The "say something nice about Joey Q" Thread

[Egotastic]

That's alright. For one, the search function on these forums sucks. Also, I couldn't care less.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Meh. Marvel started out being run by a hack, .

Martin Goodman was a hack?

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Yeah, see, I can't for the life of me understand why any fan would care about sales.

Because that's who buys the books.

Top rated comics aren't selling one million copies anymore. Kids aren't going up to newstands with all the quarters they saved up this week and buying an industries entire run of characters from Amazing Spider-Man to X-Men. Therefore it's not some group of uniformed, deluded masses who are going to the comic shops in droves to buy the latest Spider-Man, but might not if only they knew what real Spider-Man stories were suppose to be like.

The "sales don't mean squat" argument only really works if you can present some argument that the general public who consumes the good is largely uniformed. For example, as a Bodybuilder, I can tell you I am not a fan of MuscleTech products, they are just clicks and whistles. Practically snake oil. But, they are probably the top selling brand, outselling some real great supplements made by lesser known companies. Why? Because MuscleTech products pander to "da masses" by promising outrageous gains and presenting very flashy gimmicks and bright colors to sell their products.

Comics aren't really like that though. Most people who walk into a comic shop and fill out a subscription list, or pick up this or that issue every month have a general understanding of who the Green Lantern is, or what the X-Men are. They are probably familiar, at the very least from osmosis what the classic storylines are, who some of the great writers were and who some of the iconic artists are. These are the people buying the majority of the books every month. So why do sales matter? Because it means these devoted fans are invested enough in the current crop of stories to buy them. If they didn't like them, they wouldn't buy them, and we've seen that happen in the past.

 

[Doc Destruction]

You're way off base. Explain how Ultimates 3 is selling so well.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Name recognition. That's becoming more and more of a factor in comics. People may not buy the Fantastic Four's comic, for example, but they'll buy the Fantastic Four by Millar and Hitch. Ultimates 3 is selling well for the opposite reason: people became attached to it during Millar and Hitch's run and are continuing to buy it out of habit and, perhaps, because Loeb and Mad are big names in their own right. That's my belief, anyway, since everything I've heard indicates Loeb and Mad's story sucks massive ash.

 

[Doc Destruction]

So what you're saying is that people buying the Ultimates are the general public who consume the good and are largely uniformed?

Ah yes...then I agree.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Not uninformed, necessarily. Comics are a pretty small market filled with people who tend to know at least a little about what they're reading. You'd have to know who Loeb, Millar, Hitch, Mad, et al. are--or at least that they're hot right now--to buy comics based on their names.

 

[Aristotle]

So in keeping with the Mencia comparison, does Aristotle think that Stan Lee ripped off other creators or something?

Here's what I believe about Mencia: He's a hack comedy writer who is one of the worst examples of his craft, yet became inordinately popular and celebrated, all the way embracing massive marketing campaigns and cheap sales gimmicks to line his pockets at the expense of his craft. Also, his signature gimmick, his race dimension, he has ripped off wholesale from a better artist.

Here's what I believe about Lee: He's a hack comic book writer who is one of the worst examples of his craft, yet became inordinately popular and celebrated, all the way embracing massive marketing campaigns and cheap sales gimmicks to line his pockets at the expense of his craft. Also, his signature gimmick, the X-Men, he ripped off wholesale from a better writer.

That's the comparison.

 

[Aristotle]

Because that's who buys the books.

Top rated comics aren't selling one million copies anymore. Kids aren't going up to newstands with all the quarters they saved up this week and buying an industries entire run of characters from Amazing Spider-Man to X-Men. Therefore it's not some group of uniformed, deluded masses who are going to the comic shops in droves to buy the latest Spider-Man, but might not if only they knew what real Spider-Man stories were suppose to be like.

The "sales don't mean squat" argument only really works if you can present some argument that the general public who consumes the good is largely uniformed. For example, as a Bodybuilder, I can tell you I am not a fan of MuscleTech products, they are just clicks and whistles. Practically snake oil. But, they are probably the top selling brand, outselling some real great supplements made by lesser known companies. Why? Because MuscleTech products pander to "da masses" by promising outrageous gains and presenting very flashy gimmicks and bright colors to sell their products.

Comics aren't really like that though. Most people who walk into a comic shop and fill out a subscription list, or pick up this or that issue every month have a general understanding of who the Green Lantern is, or what the X-Men are. They are probably familiar, at the very least from osmosis what the classic storylines are, who some of the great writers were and who some of the iconic artists are. These are the people buying the majority of the books every month. So why do sales matter? Because it means these devoted fans are invested enough in the current crop of stories to buy them. If they didn't like them, they wouldn't buy them, and we've seen that happen in the past.

Yes, of course the fans like it if it sells well. They're a bunch of ****ing idiots that like shallow ******** designed to condescendingly pander to them.

 

[Silverstein]

Say, now, buddy-oh!! You just called Stan Lee a hack!! That's like saying "Hot dogs at a baseball game is rubbish!" or "foey to stamp collectin and comic book readin for young whipper snappers enjoyin their youth!"

What kinda tricks are you pushin, bub? Well now I have half'a'mind to pop you one good!

Stan's a Class A act, see? And anyone puttin a dirt on his name is fittin for me to put some dirt in their eye! Yeah, see? Yeah.

You youngins today wouldn't know a good writer, if he bit ya in the tuckus! See? Stan Lee is the cat's meow, and don't let nobody tell ya otherwise or else they're a commie! Yeah, see? Yeah.

 

[Aristotle]

Say, now, buddy-oh!! You just called Stan Lee a hack!! That's like saying "Hot dogs at a baseball game is rubbish!" or "foey to stamp collectin and comic book readin for young whipper snappers enjoyin their youth!"

What kinda tricks are you pushin, bub? Well now I have half'a'mind to pop you one good!

Stan's a Class A act, see? And anyone puttin a dirt on his name is fittin for me to put some dirt in their eye! Yeah, see? Yeah.

You youngins today wouldn't know a good writer, if he bit ya in the tuckus! See? Stan Lee is the cat's meow, and don't let nobody tell ya otherwise or else they're a commie! Yeah, see? Yeah.

Prohibition-Era Logan?

 

[Silverstein]

lol I was watching a black and white film when I was typing...

 

[roach]

Also, his signature gimmick, the X-Men, he ripped off wholesale from a better writer.

I dont think the X-men are Stan Lee's signature gimmick...Spider-man is