Every week Comic Culture hosts Chris Owen and Walter Durajlija talk the comic book talk.
So kick back, relax and enjoy this week’s Comic Culture.
Oh, and please make sure you go out and support your local comic book shop.
Comic Culture is written by Walter Durajlija and engineered by Chris Owen.
Enjoy Comic Culture’s March 6, 2019 Edition:
Interesting discussion… People claim to dislike variants but they must work to sell more books otherwise, why would the publishers keep producing them? Comic collecting is fast becoming an “art” collecting sport. In addition to CGC and virgin covers, I personally feel that the interior work is often inferior but then, is supported by a dynamic cover. Stanely Lau is probably the most consistent but kids like Derrick Chew, In Hyuk Lee, Jee Hyung Lee and others are being tapped for their manga based “Artgerm/Mattina-like” digital style.
I will also add that I’ve noticed covers that have a “sexuality” to them seem to do better. Not always, but in many cases. Both Chew’s and Parrillo’s Red Sonja covers are a prime example of this, as well as the success of both Campbell and Hughes. Even the Jughead cover featuring Sabrina is somewhat “titillating” in the way her short skirt rises up slightly from the breeze. And it often takes a movie or a TV show to shine a light on these kinds of covers. I can understand if you disagree since a lot of this is subtle and nuanced, and we get into the area of semiotics but in general, sex does sell and it may be a good gauge when mining new boosk. I think Putri and Middleton may be the exception… but the attractiveness of Batgirl in #23 may help to explain the success of this particular cover but not other Middleton covers. And yes, I am conscious of overtly sexual covers that helped to save comics post 90’s… but I’m not sure if there’s any correlation to be made, other than that certain influences may cycle itself like shiny foil covers.
I recently sold my CGC collection so I started selling newer material at the local show and I was pleasantly surprised that the new books seem to sell better… at least for me at this particular show. There are reasons for this, of course… but I do find it interesting.
Jolly good, lads.
The other interesting thing is…, in all the Captain Marvel discourse, the butt hurt conservative white males don’t seem to see the MASSIVE IRONY of feeling marginalize… which ultimately is the point! But I guess being self aware is not their strong suit.
Also, Marvel happens to be in the enviable position of being the top dog where movies are concerned. People in advertising, marketing and anthropology understand that it’s human nature to root for the underdog. After ousting Adidas, Nike was well aware of this back in the 80’s, and hired a PR team to help navigate this situation. People have a way of building you up, only to knock you back down. So outside of this current movie, Marvel would have had to face this dilemma soon or later.
However, much of the vitriol appears to be directed at Brie Larson. Perhaps she’s the new Anne Hathaway or Gwyneth Paltrow… but none of this means a thing to Chinese market. If the movie is somewhat good, it may be the Asian community that counters the sabotage attempt by the snowflakes calling for a boycott. Personally, I don’t know what identity politics or SJW propaganda means in practice. Are people scared that my daughters will go see Captain Marvel and suddenly feel empowered by seeing a strong female? How is this a bad thing?
Great insights on both comments Your two cents are sorely missed.
Thanks Walt. I disagree with Grace Randolph on many things, including her praise for BvS. However, she’s one of the few online commentators who refrained from passing judgement on Captain Marvel until she saw the film… And I guess I respect that she didn’t milk the controversy for more views, where so many others put out “nothing” videos about the political shroud that surrounds the film… So credit where credit is due:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmgPTaz7yho&t=1s