Avengers movie and the comic book stigma

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Tue May 08, 2012 8:31 am

Here's my main takeaway from the movies vs. the comics:

I've always maintained the major difference between the Marvel Universe and the DCU is that Marvel heroes tend to feel "burdened" by their powers. The powers aren't a gift, necessarily, but a curse, or a heavy weight they must bear. In the DCU, powers are a gift, and for the most part they revel in having them. To me, the DCU is simply more fun. Not better, not worse, just more "fun".

The movies seem to be doing the exact opposite. The Avengers was a rollicking good time, with yes, a grim situation, but damned if it wasn't "fun" at the same time. Compare that to Nolan's Dark Knight movies, or even Superman Returns. Granted Batman isn't necessarily something you want to be "fun" but even in things like Smallville, there's a sense that the powers are a heavy burden (a la Marvel's comics).

My brother-in-law asked me how the Avengers was. I said "Best movie I've seen in a loooong time." He followed up with "Better than The Dark Knight?" And if I'd been thinking I would have said "Not a fair question." instead of just saying "Yes."

amunptah · Post by **amunptah** » Tue May 08, 2012 4:05 pm

I enjoyed the movie, but it did have a few issues for me (particularly surrounding Hulk's big scene in the middle of the movie and Banner's amount of control). And I still can't get over Loki riding around in the back of that jeep because his staff and costume were too big to fit inside!

In terms of turning movie fans into comic readers, I think the huge number of comics in any one line is daunting. I've read some Avengers in the past, and looked at buying trades of the latest volume to catch up. The whole experience was overwhelming: not knowing which team book to buy, which trade covered the current volume etc I am an experienced comic reader, and I still left empty handed in confusion.

Even something as simple as a free checklist of trades with explanations of the back story and characters of each book would be great in my book. Like every three months, a new little leaflet with tips on where to begin reading. I actively want to start reading Marvel (I jumped into DC with glee with the New 52) but they make it very hard to do so.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Tue May 08, 2012 6:57 pm

Yeah, there's almost no way comic book movies are going to turn people into readers because of some points already brought up in this thread. Namely, it takes months to get the same story as there is in a 2 hour movie. Plus this country doesn't seem to be big on readers anymore .... I think out of all my friends, only one other one reads stuff besides newspapers or magazines.

My only point is if you're going to watch a comic book movie, don't make fun of people who read superhero comic books

J. Farrell · Post by **J. Farrell** » Tue May 08, 2012 11:18 pm

abysslord wrote:My only point is if you're going to watch a comic book movie, don't make fun of people who read superhero comic books

That doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

amunptah · Post by **amunptah** » Thu May 10, 2012 4:15 pm

One thing I'm glad to see now is the wide variety of readers in the mass market. I think the sales there are much higher than we think. I sat in the sci-fi section of a bookshop today and many people browsed the trades section. The split was almost equal men to women, and all ages were represented. It's the same every time I go in.

Gilgabob · Post by **Gilgabob** » Wed May 16, 2012 3:09 pm

I believe the lack of access to comics to youngsters has been one of the the single most detrimental things that has hurt the comics industry.

As a child of the 70's I vividly remember checking out the spinner rack at the drugstore as my mother shopped. We didn't have to make a seperate stop at a specialty store to look at comics. Kids just aren't exposed to comics like I was and they certainly have ALOT more choices to entertain themselves.

I wondering if digital may help to engage young readers. Most kids nowadays have access to the internet in some capacity and I can see a parent allowing a kid to buy a digital comic rather than having to make a special trip to a comic book store. Consider digital as the spinner rack of the current age.

Regarding the movie. I loved it but every time a comic book movie is well received at the box office the debate over why movie goers don't try comics seems to pop up. I think as comic fans we just have to enjoy the movie and accept the fact that they have little if no effect on directing people to comic books. They are two different genres that just don't seem to cross-over well, at least the comic book movies don't.

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Fri May 25, 2012 8:37 am

I finally saw the movie this week. It was a lot of fun. Definitely worth checking out on the big screen before it goes to DVD.

The movie does seem to sell more comic book trades in one aspect. Due to an apperance in the movie, there seems to be some reorder activity on trades with a certain Eternals super villian. (I didn't want to directly spoil it, although it's hard to avoid at this point).

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Sun May 27, 2012 5:38 am

IanG wrote:I finally saw the movie this week. It was a lot of fun. Definitely worth checking out on the big screen before it goes to DVD.

The movie does seem to sell more comic book trades in one aspect. Due to an apperance in the movie, there seems to be some reorder activity on trades with a certain Eternals super villian. (I didn't want to directly spoil it, although it's hard to avoid at this point).

It also resulted in a run on a certain mini series from many years ago. I actually just saw the movie this week and it explained why all my issues of that series disappeared in the week following the release when they hadn't moved in 2 years.