Andrew W Farago wrote: The fact that you can check out comics--all kinds of comics--at your local and school libraries is a huge, huge development as far as mainstream accessibility. I think that there were a half-dozen comic and cartoon-related books that I could borrow from all of the libraries that were at my disposal growing up. All of Kirby's Fantastic Four, Ditko's Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, manga, The Complete Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes...I would've killed to have free access to all of that stuff when I was a kid.

I had a ton of that stuff in my local library as a kid and believe you me, I scarfed them up as quick as I could.  So I'm certainly not in the camp that thinks having trades and collections in local libraries is a bad thing at all.  Although I haven't been to a library in years, I think they're great particularly for kids with a voracious appetite for reading as I was (and still am, it's just that I can afford to buy what I want rather than check them out).

I do think, however, that this begs a broader question not directed specifically to you, Andrew.  I brought this up with Steve earlier in this thread and haven't been satisfied with the responses.  So a kid checks out an Essentials collection that gets them interested in, say, Spider-Man.  Great.  Now lets say they want to get a more regular "fix", for lack of a better word, and so they decide they want to seek out regular monthly comics starring their now favorite character.  The only age appropriate Spider-Man monthly title out there is Marvel Adventures.  One.  A single title starring Spider-Man that is geared to an all-ages audience...and the only title that even remotely resembles the character they became a fan of through Essentials.  Ultimate Spider-Man comes close, but his story is now quite different from that of the classic mainstream character. This new reader will also be quite confused if they try to pick up other mainstream titles that guest star Spider-Man. 

My question, then, is have we really abdicated all-ages versions of classic mainstream superheroes, who have been all-ages until just recently, to reprint collections and one new title? Do we really want the expectation to be that kids can't join the hobby of reading new content until they become of such an age as they'll enjoy what is currently being produced?  I applaud the library system and think it's great that kids can become exposed to these characters, but what I don't like is the fact that these characters are nearly unrecognizable in their current form compared to the comics kids may be reading in libraries.  That's too big a disconnect for me and smacks much too loudly of those people who often say "If you don't like today's comics, buy Essentials or Showcase". 

Steve Lieber wrote: The kid who reads a copy of Winnie the Pooh is getting an 80 year old reprint, while the kid who reads the Tigger book is getting something new. I know which kid I'd rather be. I just don't think that kids are particularly well served by a steady flow of new Winnie & Tigger books, and it's hard not to feel the same way about most comic book franchises.

I love the original Winnie the Pooh books.  Great stuff.  But I do think it's a little disingenuous to compare that kids book to comics insomuch as no one has ever come along to write those characters in the same magical way as A.A. Milne did, whereas with classic mainstream superheroes creators have written all-ages stories every bit as good as the original creator some twenty or thirty years later.  Given your example, we'd never have another Captain America series after Kirby/Simon/Lee wrote him thus denying us the Stern/Byrne run, as just one example. 

Also, in this case, the Pooh franchise still has the same feeling of place and character as the original, quality of writing not withstanding, but with the exception of one Marvel Adventures book, the Spider-Man franchise doesn't even look remotely like the Essential reprint books new readers may be picking up at their local library.  Again, huge disconnect.  Sure, we've gotten a new reader but that reader won't recognize thing one about the current Spider-Man.

JB wrote: "Waiting for ULTIMATE POOH - FANG AND CLAW!"

***********

I'm waiting for the trade.

Question for those who have a Borders book store near you : have they discarded the American TPB section? One store near me has switched entirely to Manga.

It's a healthy section, but have been to a few stores that don't carry American books anymore.

What's really telling is that when I go to the Borders GN section, the Manga section is about 6 times bigger and littered with kids ages 7-16 everytime I go. When I go to the superhero section, I'm usually the only guy there, but when I see someone else, it's usually guys older than me. And I'm 27.

Steve Lieber wrote: How many were there when Stan Lee was writing him?

Curious if that's a serious question.  Again, it seems more than a little disingenuous, Steve.  Lee/Ditko wrote AMAZING FANTASY 15 and then ASM.  One title.  Realizing that there was a market for the character, in fact a market for more than a couple Marvel superheroes, more superheroes got their own books.  Soon characters got multiple titles starring a character that looked and acted the same as the character Lee/Ditko wrote.  Spider-Man was the same from book to book and in guest appearance after guest appearance.  He was recognizable and, more importantly, he was all-ages.  Today?  All-ages appropriate Spider-Man is relegated to Marvel Adventures, while every other appearance of the character in multiple books and in guest appearance after guest appearance is decidedly not all-ages appropriate nor is he recognizable save for his classic costume.  It's less the number of titles than it is the generally accepted version of the character is one that does not, in any way, appeal to a kid. So that kid who picked up Essential ASM can only now pick up Marvel Adventures Spider-Man and not, as when I was a kid, pick up any number of titles (whether it was a Spider-Man title or not) with the expectation that the character is the same...not even just the same, but appropriate to the reading age of the new fan who only just discovered the character in their local library.

Not a problem for you?  Dunno.  Big problem for me.

Waiting for ULTIMATE POOH - FANG AND CLAW!

You and me both. "Damn your eyes, Robin! You turned me into this unstoppable killing machine! And  now Tigger's dead!"

"Don't be a fool, Pooh.You think I was the only one in on this?"

"But who else-- Eeyore! WHY?!"