I’d like to say thanks to all the readers out there who have helped make ComicBrain’s first couple of months in existence a success. I appreciate all of the feedback I’ve received and would like to encourage everyone to keep sending it in. Feel free to use the comments sections of the posts or just send an email. As Clark Griswold said in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: “We’re all in this together!”
Status Quo
Say hello to a new status quo!
2007 is looking to be a very exciting year for super heroes and comic books. We’ll find out how Marvel’s Civil War ends and see the impact it has. We’ll know what happened during the entire missing year in DC’s One Year Later with the wrap-up of 52. Usagi Yojimbo will be in the triple digit issue numbers. We’ll get to see Ghost Rider on the big screen along with the latest installments of the Spider-Man and Fantastic Four movies. Not to mention the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and Frank Miller’s 300.
2007 is also looking to be a very exciting year for ComicBrain.com! I’ve got a lot of big things planned. Well, maybe not BIG plans, but I’ve got some plans, anyway. Ok, not so much PLANS as vague ideas. “Ideas” might be a little strong, but I definitely have some intentions of trying to come up with some stuff.
One thing to look forward to is the Official World Premiere Announcement of the ComicBrain MySpace Page. For a sneak preview hop on over to my page and join the elite ranks of my friends (already in the low double digits - woo-hoo).
There has never been a better time to be a comic book or a ComicBrain fan. Spread the word!
Welcome to the future.
P.S. And don’t forget to Batusi For a Better Tomorrow!
Are you a comic book fan or a super hero fan?
There is a tendency to link comic books and super heroes together. Over the past 40+ years the two have shared a symbiotic relationship. There are good things and bad things about this relationship, but overall I think it has been a good thing. But I’m starting to wonder if this relationship is changing.
Until recently, the super hero genre was unnecessarily saddled with many of the campier story devices from comic books. The old Adam West Batman television show is a prime example. It made the comic book “POW!” effect become a standard super hero genre device. (Don’t get me wrong; I still think that the Adam West Batman will lead to world peace.) Linking super heroes and comic books so closely helped keep both alive, but with the unfortunate downside of limiting the audience of both. People not interested in super heroes were not going to explore the comic book medium, and people not interested in comic books were not going to explore super hero stories told in other mediums.
I started out as a super hero fan. There was something about super hero stories that I really connected with and comic books were the best place to get them. Eventually I began to explore the other story genres in comic books and developed a love for the medium. And I think we are beginning to see comic books and super heroes grow beyond each other.
Status Quo
Comics and super heroes will be connected for many years to come, but both are growing. More and more comic book creators are exploring genres outside of super heroes with wonderful success. Comics like Usagi Yojimbo, Y the Last Man, Kabuki and The Walking Dead just to name a few. Additionally, super heroes stories are being told outside of comic books without relying on comic book story devices. Movies, television and video games are all starting to experiment with the genre.
The comic book/super hero status quo is changing and there are going to be some growing pains, but I think that the best days for both comic books and super heroes are still ahead.
This is it! Not a Re-launch! Not a Dream! (Mostly) Not a Hoax! The senses shattering first post in the ground-breaking new comic book blog presented in full color by The Comic Brain! Thrills, excitement, action and adventure are nowhere to be found! Exclamation marks abound!
Status Quo
The comic book world is in an age of crisis and war. Tipping over the apple cart of the status quo is the order of the day at the Big Two (Marvel and DC for those who didn’t purchase the playbook). The independent publishers (not Marvel or DC) are bold and breaking new ground. The comic book blogosphere is preparing to lead a revolution (probably not). There has never been a better time for in-depth analysis of the ins-and-outs of the comic book industry from a reader’s perspective. If you know of a source for such analysis, let me know. I’d love to read some.
With that, I say “Welcome”. Feel free to look around and kick the tires.
So there it is. My first blog post. I have to admit I’m a little disappointed.
