Why kids quit comics

[Drakon]

How much backstory do you read, Dark?

 

[Dark Victory]

^Depends on the character. For Spider-Man, I own all the Essential trades along with other books like Death of the Stacys, Saga of Sandman, Birth of Venom, etc. Same goes for Batman. I own all the "essential" trades(The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Forties-Eighties, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scarecrow Tales, etc). I would've owned all the Archive books by now if they weren't so expensive. But for a character like the Punisher or Captain America, I'll only collect if a certain writer is on board(Ennis and Brubaker).

 

[Chris Wallace]

^the first Spider-Man film. I remember that I was on a Spider-Man craze after I saw the teaser, and I found out about how Marvel was rebooting their characters with the Ultimate universe so my dad bought Ultimate Spider-Man #7 for me and since then I've expanded my interests(Vertigo titles, Batman, Superman, Walking Dead, etc.). When I was a kid, comics were just as exciting as going to the movies or playing a videogame. I remember sitting in class impatiently on Wednesdays, needing to know if Peter Parker saved Mary Jane after the Green Goblin tossed her off the Brooklyn Bridge.

SOunds to me like you have more of a predisposition to reading than others. Whenever I talk to my stepson about the differences between the movies & comics, half the time he seems interested & the other half, he seems to be even less inclined to read than before. I have even gotten him manga books-as he LOVES manga-but he still won't read them. But by that same token, he likes to draw manga & whenever I've gotten him books on that, he just kinda skims through them & continues drawing the same way. My son, on the other hand, is very enthused about comics in general. He loves going to the Con every year, he loves going to comic stores-especially on Free Comic Day, the first word he ever learned to spell was Hulk, the first Halloween costume he ever chose for himself was Batman, he's known words like symbiote & adamantium for as long as I can remember, & has even taken to writing his own comics. But he has me for a father whereas a kid who doesn't grow up around an enthusiast probably wouldn't develop the same passion.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I bring good news!!

My mate told me he went out and bought his first ever comic book today, thanks to me explaining the awesomness of the medium! What comic did he buy? Do you have to ask? Deadpool #10!

He's not technically a kid, he's 22, but hey, at least that's 1 new comic book reader!

 

[E-Man]

I bring good news!!

My mate told me he went out and bought his first ever comic book today, thanks to me explaining the awesomness of the medium! What comic did he buy? Do you have to ask? Deadpool #10!

He's not technically a kid, he's 22, but hey, at least that's 1 new comic book reader!

Deadpool FTW! Did you have to show him the Rorschach & Deadpool to get him interested?

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Na I haven't shown him that yet. We saw Wolverine last week and he liked the "bad mon with the two swords", so I explained what Deadpool was all about, the rest is history

 

[E-Man]

What was his reaction to Baraka-pool? I'm on this quest to see if there is one person that actually liked that abomination.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I bring good news!!

My mate told me he went out and bought his first ever comic book today, thanks to me explaining the awesomness of the medium! What comic did he buy? Do you have to ask? Deadpool #10!

He's not technically a kid, he's 22, but hey, at least that's 1 new comic book reader!

I got my ex interested in BP when Hudlin's run kicked off. She instantly fell in love with all things Panther.
And I wasn't bothered by the movie version of Deadpool at all. I have learned to view movies & comics as two separate entities. And truth be told, not once did I think of Baraka.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

What was his reaction to Baraka-pool? I'm on this quest to see if there is one person that actually liked that abomination.

He thought he was cool up until he started shooting frickin laser beams out of his frickin eyes!

Hell I think barakapool was cool, if he wasn't Wade Wilson and was just some created character for the film.

I got my ex interested in BP when Hudlin's run kicked off. She instantly fell in love with all things Panther.

Cool man. It's definitely about enlightening people, showing them the way of the comic book!

 

[Drakon]

^Depends on the character. For Spider-Man, I own all the Essential trades along with other books like Death of the Stacys, Saga of Sandman, Birth of Venom, etc. Same goes for Batman. I own all the "essential" trades(The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Forties-Eighties, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scarecrow Tales, etc). I would've owned all the Archive books by now if they weren't so expensive. But for a character like the Punisher or Captain America, I'll only collect if a certain writer is on board(Ennis and Brubaker).

Wow. You, good sir, have earned my respect. Well played.

What was his reaction to Baraka-pool? I'm on this quest to see if there is one person that actually liked that abomination.

Well, I kinda liked him, but when I go to a comic movie, I tend to treat things way differently. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot more source material than most fans, for the sake of some of the "HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE HE JUST DID THAT" moment. I mean, obviously, I would have PREFERRED a more true-to-the-books character. But the way they presented him in the movie, pre-X, and how they explained him worked within the movie, so I was okay with it. I mean, there wasn't some big gaping hole leading to Mordor in that plotline, so it wasn't tragic....I think I'm rambling now. The point is that if he was based off of all these different mutants, Wolverine included, then it'd make sense for him to have "claws". Since obviously he didn't, and there was only so much you could do to the person without killing him, giving him a single blade in each arm made sense, doubly so since he was already a skilled swordsman.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Well, I kinda liked him, but when I go to a comic movie, I tend to treat things way differently. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot more source material than most fans, for the sake of some of the "HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE HE JUST DID THAT" moment. I mean, obviously, I would have PREFERRED a more true-to-the-books character. But the way they presented him in the movie, pre-X, and how they explained him worked within the movie, so I was okay with it. I mean, there wasn't some big gaping hole leading to Mordor in that plotline, so it wasn't tragic....I think I'm rambling now. The point is that if he was based off of all these different mutants, Wolverine included, then it'd make sense for him to have "claws". Since obviously he didn't, and there was only so much you could do to the person without killing him, giving him a single blade in each arm made sense, doubly so since he was already a skilled swordsman.

That's pretty much how I felt. Also, Wolverine had the claws because he ALWAYS had them. And I figure Stryker hadn't quite perfected the process as he had once Deathstrike came about.

 

[C. Lee]

What was his reaction to Baraka-pool? I'm on this quest to see if there is one person that actually liked that abomination.

Since I have never read a Deadpool comic....the movie character didn't bother me at all. He was a a good antagonist for them.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Well the part where he started flipping towards them, then vaults up in the air and does a triple somersault, but then teleports back behind Creed was ****ing amazing. That whole part where he was porting from all angles was immense.

But it went downhill when he started shooting optic beams for me.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

The gate-fold recaps were stopped because it became too expensive to do and keep comics the price they were. They don't really need all that; a more detailed first page would suffice.

 

[Chris Wallace]

So how would we go about hooking new readers without the risk of them being turned off by all the convoluted backstory?

 

[E-Man]

^I guess trades are the best way to get them interested. The problem is that trades to a new fan would be expensive. Of course to us they're cheap, we have a gauge to judge them on. The new reader doesn't know how cheap the trades they're getting are. They just think that with the $12-20 could've been used for a movie date or something. I think having the small digest type trades work. I got the first 6 issues of Runaways for only 8 bucks.

As for Baraka-pool, I hated him with a passion. Of course most of it comes from the way they brutally raped the character of Deadpool, but the design was just stupid. Swords coming out of his arms? That just looked ******ed. All those flips and moves I've seen before, so I wasn't impressed in the least bit.

 

[Drakon]

So how would we go about hooking new readers without the risk of them being turned off by all the convoluted backstory?

On a wide level? I'm not entirely sure.

On a more personal level? Start with the movies and TV they like. If they like the Spider-Man cartoon, then let them check out some of the comics--just for art, at first. Like "Dude, check out this awesome pic of Doc Ock!" and he'll be "Oh, he's that one guy with the arms?" and then you can give a little more info. Eventually, you'll nickel and dime them til you find someone they'd really be interested in, like, say, Carnage. Give them a comic, and they'd start up.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Case-by-case basis. See, I can't remember a time when I wasn't into comics. But I can remember a period where I swore them off, declaring myself too old for them. I was around 11. Then I found myself borrowing my friends' books, & didn't actually purchase one until I was 18. Between the Batman movie & the first Turtles flick, I ultimately found the call irresistable. But once I entered the Marine Corps, I dove in & became a full-time reader & collector, which ultimately led me to want to create my own.

 

[MadVillainy]

Heres my thing about it.

AS a 17 yr old rising senior with no car, no money comics are low on my list of priorities

I cant answer the question of why all kids quit comics but I'll try to answer using myself as an example

1) Accessibility is a problem. I would be so much more into comics if there was a comicbook store within reasonable walking distance of my house. Because even if I had a car, it would be so much nicer if I could just walk to a store instead.

2) Money is a problem. No comics are not expensive, but Ive been looking for a job since 2 Decembers ago to no avail and without a steady income I wouldnt want to spend whatever money I do receive on comics.

3) Lack of interesting stories in the main DC and Marvel. Honestly if there were more compelling enough stories then I would use my limited income to buy comics more. Thats what I plan to do with Captain America Reborn, The Blackest Night, & Batman and Robin. Comics usually dont interest me that much storywise because so much of it seems to have already been done or are just predictable like even Batman RIP/Battle for the Cowl, I knew it would end with Grayson becoming Batman. And the whole death of Batman thing is pointless because comic book death is so pointless. But there are some non main DC and MArvel titles that interest me.

4) None of my friends are into comics. I have one friend who is a wannabe comic fan and mostly he just reads whatever this certain podcast tells him to do and he always wants to borrow my few comics, and talk about them all the time. But I cant say that besides that one kid that I have friends who like actual comic books. So I have nobody to talk about them with in person

Onto why kids in general quit comics
1) Its not seen as cool anymore, even for kids. I dont know why but Ive just noticed at least with my cousins that comics are lame but anything Japanese is cool
2) Accessibility, I cant think of many grocery stores chains that carry comics but if there is one that had a stand set up in the front of a store with a variety of comics Im sure they will sell because kids will scream "Mommy, Daddy, I want that thing"
3) Comics are getting somewhat more mature and are more PG-13 which I think some parents fend their kids off of reading

 

[Chris Wallace]

Comics are comparatively expensive nowadays. And while I agree with 2 of your final points, I doubt most parents are even aware of the third.

 

[Chris Wallace]

So they'd probably get more kids if comics could be picked up at Wal-Mart?

 

[Drakon]

It wouldn't hurt the chances. It's easier to get something when you can buy it in 60 places than 6.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Agreed. But they sell them in Border's. How many kids do you typically see in Border's? THe closest one to me is about 200 feet from a GameStop. Yeah, like your average kid is going to walk past the videogame store to go to a bookstore.

 

[E-Man]

So they'd probably get more kids if comics could be picked up at Wal-Mart?

I think it would increase the chances tremendously. Everybody goes to Wal-mart, and kids like the magazine section. It'll also get comics in front of kids who wouldn't even think of going to a comic shop anyway.

 

[Chris Wallace]

And in a city like where I live, comic shops are hard as hell to find anyway. I was here well over a year before I even saw one.