Comments on: Your Mileage May Vary: Wednesday Comics

By: chris juricich

chris juricich — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:06:50 +0000

I bought the first one out of curiosity, but really–I’m just not interested that much in superhero comics anymore these days. They got me revved up in the 60s when I was a kid, and since then, I”ve read and continue to read superhero comics, but…but…much less than before.

This new format is intriguing but hardly an inspiring pricepoint–and it doesn’t do a THING to improve interest in the medium becauseit’s being sold to the masses who already buy this stuff, anyway.

I remember Wham-O had a Colossal Comic book come out in about 1966 for 99 frickin cents. Pages and pages of great art, great story…now that was an unusual format…which went nowhere, but it definitely had a cool factor. This…’wednesday comics’…while moderately interesting…is only that.

By: Crosspatch

Crosspatch — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:11:02 +0000

Wow… I state why *I* chose not to purchase something, and therefore I’m an “uber d-bag” [sic].

If you bought it and loved it, good for you. I just don’t like gimmicks, especially expensive ones.

Get over yourselves. People disagree sometimes. Welcome to the real world.

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:49:20 +0000

*leads

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:48:17 +0000

How can I counter “people not buying it because they can’t keep it clean and neat are mental”? That isn’t a point, that’s just dissing people who don’t buy the same things you do. Your whole post was just rudely dissing people who aren’t buying Wednesday Comics. If you made points during it it was obscured by the passive aggressive/full on aggressive contempt for people who don’t buy the same comics you do.

Whatever, I’m done with this, I’m not getting into a comment fight with people. We all know where that road leaves.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:15:02 +0000

Chris Jones: right now, the only person being a dick here is you. If you disagree with me, fair enough. Counter my points. But please, don’t fall back on ad hominem attacks. That’s just rude. Similarly, don’t put words in my mouth. I never said “F… you, comics hater”. What I said was “DC have taken a great deal of care over the design of this format, and this design makes it part of its appeal. I very much doubt that any eventual trade will match this, and thus people who wait may very well end up disappointed.” Not the same thing _at all_. Hell, in all cases *but* Wednesday Comics, I’m a trade waiter myself.

Going back to the storage issue for the moment, I thought of several during the day, many of which have been suggested above already. One which hasn’t, would be that if you want to keep it full-size (to minimise folds), get a folder like art students use (essentially two large pieces of card) and keep it in that. There are ways!

By: BEEZ

BEEZ — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:14:57 +0000

PERFECT BATHROOM READING MATERIAL

By: HDO

HDO — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:58:16 +0000

I disagree with the idea that it should be available in locations other than comic book stores. Maybe it should have been inserted into some newspapers or whatever the hell WB owns, but non comic lovers aren’t going to buy it. Some might molest it in the stores, but that’s about it. Especially when they aren’t going to recognize a lot of the characters – and they could care less about the creators. In fact, I don’t think that it’s designed for the majority of comic fans. I mean how many are bitching about the format and storage issues. Give me a break. Read it. I also agree with Adam that Ghost Boxes was a huge rip off – and sorry that I didn’t read it in the store like that stupid mouth breathing guy at TBS Comics in Pensacola – you know who you are – quit blocking the stands loser.

The Batman page was my personal favorite. He and Sgt. Rock have been my favorites since I was a kid and I loved both of those. Paul Pope’s story was great. The Flash and Green Lantern stories were nice and captured some of that Silver Age magic. The only ones that I didn’t care for were the Titans and Wonder Woman stories.

By: Blacaucasian

Blacaucasian — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:13:28 +0000

People are talking about distribution as if DC can just walk up to every newsstand in the country and make them carry this thing that’s only going to be available for 16 weeks. It’s not that simple. It’s hard enough to get ANY regular comics distributed through convenient stores, newsstands, and the likes these days, never mind a limited experimental format comic which quite frankly has names attached to it that we all know but the general reader of things at newsstands would have no idea about nor would tilt their decision to buy something like this on. Neil Gaiman is about the only name that pops outside of the insular world of comic fans, and even he is probably considered by most a Genre author who’s appeal to a mass audience would still probably be considered limited at best. By having the Superman story reprinted in USA Today and contact numbers clearly stated at the bottom of each strip as to where you can call to pick up an issue of this comic at a local comic shop, honestly I don’t think there’s much more they could have done. USA Today represent like 2 million people in print, and something like 3.5 million people online. If this doesn’t spark interest, then simply having them in newsstands and convenient stores (something for which the material has to then be returnable by the way and just isn’t practical or realistic) isn’t likely to spike sales either.

Simply because it’s sitting there available, doesn’t instantly mean that people will buy it. This is why all these places stopped carrying comic books in the first place. People stopped buying them, and so these places replaced comics with stuff people would buy.

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:22:51 +0000

“I would respect DC hugely if they didn’t put this into a trade collection, and I know people will hate me saying that, but too many comics collectors (not readers, ‘collectors’) have that whole entitlement issue that they deserve to get it in trade. I think it would be a huge statement to keep this pure and not bow down to the masses. It would also be a huge fuck you, which would make me smile.”

Hey. Dude. I’m not a “collector”. I’m a “reader”. I enjoy READING things in trade. I don’t COLLECT issues so I can READ them in trade later. Okay?

Wednesday Comics readers: Being condescending and snobby fruitcakes is not going to get more people to read your precious fucking comic. If anything, it will drive people away. Alright?

KNOCK IT THE FUCK OFF.

By: Richard J. Marcej

Richard J. Marcej — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:15:53 +0000

“Comics were also invented to be a cheap form of entertainment”

You know, that’s one of the most important aspect of the problem with the comic industry (specifically the two largest companies, Marvel & DC) over the past 20 or so years. Comics WERE and SHOULD still be a cheap form of entertainment.

They were a reasonably priced periodical that parents could buy (several copies) for their children to read and kids and teens could buy several ongoing series to enjoy.

So what happened? Costs per issues went up and up and up, speculators and collecting obsessed fans cared more about collect-ability and enhancements then the actual reading product and a generation, seeing a better value with video games and other forms of entertainment then a over-priced monthly comic (which would only give you a CHAPTER of a story) avoided comics in droves.

IF (and I say if because I have no idea what DC has in mind with the goals for the Wednesday Comics format),
but IF a weekly over-sized format of chapters of entertaining characters and stories are supposed to entice new readers (or maybe bring in a new generation of readers) into comic shops to try their ongoing monthly titles, they’ll have to:

• Reduce the idiotic $2.99/$3.99 cover price
• MAKE THE STORIES ACCESSIBLE!!!! Good lord, stop the “incestuous” continuities and over-blown company wide cross overs.

If those matters aren’t cleared up, a first time reader of a Wednesday Comic format will walk into his local comic shop, pick up one of the over-priced issues, page through it not comprehend what’s going on (or worse, buy the issue, take it home and be completely lost) and not return.

By: preston

preston — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:21:39 +0000

What, how are people having a hard time storing this, it fits right into my Long Box!

If you guys are complaining about the fact that it doesn’t fit in a mylar bag, buy a couple of Golden Age bags.

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:14:22 +0000

Not because a good story can’t be told in that format, but because where will I put it so it’s easily accessible for rereads?
—————

It can’t be that hard to find some place…

By: Ryan K Lindsay

Ryan K Lindsay — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:00:32 +0000

Such a polarising event. Awesome. This is exactly what DC needs. They have been tepid, at best, in my eyes, for years. This is good for them.

I picked it up and it blew my mind. It is a comic ‘experience’ that is for sure. It’s not made to be a collector’s item, and it’s not made to be kept mint and flat in a carbonite shell. It’s made to read, and reread, and remember how nice it is to sit back with something that entertains you and feel completely lost in that moment.

Reading this in trade will be missing the point entirely. This was made this way expressly for the purpose of being read this way. The size, the one week installments. That’s part of the journey.

I would respect DC hugely if they didn’t put this into a trade collection, and I know people will hate me saying that, but too many comics collectors (not readers, ‘collectors’) have that whole entitlement issue that they deserve to get it in trade. I think it would be a huge statement to keep this pure and not bow down to the masses. It would also be a huge fuck you, which would make me smile.

Then they can trade it in five years.

By: Bucky Sinister

Bucky Sinister — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:43:50 +0000

I’m not sure I understand the argument that this will be hard to store. The series is being sold folded down to regular comics size, and at that size it fits just fine into a comics box. You might need a Golden Age bag for it, I admit. But just storing it should be a snap.

I liked it a lot, by the way. The tone and general quality varies from page to page, but the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. I thought it was a great pop-art object, and as that it’s worth my four bucks a week.

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:39:44 +0000

Comics were also invented to be a cheap form of entertainment, Nick, so don’t be a dick just because people aren’t reading the story the way YOU want people to read it.

Christ, what kind of reaction is that? “I’ll wait for the trade”. “FUCK YOU, COMICS HATER!!!!”

Get a grip.

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:18:37 +0000

I can’t wait for the trade to come out, and see all the trade-waiters complain that they’ve ruined it by shrinking the pages down to fit a more reasonably sized book. Or that they’ve ruined it by rejiggering the pages so you get one full story after the other, rather than it breaking the stories up like in the original weekly.

My tuppence worth – it’s a bold move by DC, and one I’d love to support. I don’t think I’ll be able to get to a comics shop often enough, which makes me sad.

Oh, and a final note – people not buying it because they don’t think they’ll be able to keep it clean and neat are mental. Not just because if you really want to look after it, you’ll surely find a way. But also because last time I checked, comics were invented as disposable entertainment not intended to be kept clean and neat.

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:17:26 +0000

Other Chris: Except that it’s not because they’re still selling it only at comic shops and not anywhere where a normie wouldn’t have to go out of their way to buy it.

It’s a wonderful idea in theory and the stories are probably going to be excellent once read altogether… which is why I’m going to be getting it in trade.

By: Chris Schweizer

Chris Schweizer — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:17:59 +0000

I shouldn’t have said the girlfriend thing; that was smarmy and unnecessary. Sorry.

By: Chris Schweizer

Chris Schweizer — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:13:01 +0000

I think the format is fantastic. The second blog posted sounds so ridiculously idiotic that I can barely wrap my head around it; the format is the whole point. So the comic doesn’t fit into his polybag? It might not hold up to years of trying to keep it in mint condition? So what! It’s obvious that, for the first time in a long time, one of these companies is making something that is first and foremost meant TO BE READ and enjoyed by the GENERAL PUBLIC, not a bunch of inbred (in terms of material consumption, not genetics) 40 year-olds who never had a girlfriend in high school. So long as the big two continue to pander to this ever-dwindling but overly vocal minority, they’ll continue to put out suckier and suckier material. This is a HUGE step in the right direction in terms of making superhero comics publicly accessible again. I hope they listen to sales (the store closest to me sold out in half a day; I hope other stores did as well) and not to their “constituency.” Seriously, good for DC.

One of the best thing about this newsprint format is that there’s little hope of keeping it nice. Hopefully, that’ll encourage people to read it ’til it’s a pile of rag paper. It’s got spectacle; kids will want to read this one in a way that they’d likely have no desire to read whatever # whatever. It’s big. It’s pretty. It’s flashy.

There are some downsides; the Teen Titans thing is unreadable and the coloring on the Superman story makes everything (skin, fabric, robots) look like it’s made of melting wax, and considering newsprint costs the price is WAY too high ($1.99 and I’d pick up every issue), but yeah, the four bucks thing is a bit much. But there’s some beautiful art in there, and if I were a kid this would make me a comics reader, no question.

By: seth hurley

seth hurley — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:05:42 +0000

I worked at a deli once and the customers who would come in and complain about the thickness of the slices & how much it was per pound were the ones I wanted to set on fire.

and that was food… you know, sustenance?