Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login
The John Byrne Forum
Byrne Robotics > The John Byrne Forum << Prev Page of 6
Topic: The Real Reasons for Marvel Comics’ woes (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message
Andrew Bitner
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 01 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 7467
Posted: 01 June 2017 at 10:42am | IP Logged | 1  

JB: Trades should be strictly after-market, intended for audiences years down the line.
***
Agree completely. As it is, they come out the week after (or sometimes the SAME week) as the last issue of what's being collected.

I once suggested to a (now former) Senior VP at DC that monthlies should have all the extra goodies--sketchbook pages, interviews, "behind the scenes", etc.--and TPBs would have ONLY the pages with the story, zero extras. It would give readers more reason to collect the monthlies. He thought it was a great idea. Wish they'd implemented it.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Stephen Churay
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 25 March 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 8369
Posted: 01 June 2017 at 5:15pm | IP Logged | 2  

"Writing for the trade" is the "enemy". Even the dimmest
readers eventually realize there's no point to spending
$25 for multiple issues containing parts of a story that
will eventually be collected.

This is why the monthly issues themselves have to be
written as complete packages (no more than two issues to a
story, no counting subplots) so that readers will still be
drawn to them.
=======
I trying to stroke your ego, but I really liked the
"formula" you had on Fantastic Four, JB.

The stories seemed to take place over two issues but the
two previous issues gave a subplot that became the next
story. If you missed those issues, you weren't at a
disadvantage. But, if you did read it, you were hooked and
felt you NEEDED to read the next story. I went through
that whole run and the pacing and subplot overlap seemed
completely thought out. Working on my current project, I'm
using it as a template.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Mike Norris
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4274
Posted: 01 June 2017 at 10:05pm | IP Logged | 3  

It's taken six issues for Jen Walters to turn into the Hulk in the lasted (She-)Hulk relaunch. 
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 7:10am | IP Logged | 4  

I trying to stroke your ego, but I really liked the "formula" you had on Fantastic Four, JB.

The stories seemed to take place over two issues but the two previous issues gave a subplot that became the next story. If you missed those issues, you weren't at a disadvantage. But, if you did read it, you were hooked and felt you NEEDED to read the next story. I went through that whole run and the pacing and subplot overlap seemed completely thought out. Working on my current project, I'm using it as a template.

••

I hope the second word above is a missing "not"!

Anyway, I did use a formula on FF, and for me at least it worked quite well.

Basically, each story ran three issues, with the second issue introducing a subplot that would become the main story in the fourth issue, etc.

Back to Top profile | search
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 7:12am | IP Logged | 5  

It's taken six issues for Jen Walters to turn into the Hulk in the lasted (She-)Hulk relaunch.

••

There used to be a writer up at Marvel whom people would kid because every time someone pointed out something he was doing repeatedly it would become his "thing" and he would do it even MORE!

This seems to characterize Marvel as a whole, these days.

Back to Top profile | search
 
Craig Bogart
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 18 June 2008
Posts: 407
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 11:24am | IP Logged | 6  

If they abandoned the monthlies and just shifted to quarterly trades, I could live with that; what puzzles me about writing/waiting for the trade, is that 144 decompressed pages is STILL a ripoff even in trade form.  I once sat down with a collection and added up the unnecessary full/double page splashes and they amounted to two full chapters/issues worth of story that could have been included.  Why people who "wait for the trade" are okay with that puzzles me.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
Bill Collins
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11245
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 11:34am | IP Logged | 7  

I feel that Marvel made a big mistake in employing
`Novelists` like Bendis to write comics,they have no
concept of brevity and moving the story along.His
trademark of pages of talking heads is just boring.
Back to Top profile | search e-mail
 
John Byrne
Avatar
Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 11:56am | IP Logged | 8  

How is Marvel doing these days, in terms of getting those "monthlies" out, well, monthly? Cuz I've been saying for decades that I can't imagine Marvel getting 100 page trades out on time , given their record with 22(?) page half-tabs.
Back to Top profile | search
 
Jason Larouse
Byrne Robotics Member
Avatar

Joined: 10 May 2011
Posts: 515
Posted: 02 June 2017 at 1:45pm | IP Logged | 9  

How is Marvel doing these days, in terms of getting those "monthlies" out, well, monthly? Cuz I've been saying for decades that I can't imagine Marvel getting 100 page trades out on time , given their record with 22(?) page half-tabs

*********

The idea of artists having long runs is basically unheard of now. Artists change almost every story arc now so that the books can be put out on time. There are a still artists who are exceptions, but they are almost all artists who started in the 90s or earlier.

Even then, the last two Marvel events had major delays. They both also ended up having to add in extra issue  at the end, which seems like terrible planning to me. 


Back to Top profile | search
 

Sorry, you can NOT post a reply.
This topic is closed.

<< Prev Page of 6
  Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 Active Topics | Member List | Search | Help | Register | Login