Comics

At what point should comic publishers like DC and Marvel cancel a series that isn't as financially viable as was hoped? A few weeks ago, DC announced a few young comics were being cancelled early, including Green Lanter: Lost Army and Omega Men (which has been allowed to run for the original 12 issues), which was met with fairly universal backlash. Many people agree that cancelling issues after seeing sales figures for only a few issues and before even all of the issues that will be included in the trade paper back is unfair to the consumer and to a point the artist. But these publishers are companies with financial obligations, meaning that if a comic series is doing poorly, they should dump it and replace it with something that will be commercially successful.

Marvel Comics have been a staple in the industry since 1961 (arguably earlier). And, since that time, stories have come and gone and everything has changed forever more times than it reasonably should have. But, compared to those early, formative years from 1961~1970, today's major Marvel publications feel processed. By that I mean that the true Marvel Universe proper seemed to creatively end in 2003's Avengers: Disassembled storyline. After this came the rise of stagnant storytelling in that, compared to the 90's (the last true era where creators actually tried to make some sort of permanent change to characters) (to what effect is another story)) the 2000's were defined by nostalgia and an unwillingness to change that is still happening. It was far better to revive dead heroes and keep everything light enough that old and new readers could enjoy the stories without upsetting anyone.

Today's Marvel Comics feels as if each new title was sent through a machine and published with a shiny new finish that says "NEW" or "#1." Nothing seems to have as much substance as it used to. The tightness and community that early Marvel had seems to be gone. There are next to no letters pages anymore, a place people could go to share a community that has been lost to the forums where people are more inclined to say hurtful things and bully instead of celebrate their shared hobby. And the comic's insistence on mirroring their popular movie counterparts has lead to many changes and stories that only seem to be there because Marvel is chasing their own popularity. The whole universe just feels like one big cookie cutter comic book. And, while DC isn't doing any better, their problems are markedly different than Marvel's. Basically, it'd be interesting to compare and contrast the early Marvel Universe to the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe of today and explore just what has made this once-great line feel so plastic.

Comics have been done a better job with representation than most other mediums; however even though we see more sexualities, genders, and races, many of them are still being produced by cis caucasian writers. Do people who are not affected by the oppressive manners of a nation able to tell an honest story or are we taking opportunity away from the writers who can?

(ex. Strange Fruit is a comic made by a white creative team on the topic of racism in the American south for instance, so it's more a question of authority and credibility. Can people who do not have a glass ceiling over their heads have the ability to write about people who do without bias interfering?)

Brenden Fletcher, Annie Wu, Babs Tarr. How do you feel the series is coming along and how do you like it. You can think about questions such as, do you think it lives up to the Black Canary name? You can tie it into the 'Arrow' Black Canary and compare it to how it lives up to that as well! Similarities and differences, etc.

I'm taking a course on race in pop culture and was recently assigned to read Truth: Red, White, and Black. This alternate mythos of the Captain America story suggests that before Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson there was another Captain America- a black man named Isaiah Bradley. Bradley (and many other African American men) are unwillingly forced into government experimentation to perfect the super serum that will later make Rogers a hero. However, many of these early test subjects died on the table, or suffered from complications later on. Isaiah is the only survivor, and dawns the Captain America costume on a suicide mission behind enemy lines. Though he survives, Isaiah is ultimately mistreated by the American government until Steve Rogers finds out about him and demands a form of justice. Including this title, there have now been two black men do wear the Captain America persona. Should this be getting more attention? Does the popularity of Steve Rogers (as much as I love him) above Sam Wilson and Isaiah Bradley say something about the way we accept our superheroes; especially one as symbolically loaded as Captain America?

There’s a steady mix of both praise and outrage at the idea of a black Captain America; but the real issue is not a question of Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson. It’s a question of what diversity means to different fans and what solutions can be reached to ensure the inclusion of everyone invested in comic book culture. Does changing the race of a well known character help this process? Would it be more effective to just create new characters?

While some of us love superheroes and villains, are having movies based on them becoming too much? Is it better for them to just remain as comic books and not a live-action movie? You can touch on earlier comic book movies and see how well they did in the past compared to now. Also, how well their sequels did at the box office.

Oftentimes comic book historians will talk about the variety of eras in comic book history. For example the Silver Age is said to have taken place from 1950s to the 1970s. In this era comics began to turn into hardcore science fiction stories. Stan Lee starting creating comics during this period and many of his creations, like the Hulk and Fantastic Four, are scientifically based. What were the conditions (socially and culturally) that led to the creation of this era? Both Marvel and DC should be discussed.