I’m prefacing the following by saying that my editing and reviewing of the following is fairly non-existent, but I jotted this stuff down randomly and figured I’d better throw it up before I forgot about it and lost it.
This last week was huge for Marvel’s Avengers franchise. After more than five years of stories, Brian Bendis got to wrap up the long running epic he had begun with Avengers Disassembled, resolve the threads and story arcs that had been in the works for years and bring a conclusion to the Dark Reign status quo that occupied all of 2009. With Siege #4, Dark Avengers #16 and the New Avengers Finale, he did everything that he set out to do and in true comic fan fashion, the Internet was not impressed. The primary complaint: predictability. “The Void died, Osborn was removed from power, Steve Rogers is king again,” and while it was solidly written, it was everything that people had been anticipating and yet they still felt let down.
Which leads me to ask: is being a comics fan on the Internet a good thing? It use to be that every week you would go down to your store, pick up your titles, race home and really experience the stories for what they were, the next chapter in your favorite character’s life, events were something significant and every cliffhanger was something to be discussed for days. Now, fans exist in an entirely different world.
We now have access to everything vendors do: order forms, promotions and solicitations, tools that those of us who read and debate often usually have no problem utilizing, hypothesizing, dissecting and unraveling these snippets, turning six lines into an educated guess that more often than not proves accurate.
Message boards and Twitter also give fans the opportunity to interact with creators, following their favorite writers or artists and learning about their day to day activities. Occasionally though, things slip and the Internet descends to feast on the error.
Back in the fall, artist Billy Tan mentioned that he would be working a “street level comic” called Shadowlands. Given that Tan at the time had just finished work with Andy Diggle on “The List – Daredevil,” it didn’t take much to put two and two together and begin hypothesizing about future Daredevil storylines. Sure enough, a few weeks into the New Year, Daredevil began holding corrupt cops prisoner beneath New York City and ordered the construction of a prison, called Shadowlands, seemingly confirming the future arc.
A few months back, unintentionally via Twitter, Andy Diggle, the current writer on Daredevil, mentioned in a tweet that he had just wrapped up the script for Shadowlands #1, accidentally confirming that not only would Daredevil continue to run, but there would also be a companion mini. With the knowledge that a mini was pending, I went ahead and put together some predictions for companion issues that would come out along side it.
And sure enough, the Shadowlands announcements dropped this last week and while I did predict the Power Man and Iron Fist, Thunderbolts and Spider-Man tie-ins, I did fail to guess that Dan Slott would only be writing a Spidey one-shot, I was almost positive it would be Brian Reed handling a 3 or 4 issue mini. I also failed to predict a Moon Knight story and some additional tie-ins that will no doubt fluff up the series a bit while increasing visibility for other characters.
But if it is so easy to predict these stories, why bother buying the comics? While I hate to be cliché, at least from my own perspective, it really is about the journey more so than just knowing the plots. While I do occasionally feel underwhelmed, I love these characters, enjoy the writers that I follow and certainly enjoy the friends in the community that I do debate and discuss with, which may be the biggest benefit that the Internet can give.
Comics are my primary hobby and while I’m absolutely rabid about them, I don’t know a single person in my proximity who shares my passion. With the Internet, I’m able to surround myself with interesting and intelligent people who not only love the genre, but may also know more about different aspects or characters than I do.
Message boards and Twitter allow me to get recommendations, debate, discuss, learn, re-consider and re-think my views on a variety of comic topics. Jonathan Hickman, who is one of my favorite writers at the moment, was passed onto me via a recommendation for his book “Red Mass for Mars,” which while not finished, has led me to his other fantastic works like “Pax Romana” and “The Nightly News,” as well as his work for Marvel.
Similarly, comic journalism does a fantastic job of working with companies, especially the Big Two, to keep press flowing on new and important books. It isn’t unusual to see an important issue get a number of articles of coverage: usually a cover preview, then some pencils or unfinished art and then an official preview a few days before the actual book is released. These articles help bring attention to books that may not ordinarily get it, and companies are really learning how to tap into this and use it effectively to boost a title. These sites help keep me informed and organized, making sure I know exactly what I want to buy and allow me to spend my money effectively.
In the end, the pros of the Internet definitely outweigh the cons. The interaction, community and increased promotional materials all outweigh the brief disappointing that may come from an issue, a disappointment that quickly fades as it is replaced by excitement for the next big story.
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