The Rise of the Teenage heroes

[Elijya]

anyone noticing this trend coming back in a big way now?

starts off about 2 years ago when the new Teen Titans book came out and rocketed to the top of the sales chart. Meanwhile, Image is making a splash with surprise hit Invincible. Runaways starts up and has a rocky start sales wise, but quality prevails and the sales for the digest trade make it a hit.

Over in Green Arrow, long time supporting character Mia finally dons a costume to become the new speedy. The X-books launch a new New Mutants book which then becomes New X-Men: Academy X. NYX is a hit, and despite critisism, X-23 seems to be a popular character

This year, we saw the launch of Young Avengers, which, despite screams of "rip off!" at first, seems to have become a favorite amongst alot of people. Marvel launched Gravity this past week, which seems to be popular. The New New Warriors book came out, and while this poster doubts that books eventual success, it is another chip on the teenage hero pile. Lastly, DC recently launched Son of Vulcan, about a side kick whose mentor is killed on the first night out

just a major trend I've noticed of late. I think back 10 years ago, and I don't recall really ANY teen books, except maybe Gen-13 and Gen X, but the former was filled with sex and the latter...well, IMO, sucked. I dunno, your thoughts?

 

[Dread]

You forgot MACHINE TEEN.

I am noticing a trend, especially when you note that there is a "team within a team book" in RUNAWAYS with Excelsior, themselves mostly members from past Teen Teams (and half of them either served, or were asked to serve, as New Warriors). Plus, you have past teen heroes cameoing in other books, such as Prodigy (technically) in GLA #2, and Rage in GRAVITY.

It's a trend I don't mind. I'm all about new generations coming about. Which is why it is a shame that New Warriors continues to be a property that is bungled and not done seriously and properly. It's longest run failed due to the issues that plagued the early and mid 90's. Everything since hasn't stuck well. Vaughan is the man for that book. Actually, Wells probably wouldn't be too shabby if he had another artist and wasn't going with the "reality TV" thing.

 

[rigel7soldiers]

I liked Gen 13... I also doubt the New Warriors book will do well... at least Turbo's getting some publicity in Runaways... Slingers was a teen book, but it didn't sell too well... Marvel seems to be cashing in on this in a much less subtle way. DC, with books like Hard Time, is at least trying to not recycle stories...

 

[Zoken]

Marvel, IMO, with "recycling" their characters, is trying to give a better sense of their universe. basically saying "SEE! see! that person didn't just dissapear, they went on to do something logical in for someone in their position... start group therapy"

The Teen trend.... I dunno, I think their trying to get at that target audience where the writers can write like adults, but still nabb the readers young. their trying to shuck off the image of comics being for thirty year old fat guys... although GLA has no problem embracing it. Personally I like it. it means the characters have lasting power without having that "perpetual youth" thing going on like other major characters like Spider-Man and Batman. also its a great point to start if you want your characters to grow and change and become things in front of the reader.

 

[Darthphere]

Teenage heroes are on the rise because they cater to the new readership.

 

[Elijya]

what new readership?

 

[deathshead2]

I think he means teenagers who are reading comics.

 

[DBM]

I think he means teenagers who are reading comics.

There's not really a lot of those. The majority of comic readers are males between the ages of 20 and 35.

 

[Elijya]

yup. the sucess of the books I've mentioned can not be explained by a massive influx of new yonger readers. there're been some, but not many,

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, Gravity comes from Marvel very obviously trying to capitalize on the original success of Spider-Man. He's a Spidey clone through and through. Mia's success in GA probably has to do more with the fact that GA was already selling well and Winick actually made the story pretty interesting and emotional, so it was just a good read. Young Avengers is likewise a great read with solid dialogue and a good eye for seamlessly mixing canon with interesting future prospects. Runaways was successful enough to warrant another shot at an ongoing series, so that may be where the impetus for New (x2) Warriors came from.

 

[Gambit8370]

There's not really a lot of those. The majority of comic readers are males between the ages of 20 and 35.

Hey I'm gonna hit 35 in 2 months...

Does that mean it's time to quit?

 

[Muze]

Hey I'm gonna hit 35 in 2 months...

Does that mean it's time to quit?

yes. i'm 25 and i quit. it's quite freeing.

 

[Gambit8370]

yes. i'm 25 and i quit. it's quite freeing.

I'm not sure I can quit though.

Comics are the best they've been in YEARS!

DC Comics that is...

Marvel, however, died with Hawkeye.

 

[Muze]

I'm not sure I can quit though.

Comics are the best they've been in YEARS!

DC Comics that is...

Marvel, however, died with Hawkeye.

oh, well, if you're enjoying DC, by all means keep reading. i just don't have the energy to invest in an entirely new comic line. i know of the characters (DC) but it would take me a while to catch up on the continuity. DC does have the better artists imo. are you reading that Supervillain team-up book? that caught my eye.

 

[Darthphere]

There are more teenagers reading comics nowaday than you think. Just think of it this way most of the heroes we grew up with have been aged. Almost all the big meembers of the X-men are adults, Spider-Man is in his 20's, Hulk was always adult. So, now all these teen books have popped out to cater to the still present and growing teenage market. I will however say that most of the people reading these books are not teens but these books are marketed to the teenage society.

 

[Wolverazio]

I don't think it can be explained as there being a huge number of teens reading so much as all comic companies want there to be more teens reading. After all, it is simple economics. On average, a teenager is going to have more disposable income than an adult and more of a desire to read stories about superheroes. Obviously some adults hold over from their own teen years, but how many 25 and over people do you know that never pick up a comic and suddenly at 26 start reading them?

Compared to how many of us started reading them younger?

It is nothing new. Wolverine was originally supposed to be an uppity teen, after all.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I started reading comics at like 9. Sometimes I wish I hadn't. They eat up a lot of my time and money, but I'm thoroughly and inextricably addicted now.

 

[Zoken]

there's also the appearance factor. I mean think about it. teen centric stories means you draw teenage characters. this means teenage female characters that they make look like they've been lipoed, enhanced, and anorexic

 

[Tropico]

I think there's a chance that the success of the movies has introduced a younger crowd to comics. I think there IS a younger crowd getting in touch with sequential art, but it's from mangas from what I've noticed. A lot of the animes have their manga origins and I've seen that there's a huge trend towards japanese media in the current youth. I also thought about the cost of the comics nowadays as an argument we're using more and more and realized it's not a reliable excuse. Truth is that kids spend (or make their parents spend) the same amount of money or more on other trivial things. Have you ever seen the prices of the "collectible card games" in any of the shops you go? Booster packs alone made me go , and parents pay for it. If you think about it, a videogame each month would be a fair amount for a comics allowance: $40 to $60 would net you 13 to 20 comics a month.

As for there being a "youth trend"...why not? The 90's was mostly the decade of the anti-hero. We're getting bombarded by reality shows that feature younger people and angsty soap operaey TV series that also feature teens so it stands to reason that the other media would follow suit. As long as they are done well (as in: Not the "New" New Warriors) I see no harm in giving them a try.

 

[Dread]

The "manga/anime" thing is surely true. I've seen many comic stores in Manhattan greatly enhance their manga ailes within the past 2-3 years because of it, and they usually have costumers there.

However, I just hope these new batches of teenage heroes aren't bungled like the last (New Warriors, the great "shoulda been" property of Marvel. They SHOULDA BEEN great, like Marvel's Teen Titans, but alas they're not. Yet.) So long as they are written well as CHARACTERS, let's bring them on. The only teen characters in Marvel SHOULDN'T be limited to X-Men.

 

[echopryme]

I think it's all more simple than that...


I think people are just tired of the same old stuff (Jean Grey and Wolvie fo Marvel... Batman's continuing psychosis and Superman's cosmic-level, but not cosmic at all, slugfests for DC)

I am 32, and I'm obsessed with Runaways right now. I also dig the hell out of Teen Titans.

 

[echopryme]

And Son of Vulcan was one of the best comics no one read. The iea was pure damned brilliance, and I hope they make it a trade so that people will pick it up.

I wanted Mikey Devante in the Teen Titans SOOOO badly OYL.

 

[Darthphere]

I love when new people just bump a thread like 2 years old and respond to it. It boggles the mind.


By the way, I sound stupid in this thread.

 

[Elijya]

eh, it's a symptom of newbieness , it happens

 

[Elijya]

And Son of Vulcan was one of the best comics no one read. The iea was pure damned brilliance, and I hope they make it a trade so that people will pick it up.

I wanted Mikey Devante in the Teen Titans SOOOO badly OYL.

it was pitched to me at the DC panel at Wizard World Philadelphia last year and I gave it a shot, but I dropped it halfway through since it really unimpressed me