Welcome to the forum / Introduce Yourself

[fudd71]

Let me start by saying I have an opinion(s) about this topic of “craft”, “independent”, “small press” comics and since I was asked I will share it. However I also know my opinion is neither common nor popular which is why my initial reaction was to say nothing. It is not my intention to offend anyone, and I don’t expect anyone to agree with me, these are just my feelings on the subject.

To me all these terms “craft”, “indie”, “small press” etc. are all just marketing terms, and marketing terms that focus on the completely wrong thing. To me a good comic is a good comic and bad comic is a bad comic. I consider things good or bad based on story telling and art. Terms like “indie” (used from here on to represent “craft”, “small press” and any similar term) try to shift a comic’s value from weather it is good storytelling and art to some plea to emotion based on the “struggling artist” or the concept that “hand-made” is intrinsically better.

Not to pick on Derek (I enjoy his contributions to the Comic Book page and listen sporadically to The Comics Alternative), there was a comics roundtable episode where the topic of what is indie, came up. Derek’s answer, a perfectly good one, was something to the affect of comics where a greater percentage of the revue went to the writer and artist. While this may be fine, it tells me nothing about how good or bad the work is. I am a consumer of comics, the job of whoever I buy a comic from is to tell me a story I think is worth reading and at a price I am willing to pay. Anything past that is not my concern. For me, trying to tell me I should buy your book for any reason other than it is a very good book turns me off. You are asking me for $3-$7 of the fruits of my labor for your story, your person struggles with finance, your hatred of corporations and the business boogie-man, or simply you did the best you could, play no role in my choice to buy your book. To be fair I have very similar feeling on all charity. I am a fairly charitable guy but I don’t give to get something. I hate charities that ask for donations to “buy something” that is clearly over priced or of inferior quality. Not to pick on PBS many charities fall in this group. I support PBS because I feel that do good work and can use the money I don’t want your $30 umbrella, $75 tote bag or $100+ DVDs. I give to PBS to support PBS, if I want an umbrella, tote bag or DVD I will buy that item separately, and better quality and cheaper. If you want to sell me a comic book, make a great comic book. If you want charity just ask for it.

The hand-made is necessarily better argument I also simply don’t accept as fact. There are times this can be true, usually because the technology isn’t there yet or it is too expensive to use the technology, but in most cases the exact opposite it true. In comics I feel the truth is somewhere in the middle, both the largest companies and the smallest of the ash-cans can be good comics. While I like this argument better then the moral/charity/anti-business argument it, I still don’t love it. At least this argument makes the case that is a better quality comic, but I simply do not believe the size of the publisher has a direct correlation to the quality of the comic. The truth is I have seen great and terrible comics from both the large publishers and the smallest of the small. To me size of the publisher has nothing necessarily to do with the quality of the work.

I will sum this up by saying, for me personally the size of the publisher and what you call it is irrelevant to me for the most part. That being said, a large group of indy publishers have done a poor job of simply making things work and run on time, large publishers have done this too. But for me personally there are a couple of publishers that have never finished a mini-series, had ridiculous delays or published most a mini before deciding you have to buy a trade to get the final chapter. Those publishers have to work a lot harder to convince me to try out one their books then do others. Like I said big publishers have done some of these things too which is why I won’t buy any mini with Ethan Van Sciver on art (even though I love his art) after the just stupid delays on Flash rebirth, I now question any event Geoff Johns writes after the delays on both Blackest Night and Forever Evil (both mainly the delay on the last issue) and I won’t get anything Mark Millar writes after the ridiculous delays on Civil War (I’m not a huge fan of most of his work either).

PS since craft beer has been brought up so much I personally think it is a bad analogy. I have no problem with craft beer and there is some good craft beer. My problem is they changed the rules and then claimed they made better beer. The large brewers in this country specialized in lagers and pilsners and have the alcohol percentages very strictly regulated on their “beer”. Most of the craft brewers don’t even make a lager or pilsner or at least that isn’t what they are really known for. Comparing a 4% alcohol mass-produced lager here in CA to a 5.7% Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is not only not fair it is comparing apples and oranges. That is why most “craft beers” don’t call themselves beer so they don’t have to play under the same rules as beer makers. In comics most publishers publish monthly serialized 20-40 page comic books. The same product as the big publishers. Now that DC has finally gone away from the code, the exact same rules apply to all comics, that isn't the case in craft brews.

[sajchurchey]

In the physical world, most people I meet wind up calling me by my last name: Churchey. I have been using the same handle on the Internet for years so I am easy to identify I am still in my early thirties and am an IT Director at a private school in Georgia. My specialties have been Linux, data networks and security. Although, I have dabbled in most things, including SQL and programming, in the last dozen or so years.

Currently, I collect a good deal of independent titles, but I have always had a soft spot for Spider-Man and Batman since the 90s cartoons. I was also given a very nice bronze age collection when I was younger that really got me hooked on comics when I was a kid. I grew up in rural Georgia, and my only access to comics were flea markets and the few drug and grocery stories that carried some. Unfortunately, these sources were not very consistent. So I rarely got to collect runs or full stories of those modern books. Robin, Batman: Shadow of the Bat and Web of Spider-Man were some of the titles I enjoyed reading from that era.

I returned to collecting in 2013 thanks to The Walking Dead and Marvel movies. I saw some speculating going on, and thought it might be interesting to get back into comics again. I still do some speculation, but I have found some really good titles and good stories along the way. I have been very happy with the diversity in comics these days in terms of genre, and it seems to be one of the few mediums with a wealth of original ideas and concepts these days.

I started listening to the podcast in 2013 after I began collecting again. Math was one of my first loves. So, I really like the hard numbers as well as number-crunching and market analysis. I love John's approach, and I am always eager to listen to the Mayo Reports.

[drew]

Welcome aboard Churchey

[clobberin_time_bs]

Hey, my name is Brandon and I thought I'd get more involved here on the forums so an introduction is probably in line.

I live in Aurora, Colorado ( yes, where that terrible theater shooting happened), and love it here. I went to CU where I got a bachelors in architectural engineering and currently work as what I call a forensic engineer, which means I investigate claims against construction companies and tell them whether or not they are legitimate.

I am married and have two boys ( three and one) who are quickly turning into comic nuts just like dad. We have tons of Spiderman vs Venom battles in the living room.

My first comic was Secret Defenders #1 because it was shiny and had Wolverine on the cover . Since then I have become a huge Fantastic Four fan to the point I started an F4 fan podcast (The 4Cast Podcast). My favorite F4 runs are Hickman's, Waid's, and Byrne's.

I read 5-10 comics a week, mostly digitally through comixology because it is much more space friendly. The vast majority of what I read is Marvel but I dabble here and there in other stuff.

Thanks guys (especially John) for the podcasts, I really enjoy them!

[drew]

Welcome aboard

[SupermanFan]

My name is Billy Hogan. I'm 54 years old. After spending many years in newspaper pre-press production I'm now a janitor at the local high school.

I read about a dozen comic books a month. Superman and the Legion Of Super-Heroes are my favorite characters. Right now, I'm only getting Action Comics, Superman and Astro City from DC, now that Fables has ended, and Powers from Icon/Marvel.

The independent books I get on a regular basis is Rachel Rising (or anything else by Terry Moore), Invincible, and Usagi Yojimbo.

I host http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/, which I've been doing since January 2008 and am approaching my 400th individual episode. It began as a general Superman podcast, but with the rise of a number of various Superman podcasts, I've concentrated on the Silver Age adventures of the Man Of Steel in order of publication since 2011. I've listened to the Comic Book Page podcast since 2007.

[JohnMayo]

I've listened to the Comic Book Page podcast since 2007.

Wow. Thanks for sticking with the podcast for so long.

[SupermanFan]

It may not have been 2007, but very early days of my podcast. I think I first learned of the Comic Page podcast when doing research on an episode about Mark Waid, and stumbled upon an interview with him on your podcast.

[NiklasJ]

This is a great site, fantastic podcasts! might have questions so introduction...

Hej, my name is Niklas
35y, engineer/mechanical designer, swedish comic book reader (I blame the swedish educational system for any language issues you might have with my spelling/grammar)

I read 30-40 comics a month, mostly marvel and image, tried following the new 52 but DC has been a let down for me overall and from the dozen new 52 titles i started with only Batman is left. I´d love to elaborate but I suspect it´ll be mostly fanboy crying so better not...

The comic I remember started my interest in the genre was a swedish version of the Amazing Spider-Man #242 (Vol.1) with the Mad Thinker, a Battle droid and the return of MJ, in Sweden this came out mid-1986 and I was hooked. Soon after there was a exciting Hobgoblin story, the Rose (whatever happened to him? son of kingpin right?), a new cool black costume and Secret Wars!

Pull list:
UNCANNY AVENGERS, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, UNCANNY X-MEN, ALL-NEW X-MEN, BLACK WIDOW, MOON KNIGHT, CAPTAIN MARVEL, THOR, INHUMANS, BUCKY BARNES:THE WINTER SOLDIER, SPIDER WOMAN, SPIDER GWEN, SILK, SILVER SURFER, AVENGERS, NEW AVENGERS, ROCKET RACCOON, HOWARD THE DUCK, STAR WARS, DARTH VADER, BATMAN, GRAYSON, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, SAGA, LAZARUS, NAILBITER, COPPERHEAD, LOW, RACHEL RISING, BIRTHRIGHT, WYTCHES, ODY-C, THE DYING AND THE DEAD, TREES, THE WICKED + THE DIVINE

[jacovny]

Jacob Wilson. As a child, I watched "Superfriends" and all of the Filmation D.C. animated features regularly. When I was browsing comics in the Waldenbooks at my local mall one evening, I saw "Legends #1". The cover featured Darkseid standing spectrally over all of my favorite D.C. heroes. Mom, an English teacher, was skeptical about buying me comics instead of "real books" at first, until I began asking her for word meanings (i.e. "The Enigmatic Mantis" in Fantastic Four), and she realized I was expanding my vocabulary. Eventually got her to read "The Watchmen" (she made me a deal; she would read a "funny book" of my choice and I would read Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"), and after that even she developed a casual interest in comic book properties. My primary interest was always the D.C. characters I grew up watching in television animated features, although I was also a fan of Spider-Man (who had "Amazing Friends"). Bought the entire run of D.C. Comics Presents through Mile High Comics and wore them out.

Today I read about 25 books per month. I try to support my local comic shops in Mesquite and Garland, TX, when I can, but I get most of my books through DCBS. Still read D.C. more heavily than Marvel. Also enjoying all of IDW's Star Trek books (particularly Byrne's "New Visions"), and Chuck Dixon's "Winterworld", along with the surprisingly engaging "Black Hood" reboot by Archie.

[erickowabunga]

Hi all. I started listening to the podcast about one month ago, and was just trying it out. I really like it, especially the Mayo Reports and the subscription box episodes. A little background about me - I am 29 years old, and live near Milwaukee, WI. I have a day job as a software development project manager, but on nights, weekends, and spare time I moonlight as the technology manager for my local comic shop (Kowabunga Comics). I have a wife and an 18 month old daughter - who happens to be a big Batman fan!

My first exposure to comics was watching TMNT on Saturday mornings, and reading the Sunday 'Funnies' with my grandparents. We always had to read Garfield, Foxtrot, Hi and Lois, etc. In grade school I became a Calvin and Hobbes addict, and then once in college found mainstream comics, and was hooked. I started collecting about two months before the New 52 kicked off, and have never looked back.

Currently I get a smattering of a lot of books, but am loving Vader, Velvet, and Fade Out the best.

[drew]

Currently I get a smattering of a lot of books, but am loving Vader, Velvet, and Fade Out the best.

welcome - those are three of my faves,

Jacob Wilson. As a child, I watched "Superfriends" and all of the Filmation D.C. animated features regularly. When I was browsing comics in the Waldenbooks at my local mall one evening, I saw "Legends #1". The cover featured Darkseid standing spectrally over all of my favorite D.C. heroes. Mom, an English teacher, was skeptical about buying me comics instead of "real books" at first, until I began asking her for word meanings (i.e. "The Enigmatic Mantis" in Fantastic Four), and she realized I was expanding my vocabulary. Eventually got her to read "The Watchmen" (she made me a deal; she would read a "funny book" of my choice and I would read Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"), and after that even she developed a casual interest in comic book properties.

welcome to the forum, very cool 'origin story'
a lot of us cut our teeth on the super friends

This is a great site, fantastic podcasts! might have questions so introduction...swedish comic book reader

welcome to our Swedish listener

[JohnMayo]

...swedish comic book reader...

Man, I wish I'd remembered this on the podcasting panel at Comic-Con when John S was asking if I had international listeners...

[NDHorse]

Hi everyone!! My name is Nathan Haselhorst. I have been listening to the podcasts by John for about a year and a half now, but have just started to post on the forums here. I have been a comic book reader since 1989 all because of the Tim Burton Batman movie (oddly I have never regularly bought a Batman title). Anyway, I am primarily a DC fan (Superman, GL, JLA), but I also buy Thor, Savage Dragon, Powers, the Whedonverse, and a few others. However, I have a great local library and keep up to date on a lot of other titles that I am interested in, but not enough to buy. I recently got a subscription to Comic Bento which I am loving and has introduced me to a variety of new things.

I have recently also been expanding what I buy digitally through Comixology. Interestingly, all of the recent DC #1s I have been getting digitally (which won't show up in what John reports about each month). The collector in me likes having unbroken runs going back 25-30 years of Superman, GL, JLA, and Thor (even though we all know they aren't worth much).

That's about it. Keep up with the podcasts. I will be listening.

[alienal121]

Hello Everybody!
What is your real name? My name is Alan. You can "Call me Al" or Alan.
How old are you? I just recently turned 60.
What do you do for a living? I'm an English teacher in Japan.
What kinds of comic books do you like? I like a variety of comics including Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Archie, etc.
About how many comic book issues a week/month do you buy? I think I average about 35 to 40 a month, but due to prices increases, I might have to cut down.
Do you buy mainly issues, trades, digital? Still sticking with the single issues for now.
How many do you read every week/month? I usually 3 or 4 a day once I get my shipment.
How long have you been reading comics? I've been reading comics since 1966. I think my first comic was one my father bought me, Batman #186, "The Joker's Original Robberies"
How long have you been listening to the Comic Book Page podcast? I've been listening off and on for about 5 years. I think I heard John on the CGS podcast a couple of times, then I followed him to his own podcast and listened until I got overwhelmed with trying to listen to too many podcasts. Now I'm back and listen semi-regularly. Since I'm in Japan, due to getting my comics later than most, I don't listen to Weekly Comics Spotlight until much because I might get spoiled. Don't worry though, I've been enjoying every episode I get a chance to hear!
Do you submit clips to the Previews Spotlight episodes? (If not, why not?) Well, not yet but I'm considering it. Since I get my Previews magazine AFTER the clips are due, I'd have to use the online version or look at the early solicits.