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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 4, 2015 20:50:16 GMT -5
Or at least stop being the dominant sales force in American corporate comics, at least?
It's been, like, 45 years now.
This is weird.
Psychadelic rock bands and Motown girl groups are no longer the major forces in pop music.
Westerns and historical dramas are no longer the big box office moneymakers in film.
So why have superheroes stuck around so long in comics? The way stories are told in comics have evolved and changed to be damn near unrecognizable to fans from the '60s. So why haven't genres come in and out of vogue like they do in every other pop culture media?
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Jun 4, 2015 21:02:24 GMT -5
I think the difference is that the medium is in decline. People with exciting new ideas are taking them to film and television (which are more lucrative), and the internet (which is more accessible). Comics as a medium only make sense to people who grew up on and already love comics -- thus people who are generally interested in preserving the status quo.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2015 21:57:12 GMT -5
Or at least stop being the dominant sales force in American corporate comics, at least? Why? What genre should be better? |
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 4, 2015 21:58:43 GMT -5
Westerns and historical dramas are no longer the big box office moneymakers in film. Replaced by super heroes! I wonder how many film forums I could go to that have this exact same thread title.  (maybe tv too) |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2015 22:10:41 GMT -5
I don't think so, because there is a boom of Superheroes on Television today and having said that I just can't see them going away anytime soon. Movies doing quite well on the Marvel side of the house, while DC Comics and the rest of the clan isn't doing so well either. Once DC Comics starts doing well in the Movie Department and Warners Bros gets unglued and all; and with Marvel doing so quite well too - I just can't see any Superheroes going away anytime soon.
My answer is simple - No.
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 4, 2015 22:20:51 GMT -5
I think the difference is that the medium is in decline. People with exciting new ideas are taking them to film and television (which are more lucrative), and the internet (which is more accessible). Comics as a medium only make sense to people who grew up on and already love comics -- thus people who are generally interested in preserving the status quo. Well, that's depressing. Probably true, but depressing. (Although there are a lot of cool people doing cool stuff in comics right now!) So probably superheroes will go away when/if comics re-establish themselves as a major force in pop culture - The very best selling comic books were produced in the '50s when interest in superheroes was lowest*, and the market has, with a couple blips, been trending down in terms of readers since then. I'd really like to live through a silver age style creative renaissance, and I maintain there's probably about even odds in my lifetime. * And I'd suspect the total number of readers was greatest, just because of the number of romance comics. I can't find proof of this, though. Pirates! Or I'd like to see the current Marvel/DC continuity model applied to sci-fi tinged westerns, except less haphazardly executed and with more emphasis on maps. But at this point I'm game for anything. Having your creative talent do the same thing they've done for the last fifty years is probably the worst way to encourage worthwhile storytelling. |
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Post by fanboystranger on Jun 4, 2015 22:29:01 GMT -5
I think the difference is that the medium is in decline. People with exciting new ideas are taking them to film and television (which are more lucrative), and the internet (which is more accessible). Comics as a medium only make sense to people who grew up on and already love comics -- thus people who are generally interested in preserving the status quo. That's really only the case in N America, though. Comics thrive in Europe and Asia. It's only Anglophonic comics that really seem to be suffering. It's really a strange situation when you look at the global sales of comics of all genres. |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jun 4, 2015 22:51:43 GMT -5
I think the difference is that the medium is in decline. People with exciting new ideas are taking them to film and television (which are more lucrative), and the internet (which is more accessible). Comics as a medium only make sense to people who grew up on and already love comics -- thus people who are generally interested in preserving the status quo. That's really only the case in N America, though. Comics thrive in Europe and Asia. It's only Anglophonic comics that really seem to be suffering. It's really a strange situation when you look at the global sales of comics of all genres. So the smart thing for me to do is learn French or Japanese! |
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Post by Action Ace on Jun 4, 2015 22:54:30 GMT -5
That's really only the case in N America, though. Comics thrive in Europe and Asia. It's only Anglophonic comics that really seem to be suffering. It's really a strange situation when you look at the global sales of comics of all genres. So the smart thing for me to do is learn French or Japanese! There's this new thing called manga... |
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Post by Pharozonk on Jun 4, 2015 22:59:44 GMT -5
Or at least stop being the dominant sales force in American corporate comics, at least? Why? What genre should be better? Science fiction? Fantasy? Horror? Westerns? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2015 23:14:36 GMT -5
They're not going away in our lifetimes. And when they do it will most likely just be a slight change shifting them into a similar action genre, like the shift from costumed pulp heroes to costumed super heroes. And the costumed pulp heroes haven't even gone away, but they seem to be a niche market and tend to be set in period appropriate settings. It's possible in eighty years super heroes will only be set in late 20th century settings, while whatever popular new action genre has the variety of settings super heroes currently have.
As far as the dominant sales force, as long as the direct market is around, they're safe. But if the direct market continues to shrink, they may have to make some major changes to the system they have going in order to stay on top.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2015 23:16:05 GMT -5
Or at least stop being the dominant sales force in American corporate comics, at least? Why? What genre should be better? None in particular, but it would be nice to see a greater variety in the mainstream. Maybe more equal representation among multiple popular genres. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jun 4, 2015 23:44:52 GMT -5
I think there are three main reason for the popularity of superheroes.
1. They were an experience like nothing in books, in movies, TV, etc. It was a genre that could only be experienced, in any true sense, in the pages of a comics book. You start with the early serials, the early attempts on TV in the 50's, 60's and 70's, but they were all dim shadows of the grandeur that could be achieved in the comics. Only with the advent of CGI have they come to rival the comics in scope.
2. The superhero genre is a very unique amalgam of several popular genres: primarily crime, science fiction and fantasy. You got a lot of bang for your buck, and a wide range of experiences as a reader, if you read a wide selection of titles. On one hand you had quasi-crime comics in Daredevil, Batman, Punisher and even Spider-Man. With the Avengers, JLA and FF you had world spanning, even galaxy spanning, adventures that could be space opera in scope. Thor gives you a taste of epic fantasy, Superman can be straight up modern Sci-Fi and even romance, etc. We've seen police procedural's, sitcoms, horror, you name it, dressed up as superhero comics time and time again. You can't do this in most other genres, even in fantasy and science fiction.
3. I think one of the primal aspects of superheroes that inspired readers, at least originally, was the concept that the best, the brightest and the most powerful among us are truly altruistic. Superman is basically an example of absolute power not corrupting absolutely. That's really what makes that characters so inspiring. We know how 99.9% of people act when given enormous amounts of power and influence, so the idea that a godlike alien, or billionaire playboy, would be selfless almost to a fault is a concept that appeals to most people. Most seem to be hung up on the superficial aspects, the powers and the "cool factor" nowadays without giving this much thought.
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Post by Randle-El on Jun 5, 2015 0:12:45 GMT -5
I don't think so. Superhero fiction as a genre is gaining greater mainstream exposure and appeal, thanks to TV, film, and video games. Considering that comics essentially birthed the genre, I see no reason for it to retreat in popularity within its home territory when it's doing so well outside of it.
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 5, 2015 0:30:09 GMT -5
Or at least stop being the dominant sales force in American corporate comics, at least? It's been, like, 45 years now. This is weird. Psychadelic rock bands and Motown girl groups are no longer the major forces in pop music. Westerns and historical dramas are no longer the big box office moneymakers in film. So why have superheroes stuck around so long in comics? The way stories are told in comics have evolved and changed to be damn near unrecognizable to fans from the '60s. So why haven't genres come in and out of vogue like they do in every other pop culture media? The winds of change seem against superheroes in comics to me. Marvel and DC are slowly slipping in their solid lead of the market. And other companies and genres are doing at least as well in the "newer" markets. Comixology, amazon, bookstores, webcomics... Those things, not comic shops, seem to be the future. And superheroes don't seem to be winning those markets. The vogue for superheroes in movies and TV will fade and fade fast. It's becoming oversaturated. People who grew up going to comic stores will die and comic stores with them. Tomorrow's generation will like whatever genre of movies they like, get all their comics from the internet, and... well... I'd bet those comics by and large will not be superhero comics. |
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(maybe tv too)
