Comments on: "DC is not hard to understand" http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:57:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v= hourly 1 By: earthx.org blog » Blogging Countdown: 5 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15026 earthx.org blog » Blogging Countdown: 5 Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:22:03 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15026 [...] Well, this has been a big week, and a surprisingly good one to talk about fanboys, something of an idee fixe of your musings last week. Wally West and family got pulled back home from Speed Heaven; the Legion of Super-Heroes is all up in modern-day DC business again; it’s a good time to have been reading this stuff for an unhealthy length of time, or to have a love of Wikipedia. [...] [...] Well, this has been a big week, and a surprisingly good one to talk about fanboys, something of an idee fixe of your musings last week. Wally West and family got pulled back home from Speed Heaven; the Legion of Super-Heroes is all up in modern-day DC business again; it’s a good time to have been reading this stuff for an unhealthy length of time, or to have a love of Wikipedia. [...]

]]> By: Kelson http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15025 Kelson Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:57:58 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15025 People seem to be using "continuity" to mean two different things: 1. Is this story consistent with what has gone before? 2. Does this story rely on reader knowledge of what has gone before? New readers won't know about the first type of continuity one way or another. Casual readers might notice discrepancies. Long-term readers will definitely notice discrepancies, and will appreciate consistency, even of the easter egg variety. So it's in the publishers' interest to keep track of this type of continuity. The second type is a question of story structure. Anything that's absolutely critical -- including, yes, why one might care about what's happening -- should be provided in the exposition. Worst case, you do a Star Wars-style prologue. Best case, you work it into the opening act. A good example of this would be "Identity Crisis," which spent much of the first issue establishing characters so that by the time the murder happened, even a new reader would feel some connection to the victim. People seem to be using “continuity” to mean two different things:
1. Is this story consistent with what has gone before?
2. Does this story rely on reader knowledge of what has gone before?

New readers won’t know about the first type of continuity one way or another. Casual readers might notice discrepancies. Long-term readers will definitely notice discrepancies, and will appreciate consistency, even of the easter egg variety. So it’s in the publishers’ interest to keep track of this type of continuity.

The second type is a question of story structure. Anything that’s absolutely critical — including, yes, why one might care about what’s happening — should be provided in the exposition. Worst case, you do a Star Wars-style prologue. Best case, you work it into the opening act. A good example of this would be “Identity Crisis,” which spent much of the first issue establishing characters so that by the time the murder happened, even a new reader would feel some connection to the victim.

]]> By: William Burns http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15024 William Burns Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:59:45 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15024 Understanding continuity isn't hard, so long as you are interested in it. I took some serious time in researching various characters myself before I even walked into a comic book store. While say, my brother, who expresses no interest in comics or superheroes, would be left confused if I was able to convince him to read any book at all. Understanding continuity isn’t hard, so long as you are interested in it. I took some serious time in researching various characters myself before I even walked into a comic book store. While say, my brother, who expresses no interest in comics or superheroes, would be left confused if I was able to convince him to read any book at all.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15023 Anonymous Mon, 09 Apr 2007 07:20:20 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15023 The problem isn't having to do research to understand details in comics. It's having to do research to know why you should care about the story in the first place. DC's recent "events" are not remotely interesting unless you bear a deep emotional attachment to pre-Crisis DC. The problem isn’t having to do research to understand details in comics. It’s having to do research to know why you should care about the story in the first place. DC’s recent “events” are not remotely interesting unless you bear a deep emotional attachment to pre-Crisis DC.

]]> By: Chaltab http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15022 Chaltab Mon, 09 Apr 2007 01:05:28 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15022 I'm not fan of DiDio, and I think DC's current direction is going to hurt them in the long run. But continuity doesn't bother me. I began reading comicbooks in mid 2005, and began with Johns' Teen Titans run, then read Crisis on Infinite Earths, and began picking up all the recommended highlights of the genre. I guess a lot of people are turned off by excessive continuity, but any time you start a new comic you should KNOW going in that you won't understand everything. It seems to me that it ought to be common sense that if you jump into something during the middle of a story, you wont' understand everything right away. I hadn't read any of the minis that led into Infinite Crisis, and I still understood the story. Yeah, it took a little research, but I think that it was worth the effort. I’m not fan of DiDio, and I think DC’s current direction is going to hurt them in the long run.

But continuity doesn’t bother me. I began reading comicbooks in mid 2005, and began with Johns’ Teen Titans run, then read Crisis on Infinite Earths, and began picking up all the recommended highlights of the genre.

I guess a lot of people are turned off by excessive continuity, but any time you start a new comic you should KNOW going in that you won’t understand everything. It seems to me that it ought to be common sense that if you jump into something during the middle of a story, you wont’ understand everything right away. I hadn’t read any of the minis that led into Infinite Crisis, and I still understood the story. Yeah, it took a little research, but I think that it was worth the effort.

]]> By: Blog@Newsarama » ‘Rama Rampage: Awaken, the Slumbering Giant! http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15021 Blog@Newsarama » ‘Rama Rampage: Awaken, the Slumbering Giant! Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:15:58 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15021 [...] After what seems like quite a few weeks of relative silence, DC seemed to take over Newsarama this week, whether it be interviews or news stories. In a week that showed that even the Metal Men can get a movie deal, or that DC couldn’t manage to just slip 4 more pages into the double-sized 52 final issue (Don’t get me wrong, 48 pages for $2.50 is still very nice, but still. 52 pages would’ve just been better, somehow), it was as if DC’s poor showing in the February sales figures and the fan reaction from that made Dan Didio’s crew suddenly aware of what the mothership had to offer them. [...] [...] After what seems like quite a few weeks of relative silence, DC seemed to take over Newsarama this week, whether it be interviews or news stories. In a week that showed that even the Metal Men can get a movie deal, or that DC couldn’t manage to just slip 4 more pages into the double-sized 52 final issue (Don’t get me wrong, 48 pages for $2.50 is still very nice, but still. 52 pages would’ve just been better, somehow), it was as if DC’s poor showing in the February sales figures and the fan reaction from that made Dan Didio’s crew suddenly aware of what the mothership had to offer them. [...]

]]> By: Josh http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15020 Josh Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:04:49 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15020 I don't think DC is tough to understand and I'm just now getting into their stuff and in direct reply to EIC situation I'll say here what I said before. You cannot make a decision as an EIC at Marvel or DC that everyone is going to like and unfortunetly the first ones to ever comment on message boards are the ones that hate the decision you make as an EIC you do your best to make the best decisions possible and then you say your prayers. I don’t think DC is tough to understand and I’m just now getting into their stuff and in direct reply to EIC situation I’ll say here what I said before. You cannot make a decision as an EIC at Marvel or DC that everyone is going to like and unfortunetly the first ones to ever comment on message boards are the ones that hate the decision you make as an EIC you do your best to make the best decisions possible and then you say your prayers.

]]> By: matchesmalone http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15019 matchesmalone Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:14:26 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15019 DC is tough to understand, and IC was especially so. I've read ... 8-10 DC books a month since the last Crisis, and I had trouble following a lot of what was happening, who the characters were, why I hould give a rat's ass... DC is tough to understand, and IC was especially so. I’ve read … 8-10 DC books a month since the last Crisis, and I had trouble following a lot of what was happening, who the characters were, why I hould give a rat’s ass…

]]> By: Christopher Moonlight http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15018 Christopher Moonlight Sat, 07 Apr 2007 07:25:00 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15018 I take back what I said in my first post. I don't want to see anyone lose their job. I just don't want to read DC comics while things are the way they are. I'll just read comics where everything I need to know, is right in front of me. I'm reading Blood and Gold by Anne Rice right now, and she knew that she needed to re-cap "the story so far" for people who might be picking up that book as there first Rice read. Comic writers need to know that too, and notes from the editores don't count. I take back what I said in my first post. I don’t want to see anyone lose their job. I just don’t want to read DC comics while things are the way they are. I’ll just read comics where everything I need to know, is right in front of me. I’m reading Blood and Gold by Anne Rice right now, and she knew that she needed to re-cap “the story so far” for people who might be picking up that book as there first Rice read. Comic writers need to know that too, and notes from the editores don’t count.

]]> By: jimmy palmiotti http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15017 jimmy palmiotti Sat, 07 Apr 2007 07:14:43 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15017 just read jonah hex...its easy. just read jonah hex…its easy.

]]> By: Todd Alcott http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15016 Todd Alcott Sat, 07 Apr 2007 06:02:15 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15016 Holy sh*t! <i>I've out-geeked Tom Spurgeon!</i> Soon I will become a being of pure energy! Holy sh*t! I’ve out-geeked Tom Spurgeon! Soon I will become a being of pure energy!

]]> By: Tom Spurgeon http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15015 Tom Spurgeon Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:16:17 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15015 I had to look up "Arkkis Chummuck" just to understand this comments thread! I had to look up “Arkkis Chummuck” just to understand this comments thread!

]]> By: Bill Cunningham http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15014 Bill Cunningham Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:13:28 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15014 What's the old adage? "Every comic is someone's first..." What’s the old adage?

“Every comic is someone’s first…”

]]> By: R. Maheras http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15013 R. Maheras Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:48:14 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15013 Rule #1 for filmgoers: The vast majority of film patrons will only spend a few minutes checking up on a film before deciding whether or not to go see it. Rule #1 for comic book readers: See Rule #1 for filmgoers. It's human nature, folks. Rule #1 for filmgoers: The vast majority of film patrons will only spend a few minutes checking up on a film before deciding whether or not to go see it.

Rule #1 for comic book readers: See Rule #1 for filmgoers.

It’s human nature, folks.

]]> By: mario http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15012 mario Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:07:59 +0000 http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/05/dc-is-not-hard-to-understand/#comment-15012 I'll say it here first: PAUL DINI FOR EDITOR IN CHIEF!! BRUCE TIMM FOR CREATIVE EXECUTIVE OFFICER! I’ll say it here first:
PAUL DINI FOR EDITOR IN CHIEF!!
BRUCE TIMM FOR CREATIVE EXECUTIVE OFFICER!

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