I posted this on my livejournal, and will just repost it here:
"My thoughts? He's certainly has his heart in the right place but honestly there's more than a few holes in his logic. While more original ideas and creator owned work is something that could be good for the industry, I don't see how taking top named creators off mainstream books to do only creator owned work is good for comics in the long run. Kirkman himself states that people as of right now are following the creators, not the characters. How exactly does that mean that the kids will come running and start buying Spider-Man with no-name writer and easier to follow continuity? The argument that kids don't read comics because the stories are too complex, too mature and to steeped in continuity is completely and utterly ridiculous. Why? Because kids read manga. How many volumes does Naruto have? You're telling me that those stories aren't complex and steeped in continuity? Of course they are, but kids are going every day to the store and picking up the latest volume. Getting kids to start picking up comics on a weekly basis and getting a whole new fanbase involves a lot more than just making stories easier to follow. Again, I don't see why top named creators have to leave mainstream books completely for this to be accomplished.
The fact that Kirkman believes that comic book fans will just follow any creator to anything he does is both arrogant and makes us sound like idiots IMO. Sure, I have some favorite creators, and I'll admit to following them to their books, but that doesn't mean I do it blindly. Ed Brubaker for example, I read Daredevil because he's writing it, I read Criminal because he's writing it, but I don't read his X-Men, I haven't read a single issue of his X-Men run. I don't honestly see how creators just doing creator owned work is going help the industry as a whole and as Kirkman touts, make Marvel and DC better. Maybe I'm missing something here. Frankly, I like having the option open. As a reader, why should I only be able to get Brubaker doing Criminal when I can get Brubaker doing Daredevil as well, or Captain America? Isn't America all about options dammit?!
Frankly, the whole thing comes off as a sales pitch to bring in creators to work for Image with their own stuff. Like I said, Kirkman may have his heart in the right place, but his logic needs a bit more work here. Creator owned work is fine and dandy, but the logic that somehow everyone leaving Marvel and DC to do creator owned work is going to make the industry grow, make Marvel and DC more accessible to kids, and insure the longevity of the industry is just faulty to me. Of course, maybe I just didn't get it, and I'm sure there's some people out there that will be more than happy to tell me how I just didn't get it."
