented impact on the medium in this day and age. Back before Al Gore and Bill Nye the Science Guy created the Internet, letter pages brought fans closer to the creators of the books we read. Raise your hand if you have had a letter published in a book....don’t be shy. I have! Wasn’t that an amazing feeling? You bet your black-bagged Death of Superman it was! Nowadays, the Internet makes an even closer connection possible. It also has the danger of isolating fans even more. The letter pages have made a slow comeback in some books, whereas they have all but disappeared in others. Fans now have to go online to badger their favorite creators. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the impersonal and sometimes nasty nature of the Internet can turn some creators away. At this point, I think the Internet is more positive than negative in the fan feedback column, but I have my doubts on the long-term impact of fan feedback via the Internet as long as every Newsarama poster begins each thread with, “first post.”


5) Comics Inspire Loyalty
All of the things I have talked about last week and this week lead me to my one conclusion as to why we read comic books. The sense of community and worth created by reading comic books inspires us to be hopelessly loyal to the medium. I use the term hopelessly because I think comic books are an addiction similar to alcoholism or voting for Ralph Nader. The very nature of collecting inspires our devotion. As much as many of you hated the Chuck Austen years, how many of you still purchased Uncanny and then adjectiveless X-Men while he wrote the book? Damn right you did. I can remember reading all of this, well, hate speech about his run online and finding it amusing that people just didn’t drop the book. “But I have a complete run!” they would cry. I would look down upon these lesser beings from my ivory tower and laugh. But I’m no better than they are. I believe I officially now have eleven issues of Jack of Fables on my computer desk that I still haven’t read. Just dropping the book sounds like such articulate, fluent logic until you have to apply it towards your own buying habits. In my defense, I love Fables and Willingham promised that Jack of Fables would start tying more into that book. That’s why I buy it even though I loathe reading it. But the loyalty goes beyond our buying patterns. We go online seeking others that feel the same way. We attend conventions where we can literally gorge ourselves on the medium with all of its excesses. We buy secondary merchandise like t-shirts and action figures. Face it, we’re just a loyal bunch.


Whew. Next week, I’ll return for my third article in this series. I plan on exploring the “what we read” question then. Read more!