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Post by MatthewP on Sept 8, 2014 14:55:25 GMT -5
I liked the footnotes and miss them. Generally the info being footnoted was pretty well summarized right there, so it wasn't necessary to go get and read the book. But if you were interested in the characters or events, you knew where to look for more.
I'm less fond of the modern recap pages. They seem to me to be primarily to get you up to speed on the current 5 or 6 part storyline, because so little happens in each individual issue that you can't remember the previous issue by the time the next one comes out. I definitely agree with Trebor's dislike for comic books becoming more cinematic in style. I often wonder if the creators just like that style, or if they're trying to audition for the movie business. Comic books have their own story telling style(s), I don't see why they should try to imitate movies' styles. Like Trebor said, if I want a movie, I'll watch a movie.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 8, 2014 21:52:44 GMT -5
It's only now occurring to me that the back issue market first really got started only a short while after those editor's notes did. I wonder if they had a hand in encouraging readers to seek out older issues. They sure did for me... I loved them.. and would often go buy the comics they referred to if they were really expensive... turned me on to lots of stuff I'd never had read otherwise. |
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Pat T
Full Member
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Post by Pat T on Sept 9, 2014 4:06:26 GMT -5
I thought the Editor's notes were great. When I came back into the hobby in 2010 after 25 years, I ordered lots of my back issues
based on notes in the back issues I was reading at the time. If something was referenced that I was curious about, I jotted it down and
ordered with my next mycomicshop.com purchase. A few books still use them. Amazing Spider-Man does, and Mighty Avengers too.
I think it all depends on the writer's reverence of the history of what they're working on. Some of them do care about that stuff and
don't take themselves too seriously.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 4:11:35 GMT -5
I liked the footnotes and miss them. Generally the info being footnoted was pretty well summarized right there, so it wasn't necessary to go get and read the book. But if you were interested in the characters or events, you knew where to look for more. I'm less fond of the modern recap pages. They seem to me to be primarily to get you up to speed on the current 5 or 6 part storyline, because so little happens in each individual issue that you can't remember the previous issue by the time the next one comes out. I definitely agree with Trebor's dislike for comic books becoming more cinematic in style. I often wonder if the creators just like that style, or if they're trying to audition for the movie business. Comic books have their own story telling style(s), I don't see why they should try to imitate movies' styles. Like Trebor said, if I want a movie, I'll watch a movie. In mainstream comics I doubt the creators have nearly enough freedom to make that sort of decision on their own. They're told to do six issue arcs by sales executives who were told to do so by a focus group made up of investors and shareholders and more executives. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,864
Member is Online
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Post by shaxper on Sept 9, 2014 4:52:59 GMT -5
I liked the footnotes and miss them. Generally the info being footnoted was pretty well summarized right there, so it wasn't necessary to go get and read the book. But if you were interested in the characters or events, you knew where to look for more. I'm less fond of the modern recap pages. They seem to me to be primarily to get you up to speed on the current 5 or 6 part storyline, because so little happens in each individual issue that you can't remember the previous issue by the time the next one comes out. I definitely agree with Trebor's dislike for comic books becoming more cinematic in style. I often wonder if the creators just like that style, or if they're trying to audition for the movie business. Comic books have their own story telling style(s), I don't see why they should try to imitate movies' styles. Like Trebor said, if I want a movie, I'll watch a movie. In mainstream comics I doubt the creators have nearly enough freedom to make that sort of decision on their own. They're told to do six issue arcs by sales executives who were told to do so by a focus group made up of investors and shareholders and more executives. I think it comes down, even more, to the lack of power the average editor has today. Sometimes, I'm honestly not sure what comic book editors do anymore. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 5:05:16 GMT -5
From what I've read they actually do reject pages for inane things without compensating the artist for their time. I forgot specifics, but it was incredibly stupid. I don't know how often it happens, probably depends entirely on how quickly the new talent learns the ropes. I bet there's not much for an editor to do on a book with a veteran team, but I bet a new member of the roster learns the hard way things aren't as he had imagined they'd be.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 9, 2014 7:39:47 GMT -5
From what I've read from various creator interviews, comic book editors and creators don't have near as much freedom as they used to since the executives are basically calling the shots. I doubt many creators or editors like events, for instance. This is sorta puzzling since comics don't sell like they used to and aren't as ubiquitous as they used to be. The only reason I can see for the corporate hands-on approach is that they view comics as an R&D department. (This has certainly played out with stuff like Winter Soldier)
Damn. Are we suckers. They're making us pay for the storyboard's now!
On the subject of editor's notes, I always got a kick out of the smart-ass "*If you missed the last issue, well, I don't have enough room to recap it here!" asides.
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Post by MDG on Sept 9, 2014 9:04:55 GMT -5
I usually like them, though I came across this one recently that's a little unnerving.  |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 9, 2014 9:19:43 GMT -5
I just finished covering that story for my article, Marty! Pee-YEW!!!
Cei-U!
I summon the embarrasing exercise in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"-level racism from Frank Robbins!
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Post by fanboystranger on Sept 9, 2014 11:33:15 GMT -5
I always loved Editor's footnotes. I thought they were a handy tool for referring to a character's past and a book's history.
I suspect they've gone away because so many books these days just recycle old stories rather than use those stories to build new ones.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 15:45:23 GMT -5
Dear God that footnote.
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Post by The Cheat on Sept 9, 2014 16:55:37 GMT -5
Used to love them, didn't find them obtrusive or annoying at all. The current trend for 'hilariously-meta' character intro captions, as well as plastering huge Marvel AR logos everywhere annoys me no end though  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 17:03:09 GMT -5
Those AR logos are awful, especially since I've never gotten one to work.
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Post by SJNeal on Sept 9, 2014 22:13:21 GMT -5
I loved them. My comic collection would be a lot smaller if not for those notes prodding me to go out and spend more money...
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Post by dupersuper on Sept 10, 2014 20:25:39 GMT -5
They were great for back-issue hunting.
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