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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 13:36:27 GMT -5
Brad , I was kidding.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 9:48:09 GMT -5
Offered for your consideration... Just was reading Mark Evanier's blog the other day and a reader asked him if he had any insight into the quick cancellations of so many of the titles that originated during the Infantino years. Excerpted from his response: ME: "I've discussed this at length with a lot of folks who were around then, a few of whom are still around and we're still discussing it. My answer is that there were many problems but I would put "panicked employees" pretty high on the list. When a bi-monthly comic ran 5-7 issues, that generally means that they gave up on it after seeing the early sales figures on the second issue.
I also think that kids were increasingly non-captivated by bi-monthly books, which is the way DC tried launching almost everything that was new. Most of the Marvel books were monthly and interconnected so you could get a couple visits to that world every week, whereas you had to wait a long time between issues of Anthro. Kids raised on television didn't like to wait for their entertainment." PH Reaction: Evanier's mentioning the bi-monthly publishing schedule hadn't occurred to me as a reason, but it makes sense given Marvel's commitment to monthly publication. And since the sales numbers took four months to come back for two bi-monthly issues, DC could have gone monthly with at least a couple of those titles and actually saved money by cancelling them if needed before publishing seven issues. Not sure, though, that I buy the idea that kids raised on TV didn't want to wait. I always preferred monthly or the eight-issues-a-year books to bi-monthlies and I was part of that generation. We were used to waiting a week or even more, depending on the season, for the next installment of a show we liked. But, to start a new comic as a bi-monthly definitely didn't make sense then given the increase in the number of Marvel monthly titles. A new bi-monthly risks dying on the vine. It's why it was smart for DC to turn Showcase from a bi-monthly into a title published eight times a year. Although when that happened, DC published a series of one-time appearances and launched a batch of number ones right away, as if the Showcase issue were the real first issue (Or Number 0?)of titles like Creeper, Hawk and the Dove and Bat Lash. I'm guessing they wanted to get the titles out to fill the shelves and see what the sales were like more quickly than if they'd done the traditional three-issue debut. Also made it seem as if things were hopping at DC. They returned to the traditional three debut issues approach with # 82 (Nightmaster) so that at least two of the three issues would come out out right after the other. This format continued until Showcase folded its tent four series later with #93. (When it returned briefly, it followed the same three-issue format with the Doom Patrol, Power Girl and Hawkman features.) ME: "In the late sixties/early seventies, the system via which comic books were distributed was crumbling and Marvel was gaining a headlock on what was left of it. Fewer and fewer stores had comic book racks. In 1970 when my pal/partner Steve Sherman and I visited DC Comics for the first time, the guy in charge — Carmine Infantino — kept quizzing on where we bought our comics in Los Angeles. He was asking us if we had any ideas of how DC could get comics to more potential buyers in our town. He wouldn't have been asking us if Independent News — a division of the same company that was the major magazine distributor in the U.S. — had any ideas."PH Reaction: This squares with something shaxper mentioned about DC talking to kids/ readers about what comics they bought, etc. because they had few ways to dig into the numbers, and with Marvel increasing the number of titles, DC was on the defensive for the first time. And I'm guessing Independent wasn't going to do much to help the comics, which had a lower profit per book than the slick magazines (girlie books and others) that were way more profitable and therefore were better to push for valuable newsstand space. ME: "But they clearly didn't. And what we learned was that the folks over in [the] Independent office had very little confidence that the problem could be solved… or was worth solving. It was rumored around the DC office that some were suggesting that DC just scale back to the few properties that had merchandising value — Superman, Batman, a few others — and just publish those books, maybe as reprints, to keep the properties 'alive.' " PH Reaction: Licensing was/is always a driver of any company's comics-based profits and now that DC was no longer a sorta/kinda family business, it was even more so than it had been. ME: "Infantino was a wonderful artist. If you only know his later work, seek out what he did before he was elevated into DC management. Brilliant designs, brilliant storytelling. And when he was moved from drawing comics into the editorial division, he greatly improved the look and feel of the DC line, especially the covers… but only for a while. Others may give you other views of this but mine is that Carmine's skills were largely creative and he was installed in a position that required more of a head for business and marketing than he possessed." (BF mine) PH Reaction: That's what I said about Carmine's rising to a position for which he was essentially unsuited. Further proof that Evanier is a brilliant man. ME: "When a TV show is canceled, that doesn't always mean it was a show no one wanted to watch. It may have been a case of someone in management panicking or making a bad call and dropping a show that would have built up a solid following if it had been given more time. There are plenty of examples of programs that were almost canceled but were given enough time including M*A*S*H, Cheers and Seinfeld. I don't see why anyone would think that the decisions to cancel certain comics after a few issues couldn't have been bad decisions."PH Reaction: Yep. And in the wake of the cancellations of all those new titles DC published in '68 and '69, they were replaced not by more experiments but by safer titles aimed at the burgeoning horror market and various less costly reprint titles -- Westerns, sf, humor, etc. Yep, I couldn’t disagree with their stupid bi-monthly release dates hurting some of those cool books. I liked that the Avengers came out every month and I bought it regularly. Something like Kirby’s fourth world also worked because even though it was bi-monthly, it alternated with other 4th world titles. DC running scared was something that I mentioned also in the podcast DC was so complacent that they didn’t know they were being overtaken by Marvel and they couldn’t figure out why.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 9:29:16 GMT -5
A few thoughts. That Tales of Asgard splash is great, and probably one of those times where Kirby just started in one corner and filled the page. The Loki page shows Kirby's genius, it is just a page of one character thinking. Other artists might just have him from one angle and just changing poses. But Kirby constantly changes the camera angle and goes from mid range to close up, making it a dynamic page that could have been dull. Very cinematic. As for the Stan dialog, he was just filling a page where the story was obvious. He could have said "An artillery barrage that could even harm the near invulnerable Thor!" Instead we get three word balloons where one would suffice. But Stan is just making up the dialog as he looks at each panel for the first time, so there is often not a good flow with it. Brad, you’re turning me into an alcoholic. I have a drink every time you bash Stan.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 9:26:37 GMT -5
Is that the 2001 cell phone model?
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 8:22:02 GMT -5
George mentioned Black Kiss in passing and how it was a big, big seller. Then we talked about how the second volume did not sell as well. Probably due to a change in publishers and people not seeing it as the comic shops. That was about it. We did not get into details about the content. I never got the sense that it was a big seller--I remember it as one of those things like Ronin where it was easy to find the early issues, but later ones were tough as stores right-sized their ordering.
I also remember being shocked at the $1.25 price tag for 10 story pages (when regular 4-color books were still under a dollar). I hung on, but was never happy w/ the supernatural turn the story took. I listened to an interview by Chaykin, and he said it was a very big seller. The following series, not so much.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 8:09:42 GMT -5
shaxperThose are nice books but why do I have to turn my computer sideways?
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 7:38:20 GMT -5
Journey into Mystery #117
June 1965 "Into the Blaze of Battle!" My copyMy comments:The events of the previous issue are addressed within 3 pages. I thought maybe there was more to the Trial of the Gods , but they merely go through the dimensional gate and it's finished. Yes Hoosier X , it's another commie story. It was surprising that they would go to that well again with another rehash of a similar plot to fill a 16 page issue. The saving grace of #117 was the Kirby layouts. I have a nit to pick - Balder makes Jane forget the events of her abduction. Is this a power that ALL Asgardians possess ? Thor did the same thing when she was taken by Hyde and Cobra. All that brain wiping has me thinking that someone owes Zatanna an apology. Thor makes a comment that even he could be killed. This is confusing. Their emerging from the void is an awesome splash page Loki thinking about what his next move is illustrated with excellent body language. Kirby was the master. There's nothing boring about this page. Fun stuff:The house ads are always a treat. And you have a different MMM ads in this issue Tales of AsgardIt's merely a set up issue for the upcoming quest. It's interesting to note that , out of boredom, the Asgardians turn to fighting each other. Another great Splash . Kirby loves to have a scene where many manly men are fighting it out.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 5, 2024 6:21:35 GMT -5
I voted other intending it to mean “none.” I’ve read less than a handful of Star Wars funnybooks. Stormtroopers would not even make the needle move on my complete disinterest. This
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Post by Icctrombone on May 4, 2024 17:19:42 GMT -5
I always miss FCBD because of work. Once upon a time, my lcs that I was dealing with would pull what I wanted for me. Alas, I don’t have that relationship the current place.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 4, 2024 11:33:25 GMT -5
I can’t believe they didn’t catch it.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 3, 2024 19:48:01 GMT -5
I'm picking Alpha Flight # 12 . It's the issue that Guardian dies. It impacted me because I found him to be my favorite character in the team. I felt that it crippled the title and it was a total surprise to me.
My previous picks: Avengers #4 Flash ( 1987) 1 Thor #126 Kamandi #10 What if? v1 #3 JLA v1 # 91 Marvels Greatest comics # 31 Master of Kung Fu ( Special Marvel edition) 16 Iron Man # 150
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Post by Icctrombone on May 3, 2024 19:45:02 GMT -5
I heard an interesting question today- if you entered a room that had everyone you ever met, who would you go to first? My Dad. I'd love him to meet my wife. He passed away 17 years ago, so it's been a while. Dude, you're my brother from another mother. I chose my pop too. He met my wife, it's just that I miss him and he was my hero.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 3, 2024 11:18:10 GMT -5
I heard an interesting question today- if you entered a room that had everyone you ever met, who would you go to first?
The organiser, and ask if this is an episode of 'this is your life'
And my ex will get another black eye if he says hello.
The first rule of the fight club, is not to talk about the fight club.
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Post by Icctrombone on May 3, 2024 10:24:09 GMT -5
I heard an interesting question today- if you entered a room that had everyone you ever met, who would you go to first?
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Post by Icctrombone on May 2, 2024 5:10:31 GMT -5
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