Action Comics Issue 1000 -- The Return of Superman's Red Undies

[Josh-a-tron]

Originally Posted by wizardjones

I have no interest in Metal because it just seems like shock jock stuff(Which is nothing wrong with that if you are into it). Never really got behind the idea of an Evil murderous version of Batman outside of maybe Owl Man in Earth 2. But again, that was Earth 2 version of Batman.
I felt sort of the same way about Blackest Night as they took an amazing Green Lantern story and turned it into a big DC event. Could have done without seeing a zombie version of allot of the dc heroes.

I liked Blackest Night, but Brightest Day was just too much, and boring. Sinestro Corps War was probably the best of it.

I'm not reading Metal, the synopsis did nothing for me.

[The Dark Knight]

I only follow Batman and Nightwing. I'm so behind when it comes to both and i don't know if i ever catch up... But i continue to get them as Deluxes for now.

[risingstar]

I remember when Byrne revamped Superman. It was a fun ride for readers. It felt new. It was groundbreaking, really, for a character who was god-like and practically undefeatable up until then. He became more relatable, vulnerable, more believable, if that makes any sense, which made the stories much more interesting. Jurgens and numerous others who followed Byrne did a fine job as well, the "death of" notwithstanding.

New 52 tried to break new ground. Largely, it did not work because for some it felt more like a "just because we could doesn't mean we should" type scenario. Some characters became unrecognizable too, e.g., Green Lantern. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more divisive than anything else as you have the older fans with their substantial reading history facing off against Millennials who seemed more obsessed with edition sizes and variant covers than maintaining some kind of tie to continuity. Many didn't even seem to notice the sharp changes in character. Alas, Millennials are winning as comics today appear to have taken a backseat to event books, sketched covers, and chase variants -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

If you look at facebook these days where most Millennials generally compete for attention, you practically never hear about what books they're reading, only about which books they got slabbed and can now sell for oodles. I'm not judging. You actually have numerous Facebooks and website pages devoted solely to variant overs. The demand is very real. I'm simply implying that my Cheers-like era of discussing comics is all but gone and has been replaced by an era where acquiring rare variants is now the talk and accomplishment of the day.

[Mister H]

Originally Posted by risingstar

I remember when Byrne revamped Superman. It was a fun ride for readers. It felt new. It was groundbreaking, really, for a character who was god-like and practically undefeatable up until then. He became more relatable, vulnerable, more believable, if that makes any sense, which made the stories much more interesting. Jurgens and numerous other did a fine job after Byrne as well, the "death of" notwithstanding.

New 52 tried to break new ground. Largely, it did not work because it felt more like a "just because we could doesn't mean we should" type scenario. Some characters became unrecognizable too, e.g., Green Lantern. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more divisive than anything else as you have the older fans with their substantial reading history facing off against Millennials who seemed more obsessed with edition sizes and variant covers than maintaining some kind of tie to continuity. Alas, Millennials are winning as comics today appear to have taken a backseat to event books and chase covers.

If you look at facebook these days where most Millennials are to be found, you practically never hear about what books were good, only about which books they got slabbed and can now sell for oodles. I'm not judging. I'm simply implying that my Cheers-like era of discussing comics is all but gone and has been replaced by an era where acquiring rare new comics has become a pseudo sense of accomplishment for those seeming desperate to find one.

Agreed. I do think that things are cyclical though, and we will see a return to storytelling as a focus. That won't happen until the movies become less popular.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by Mister H

Agreed. I do think that things are cyclical though, and we will see a return to storytelling as a focus. That won't happen until the movies become less popular.

I would like to believe that but I just don't. Comics are simply not as immediately gratifying as surfing the internet, gaming, You-Tubing, satellite TV, and whatever else competes for the Millennial's attention. That, and the cost/enjoyment ratio is off balance too. For a Millennial, spending $5-$10 on a comic is likely akin to us paying $60 for a hamburger. Sure, we love burgers but would we pay $60 for one? Probably not. And, comics require a long comic commitment from the beginning to the end of a story which could take months to a year.

Sadly, I doubt comics will ever be perceived or valued in the way it was when there was far less competition for the reader's time. The fact that there are so few comic shops nowadays serves as very compelling commentary too. Even though many shops have expanded their base of operations to include gaming, merchandising, movie memorabilia, gaming tournaments and so on, it's still a struggle. It doesn't help that Amazon undercuts them too.

[moon_knight1971]

I believe this issue is $10. Insane

[Mister H]

Originally Posted by moon_knight1971

I believe this issue is $10. Insane

I pre ordered the regular version and Dan Jurgens variant for $6.80 each. TFAW.

[Gothamite]

Originally Posted by Augen

Based on my experience lately comic fans that actually buy books aren't kids, they are adults in their 30s and 40s.

When I was a kid comic was $1.00 and were regularly at grocery store. I'd read them while my Mom shopped and then beg for my favorite. She generally obliged because it wasn't that much.

Now it is $3.00-$4.00 and I only see them in comic shops. Part of this is print dying, and shift in how kids interact with the world. My 12 year old nephew loves Spider-Man. I took him to "Homecoming", he loved it. I offered to buy him some comics, he politely declined.

The movies resonate, but the core business of comics doesn't seem to get to kids the way it did in the 80s and 90s. Much of this is anecdotal, but the sales charts show how much the market declined over last 25 years.

We live in a different world. The two Guardians of the Galaxy movies are big box office hits, but the comic book just got canceled.

[Gothamite]

[wktf]

Originally Posted by Gothamite

Glad to see that DC continues to be tone deaf to their fans by mocking them with this stupid April Fool’s tactic.