It's not a new point of contention, but comic books are terribly lacking in racial diversity. While there are multi-ethnic backup characters, and in a few cases a few lead characters who aren't young white men, it's a statistically insignificant amount. It's true of many mediums beyond the comic book industry, but that is hardly an excuse. Many people strongly feel that comics should represent a larger variety of races, genders, and other forms of identity. Still others argue that it's not relevant to the enjoyment of the stories, and that the status quo is not up for debate.
The question of diversity has fired up only in recent years, but comics have long struggled with the issue. Earlier comics and their authors have taken a lot of heat about often using stereotypes and caricatures of various races. This reflecting less on the individuals, than on the tone of media as a whole during the various eras. However its a problem that creators are still struggling with. Dancing around stereotypes and playing nice with various races is tricky stuff. Often times ignoring them can be equally bad. Frankly it's hard to do or say anything that doesn't offend anyone.
One of the biggest draws of comics, is the allure of putting yourself in the place of the heroes that grace their pages. In order to do that you have to be able to relate to the characters. So naturally people will want to read about characters who they can identify with. Furthermore it is certainly true that the audience reading comics is much more diverse than the people who populate said comics. So it seems fairly reasonable that comics should reflect that. Furthermore there are a lot of stories that remained untold because they require different perspectives and characters to tell them.
However the fact is that companies do try to make books with lead characters who don't fit the white male mold, and they usually don't sell that well. The most popular characters are pre-established characters, who don't often change races (though in comics it does happen). Also the people writing comics tend to be white men, and writers write what they know. Whatever the reason, it's just the state of things. Publishers won't, and certainly shouldn't be forced to, print comics that nobody wants to buy.
So what's the solution, what do we get out of this? Honestly we're pretty much back at the start. It's a complicated issue. However when you look at the industry and how it's treating minorities, while there is a lot of room for improvement there has also been a lot of progress made. Hopefully we'll see some more in the future, but it certainly looks like we're on the right track.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Where are all the Super Heroes?
When was the last time you saw a new super hero title on the stands? Chances are it's been a while. The Big Two will occasionally introduce new characters into the mix, and rarely give those characters a book. Indy companies avoid super hero comics too, again with a few exceptions. Super heroes started the genre, and even if you hate every single comic written by them, it's just common sense to want more titles out there to broaden a very narrow section of the industry. And yet it doesn't happen, why?
One reason could be in the difficulty of finding something that stands out. Pretty much every super hero is a derivative of some other character or archetype. You've got the noble paragon of a hero, the dark street smart hero, the misunderstood hero, and so on and so forth. There's also the problem of powers. Most of the good ones have pretty much been taken. You can extrapolate and get creative, but for the most part it's hard to come by a unique powerset these days. When you add in the fact that super hero books rarely vary in the plot structure, it leaves you with very little wiggle room in terms of concept.
For some reason in the comic book industry concept is everything. There actually are reasons but that's a whole different bag of peanuts. Essentially you're selling a concept to the audience though. Which is odd because media doesn't usually work solely in that one field. Sure the basic premise is always important, but certainly as much as the characters and their relationships, or the tone, or writing style. I mean there are a million and one legal shows whose concepts are pretty much the same, and there are just as many fantasy stories who share that same fault, but they each have their own unique qualities.
Just because two super heroes have the same powers, backgrounds, or methods, it doesn't necessarily mean that they have the same personality. Exploring who these people are behind the mask is probably the biggest draw to any single super hero story. Still the fact that a hero might resemble another one too closely hinders a lot of potentially good stories from being told.
It's become a common theme in these posts, but it is my firm belief that you can't overflood the comic book market with material. Even if the greater portion of that isn't great, you always want to have new voices telling stories. We should have more super heroes, new super heroes, and new people writing them.
One reason could be in the difficulty of finding something that stands out. Pretty much every super hero is a derivative of some other character or archetype. You've got the noble paragon of a hero, the dark street smart hero, the misunderstood hero, and so on and so forth. There's also the problem of powers. Most of the good ones have pretty much been taken. You can extrapolate and get creative, but for the most part it's hard to come by a unique powerset these days. When you add in the fact that super hero books rarely vary in the plot structure, it leaves you with very little wiggle room in terms of concept.
For some reason in the comic book industry concept is everything. There actually are reasons but that's a whole different bag of peanuts. Essentially you're selling a concept to the audience though. Which is odd because media doesn't usually work solely in that one field. Sure the basic premise is always important, but certainly as much as the characters and their relationships, or the tone, or writing style. I mean there are a million and one legal shows whose concepts are pretty much the same, and there are just as many fantasy stories who share that same fault, but they each have their own unique qualities.
Just because two super heroes have the same powers, backgrounds, or methods, it doesn't necessarily mean that they have the same personality. Exploring who these people are behind the mask is probably the biggest draw to any single super hero story. Still the fact that a hero might resemble another one too closely hinders a lot of potentially good stories from being told.
It's become a common theme in these posts, but it is my firm belief that you can't overflood the comic book market with material. Even if the greater portion of that isn't great, you always want to have new voices telling stories. We should have more super heroes, new super heroes, and new people writing them.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
ADVIL COMICS, OR TAKE TWO AND CALL ME NEXT WEDNESDAY
To illustrate this week’s theme for Ahead of the Pack allow me to tell you a story. A few years back, one Friday evening, my sister invited a friend over to our apartment. They adjourned to the kitchen for a little while, and my sister’s friend (who is studying now to become a doctor) sees a case of advil, and decides he’d like one as a snack. Why? Because it’s candy coated of course. However he decides that like the hard-shelled chocolate candy it shares a striking resemblance to he shall bite into it . Unfortunately the inside of an advil is not chocolate by Ibuprofen, which isn’t so tasty. Needless to say he got a shock and ended up spitting it out.
So what does that humorous little anecdote have anything to do with anything? We learn from this story that sometimes things are better left swallowed whole rather than chewed. What? Still too cryptic? All right, if you must know this is an allegory. The point being that some comics (and indeed stories of all kinds) are better left alone, without us over-analyzing them.
Many of my favorite comics, I love because of their deep, thought provoking nature. Greg Pak’s Magneto: Testament was a poignant emotional heavyweight, Joe Kelly’s I Kill Giants never loses its power with each successive reread, and Daytripper never fails to engage me on a deep and personal level. That’s great, but you know what, as much as I like all of those I also like explosions, super-hero smackdowns, and Dinosaurs.
For example, Chris Yost’s, and Scott Wegener’s Killer of Demons. It’s a comic about an ad exec that may or may not be charged by a tiny foul-mouthed cherub with the destruction of demons. He also might be crazy. Regardless the comic spends its time reveling in ridiculous action sequences , and base humor. It’s not going to stimulate your intellect, but that’s not what it’s trying to do. It’s fun, and it appeals to our basest of pleasures, something which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in moderation.
Still when you try thinking about it too hard, about why you’re enjoying it, and about whether it makes any sense, well you’ll end up with a mouthful of metaphorical Ibuprofen. So my advice is, don’t. While it’s always nice to engage your mental faculties, it’s also nice to enjoy something without having to focus all of your cranial might on it. Advil comics are relaxing, they’re escapism, a sanctuary for the over-taxed brain. So next time you criticize a book as stupid, lay off, don’t chew it over, just let it be, and it will go down smoothly.
So what does that humorous little anecdote have anything to do with anything? We learn from this story that sometimes things are better left swallowed whole rather than chewed. What? Still too cryptic? All right, if you must know this is an allegory. The point being that some comics (and indeed stories of all kinds) are better left alone, without us over-analyzing them.
Many of my favorite comics, I love because of their deep, thought provoking nature. Greg Pak’s Magneto: Testament was a poignant emotional heavyweight, Joe Kelly’s I Kill Giants never loses its power with each successive reread, and Daytripper never fails to engage me on a deep and personal level. That’s great, but you know what, as much as I like all of those I also like explosions, super-hero smackdowns, and Dinosaurs.
For example, Chris Yost’s, and Scott Wegener’s Killer of Demons. It’s a comic about an ad exec that may or may not be charged by a tiny foul-mouthed cherub with the destruction of demons. He also might be crazy. Regardless the comic spends its time reveling in ridiculous action sequences , and base humor. It’s not going to stimulate your intellect, but that’s not what it’s trying to do. It’s fun, and it appeals to our basest of pleasures, something which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in moderation.
Still when you try thinking about it too hard, about why you’re enjoying it, and about whether it makes any sense, well you’ll end up with a mouthful of metaphorical Ibuprofen. So my advice is, don’t. While it’s always nice to engage your mental faculties, it’s also nice to enjoy something without having to focus all of your cranial might on it. Advil comics are relaxing, they’re escapism, a sanctuary for the over-taxed brain. So next time you criticize a book as stupid, lay off, don’t chew it over, just let it be, and it will go down smoothly.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Printing Problems
When people think of how comic books are made, they’re usually pondering over the creative details. They wonder how to format a script, draw a page, color, letter, and so forth. All of which is hard work, to be sure, but it’s all for nothing if you don’t know how to actually print a comic. If you are an aspiring comic book writer, or artist and you haven’t been picked up by a major publisher then it’s a very serious concern. While there are a multitude of printers around most of the conventional printers are far beyond the means of anyone outside the bigger names in the comic book industry.
Printing is never easy. The minutia of work involved with getting words, and pictures on paper are staggering, not to mention the errors that are guaranteed to happen with every run. However whereas the traditional (i.e. non-graphic novel) printing presses offer a wide selection of printers at widely varying prices and qualities, the comic book/graphic novel printers unfortunately do not.
There is a fairly large selection of printers, however most aren’t too friendly for smaller orders of prints, and thus require a large investment. Many printers require hundreds or thousands of copies as a minimum, and charge exorbitant prices for those. This locks out a major portion of the market seeking to print their work are smaller publishers and aspiring creators. Printers’ high fees severely limit not only who can print, but the content on the comic book market.
Comic books are great, but one of the biggest problems the genre faces today is the lack of variety. Super hero titles all have different characters and twists, but even the biggest fans will have to admit that there isn’t a lot of difference conceptually between them. You have some titles from Vertigo, or Image, and so on that break the mold, but it’s not a lot. The ideas are out there, they’re just waiting to be put the page.
There are however options for aspiring creators. Some printers offer web services at more affordable rates. So it’s certainly possible to get your idea printed, but you don’t have too many options. Printing companies need to reevaluate their business models. As it stands now, most cater to a small group of publishers and block out a large amount of eager customers, which is just bad business.
Printing is never easy. The minutia of work involved with getting words, and pictures on paper are staggering, not to mention the errors that are guaranteed to happen with every run. However whereas the traditional (i.e. non-graphic novel) printing presses offer a wide selection of printers at widely varying prices and qualities, the comic book/graphic novel printers unfortunately do not.
There is a fairly large selection of printers, however most aren’t too friendly for smaller orders of prints, and thus require a large investment. Many printers require hundreds or thousands of copies as a minimum, and charge exorbitant prices for those. This locks out a major portion of the market seeking to print their work are smaller publishers and aspiring creators. Printers’ high fees severely limit not only who can print, but the content on the comic book market.
Comic books are great, but one of the biggest problems the genre faces today is the lack of variety. Super hero titles all have different characters and twists, but even the biggest fans will have to admit that there isn’t a lot of difference conceptually between them. You have some titles from Vertigo, or Image, and so on that break the mold, but it’s not a lot. The ideas are out there, they’re just waiting to be put the page.
There are however options for aspiring creators. Some printers offer web services at more affordable rates. So it’s certainly possible to get your idea printed, but you don’t have too many options. Printing companies need to reevaluate their business models. As it stands now, most cater to a small group of publishers and block out a large amount of eager customers, which is just bad business.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Being Part of the Action: Or How to make Super Hero Videgames
So after some delay we're back, hope you haven't missed it too much.
Today's installment is about making the transition from comic book to video game. While there are plenty of video games based on comics, there are a surprisingly small number of good ones, what's up with that? It seems that it should be a reasonably easy to do. Comics offer plenty of visual source material, as well as pre-established plot, eliminating the need for writers (though how many video games these days concern themselves with actual plot?). Not to mention the fact that while there are plenty of gamers who don't read comics, it's safe to say most people who read comics play video games. Furthermore the whole point of video games is to offer an interactive form of escapism and entertainment, so who doesn't think it'd be awesome to be a super hero?
In any form of art or media, the amount of not worthwhile or "bad" content usually outweighs the good. It's not pessimism, it's fact. So this holds true for video games, of which the sub-genre of superhero/comic book game is part of. Still it seems that the ratio of good to bad is extremely in favor of the bad. A lot of this seems to be the fault of laziness. Videogames get published based on a comic book character (or sometime a character's movie) and they slap together a standard banal videogame that relates to the original in only the very loosest of ways. Sometimes though a game comes through that shines above the rest and captures the hearts and minds of fans. Besides the graphics and gameplay, and other standards of gaming, what makes these games so special? Well in every case of a super hero video game gone-right you actually feel like you're the titular hero. Two best examples would be Spider-Man 2 and Batman Arkham Asylam, my top two super hero games.
Spider-Man 2 was a tie-in to the last good Spider-Man movie with Toby McGuire, and loosely followed the plot of the movie, and had voice acting from a few cast members. Both of which you can take or leave, like or dislike, but don't affect the game too much. No, what made the game so fantastic was that you could swing your way across all of Manhattan and beat-up all kinds of robots, thugs, and super-villains. The game was pretty much a sand box taking place in a semi-accurate representation of the island of Manhattan (and Liberty Island for a brief interlude). And then there's the web-swinging. The mechanic actually made you feel like you were swinging off buildings, it was fast, elegant, and one of the most fun parts of the game. The combat mechanics were also superb though. It implement Spider-Mans's strength, webbing, and of course Spider-Sense, very tightly. All in all it delivered a very realistic Spider-Man experience, one which never got stale, or distracted.
While you may have never played Spider-Man 2 or really cared to, you've probably played, or dreamed of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Asylum was a video game that was made for the fans through and through. From using many voice actors from the 90s animated series (including the supremely talented Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill), to the hundreds of Easter Eggs strewn throughout the game referencing the original comic. The graphics were fantastic, transporting you to the iconic Arkham Asylum with rich and dark detail. The story isn't anything new, but is played superbly by its cast, and offers a good vehicle for the fantastic game play. You fight like Batman does, using a combination of ingenious gadgets, stealth, cunning, and your fists. The game really puts you behind the cowl of the Dark Knight, and while it's relatively short, and doesn't have heaps of replayability, it's still a gem of a game.
It's not the easiest thing in the world to make a video game, and it's hard to get the super hero experience just right, but it really shouldn't be too hard. Arkham Asylum was a major success, and hopefully it'll show people how to do a good super hero game. It's a rich medium, that could offer up some of the best experiences for comic book fans.
Today's installment is about making the transition from comic book to video game. While there are plenty of video games based on comics, there are a surprisingly small number of good ones, what's up with that? It seems that it should be a reasonably easy to do. Comics offer plenty of visual source material, as well as pre-established plot, eliminating the need for writers (though how many video games these days concern themselves with actual plot?). Not to mention the fact that while there are plenty of gamers who don't read comics, it's safe to say most people who read comics play video games. Furthermore the whole point of video games is to offer an interactive form of escapism and entertainment, so who doesn't think it'd be awesome to be a super hero?
In any form of art or media, the amount of not worthwhile or "bad" content usually outweighs the good. It's not pessimism, it's fact. So this holds true for video games, of which the sub-genre of superhero/comic book game is part of. Still it seems that the ratio of good to bad is extremely in favor of the bad. A lot of this seems to be the fault of laziness. Videogames get published based on a comic book character (or sometime a character's movie) and they slap together a standard banal videogame that relates to the original in only the very loosest of ways. Sometimes though a game comes through that shines above the rest and captures the hearts and minds of fans. Besides the graphics and gameplay, and other standards of gaming, what makes these games so special? Well in every case of a super hero video game gone-right you actually feel like you're the titular hero. Two best examples would be Spider-Man 2 and Batman Arkham Asylam, my top two super hero games.
Spider-Man 2 was a tie-in to the last good Spider-Man movie with Toby McGuire, and loosely followed the plot of the movie, and had voice acting from a few cast members. Both of which you can take or leave, like or dislike, but don't affect the game too much. No, what made the game so fantastic was that you could swing your way across all of Manhattan and beat-up all kinds of robots, thugs, and super-villains. The game was pretty much a sand box taking place in a semi-accurate representation of the island of Manhattan (and Liberty Island for a brief interlude). And then there's the web-swinging. The mechanic actually made you feel like you were swinging off buildings, it was fast, elegant, and one of the most fun parts of the game. The combat mechanics were also superb though. It implement Spider-Mans's strength, webbing, and of course Spider-Sense, very tightly. All in all it delivered a very realistic Spider-Man experience, one which never got stale, or distracted.
While you may have never played Spider-Man 2 or really cared to, you've probably played, or dreamed of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Asylum was a video game that was made for the fans through and through. From using many voice actors from the 90s animated series (including the supremely talented Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill), to the hundreds of Easter Eggs strewn throughout the game referencing the original comic. The graphics were fantastic, transporting you to the iconic Arkham Asylum with rich and dark detail. The story isn't anything new, but is played superbly by its cast, and offers a good vehicle for the fantastic game play. You fight like Batman does, using a combination of ingenious gadgets, stealth, cunning, and your fists. The game really puts you behind the cowl of the Dark Knight, and while it's relatively short, and doesn't have heaps of replayability, it's still a gem of a game.
It's not the easiest thing in the world to make a video game, and it's hard to get the super hero experience just right, but it really shouldn't be too hard. Arkham Asylum was a major success, and hopefully it'll show people how to do a good super hero game. It's a rich medium, that could offer up some of the best experiences for comic book fans.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Something Old and Something New
So this is the new blog, it's all of the goodness you get from Ahead of the Pack, my weekly blog with Black Line Comics right here as well as other exclusive news. Read something you like, hate, something you agree with or disagree with, just wanna say something? Well with this new format feel free to share your thoughts with me and other readers. New post to come, keep reading.
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