I may be incorrect but thats how Im reading the discussion above.
1 Like
Almost getting to the point if you can squeeze out a 35k print run for a non number one, youāre doing something very good!
I think Image starts cancelling titles who canāt sell more than 5k on average it seems. Itās a reason why you fall in love with a story and then boom, no more and youāre left questioning what happened!
2 Likes
I think this is what happened to Tartarus. I was so sad to read the āweāre on indefinite hiatusā letter at the end of issue #10.
1 Like
I have had a chance to meet Todd on several occasions. He gave me art work he drew right there in front of us. He was fun. But yes, Todd does mercifully self promote. He is a showman. PT Barnum. Some love him some hate him for it. Itās ok to disagree.
Cates is an up and comer with a growing attitude. I interviewed him years ago and he was very humble (God Country had just finished and Redneck was just starting, ironically Skybound asked me to scrub the interview because I asked about Circle of Confusion picking up his work). He is different now. Comics need showmen Cates is the new breed.
People never really busted on Stan Lee for his showmanship and he is now more beloved than ever. (Not a comparison between their works just attitudes)
2 Likes
I donāt think itās fair to judge a writer based on spec and secondary sales. You do realize King turned the Vision book over at Marvel into a sought after book, recommended by many for those seeking a great sit down read and story.
He also turned Mister Miracle, a character most wouldnāt even have touched into another sought after read, winning many awards for his work I believe.
Yes, his take on Batman was sub par. I think King excels at obscure characters and 10-12 issue series.
But I wouldnāt judge someone (writer) based on what the silly and mysterious secondary market is doing based on a character that was created. Speculators chase firsts, as those command the premiums and are a completely different ballgame when it actually comes down to actual writing itself.
I disliked King on Batman but love just about everything else heās done. Heās by far the superior writer judging him on actual skill over many other writers out there today.
3 Likes
Thatās why he wins. Sitting quietly waiting for people to praise your work is not a recipe for success
Iām still waiting for Saga to come back from itās āhiatusāā¦ I guess BKV got fat and lazy this past year during covid, enjoying the downtime apparentlyā¦ 
2 Likes
Compared to Batman or Venom or any mainstream book in DC or Marvel, nah itās small by modern standards. It aināt indie small but itās small.
If people enjoy the character and buy books because of said character, you can absolutely give a writer props for that. Youre entitled to your opinion of course but I disagree that he shouldnāt get credit for it.
Iāll say this: After I finished Venom 34 and KIB 5 today I am half tempted to sell or give away my Venom collectionā¦ the ending was just so sub par. I understand that this was a redemption story, I understand that this is comic books, but DAMN this was just a bad ending.
Cates caught my attention with Thanos Wins. So much so I went out and bought Thanos 13 at a premium. Thor has been fun (Black Winter is a little lack luster but I hope it isnāt dead for good. The concept of a reality-eating Galactus type being is awesome) Venom is a let down. I succumbed to the hype train with Venomā¦ I wish I hadnāt. In comics I try to live by the code of ācollect what you love.ā I donāt love Venom and I got bit in the ass for jumping on the bandwagon. Hell, I donāt Thor either and never read a series if his before as Iām a DC guy at heart but Thor is delivering (for me, at least.)
I enjoy a slower paced (albeit with decent action), well planned and executed comic book run rather than a bunch of nonstop, over the top, crazy Hollywood explosions all the time. Sometimes reading Cates feels like Iām watching a real of all the action scenes in all the Terminator movies.
Tynionās Batman is doing type of writing I enjoy. Thier Dark Designs leads into Joker War which in the end totally shifts the status quo of Gotham. I am fully on board.
Ram V, while only two issues into Swamp Thing is doing a great job and is setting things up nicely. Ditto Thompson on Suicide Squad. Two totally different flavors but there seems to be one big plan here which is great see.
I think that Cates has a longer, more well thought out plan for Thor. I hopeā¦cause damn I canāt take another KIB ending.
9 Likes
I agree. I think DC is heading in the right direction story telling wise. Marvel as a whole with endless crossover events seems like a jumbled up mess. I have never seen such a large project as heroes reborn have such an unanimous lack of interest from fans.
1 Like
I forgot Heroes Reborn was something.
Me too! This is the same reason I couldnāt hack Scott Snyderās JL run. It was like watching action movie trailers back to back to back.
I am definitely interested to see what Cates writes next. He always does something new and interesting with the characters he writes. Bringing back Donald Blake as a villain in Thor is a pretty cool idea. Thanos wins was great. Venom was great and I donāt recall seeing all these complaints until recently.
3 Likes
If you havenāt read Jason Aaronās run on Thor in Thor God of Thunder do so immediately. Itās where Gorr was introduced and Knull was retconned into as well. One of the best reads Iāve had!!
1 Like
Thor God of Thunder first two story arcs IS THE BEST MARVEL READ in the past 3 or 4 decades! 
2 Likes
Look on the bright sideā¦Venom still isnāt as bad as the current Spider-man run. 
3 Likes
Hahaā¦ and Spencer is normally a great writer. Thatās the really sad thingā¦ Iām almost getting to the point where Iām about to call on Marvel to bring Slott back, who was almost equally terrible.
1 Like
Spider-man started out pretty good. I liked it because I thought it was hilarious that he was roommates with Boomerang and it all made me laugh but then it just kind of got monotonous and boring and I stopped reading. I donāt think I have read the series since issue 9 or so
The problem seems to be that telling interesting stories in an already fully established world with a specific character is not the same as just telling interesting stories. I think itās what I like so much about GotG, itās got a massive character set to swap in and out from as well as a massive playground to tell stories in. Hard to mess that up (you, uh, certainly can but it takes a bit of work).
One of the things the MCU does really well is pull characters into a story, so theyāre telling a story first and use characters as needed rather than getting stuck with a character and having to design a story or stories around them. It would be cool to give story-telling duties to some fresh voices (like some of the awesome indie writers with cool ideas) and let them pull in characters as neededānot event books per se, but story-driven books that need/build new relationships.
5 Likes