Nick Costanzo
Oct 8, 2007, 10:26 pm
* * * Comixfan Forums THREAD * * *
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THREAD : WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Started at May 24, 2007 12:36 pm by Nick Costanzo
Visit at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=42174
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[Post 1]
Author : Nick Costanzo
Date : May 24, 2007 12:36 pm
Title : WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
By Alan Lynch, shabbasnake@hotmail.com
The Problem With Choice
Editor's Note: Thanks to the success of his One-Shot Column, Alan has been offered the chance to come back and share his further comic views and woes with his new ongoing feature, Welcome to the Life. Enjoy!
As confidently predicted last time out, the release of Spider-Man 3 brought up some discussion of comics from my uninitiated friends. And, as with the first two instalments, my insistence that Curt Connors would become a giant lizard was met with some enthusiasm. They love finding out all these cool plot points they didn’t know about, love the idea of these characters having a much wider world to live in. There is interest; I just have to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, I was given a new barrier to break down. One which I’d never really considered before it was put to me: it just doesn’t strike me as a problem. Apparently I was wrong.
This friend wants to give comics a go, he says. He just doesn’t know where to start. In his words “there’s too much out there.”
I shouldn’t have been so surprised, to be fair. It looks like a valid point – I remember how lost I was when I eventually discovered the joys of indie/small-press books, so it’s obvious that a guy with no comic buying experience is going to struggle a bit. But I just didn’t get how that was a valid reason not to try. Thinking more on it, I still don’t. Look at the number of DVDs, CDs, videogames and “book-books” out there. Comics are outnumbered in every area; your local comic store is, I’m willing to bet, tiny compared to the place you get your music from. Assuming I’m not the only guy here who still buys CDs nowadays. We all start out lost in these places, but over time we’ve developed our taste and knowledge so we know what to look for and where to look for it. We try things out. We form our opinions and seek out more of the stuff we like, avoiding the stuff we don’t. We even have the gall to try and push our favourites on other people. I mean, how presumptuous is that?
More than that, I’d never thought of “too much choice” as being a negative thing. Sure, you might prefer to have decisions made for you sometimes, but on balance I think we’d all rather have too much to choose from than too little. It’s why we get cable and satellite TV, it’s why we don’t trade in DVDs whenever we buy a new one. We need our options. Most of the media I’ve mentioned in here need those options more than the consumers to keep things fresh, thus fostering competition and increasing quality. Okay so a lot of the time you end up with crap. But wouldn’t you rather know there was an alternative to that crap out there?
The process of making your choice is the same regardless of what you’re choosing, except comics cost less money than your average DVD. Browse around, find something which grabs you, take up to till. It’s that easy, it really is. But as it turns out, new readers might not think so. They might have grown up around music and film say, and have started this process of developing taste long before they even realised it. A lot of the time they’ll be starting from the same point as a child might when going to buy their first CD. So – as will often be the case in this little mission of ours – you need to give them a push. Hold them by the hand (figuratively, unless you’re fortunate enough to have a better half open to this) and guide them around this big scary world of ours. If you know them as well as you like to think then you know a lot of their tastes already. You know what books they might enjoy, even if those same books bring you out in a horrible rash. Remember – this isn’t about getting them to like the things you like. Initially at least: I just want more people reading comics.
Next time you’re going on your comics run try asking a friend along; they’re more likely to read something which they’ve chosen out than some seemingly random book you hand to them later. Talk to them about creators and books they might enjoy, much in the same way you might with the work of movie directors. Chances are that someone interested enough to ask questions won’t tell you to shut up. And you’ll need to do this if you’re taking someone into a comic store: they’re confusing places sometimes. You need to know what you’re looking for, since browsing is a tricky thing in the stores I go to.
Obviously this goes against all of our natural instincts. Hate to be the one to break it, but us comic fans are a selfish lot; we all want people to like what we like, and have a fair wedge of the internet set aside for the purpose of making this known. But the only way to get anyone interested in something new is to look at things from their perspective – if this means recommending Amazing Spider-Man then by God that’s what we have to do. Spider-Man 3 has given you an opening: don’t waste it by forcing your favourite 2000+ page epic on people.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
Alan Lynch was the only person in the theatre who laughed at Stan Lee's Spider-Man 3 cameo. He is immensely proud of this fact.
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The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and are not reflective of Comixfan or its other staff in general. Also, it promises to have a column graphic by the next installment.
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[Post 2]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 24, 2007 01:42 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Yay, Alan has his own feature! :dance:
Great stuff again! I've noticed the same. Sometimes my brother wants to read some of my comics and I've noticed that what I hate, he likes.
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[Post 3]
Author : dopplegager
Date : May 24, 2007 03:59 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
One problem I think that a lot of people have with comics is their view of the people that read them. To be honest I collected action figures and the old overpower card game for years before I ever bought a comic book and I got into the action figures because of the X-men cartoon and they came with cards so I got into them as a kid.
I ussually only go to a comic shop once or twice a month but here is my reason I dont hit it up every wednesday. I'll be honest. I have taken my friends to the comic shop before and they know who many of the charactors are because of the old cartoons and cards we used to play and watch. But they dont feel comfortable becasue of the people that hang around there and I dont blame them. Whenever I go in there is always at least some middle aged guy that never showers and prolly still lives with his mom. I dont like going in either because of this. I dont like being around people that have no social skills and have never heard of soap. More so the hygene though. I know that not everyone that reads comics is like that. But the truth is when it comes to this hobby there is an overabundance of this. Also comic shops ussually have a bunch of games lumped in there with them. This brings in a whole new crowd of ussually grown men that wear pikachu slippers and have to many yugioh or whatever.
The truth about it is mayn people are not comfortable around a lot of those people. Until the people that do these hobbies grow a little bit and brush their teeth comics will continue to be labeled for the socially enept.
Float On
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[Post 4]
Author : Nick Costanzo
Date : May 24, 2007 04:04 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.
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[Post 5]
Author : LOGAN2X1
Date : May 24, 2007 06:21 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
In the theatre i was most of the people were laughing at the stanley and bruce campbell scene and theatre was packed. to make a long story short the girl i was with asked me who these guys were. It's slightly humorous to invite her in my world like that.
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[Post 6]
Author : Peaches Valentine
Date : May 24, 2007 06:57 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.
This is actually a formula that my boss at my comic shop has followed since the early nineties when she bought the shop. The owner just has to treat the store like a business first and a social environment second. A lot of shops struggle with the problems of a "clubhouse" atmosphere, and while we do have a lot of regulars that will hang around for long bits of time, we always make sure that everyone gets the help they need and a positive buying experience. The customer service we offer is actually better than many other stores I've been to...and not just comic shops, really across the board. It's a matter of having employees that know the medium and are able to adequately deal with people, be them awesome or a-holes (most people are pretty awesome).
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[Post 7]
Author : Kevin Sutton
Date : May 24, 2007 11:59 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I recently encountered a similar problem of choice when I was looking around at video game consoles and games. So many different titles, if improperly organized, and with such weight attached to choices --it's quite arresting especially when you're simply curious and not really sure what you'd want. I imagine comics can be the same way. When I got into comics, I was guided by movies, previews, and recommendations, and eventually grew familiar with the medium.
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[Post 8]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 05:01 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Both stores I go to are nothing like the stereotypes. Worst thing about them is the - more often than not - crap choice in music. They even have girls and everything. Unheard of!
But yeah, I don't mind bringing people into these places. I've encountered far grmimier, smellier people in the many music stores I've been dragged to in the search for the perfect amp or whatever.
When I got into comics, I was guided by movies, previews, and recommendations, and eventually grew familiar with the medium.
Damn, that's something I should've mentioned. Your movies and the like have magazines, TV shows, spots in the newspaper etc telling people about what's out there. Comics just have the likes of Wizard and word of mouth. Which makes it harder for your average non-reader to build up a working knowledge.
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[Post 9]
Author : Alan Bergin
Date : May 25, 2007 06:03 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Interesting topic! Speak more, Alan :yes:
My comic book store is fine, but for some reason they specialize in trades and don't order many copies of single issues. In fact, they buy enough single issues to fill people's standing orders and that's it. It makes discovering new titles incredibly difficult. :grind: It kinda makes the 'choice' question redundant.
On the whole, I have to say that I'm more than a little daunted by comics, even though I've been reading them for over ten years. Being extremely happy in my X-rut for a decade, I only began to sample other publishers' work within the past few years and even then, I'm still a little intimidated by the choice available.. the DC line in particular. Some of it looks amazing, but when titles have passed their 500th issue, it'd be less expensive to get gold-plated teeth, than buy up all the trades. I know a lot of the publication houses tend to restart their more popular franchises to enlist the new readers, but then I look at the piece of crap that Ultimate X-Men has become and it's really not worth it.
The Vertigo line is pretty sweet though and new(ish) enough for people to jump on board.
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[Post 10]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 07:11 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
On the whole, I have to say that I'm more than a little daunted by comics, even though I've been reading them for over ten years. Being extremely happy in my X-rut for a decade, I only began to sample other publishers' work within the past few years and even then, I'm still a little intimidated by the choice available.. the DC line in particular.
Yeah, I found getting started on DC really difficult. Mainly because my only childhood experience of their characters was Batman and Superman films and cartoons. Even now, when they go into Event Mode I've no clue who half the people dying actually are. It is tough, especially when you don't actually know anyone with the knowledge you're after. The internet helped me out a bit though.
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[Post 11]
Author : Anthony Devlin
Date : May 25, 2007 07:50 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
i buy everything online - so no smelly people for me. :D
i recommend what i read on the basis if it was crap i wouldn't be reading it. :P
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[Post 12]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 07:57 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
You arrogant, arrogant man Devlin :P
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[Post 13]
Author : Robert Cammarata
Date : May 25, 2007 10:03 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Great article Alan! Can't wait to read more.
I agree that Comic book people can be a "cowardly and superstitious lot" er... I mean selfish and territorial. I think when recommending books to people you have to almost gather info on their character and likes. I totally agree that we each come with our own baggage and our preferences from experience.
What I like to do is ask my "target" questions about their interests. For me, the best question is what is your favourite _________[insert media here] e.g. what is your favourite movie? If the person likes big Michael Bay like stuff direct them to big, mainstream superhero fare. If they like quieter dramas guide them to indy or at least darker, peripheral stuff (vertigo might be good). You have to tailor it to the person. Oh, and don't be annoying. I mention questions. Most of the people I try to get into comics are close friends so I know most of these answers anyway without badgering them.
I think it is up to us to spread the word. We have to not be afraid like Alan said to recommend books that may not be our cup of tea (I recommended a cutesy Japanese Manga book called What's Michael for my girlfriend. It is not something I would read but it got her reading a comic) and really have to be willing to share the books we already own. I have copies of Y the Last Man and Dark Knight Returns that I continually lend out to hook more people in to this great industry.
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[Post 14]
Author : Anthony Devlin
Date : May 25, 2007 08:53 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
You arrogant, arrogant man Devlin :P
:LOL:
Seriously though. If someone wanted me to recommend him or her anything I’d give him or her my DEMO trade. Inform them that there's stuff out there that’s just as good, but there's hell of a lot of crap as well.
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[Post 15]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 26, 2007 07:13 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic book store is fine, but for some reason they specialize in trades and don't order many copies of single issues. In fact, they buy enough single issues to fill people's standing orders and that's it. It makes discovering new titles incredibly difficult. :grind: It kinda makes the 'choice' question redundant.
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Single comics hardly sell here anymore to people who aren't allready reading comics, and it left them with so many issues they decided to order only what was being pre-ordered. There used to be two comicshops in the city, but now there is just the one. The other one never stopped buying the single issues, but they had to close shop so I am glad my comicshop decided in time to stop getting so many single issues.
They have also moved the TPBs section to the ground floor where the European comics/strips are. It was just an experiment, but it really paid off!
Many Euro-only readers picked up a trade, and were sold.
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[Post 16]
Author : dopplegager
Date : May 26, 2007 09:51 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
For those of you who are stuck in an x-rut... heck I still read all of the main titles (and that gets really expensive everymonth) I was looking in a Barnes and Noble at the trades one day and I found one of the coolest series that I have read in awhile that never gets reviewed or anything here on this site that I know of. I picked up the Conan trade because the art by Cary Nord was amazing with it uninked and the colors were doneso well. I bought it solely based on the art and loved the story by Kurt Busiek. I think that one of their issues even won an eisner. It has a new writer Tim Truman now but, this has been one of the most consistanly good reads to me in recent months. This is also the only book that I have had any success at with getting people to read it. I have gotten 3 friends and my little brother to read the first 3 trades at least (some have read some some of the minis too) but not of the are comic readers.
Float On
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[Post 17]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 26, 2007 12:55 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Same thing in my comic shop. I know also this other comic shop that obviously orders single issues, but that place has no room, the comics are pricey, and the comics are quite unorganized. The service in the place where I get my monthlies is great, so I have no intention of changing.
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[Post 18]
Author : T. Martin
Date : May 26, 2007 01:35 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I definitely think that getting people on a stand-alone title like Conan cuts down on the 'don't know where to start' problem. It depends on what you mean by welcoming someone to 'the life'. If you mean the geek life of knowing Spider-Man continuity, then to be honest I'm not sure I'd want that! Getting people to take comics, including sci-fi/fantasy/superhero comics seriously is a different matter and there doppelganger's approach - getting stand-alones in trade - is probably the best. If you really want to fill their brains with X-trivia, that can come later. Basically, they need a gateway drug. :P
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[Post 19]
Author : Alex Groff
Date : May 27, 2007 06:46 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.I go to two shops-- one carries superhero comics but won't carry foreign books and obscure indie stuff; the other, just the opposite. (Thankfully they're both within walking distance of each other.) But here's the layout of Atomic Books, the 'indie' store:
http://www.atomicbooks.com/43/public_html/blog/
It's a clean, bright atmosphere with chairs, windows, room to move around, etc. Granted, it's not just comics-- they carry literature, artbooks, magazines, zines, porn, cds and dvds-- but, I think, so much the better for them. It protects them from the problems most retailers face dealing solely with the direct market, and they've created their own identity beyond "comic shop."
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[Post 20]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 28, 2007 04:26 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Single comics hardly sell here anymore to people who aren't allready reading comics, and it left them with so many issues they decided to order only what was being pre-ordered. There used to be two comicshops in the city, but now there is just the one. The other one never stopped buying the single issues, but they had to close shop so I am glad my comicshop decided in time to stop getting so many single issues.
Wow, I'd have thought the single issues would sell better for some reason. I'm much more likely to try something new if I can read a couple of singles first. Getting the whole trade is a pretty expensive waste of money if you don't like the book.
Of course, you could just flip through it in the store, but it's not the same...
It's a clean, bright atmosphere with chairs, windows, room to move around, etc. Granted, it's not just comics-- they carry literature, artbooks, magazines, zines, porn, cds and dvds-- but, I think, so much the better for them. It protects them from the problems most retailers face dealing solely with the direct market, and they've created their own identity beyond "comic shop."
I'd love that store. Everyone I know wouldn't go near it, but I could likely spend hours in there nerding out.
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[Post 21]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 28, 2007 06:23 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Wow, I'd have thought the single issues would sell better for some reason. I'm much more likely to try something new if I can read a couple of singles first. Getting the whole trade is a pretty expensive waste of money if you don't like the book.
Of course, you could just flip through it in the store, but it's not the same...
Yeah, but can you really decide on one single issue?
One arc is a much better way to decide.
I really think you can get more people hooked by giving them a trade then a single issue.
MANY comicreaders have switched to TPB reading.
That's why just looking at the salesnumbers of the single issues isn't enough anymore to see if a book is doing well.
TPBs should be included. The publishers do that as well!
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[Post 22]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 28, 2007 07:12 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I'm just speaking personally. I've picked up plenty of books after trying out one or two issues. Even if I do give a book a full arc, I much prefer being able to pick it up monthly with broken up payments. Buying trades is still a pretty big purchase for me, more so if the book is unknown to me. I totally see the appeal of reading in trade, but I admit to being surprised that that many people see them as a good way of trying a new title.
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[Post 23]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 28, 2007 11:53 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I myself prefer individual issues to TPBs as well, but that's just what I hear from the guy at my LCH and the members on a Dutch comics-forum.
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[Post 24]
Author : Ann Nichols
Date : May 29, 2007 09:29 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
If you think trades will go over better and your local library has a graphic novels section, as does mine, why not lead your friends there to check out whatever interests them? Then, if they really like a particular title and no new trade is coming out for months, gently lead them to the local comics shop.
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[Post 25]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 30, 2007 12:17 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Ann, that is a good piece of advice. That's how I've been getting to know non-Marvel comics recently. I highly recommend this to everyone.
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[Post 26]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 30, 2007 04:04 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Ann gives good advice. I've read books I might otherwise never have picked up thanks to my library; I've even moved onto single issues with some of them. If you've got somewhere with a decent selection then it's definitely a great place to start.
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[Post 27]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 30, 2007 01:55 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
If you think trades will go over better and your local library has a graphic novels section, as does mine, why not lead your friends there to check out whatever interests them? Then, if they really like a particular title and no new trade is coming out for months, gently lead them to the local comics shop.
Sadly, libraries over here do not have American comicbook Trades.
If they had, I would have been a comicbook junkie a whole lot sooner I think!
They only place you can buy American comics or trades is a comicshop.
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The messages has been download from Comixfan Forums at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums at 05.10.2007 08:24:56
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THREAD : WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Started at May 24, 2007 12:36 pm by Nick Costanzo
Visit at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=42174
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[Post 1]
Author : Nick Costanzo
Date : May 24, 2007 12:36 pm
Title : WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
By Alan Lynch, shabbasnake@hotmail.com
The Problem With Choice
Editor's Note: Thanks to the success of his One-Shot Column, Alan has been offered the chance to come back and share his further comic views and woes with his new ongoing feature, Welcome to the Life. Enjoy!
As confidently predicted last time out, the release of Spider-Man 3 brought up some discussion of comics from my uninitiated friends. And, as with the first two instalments, my insistence that Curt Connors would become a giant lizard was met with some enthusiasm. They love finding out all these cool plot points they didn’t know about, love the idea of these characters having a much wider world to live in. There is interest; I just have to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, I was given a new barrier to break down. One which I’d never really considered before it was put to me: it just doesn’t strike me as a problem. Apparently I was wrong.
This friend wants to give comics a go, he says. He just doesn’t know where to start. In his words “there’s too much out there.”
I shouldn’t have been so surprised, to be fair. It looks like a valid point – I remember how lost I was when I eventually discovered the joys of indie/small-press books, so it’s obvious that a guy with no comic buying experience is going to struggle a bit. But I just didn’t get how that was a valid reason not to try. Thinking more on it, I still don’t. Look at the number of DVDs, CDs, videogames and “book-books” out there. Comics are outnumbered in every area; your local comic store is, I’m willing to bet, tiny compared to the place you get your music from. Assuming I’m not the only guy here who still buys CDs nowadays. We all start out lost in these places, but over time we’ve developed our taste and knowledge so we know what to look for and where to look for it. We try things out. We form our opinions and seek out more of the stuff we like, avoiding the stuff we don’t. We even have the gall to try and push our favourites on other people. I mean, how presumptuous is that?
More than that, I’d never thought of “too much choice” as being a negative thing. Sure, you might prefer to have decisions made for you sometimes, but on balance I think we’d all rather have too much to choose from than too little. It’s why we get cable and satellite TV, it’s why we don’t trade in DVDs whenever we buy a new one. We need our options. Most of the media I’ve mentioned in here need those options more than the consumers to keep things fresh, thus fostering competition and increasing quality. Okay so a lot of the time you end up with crap. But wouldn’t you rather know there was an alternative to that crap out there?
The process of making your choice is the same regardless of what you’re choosing, except comics cost less money than your average DVD. Browse around, find something which grabs you, take up to till. It’s that easy, it really is. But as it turns out, new readers might not think so. They might have grown up around music and film say, and have started this process of developing taste long before they even realised it. A lot of the time they’ll be starting from the same point as a child might when going to buy their first CD. So – as will often be the case in this little mission of ours – you need to give them a push. Hold them by the hand (figuratively, unless you’re fortunate enough to have a better half open to this) and guide them around this big scary world of ours. If you know them as well as you like to think then you know a lot of their tastes already. You know what books they might enjoy, even if those same books bring you out in a horrible rash. Remember – this isn’t about getting them to like the things you like. Initially at least: I just want more people reading comics.
Next time you’re going on your comics run try asking a friend along; they’re more likely to read something which they’ve chosen out than some seemingly random book you hand to them later. Talk to them about creators and books they might enjoy, much in the same way you might with the work of movie directors. Chances are that someone interested enough to ask questions won’t tell you to shut up. And you’ll need to do this if you’re taking someone into a comic store: they’re confusing places sometimes. You need to know what you’re looking for, since browsing is a tricky thing in the stores I go to.
Obviously this goes against all of our natural instincts. Hate to be the one to break it, but us comic fans are a selfish lot; we all want people to like what we like, and have a fair wedge of the internet set aside for the purpose of making this known. But the only way to get anyone interested in something new is to look at things from their perspective – if this means recommending Amazing Spider-Man then by God that’s what we have to do. Spider-Man 3 has given you an opening: don’t waste it by forcing your favourite 2000+ page epic on people.
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Alan Lynch was the only person in the theatre who laughed at Stan Lee's Spider-Man 3 cameo. He is immensely proud of this fact.
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The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and are not reflective of Comixfan or its other staff in general. Also, it promises to have a column graphic by the next installment.
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[Post 2]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 24, 2007 01:42 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Yay, Alan has his own feature! :dance:
Great stuff again! I've noticed the same. Sometimes my brother wants to read some of my comics and I've noticed that what I hate, he likes.
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[Post 3]
Author : dopplegager
Date : May 24, 2007 03:59 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
One problem I think that a lot of people have with comics is their view of the people that read them. To be honest I collected action figures and the old overpower card game for years before I ever bought a comic book and I got into the action figures because of the X-men cartoon and they came with cards so I got into them as a kid.
I ussually only go to a comic shop once or twice a month but here is my reason I dont hit it up every wednesday. I'll be honest. I have taken my friends to the comic shop before and they know who many of the charactors are because of the old cartoons and cards we used to play and watch. But they dont feel comfortable becasue of the people that hang around there and I dont blame them. Whenever I go in there is always at least some middle aged guy that never showers and prolly still lives with his mom. I dont like going in either because of this. I dont like being around people that have no social skills and have never heard of soap. More so the hygene though. I know that not everyone that reads comics is like that. But the truth is when it comes to this hobby there is an overabundance of this. Also comic shops ussually have a bunch of games lumped in there with them. This brings in a whole new crowd of ussually grown men that wear pikachu slippers and have to many yugioh or whatever.
The truth about it is mayn people are not comfortable around a lot of those people. Until the people that do these hobbies grow a little bit and brush their teeth comics will continue to be labeled for the socially enept.
Float On
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[Post 4]
Author : Nick Costanzo
Date : May 24, 2007 04:04 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.
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[Post 5]
Author : LOGAN2X1
Date : May 24, 2007 06:21 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
In the theatre i was most of the people were laughing at the stanley and bruce campbell scene and theatre was packed. to make a long story short the girl i was with asked me who these guys were. It's slightly humorous to invite her in my world like that.
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[Post 6]
Author : Peaches Valentine
Date : May 24, 2007 06:57 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.
This is actually a formula that my boss at my comic shop has followed since the early nineties when she bought the shop. The owner just has to treat the store like a business first and a social environment second. A lot of shops struggle with the problems of a "clubhouse" atmosphere, and while we do have a lot of regulars that will hang around for long bits of time, we always make sure that everyone gets the help they need and a positive buying experience. The customer service we offer is actually better than many other stores I've been to...and not just comic shops, really across the board. It's a matter of having employees that know the medium and are able to adequately deal with people, be them awesome or a-holes (most people are pretty awesome).
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[Post 7]
Author : Kevin Sutton
Date : May 24, 2007 11:59 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I recently encountered a similar problem of choice when I was looking around at video game consoles and games. So many different titles, if improperly organized, and with such weight attached to choices --it's quite arresting especially when you're simply curious and not really sure what you'd want. I imagine comics can be the same way. When I got into comics, I was guided by movies, previews, and recommendations, and eventually grew familiar with the medium.
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[Post 8]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 05:01 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Both stores I go to are nothing like the stereotypes. Worst thing about them is the - more often than not - crap choice in music. They even have girls and everything. Unheard of!
But yeah, I don't mind bringing people into these places. I've encountered far grmimier, smellier people in the many music stores I've been dragged to in the search for the perfect amp or whatever.
When I got into comics, I was guided by movies, previews, and recommendations, and eventually grew familiar with the medium.
Damn, that's something I should've mentioned. Your movies and the like have magazines, TV shows, spots in the newspaper etc telling people about what's out there. Comics just have the likes of Wizard and word of mouth. Which makes it harder for your average non-reader to build up a working knowledge.
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[Post 9]
Author : Alan Bergin
Date : May 25, 2007 06:03 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Interesting topic! Speak more, Alan :yes:
My comic book store is fine, but for some reason they specialize in trades and don't order many copies of single issues. In fact, they buy enough single issues to fill people's standing orders and that's it. It makes discovering new titles incredibly difficult. :grind: It kinda makes the 'choice' question redundant.
On the whole, I have to say that I'm more than a little daunted by comics, even though I've been reading them for over ten years. Being extremely happy in my X-rut for a decade, I only began to sample other publishers' work within the past few years and even then, I'm still a little intimidated by the choice available.. the DC line in particular. Some of it looks amazing, but when titles have passed their 500th issue, it'd be less expensive to get gold-plated teeth, than buy up all the trades. I know a lot of the publication houses tend to restart their more popular franchises to enlist the new readers, but then I look at the piece of crap that Ultimate X-Men has become and it's really not worth it.
The Vertigo line is pretty sweet though and new(ish) enough for people to jump on board.
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[Post 10]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 07:11 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
On the whole, I have to say that I'm more than a little daunted by comics, even though I've been reading them for over ten years. Being extremely happy in my X-rut for a decade, I only began to sample other publishers' work within the past few years and even then, I'm still a little intimidated by the choice available.. the DC line in particular.
Yeah, I found getting started on DC really difficult. Mainly because my only childhood experience of their characters was Batman and Superman films and cartoons. Even now, when they go into Event Mode I've no clue who half the people dying actually are. It is tough, especially when you don't actually know anyone with the knowledge you're after. The internet helped me out a bit though.
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[Post 11]
Author : Anthony Devlin
Date : May 25, 2007 07:50 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
i buy everything online - so no smelly people for me. :D
i recommend what i read on the basis if it was crap i wouldn't be reading it. :P
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[Post 12]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 25, 2007 07:57 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
You arrogant, arrogant man Devlin :P
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[Post 13]
Author : Robert Cammarata
Date : May 25, 2007 10:03 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Great article Alan! Can't wait to read more.
I agree that Comic book people can be a "cowardly and superstitious lot" er... I mean selfish and territorial. I think when recommending books to people you have to almost gather info on their character and likes. I totally agree that we each come with our own baggage and our preferences from experience.
What I like to do is ask my "target" questions about their interests. For me, the best question is what is your favourite _________[insert media here] e.g. what is your favourite movie? If the person likes big Michael Bay like stuff direct them to big, mainstream superhero fare. If they like quieter dramas guide them to indy or at least darker, peripheral stuff (vertigo might be good). You have to tailor it to the person. Oh, and don't be annoying. I mention questions. Most of the people I try to get into comics are close friends so I know most of these answers anyway without badgering them.
I think it is up to us to spread the word. We have to not be afraid like Alan said to recommend books that may not be our cup of tea (I recommended a cutesy Japanese Manga book called What's Michael for my girlfriend. It is not something I would read but it got her reading a comic) and really have to be willing to share the books we already own. I have copies of Y the Last Man and Dark Knight Returns that I continually lend out to hook more people in to this great industry.
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[Post 14]
Author : Anthony Devlin
Date : May 25, 2007 08:53 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
You arrogant, arrogant man Devlin :P
:LOL:
Seriously though. If someone wanted me to recommend him or her anything I’d give him or her my DEMO trade. Inform them that there's stuff out there that’s just as good, but there's hell of a lot of crap as well.
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[Post 15]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 26, 2007 07:13 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic book store is fine, but for some reason they specialize in trades and don't order many copies of single issues. In fact, they buy enough single issues to fill people's standing orders and that's it. It makes discovering new titles incredibly difficult. :grind: It kinda makes the 'choice' question redundant.
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Single comics hardly sell here anymore to people who aren't allready reading comics, and it left them with so many issues they decided to order only what was being pre-ordered. There used to be two comicshops in the city, but now there is just the one. The other one never stopped buying the single issues, but they had to close shop so I am glad my comicshop decided in time to stop getting so many single issues.
They have also moved the TPBs section to the ground floor where the European comics/strips are. It was just an experiment, but it really paid off!
Many Euro-only readers picked up a trade, and were sold.
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[Post 16]
Author : dopplegager
Date : May 26, 2007 09:51 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
For those of you who are stuck in an x-rut... heck I still read all of the main titles (and that gets really expensive everymonth) I was looking in a Barnes and Noble at the trades one day and I found one of the coolest series that I have read in awhile that never gets reviewed or anything here on this site that I know of. I picked up the Conan trade because the art by Cary Nord was amazing with it uninked and the colors were doneso well. I bought it solely based on the art and loved the story by Kurt Busiek. I think that one of their issues even won an eisner. It has a new writer Tim Truman now but, this has been one of the most consistanly good reads to me in recent months. This is also the only book that I have had any success at with getting people to read it. I have gotten 3 friends and my little brother to read the first 3 trades at least (some have read some some of the minis too) but not of the are comic readers.
Float On
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[Post 17]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 26, 2007 12:55 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Same thing in my comic shop. I know also this other comic shop that obviously orders single issues, but that place has no room, the comics are pricey, and the comics are quite unorganized. The service in the place where I get my monthlies is great, so I have no intention of changing.
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[Post 18]
Author : T. Martin
Date : May 26, 2007 01:35 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I definitely think that getting people on a stand-alone title like Conan cuts down on the 'don't know where to start' problem. It depends on what you mean by welcoming someone to 'the life'. If you mean the geek life of knowing Spider-Man continuity, then to be honest I'm not sure I'd want that! Getting people to take comics, including sci-fi/fantasy/superhero comics seriously is a different matter and there doppelganger's approach - getting stand-alones in trade - is probably the best. If you really want to fill their brains with X-trivia, that can come later. Basically, they need a gateway drug. :P
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[Post 19]
Author : Alex Groff
Date : May 27, 2007 06:46 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comic shop is an anamoly. Its well-lit, clean, the customers seem normal and amazingly enough, so do the employees. The guy who owns it looks like a fratboy, in fact. They also have a very well-laid-out selection of single issues and a LOT of trades. I wish more would follow this model, it would do the industry quite well.I go to two shops-- one carries superhero comics but won't carry foreign books and obscure indie stuff; the other, just the opposite. (Thankfully they're both within walking distance of each other.) But here's the layout of Atomic Books, the 'indie' store:
http://www.atomicbooks.com/43/public_html/blog/
It's a clean, bright atmosphere with chairs, windows, room to move around, etc. Granted, it's not just comics-- they carry literature, artbooks, magazines, zines, porn, cds and dvds-- but, I think, so much the better for them. It protects them from the problems most retailers face dealing solely with the direct market, and they've created their own identity beyond "comic shop."
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[Post 20]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 28, 2007 04:26 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
My comicshop does the same, but out of necessity.
Single comics hardly sell here anymore to people who aren't allready reading comics, and it left them with so many issues they decided to order only what was being pre-ordered. There used to be two comicshops in the city, but now there is just the one. The other one never stopped buying the single issues, but they had to close shop so I am glad my comicshop decided in time to stop getting so many single issues.
Wow, I'd have thought the single issues would sell better for some reason. I'm much more likely to try something new if I can read a couple of singles first. Getting the whole trade is a pretty expensive waste of money if you don't like the book.
Of course, you could just flip through it in the store, but it's not the same...
It's a clean, bright atmosphere with chairs, windows, room to move around, etc. Granted, it's not just comics-- they carry literature, artbooks, magazines, zines, porn, cds and dvds-- but, I think, so much the better for them. It protects them from the problems most retailers face dealing solely with the direct market, and they've created their own identity beyond "comic shop."
I'd love that store. Everyone I know wouldn't go near it, but I could likely spend hours in there nerding out.
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[Post 21]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 28, 2007 06:23 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Wow, I'd have thought the single issues would sell better for some reason. I'm much more likely to try something new if I can read a couple of singles first. Getting the whole trade is a pretty expensive waste of money if you don't like the book.
Of course, you could just flip through it in the store, but it's not the same...
Yeah, but can you really decide on one single issue?
One arc is a much better way to decide.
I really think you can get more people hooked by giving them a trade then a single issue.
MANY comicreaders have switched to TPB reading.
That's why just looking at the salesnumbers of the single issues isn't enough anymore to see if a book is doing well.
TPBs should be included. The publishers do that as well!
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[Post 22]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 28, 2007 07:12 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I'm just speaking personally. I've picked up plenty of books after trying out one or two issues. Even if I do give a book a full arc, I much prefer being able to pick it up monthly with broken up payments. Buying trades is still a pretty big purchase for me, more so if the book is unknown to me. I totally see the appeal of reading in trade, but I admit to being surprised that that many people see them as a good way of trying a new title.
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[Post 23]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 28, 2007 11:53 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
I myself prefer individual issues to TPBs as well, but that's just what I hear from the guy at my LCH and the members on a Dutch comics-forum.
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[Post 24]
Author : Ann Nichols
Date : May 29, 2007 09:29 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
If you think trades will go over better and your local library has a graphic novels section, as does mine, why not lead your friends there to check out whatever interests them? Then, if they really like a particular title and no new trade is coming out for months, gently lead them to the local comics shop.
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[Post 25]
Author : Janne Pietikainen
Date : May 30, 2007 12:17 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Ann, that is a good piece of advice. That's how I've been getting to know non-Marvel comics recently. I highly recommend this to everyone.
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[Post 26]
Author : Alan Lynch
Date : May 30, 2007 04:04 am
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
Ann gives good advice. I've read books I might otherwise never have picked up thanks to my library; I've even moved onto single issues with some of them. If you've got somewhere with a decent selection then it's definitely a great place to start.
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[Post 27]
Author : Marty P
Date : May 30, 2007 01:55 pm
Title : Re: WELCOME TO THE LIFE #1: THE PROBLEM WITH CHOICE
If you think trades will go over better and your local library has a graphic novels section, as does mine, why not lead your friends there to check out whatever interests them? Then, if they really like a particular title and no new trade is coming out for months, gently lead them to the local comics shop.
Sadly, libraries over here do not have American comicbook Trades.
If they had, I would have been a comicbook junkie a whole lot sooner I think!
They only place you can buy American comics or trades is a comicshop.
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The messages has been download from Comixfan Forums at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums at 05.10.2007 08:24:56