The men who destroyed super hero comics...

[Liu Bei]

I've heard from many comic shop owners that back issue sales outperform new comic sales.

It’s not just comics. There’s a reason Netflix pays more for the rights to Friends and Seinfeld than they do to produce any original series.

The entertainment industry isn’t just bankrupt morally, they’re also bankrupt creatively. And I think it will be a miracle if it ever recovers. American comics are being beat to death by manga, and I think you’ll see Hollywood cede more and more ground to foreign films and TV series as time goes by. The only hope for Western entertainment is that more and more independent studios like Angel studios rise up and begin to produce entertainment outside the mainstream producers, and that foreign rights holders like Nintendo continue to maintain strict control over their properties when they allow American studios to bring their IPs to the big screen.

[hizzy]

Aside from the content of books, I don't really like the new esthetic. I'm not a fan of the CGI style art and coloring. I don't need card stock or quality paper. I liked simple, hand-drawn books. A 5 dollar book in a fancy package doesn't ring my bell. Too expensive, too edgy, and looking like a photoshopped product. It's sad.

[TrekStar]

Nothing will ever replace the comic book style art pre 1990, that’s what I grew up reading starting from when they were 25 cents, JMO

My oldest comic is Marvel Team-Up Spider-Man and Black Panther 1968 20 cents, and it’s still in near mint condition.

[danadoll]

Comic books have always reflected social issues of their day, it’s pretty sad to see some comic readers not mature or open-minded enough to be able to read a comic without being offended by the modern social issues being discussed in them. I thought this comment thread has been mostly a lot of whining and griping by sad aging comic fans (I just turned 56 on May 1st, so I’m not young), who are frankly too backward, too bigoted and too old for modern comics. Stan Lee would be ashamed of you.

If you don’t like the content, just stop reading them (and stop complaining about it, it gets you nowhere). The best the thing to come out of this comment thread is that I was able to add to some awful people to my ignore list. If I could block all the hate and nastiness in the real world as easily, I would, believe me.

Have a good day.

Best,

Dana

[danadoll]

I agree with you, B-Lister, wholeheartedly.

Thank you.

Best,

Dana

[danadoll]

Thank you, Brian/Palitoy.

Best,

Dana

[B-Lister]

I agree with you, B-Lister, wholeheartedly.

Thank you.

Best,

Dana

Thanks. I agree with you as well.

If you don't like comics with diversity, Maybe the genre was never for you in the first place. Comics have ALWAYS been diverse, and they've ALWAYS been political. Captain America socked Hitler on the cover of his very first issue.

I hope nobody here is offended by that fact, if they are, we've got way bigger problems than Kamala Khan, Miles Morales, and Wiccan and Hulkling existing.

[PNGwynne]

Dana,

While I sympathize, I don't block. I want to know exactly who the haters are, because they're coming after us faster than ever both in our faces and behind our backs. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."

[Werewolf]

Diversity is good. It's also what the modern younger audience wants. It's their lived reality.

The grim dark and over the top violence is what I find wrong with modern comics. In my opinion Adam West and Olan Soule did far more for Batman than Miller and Moore.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I do think sometimes characters can be changed to match readers' current tastes without really looking into their history. For that reason, I have no problem at all with a new character like Jon Kent (Superboy/Superman) being established as bisexual, but it doesn't seem to fit the historical portrayal of Tim Drake (Robin), for me anyway. BUT, I can't argue that the representation is needed, and I wouldn't take away from any fans who can relate to his Robin now more than they could before. We aren't the target audience for most comics anymore. And I agree, comics have helped me over the years to develop empathy and grow to understand characters and people they represent who are different from me, in one way or another. For my kids, they never thought twice about John Stewart being Green Lantern on Justice League/JLU, or even the fact that he was black, and not white. We're supposed to grow, and our kids and the next generations are supposed to be even better than us at acceptance, as old bigotries and hatred are left further and further behind. Unfortuantely, there are a great many people who want to keep holding onto those outdated ideas.

As far as the feel of classic comics, Mark Waid is doing wonderful things at DC again. His World's Finest series with Dan Mora is my favorite comic at the moment, and their new Shazam series is off to a great start.

[PNGwynne]

Thank you for mentioning Shazam! I liked Waid's Daredevil and will check it out.

[hizzy]

Comics have always been topical - Speedy and drug addiction, race relations, social issues. I'm not so crazy about the pacing of modern books. I like more action going on. I also don't like how dark some books can get; like Mark Millar can be too much for me. I also like the Neal Adams/Jim Aparo/John Bucema/Jim Starlin style of art. New books have too much CGI. Lol!

That being said, I like the art of Francesco Francavilla, Chris Samnee, Chris Mooneyham, Cameron Stewart.

[B-Lister]

but it doesn't seem to fit the historical portrayal of Tim Drake (Robin), for me anyway. BUT, I can't argue that the representation is needed, and I wouldn't take away from any fans who can relate to his Robin now more than they could before.

The seeds for this were planted clear back in Infinite Crisis. The way he reacted to the death of Kon is far beyond missing a friend.

[Earth 2 Chris]

The seeds for this were planted clear back in Infinite Crisis. The way he reacted to the death of Kon is far beyond missing a friend.

A lot of people point to that, but I never read it that way at the time. I can see it being interpreted that way though. Again, I'm not losing sleep over it, I don't think it's wrong, and it doesn't make me dislike Tim or anything silly like that. I just don't think it's really a natural evolution for THAT character, personally. To me Tim's characterization was set in stone by Chuck Dixon's long and great run, and that's my go-to for Tim's characterization. Now I know, given his politics, Dixon would have probably never gone in that direction with Tim, but that aside, I never intepreted the character that way. But others dig it, and it means a lot to them, so who am I to say differently.

[TrekStar]

Thank you for mentioning Shazam! I liked Waid's Daredevil and will check it out.

I would also be interested in checking the new Shazam series, even though I’m more of an old school comic guy, Shazam has always been a favorite of mine.