Post by droidofages on Oct 19, 2012 10:10:36 GMT -4
Mark Waid's Daredevil is one of, if not my favourite mainstream super hero comic in decades. Apparently, it's not just me who feels this way considering it's taken three Eisners and four Harvey awards home.
At Strange Adventures in Fredericton, we ended up with more people subscribed to Daredevil than we did Avengers vs. X-Men (the latest mega event from Marvel). That's without the entire Marvel universe hanging in the balance, and without the brooding, dark and edgy take on the main hero in a new and over designed costume, and without twenty different gate fold, die-cut, foil covers that went for $200 on EBay (until a month later when it couldn't be sold in dollar bins). It seems to have sold well and won awards simply because it's a well written and well drawn comic.
Hawkeye is another title from Marvel that seems to be following suit and maybe it's just me but it almost seems as though Matt Fraction's writing is less restrained on this title compared to his other Marvel works. I'd say it's my favourite work from him since Casanova. Add master visual story tellers like Aja & Hollingsworth and you have a comic that focuses on it's quality and less on spectacle.
Saga from Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples and Image Comics is another example, albeit a creator owned one not under the Marvel banner. It too garnered a larger subscription audience at Strange Adventures in Fredericton, than Avengers vs. X-Men based solely on word of mouth.
Could this be a growing trend in the mainstream comic industry? Despite what appears to be a return to the shallower marketing gimmicks of the 90's, could audiences be looking for more substance and subtlety and less formulas in their comics?
What do you guys think? Is there a difference between titles like Daredevil, Hawkeye or Saga and event driven crossover titles like Avengers vs. X-Men?
At Strange Adventures in Fredericton, we ended up with more people subscribed to Daredevil than we did Avengers vs. X-Men (the latest mega event from Marvel). That's without the entire Marvel universe hanging in the balance, and without the brooding, dark and edgy take on the main hero in a new and over designed costume, and without twenty different gate fold, die-cut, foil covers that went for $200 on EBay (until a month later when it couldn't be sold in dollar bins). It seems to have sold well and won awards simply because it's a well written and well drawn comic.
Hawkeye is another title from Marvel that seems to be following suit and maybe it's just me but it almost seems as though Matt Fraction's writing is less restrained on this title compared to his other Marvel works. I'd say it's my favourite work from him since Casanova. Add master visual story tellers like Aja & Hollingsworth and you have a comic that focuses on it's quality and less on spectacle.
Saga from Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples and Image Comics is another example, albeit a creator owned one not under the Marvel banner. It too garnered a larger subscription audience at Strange Adventures in Fredericton, than Avengers vs. X-Men based solely on word of mouth.
Could this be a growing trend in the mainstream comic industry? Despite what appears to be a return to the shallower marketing gimmicks of the 90's, could audiences be looking for more substance and subtlety and less formulas in their comics?
What do you guys think? Is there a difference between titles like Daredevil, Hawkeye or Saga and event driven crossover titles like Avengers vs. X-Men?
