Do you remember when comics didn't stink?

[Eternal Padawan]

Bigbarada, did you ever read Quasar? The guy writing that took it upon himself to wrap up tons of alternate universe stories in the Marvel Universe. He wrapped up the Squadron Supreme and brought them to our Earth. He made it known the what happened to Barry Allen (Buried Alien) after Crisis, and he went to the New Universe and brought back the StarBrand and accidentally gave it to his girlfriend in the Marvel universe. It was a pretty fun comic that didn't get a lot of attention.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

John Byrne's done a great job with several titles. Alpha Flight was his baby from X-Men #120 to their own series. It plain old sucked when he left the series. His X-Mens (sp?) were some of the best all time. The "new" Superman series was pretty good. His Avengers West Coast (except for the goofy name) was cool.

My favorite storylines:
Transformers "Bridge to Cybertron" (intro'd Blaster and others)
SW "The Wheel"
"New" Capt. America/U.S. Agent
Scourge villian killer
Mutant Massacre
Spiderman/Kraven
Dark Knight Returns
Legends
Secret Wars I

Worst:
Millenium
Secret Wars II
Attantis Attacks (or whatever)
High Evolutionary

Ugh! I want to forget now!

[Wooooof]

The Spider-Man/Kraven story was called Fearful Symmetry. It was one of my favorite Spider-Man stories. JM DeMatties' story combined with Mike Zeck's amazing art made this series an instant classic.

Does anyone remember the super-creepy story that ran through Web of Spider-Man written by Ann Nocenti? It was published in the late 80s and featured some truly scary cover art.

As for X-Men, my favorite artist for them has always been Alan Davis. I was super-stoked that he returned for a while, but I guess his style isn't as hip these days. Shame.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Originally posted by Wooooof
Does anyone remember the super-creepy story that ran through Web of Spider-Man written by Ann Nocenti? It was published in the late 80s and featured some truly scary cover art.

I belive that was the one where he was trapped in the insane asylum. It crossed over in WOSM #33, ASM #294, and SSM #134 (at least I think those were the issues).

[bigbarada]

Originally posted by Eternal Padawan
Bigbarada, did you ever read Quasar? The guy writing that took it upon himself to wrap up tons of alternate universe stories in the Marvel Universe. He wrapped up the Squadron Supreme and brought them to our Earth. He made it known the what happened to Barry Allen (Buried Alien) after Crisis, and he went to the New Universe and brought back the StarBrand and accidentally gave it to his girlfriend in the Marvel universe. It was a pretty fun comic that didn't get a lot of attention.

Actually, I have heard of Quasar but never really knew what it was about. Sounds really interesting, EP, I might have to check it out. Thanks!

BTW, that Ann Nocenti story was called "What's the Matter with Mommy?" and it was truly creepy.

[Wolfwood319]

I just found this thread and thought I'd bring it back to the light.

For a more recent criticism of the comic medium today, I have you look no further than Joe Quesada, the new EIC at Marvel. When I first heard he was taking over, I thought it was great. Then he started making changes, some good, some bad.

It seems as if he alone is trying to steer comics back to what they once were, while at the same time trying to make all of his industry friends and Kevin Smith-esque fanboys happy.

Like the new X-Force, although a good read, is basically Madman within the X-Universe. It has nothing to do with X-Force.

The "Ultimate" line. While I applaud them for trying something different, the effort would have been better suited if they actually tried to streamline the original titles the new "ultimate" titles are based off of. They haven't really drawn new readers to the industry, and I'd rather read about the Spider-man that I've known for the last 40 years, than some Elseworlds-esque bastardization of a classic character in modern times. (Don't get me started on Mark Millar, btw)

Not to mention the overall poor condition of the Industry. I can't remember when the last time a book actually shipped on schedule for more than 1 month in a row.

It has gotten better in the last 2 years, but not by much.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Rereading the initial posts in this thread about "all art/no storyline" I find it kind of ironic because Post Image books from Marvel and DC that I ocassionally pick up and browse through seem to have really cartoony artwork that looks really sub standard to the stuff I remember reading in the 80's.

Does anybody else feel that way?

[bigbarada]

I've noticed the same thing about the artwork in today's comics. However, I believe it is just the current fad. It should pass in a few years and hopefully we will see a revival of the late-70s early 80s style of comic art.

I think the biggest pitfall comics have fallen into today has been the failure to gain and hold on to new readers. They have only managed to maintain the interest of the ever diminishing comic collectors.

I think Joe Quesada has some good ideas; but he needs to let go of the past. What we really need is new blood. Where are the X-men and Spider-men of the new millenium? In other words, where are the new, completely original properties that will reshape and redefine the medium as those titles did in the 1960s?

Unfortunately, I believe that until that question is answered, comics will continue to languish in obscurity and mediocrity.

[JediCole]

The question of finding new readership has been one that has plagued comics for almost 20 years now. The big question in the last few years was, "will comics survive in the computerized world?" There was speculation that online comics or interactive computer comics were the answer or wave of the future. I am quite pleased to see that the nay-saying has passed and that comics are again trying to find their place in this modern world.

Part of the inherent problem is that of price. It is difficult to attract new (child) customers when comics display such a staggaring price tag. Sure, when I was a kid, comics were not "cheap" (at 30-35 cents each), but you could still buy a couple at the 7-11 with pocket change. Paper is the real stumbling block for comics. No paper, now matter how poor, is genuinly "cheap" any more. The old newsprint has given way to more substantial papers, but the bottom line is, the difference in price between making the comics with poor quality newsprint or higher quality standard paper used today is mere pennies per book, probably less than 5 cents at the retail level! So naturally the paper is better. The lack of color could bring costs down, but then it would also bring sales down. So there we are, stuck with books at a minimum of $1.00 each (probably higher, I don't know what the average is these days). So no matter how dynamic the character or how well they speak to the current or next generation of readers, comics have lost their price edge in this new economy.

But despite this, they seem to be thriving. Marvel has made some nice leaps and bounds (as I understand from a friend who still collects) and for the most part, many titles have found that rare marriage between good story and good art. Star Wars toys primarily, and some other toys like The Simpsons, have become my greatest consumers of disposable income these days, so a comic must come highly recommended for me to bother. Another concern for many adult collectors is the "instant trade paperback". That same comic collecting friend stopped buying the Batman titles because each new story arc was collected into trades almost immediatly after it ended. And the TP was cheaper than the component issues purchased as they were released! Like Hasbro finally waking up to the adult toy collector market, the comic companies need to put their ears to the ground and determine who is doing the buying and why, and make decisions that will ensure that comics enjoy another 100 years.

[bigbarada]

Here's a question for you then, JediCole. What do you think it would take for comics to be brought back into the spotlight? Or how could aspiring comic artists or writers bring about a new golden age of comics?

I'm thinking the main thing we need is new blood. Not just with writers and artists, but completely new characters, storylines and situations. The super-hero genre has been all but completely drained of originality, so what could be next?

I'm hoping we might see a resurgance of fantasy based comics. That's at least what I hope to create if I ever get a chance to make my own comic.