• Marvel Comics to Abandon Social Justice Storylines?

    From Ubiquitous@21:1/5 to All on Mon Feb 13 14:08:12 2017
    XPost: alt.activism

    For a lot of comics fans, Marvel just isn't what it used to be.
    While the comic line that gave us Thor, Captain America, The Hulk,
    and the X-Men has often been tinged with a bit of politics -- for
    example, discrimination against mutants is common in the Marvel
    universe -- recent comics from the company have been overwhelmingly
    political, and always politically left.

    Many fans have been less than appreciative. Luckily, it now seems
    those days are over:

    Of late this kind of storytelling has become more
    pronounced, probably kicked off with the likes of The
    Authority, Ultimates and Civil War, with more recent
    stories in comics such a s Captain America, The Champions
    and Ms. Marvel wearing their politics firmly on their
    spandex sleeves.

    There has also been reaction from some fan communities and
    retailers to these kind of stories as having no place in
    superhero comics, despite all the many examples that have
    preceded it. Maybe it’s a little more obvious now? Maybe
    everyone is interpreting everything politically? Maybe fans
    wish for a time when they didn’t realise their superhero
    comics had political elements?

    Either way, Marvel Comics has been a focal point for this
    kind of discussion. And last week’s Marvel creative summit
    I am told by well connected sources who have proved
    themselves in that past there was more of a focus on what
    DC Comics internally called “meat and potatoes” comics that
    preceded their doubling down on the popular characters and
    bringing back old favourite takes with DC Rebirth.

    I am told, as Marvel brings back the X-Men line with a bang,
    to expect a return to more of a status quo for titles such
    as Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and more. A more familiar looking
    Marvel Universe by the autumn -- although, just as with
    Captain America, as classic-look-characters return, expect
    new characters to keep a number of their books.


    The truth is, readers don't like to be lectured to.

    If you agree with the message in these comics, then you may not take
    any issue with what you're seeing lately from Marvel. However, for
    readers who are either neutral on these issues or disagree with the
    message, the comics portray _them_ as the enemy. People don't want
    to spend their hard-earned money to be told how awful they are.

    Meanwhile, sales of comics are nosediving.


    With a renewed focus on just telling good stories, Marvel can now
    seek to regain valuable market share from DC. Great storytelling
    appeals to conservatives, liberals, and all points in between.

    It seems Marvel remembered that before getting run out of business.


    --
    I would rather listen to a herd of cats trying to climb a chalkboard
    than the Left sore losers polluting the Grammys.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From darci386@gmail.com@21:1/5 to Ubiquitous on Mon Feb 13 22:55:41 2017
    Some time in the last 2 weeks I was listening to "Fresh Air" on NPR and the guest claimed that all actors were liberals, because they lived in diverse situations. (He might have said all artists?) He also claimed they all supported LGBTQ rights since
    they'd all worked for or with homosexuals.


    On Monday, February 13, 2017 at 2:08:16 PM UTC-5, Ubiquitous wrote:
    For a lot of comics fans, Marvel just isn't what it used to be.
    While the comic line that gave us Thor, Captain America, The Hulk,
    and the X-Men has often been tinged with a bit of politics -- for
    example, discrimination against mutants is common in the Marvel
    universe -- recent comics from the company have been overwhelmingly political, and always politically left.

    Many fans have been less than appreciative. Luckily, it now seems
    those days are over:

    Of late this kind of storytelling has become more
    pronounced, probably kicked off with the likes of The
    Authority, Ultimates and Civil War, with more recent
    stories in comics such a s Captain America, The Champions
    and Ms. Marvel wearing their politics firmly on their
    spandex sleeves.

    There has also been reaction from some fan communities and
    retailers to these kind of stories as having no place in
    superhero comics, despite all the many examples that have
    preceded it. Maybe it’s a little more obvious now? Maybe
    everyone is interpreting everything politically? Maybe fans
    wish for a time when they didn’t realise their superhero
    comics had political elements?

    Either way, Marvel Comics has been a focal point for this
    kind of discussion. And last week’s Marvel creative summit
    I am told by well connected sources who have proved
    themselves in that past there was more of a focus on what
    DC Comics internally called “meat and potatoes” comics that
    preceded their doubling down on the popular characters and
    bringing back old favourite takes with DC Rebirth.

    I am told, as Marvel brings back the X-Men line with a bang,
    to expect a return to more of a status quo for titles such
    as Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and more. A more familiar looking
    Marvel Universe by the autumn -- although, just as with
    Captain America, as classic-look-characters return, expect
    new characters to keep a number of their books.


    The truth is, readers don't like to be lectured to.

    If you agree with the message in these comics, then you may not take
    any issue with what you're seeing lately from Marvel. However, for
    readers who are either neutral on these issues or disagree with the
    message, the comics portray _them_ as the enemy. People don't want
    to spend their hard-earned money to be told how awful they are.

    Meanwhile, sales of comics are nosediving.


    With a renewed focus on just telling good stories, Marvel can now
    seek to regain valuable market share from DC. Great storytelling
    appeals to conservatives, liberals, and all points in between.

    It seems Marvel remembered that before getting run out of business.


    --
    I would rather listen to a herd of cats trying to climb a chalkboard
    than the Left sore losers polluting the Grammys.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Wouter Valentijn@21:1/5 to All on Fri Feb 17 18:17:24 2017
    XPost: alt.activism

    Op 13-2-2017 om 20:08 schreef Ubiquitous:
    For a lot of comics fans, Marvel just isn't what it used to be.
    While the comic line that gave us Thor, Captain America, The Hulk,
    and the X-Men has often been tinged with a bit of politics -- for
    example, discrimination against mutants is common in the Marvel
    universe -- recent comics from the company have been overwhelmingly political, and always politically left.

    <snip>

    But hasn't Marvel always been to the left? From the first comics on,
    even before Marvel became Marvel?
    I very much doubt they will change. It's in their blood.

    --
    Wouter Valentijn www.j3v.net

    "Be yourself no matter what they say"

    Sting ("Englishman in New York")

    liam=mail

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Kenneth M. Lin@21:1/5 to All on Fri Feb 17 16:59:05 2017
    XPost: alt.activism

    I don't like "realism" in comics because the whole point of putting on
    flashy costumes is defeated.

    Also, if this is real world, why are all females super hot and there are no plain-looking female heroes?

    I like it when Superman and Batman wore their underwears outside.

    "Ubiquitous" wrote in message news:o7t03f$jh3$3@dont-email.me...


    For a lot of comics fans, Marvel just isn't what it used to be.
    While the comic line that gave us Thor, Captain America, The Hulk,
    and the X-Men has often been tinged with a bit of politics -- for
    example, discrimination against mutants is common in the Marvel
    universe -- recent comics from the company have been overwhelmingly
    political, and always politically left.

    Many fans have been less than appreciative. Luckily, it now seems
    those days are over:

    Of late this kind of storytelling has become more
    pronounced, probably kicked off with the likes of The
    Authority, Ultimates and Civil War, with more recent
    stories in comics such a s Captain America, The Champions
    and Ms. Marvel wearing their politics firmly on their
    spandex sleeves.

    There has also been reaction from some fan communities and
    retailers to these kind of stories as having no place in
    superhero comics, despite all the many examples that have
    preceded it. Maybe it’s a little more obvious now? Maybe
    everyone is interpreting everything politically? Maybe fans
    wish for a time when they didn’t realise their superhero
    comics had political elements?

    Either way, Marvel Comics has been a focal point for this
    kind of discussion. And last week’s Marvel creative summit
    I am told by well connected sources who have proved
    themselves in that past there was more of a focus on what
    DC Comics internally called “meat and potatoes” comics that
    preceded their doubling down on the popular characters and
    bringing back old favourite takes with DC Rebirth.

    I am told, as Marvel brings back the X-Men line with a bang,
    to expect a return to more of a status quo for titles such
    as Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and more. A more familiar looking
    Marvel Universe by the autumn -- although, just as with
    Captain America, as classic-look-characters return, expect
    new characters to keep a number of their books.


    The truth is, readers don't like to be lectured to.

    If you agree with the message in these comics, then you may not take
    any issue with what you're seeing lately from Marvel. However, for
    readers who are either neutral on these issues or disagree with the
    message, the comics portray _them_ as the enemy. People don't want
    to spend their hard-earned money to be told how awful they are.

    Meanwhile, sales of comics are nosediving.


    With a renewed focus on just telling good stories, Marvel can now
    seek to regain valuable market share from DC. Great storytelling
    appeals to conservatives, liberals, and all points in between.

    It seems Marvel remembered that before getting run out of business.


    --
    I would rather listen to a herd of cats trying to climb a chalkboard
    than the Left sore losers polluting the Grammys.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)