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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2020 6:44:03 GMT -5
I don’t exclude myself from this, but it does seem that fans (not just of comics) talk about wanting change and embracing it - but when it is given to us, we don’t want it. Or we want things as they are.
You can break down in many ways. I’ve seen wrestling fans talking about wanting change, but then they talk about how a certain era was better - or how they wish so-and-so was still wrestling and appearing. Yet some of the time, those same fans, when a face from the past returns, will say things like, “Why are we revisiting the past? Why not give opportunities to up-and-coming talent?”
And I guess it can happen with comics, too. We can be our own worst enemies. I am trying to embrace change a little more as time goes on.
I mean, returning to my original example, we’d had 130 episodes of the original MOTU cartoon. Did we want more of the same? Looking back, I really appreciate THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HE-MAN. Sending He-Man and Skeletor into the far future, and on a different planet, opened up exciting new possibilities. New characters! New concepts! I wish I’d been more accepting at the time, but better late than never.
Same with movies. Some might have wanted change within the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series, but when one particular film offered the prospect of a new direction going forward, fans didn’t seem to respond well. So we were back to the same old butchering in Crystal Lake - and some of those fans would then complain about how the series was retreading old ground. Do we want change or not?
I do love Peter David’s run on THE INCREDIBLE HULK. I didn’t read all of it, but he never told the same story twice. I loved the new directions he often went in. And years later, I loved things like “Planet Hulk” and “World War Hulk”. And despite Al Ewing’s silly use of a block-app on Twitter (which indiscriminately blocks certain users who Ewing’s followers may have blocked), I think IMMORTAL HULK is another great direction for the character.
I even wonder about Judge Dredd at times. In the current 2000 AD, we’re 7 chapters into a 15-issue arc where the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have arrived on Earth. It’s great. Very well-written and very well-drawn. But we have been here a lot of times before, what with Judge Death and the threats from the Soviet Union. Dredd has no personality so can’t really develop as a character, but I do often wonder what kind of bold, new direction he could have.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 19, 2020 8:09:02 GMT -5
Mixed feelings: liked Kyle Rayner and a new direction for Green Lantern. Hated the way Hal Jordan was treated. The problem with Kyle is that his run took a good long while to get going. I honestly can't say that I blame DC for cancelling the reprint collections
As for Hal, I love Hal but to me he just read as an avatar for the reader. He never really had much of a personality other than being a hot-shot pilot
I Like the Kyle Raynor series but what I didn't like was that they continued to have Hal appear in one form or another. I felt that it undermined the new character. I also understand why they did it. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 19, 2020 8:11:39 GMT -5
Sideways and with Tattooz. I thought maybe Cerebus had done it before then and for several issues? Or perhaps it was around the same time.  It only worked for me with daily comic strip collections and with the spine at the short end. But isn't drawing a sideways issue just a scam for only having to draw half the pages and get the full money ?  |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 19, 2020 14:58:32 GMT -5
Most fans want the illusion of change not actual change.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2020 15:03:22 GMT -5
Most fans want the illusion of change not actual change. That could be true, it’s certainly been something I’ve come across. But not all, of course. I would never have embraced Peter David’s Hulk had I simply wanted the illusion of change. Nowadays, I think proper change is good. I don’t think anything should go to far - I don’t want to see Spider-Man wearing green armour and travelling the solar system in a rocket - but at the same time, I want to see some change. I did enjoy Dan Slott’s writing of Parker as CEO of Parker Industries. Lots of great stories there. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Jul 19, 2020 16:17:53 GMT -5
Most fans want the illusion of change not actual change. That could be true, it’s certainly been something I’ve come across. But not all, of course. I would never have embraced Peter David’s Hulk had I simply wanted the illusion of change. Nowadays, I think proper change is good. I don’t think anything should go to far - I don’t want to see Spider-Man wearing green armour and travelling the solar system in a rocket - but at the same time, I want to see some change. I did enjoy Dan Slott’s writing of Parker as CEO of Parker Industries. Lots of great stories there. I kind of liked the story told in Superior Iron Man. Never cared for the character before, but something about Tony becoming a villain brought on by his nanite suit appealed to me |
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Post by berkley on Jul 19, 2020 22:55:23 GMT -5
If it works, I'm all for it; if it sucks, I'm agin' it The "Kryptonite No More," story was a bold new direction for Superman and I quite liked those issues; but, DC pulled back to mostly the status quo, relatively quickly. Parallax was a bold new direction that everyone crapped on; so, DC undid it. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's parentage has changed so often they should get discounted pricing at the testing lab for their paternity tests. Not too many liked Aquaman getting a harpoon hand, but everyone seemed fine with the Perez Wonder Woman. Yeah, that's about it - and naturally everyone will have different feelings about which one s work and woich ones don't. In my experience, if I find something is really good, I won't spend much time if any at all talking or thinking about what a bold new direction it is, I just enjoy it. Moore's Swanp Thing, for example. But if I don't think it,s much good, then yeah, I tend to ask what was the point of changing it in the first place if your bold new direction is worse than the original. Again, obviously lots of people will disagree about which ones were failures and which ones were successes.. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Jul 20, 2020 11:05:43 GMT -5
I don't know if this is a bold new direction or not, but Micronauts was just a good ol' straight up action/sci-fi-superhero comic with the Micronauts trying to overthrow the evil Baron Karza, who had taken over the Microverse. It was basically just the Micronauts vs. Baron Karza and his cronies. However, the Micronauts eventually triumphed (natch) and the series ended, and was re-launched with a new #1. The new series was much less action-oriented, and more cerebral and, perhaps, thought provoking. It was rather different than the first series, though with the same main characters, and I rather enjoyed it for what it was.
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Post by String on Jul 20, 2020 11:24:13 GMT -5
Sideways and with Tattooz. I thought maybe Cerebus had done it before then and for several issues? Or perhaps it was around the same time. It only worked for me with daily comic strip collections and with the spine at the short end. Yeah, this is the only drawback to reading my High Society trade when I have to turn the phonebook-sized tome on it's side to read these several issues! Cumber-some  |
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Post by String on Jul 20, 2020 11:37:03 GMT -5
 Was this good or even necessary? Eh, it was different (and yes, still have majority of this run)  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 20, 2020 11:52:37 GMT -5
Having Aquaman lose his hand to piranhas was a different direction. It even lasted until they rebooted the DC universe once again.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2020 12:23:16 GMT -5
Oh, and this never really happened, but again... so wrong! Cute, but absolutely very very wrong!   From personal experience with the Batgirl equivalent, you can try telling a 5 year old to pick the more comics accurate version, but it seldom works. |
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Post by brutalis on Jul 20, 2020 12:25:01 GMT -5
Here's a few game changers.
Taking Captain Marvel from Kree warrior to Cosmic Protector under Eon's guidance with Cosmic Awareness and changing his hair from silver to blonde in the doing.
Taking HIM from genetic future man to Earth 2 Messiah Adam Warlock and then into insane in the membrane fighter against Cosmic Messiah's.
Galactus going from World devourer to the Bringer of Life.
Changing Beast in name and human form into furry Beast form.
Atom stuck in miniature size turning from scientist to sword wielding barbarian.
Firestorm and Swamp Thing becoming part of
Earth's Elemental forces.
Dick Grayson growing up from sidekick Robin into Teen Titan leader Nightwing.
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Post by MDG on Jul 20, 2020 12:28:23 GMT -5
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Post by dbutler69 on Jul 20, 2020 13:42:45 GMT -5
It just did not make sense. The greatest Green Lantern lost his mind and became a villain destroying the Green Lantern Corps? If he had died saving the world in Final Night and just that I would have been totally OK with Kyle replacing Hal. I don't mind Kyle, except that I hate that be basically became a Lantern through dumb luck. One thing I love about the Green Lanterns is that this ring is supposed to go out and find the most worthy (fearless and honest) person to wear the ring, a bit like the Sword in the Stone. I thought that was a really cool (and important) part of the mythos and they just threw it out the window. |
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