In comic books many publishers try to expand a certain title or story arcs into spinoffs and crossovers. While some of these are a whole a lot of fun (We would never have had the Avengers or Justice League) others can be downright frustrating, in that you have to buy comics you wouldn't have read on your own. What are the good things and bad things about comic book spinoffs and crossovers?
I think instead of looking at this issue in a Manichean way, whether it is good or bad, you could look at whether a crossover adds anything to the current story arc. If something is frustratingly bad then it could be because of poor integration or a "bad fit" for characters while good crossovers could be the opposite. I think by analyzing the quality of writing, art and the reasons why the crossover happened you can provide a deeper study of the practice rather than just a judgement of it. I think this article definitely has some great potential and is right on trend with not only our contemporary comic habits but also our movie watching habits as well. – DClarke9 years ago
When they become to confusing of the writer seems like they are just trying to make money off of something that shouldn't be there then it is bad
– Aim9 years ago
Pretty sure Deadpool has had a story arc with every single Marvel character, he is currently In Deadpool and Cable as of right now; but, he's has one with Spider-Man, Hawkeye, he killed the Avengers at one point, Deadpool Corps where he teamed with Lady Deadpool. Harley Quinn is currently with Power Girl in a series. There's so many crossovers and spin-offs happening! There's so much to talk about! – scoleman9 years ago
Comics are probably the best medium to tell spin-offs and crossovers because comics having fun and outlandish ideas is part of the fun of reading them. With that said, spin-offs can be both good and bad, depending on the character. Batgirl having her own comic series works because she already has a long and loyal fan following, so it makes sense for her to break off from Batman's comics. The reason Drax having his own series does not work is because he really works best when he is with the Guardians, otherwise he is kind of boring. – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
It will be interesting to see how crossovers and spinoffs are perceived differently by comic fans vs. film or TV shows. In the last decade, we have seen a growing number of films and TV shows that take this approach. While of course making profit is a major part of it, the success of such films may tell us a lot about demand on the part of the fans. – Arazoo Ferozan9 years ago
There have been three main renditions of Kate Bishop in the past year or two that have made a significant difference in how we perceive her as a character. The storyline of who she has become is one thing, but how her personality is perceived is another.
Adolescent Kate is what started it all when she made an appearance in the first Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and drawn by Jim Cheung in 2005. In the previous comic mentioned, she looks entirely different than she is depicted now. But, Kate has grown from being a sidekick character in David Aja, Annie Wu, and Matt Fraction's version of Hawkeye in 2012. To being her own character with her own personality (and older) in Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie in 2013. And, lastly, to being a grown up version of these two comics in the All-New Hawkeye series by Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez in 2015.
Throughout all of these comics, Kate Bishop has not only changed who she is and how she's grown as a person; but, how she is drawn as well. She is drawn differently throughout these comics and it is interesting to see how differently that she is drawn. How artists are perceiving her and how she has altered through time is one way to think about it.
Kate Bishop is an underrated character in the Marvel universe, mostly because she is secondary to Clint Barton. She is essentially his sidekick, when most of the time, it seems like Cint is her sidekick. While she did start in the Young Avengers she has made quite the evolution since Jim Cheung has made her character into a character.
Persepolis. Hyperbole and a Half. Fun Home. Over the last 20 years, the graphic memoir has become a popular medium-of-choice for writers and illustrators to examine difficult childhoods, mental illness, sexuality, and other marginalizing factors. What storytelling capabilities does the graphic memoir, as a medium, offer that traditional the traditional book format does not? What are its limitations?
Whoever writes on this topic might want to discuss the difference between a graphic memoir and an ordinary picture book of an artist's work (who focuses on making art to express their life). I for one didn't know graphic memoirs were becoming popular. Do they mostly feature real life childhood photos not taken by themselves? I think a graphic memoir and a painting expressing a past experience both have pros in the creator's ability to visually display what they may not have the skill to write or speak about. – Slaidey9 years ago
I've read Persepolis and Fun Home both in academic settings. We talked about the presentation of truth, use of color and art style, gutter narration vs. speech bubble exposition. This is a really cool and relevant topic, given the popularity of these graphic novels. – ChristelleMarie9 years ago
Palestine by Joe Sacco is also an interesting one to look at. Great topic!
– Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
Perhaps the most seminal graphic memoir in recent memory would have to be Blankets, a sprawling work of art published in a single 500-plus volume. Absolutely as essential a biography as Maus or Persepolis. I also would be remiss not to mention My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf, one of the scariest personal observations of a psychopath you may ever encounter in any medium. – Diogenes11389 years ago
There are always characters stories intersecting within the Marvel universe in print and on screen. This volatile dynamic is created when two or more superhero egos are positioned against one another. The result might be a tension that forms a bond or such irrevocable differences stage a violent confrontation. Occasionally, the latter changes when each character encounters a situation where the enemy of my enemy is my friend applies and they invariably join forces. The relationship between Deadpool and Spiderman is one example when a dialectal bond forms but not necessarily for the traditional reasons of completing a shared objective. Although this juxtaposition of good vs. evil or forming unlikely alliances is a commonplace plot convention, what makes the merger of Deadpool and Spiderman narrative so compelling?
YouTube celebrities have worked hard to gain followers, fans and lurkers by creating original programming. Talk shows that cover uncensored topics like politics, pop culture or in the case of Comicbookgirl19, comics, have become quite popular in recent years. This recipe has wet the palate of millions of subscribers. However, maintaining that level of notoriety is challenging. Due to the fact that the novelty of their shtick eventually wears off, and the groundswell of crowdsourcing funds plateau, keeping viewers requires increasing the lure of merchandising, re-orienting the show's focus or set designs, which may have diluted the purity of Comicbookgirl19's appeal.
This may due for expansion, actually, give examples of people who lost popularity on YouTube for this reason. Otherwise a good topic. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
to Rachel Efassy Bitoun: funding plateau means that funds raised by donations haven't increased, rather it is steady? I'm not sure why you would interpret that as a "French word"? A plateau like a mountain top or hill? And as for the question? This style of abstract is very commonly used in rhetorical analyses, there is no concrete answer as to why her show has become less popular. It is primarily speculative. Unless, the author wants to do an exhaustive political economic paper. Sorry you are not familiar with this type of research.
Emily Deibler: I changed the second sentence, thanks for the constructive copy edit! – Jason0527149 years ago
While Superman has become an icon around the world, writers are put in a difficult spot when writing the character. How do make Superman relatable when he is impervious to anything, or anyone? What made some of the well known Superman stories so good, and how have they integrated the character into our modern times? Maybe what makes him an interesting character in not what he is weak to, but instead, what he symbolizes as a superhero.
Perhaps both sides are a factor here. What makes Superman relatable to me is what he is weak too. Superman is impervious to anything but magic and kryptonite and the DC universe is rife with magic. In fact, Captain Marvel could probably go toe to toe with Superman and survive and the Batman has proven capable too. Superman gets hard to write when he has no weakness at all because everyone, both the writer and the reader, know he will pull out fine. Of course, even with his weakness, we know that and that's where the symbolism comes in. As a superhero, and as a human, Clark Kent. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Another point I'd like to add about the difficulty is how people view him. Many people see Superman as an alien like God because of the powers that he has, despite the notion that they're powers to us, but not to him and other kryptonians. Another aspect that people believe he's Superman before Clark Kent just because he's from another planet, making it harder to relate to him when they see him as an alien. While others like myself, see Superman as human despite his origin because of how he was raised on earth. He lived his life among humans, all of his values were taught by his loving adoptive family, and he became Superman as a way that people can have someone to inspire them as he's the symbol of hope. With that, Superman is the disguise for Clark so he can use his powers for the greater good and help those in need no matter the situation. He's Clark Kent before Superman, the problem though is that the different viewpoints affect the writing so Superman's character is not only difficult, but also inconsistent since everyone has a different viewpoint for how Superman should be portrayed. – MajoraChaLa9 years ago
It's nearly impossible to make Superman relatable. I feel like for whatever reason we are bored by his perfection, but also unwilling to see him become more human and flawed. We see idealism in him, just think of songs that have lines like "I'm no Superman" or "Isn't there a Superman to sweep me off my feet". He's become far more of an icon than a character, and people don't like their icons messed with. This backs writers into the corner of balancing the way the world wants him to be and writing him in a way that will actually be interesting. – SomeOtherAmazon9 years ago
I see the point of what you're trying to do here, but I think it might be hard to talk about the character in a vacuum here. There have been good runs on Superman: maybe refocus to think about particular creative approaches to Superman that you think worked or didn't, and try to draw your lessons from that? So, I really liked Steven Seagle's run a few years back, and am enjoying the new books from Pak and Kuder and Gene Yang. Maybe you could isolate particular runs and build an essay from that?
– MattDube9 years ago
Analyzing the history of Superman's concept as a hero who fights for truth, justice, and freedom, to how freedom was replaced by the "American Way" leading to fans and casual readers to argue about Superman's national identity. Overlooking how national identity does not solely define Superman's legacy as an inspiration for hope, and question if his label as an "American icon" is more harmful to the character than anticipated.
They did do a Red Son superman where he was no longer fighting for the American way but for the Russian way. I am not sure if that would be helpful seeing as he is still fighting for a national identity. Perhaps there is room here to analyze audience responses and see how some creators conflate national identity with freedom. – DClarke9 years ago
Thor is a woman, Spider-man is black, and the Hulk is Korean-American. These popular characters were once all white males, but Marvel Comics has undergone some re-branding and decided to branch out with character diversity. Are these changes to be praised and the new line-up celebrated? Can this truly be called diversity when these female and minority characters are launched from the platform of popular, established, white male characters?
This article will argue whether or not this kind of "diversity" is valid.
I always thought about why didn't they just create new characters as opposed to changing the old? I like that they are trying to be progressive and gain a more diverse audience and appeal to the masses, however, I feel as if it's kind of a half-hearted move. Sounds like they said to themselves, "Oh hey, it's 2015, we need to have more diverse characters. Oh, let's just change Thor into a woman and make Spider-man black." Upon hearing these changes, I didn't feel moved. I think for this topic, it would be important to see how their readers have reacted and what their thoughts are, and if this made an impact on Marvel's comic-book sales. – Jmarie9 years ago
While I am incredibly glad to see that more female characters are being added, I am hesitant to praise the way in which it is happening. Representation is everything; it's what pulls people in and keeps them buying, volume after volume. People of all colors, creeds, identities, religions, and orientations deserve to be explored and promoted - correctly.
Having Thor be a woman is an interesting change, but I think it was a cop out. Jane Foster could have been so incredible on her own. She didn't need Mjolnir and the power of Thor to be "super," but that's the angle they chose.
The Spiderverse is taking a slightly better approach to it. This opens the path for there to be multiple personalities with the same powers. That sort of open-ended story telling could do so much good for representation. What could all of these different people, all from different backgrounds, do with the same set of powers?
While all of this is all well and good, I want to see original characters that aren't being slapped with the merits of their "previous" versions. Jane is going to have to break away from readers who have the white, male, Norse "god" mindset. They could have easily taken a bit from the movies - why was Jane Foster, a normal woman, able to absorb an Infinity Stone? There is so much potential there! Let's have new characters that are black, latina/o, trans*, gay, asexual - but let them be themselves. No recycling of names to get attention. Let the characters speak for themselves. – crypticlyric9 years ago
I worry about this change in comics. I absolutely think that creators need to be creating more diverse comic universes, however some of these changes seem half thought out and sloppy. I'd much rather see new characters of different races than old characters redefined. No matter what the main stream public is probably going to remember the white character, thus taking something away from both versions of the character. I also worry that these changes are temporary grabs for publicity and lacking in real substance. – SomeOtherAmazon9 years ago
Who writes comics and for whom? – Munjeera9 years ago
