“Heroes, Villains, and Me” is a periodic article on Geeky KOOL by Larry Litle about the world of comic books and my reaction to it. “Heroes, Villains, and Me” is not a comic book review article. I will write about current events, speculation and rumors, or my own wacky thoughts about the world of comic books.
I would like to again wish all of our readers a Happy 2014. We hope every reader will have a wonderful year personally. We also hope that 2014 will be a great year to be a geek, nerd, or whatever self label you may give yourself.
This is the first Heroes, Villains, and Me article of the year. Here are a few things I hope to see in comics this New Year.
1) Cheaper Digital Comics
Digital comics are becoming more and more popular. They allow you to access comics from the web at anytime and you can go back and re-read them. But there is no resale value on these comics. Even my cheap comics are worth a portion of the price I paid for them. But I can’t take a collection of comics in digital format and sell them on E-Bay or at the comic store. Why do the new release comics cost the same for Digital format as having an actual comic in hand? There is no printing cost for digital comics. It makes no sense to me. I hope the industry will re-look at this and bring the price down. If they do, then I would be willing to read more digital comics and have the ability to read more great comics.
2) Another Great Comic Book Movie Year
The last few years have been the glorious years for comic book movies. Marvel and DC has hit it out of the park with numerous movies. We are getting to see our favorite characters on the big screen. Most of the time, we are getting a good story and characters. Yes there has been a few stinkers mixed in but overall it has been great (sorry Green Lantern fans). Yet after all of this continued success, I keep wondering if we are going to hit a bad batch of comic movies and they will again become a joke. I am hopeful that this era of wonderful films about superheroes will continue.
3) More Opportunity and Recognition for Small Comic Book Companies
There are a ton of wonderful comic books being put out of small comic companies every month. You don’t have to only read Marvel and DC to get great stories and wonderful art. You can find numerous comic companies putting out the kind of comics you are looking for. Some Examples of these companies are Big Dog Ink, Bed Bug Comics, Aw Yeah Comics, Boom! Studios, Head Smash, and Dynamite. Those are just a few comic companies that have enjoyed comics from in 2013. I am very excited for the premiere of the Dirigible Days: 998 comic later in 2014.
I hope everyone will take time to check out some of the small comic companies. I also hope the industry begins to recognize the great work that these artists and writers (along with all of the other positions).
4) More All Ages Comics with Good Stories
There is a false belief that all age comics are only for kids and are poorly created. Nothing can be further from the truth with many All Age comics. There are many all ages comics are for kids but are fun for adults to read. There are also plenty of all age comics that are appropriate for children but are created for adult readers. Sometime by simply by implying activities instead of showing them, a comic can be kid friendly. Most comics in the 70s and 80s fit into this and some are the best comics I have ever read.
5) Friendlier Comic Stores
Many times comic stores turn people off. They people working at the stores are often very knowledgeable about comics, Role Playing Games, and card games like Magic. But often these same knowledgeable workers don’t have good social skills.
I have witnessed the staff ignoring customers when they walk in the door. I have seen workers turn their noise up at people that may not be stereotypical geeks or nerds. If a lady walks into some stores, they are often treated poorly. These things should not happen in any kind of store. We geeks and nerds were often teased and bullied in school for the things we like. We should treat people the way we wanted (and still want) to be treated.
There is my list of things I wish for the Comic industry in 2014. I hope they all come true.
Stay Geeky My Friends!
