#comic gate

Join us for our Crowdsourced Comics Spotlight! This time for the new book - THE EXPENDABLES GO TO HELL!

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Following a long line of “Kickstarter Spotlight” articles, I thought it was time to branch out to looking at different kinds of crowdsourced comic books. Today I would like to spotlight the recently launched Indiegogo campaign for the Graphic Novel “The Expendables Go to Hell”.  While this project is coordinated by Richard Meyer, one of the main protagonists in the comic-gate saga, this comic…

( Part 2)… so of course people are going to go for the famous characters first. This isn’t Image, if you don’t sell more than 20k after 3 months you’re out.(Part 2)

Here’s the thing though- ‘SAGA’, a small Sci-fi comic book featuring people of color; is constantly at the top of sales.

‘Walking Dead’; even before the show came out and it became a cultural icon; constantly had good sales.

'Y: the Last Man’ is currently getting a TV show adaption. So is the new comic 'Infidel’ after just a few issues being released.

Jane Foster as 'Thor’ had just as decent a sales as Classic Thor.

Ms. Marvel won several accolades and has brought in TONS of new readers for Marvel (especially new fans because of the books deal with Scholastic!)

This year when I went to Comic Con: there were TONS of people dressed up as Miles Morales and were really EXCITED about him (To the people who complain about Miles, I just want to say this: I don't understand how you can see so many people's elation and wonder for a character and just...hate on it. Just try to tear it down because you can't relate/don't like the character. It's just really sad that you can't even find joy in other people having joy!)

New characters CAN and DO sell well- you just have to put in the effort to do it.

The problem with Marvel ISN’T the new characters; it’s that Marvel can’t ever commit to an idea for the long haul. The reason it didn’t have a legacy is because Marvel constantly throws out ideas BEFORE giving them a decent chance.

America Chavez struggled not because she’s a bad character or nostalgia- but because of problems with the writing. The series had a ton of plot holes, long stream of conscious dialogue that doesn’t work well for the comic book form, and propping America up as perfect: leading to their being little to no struggle for her or conflict. Does that mean America is a bad character or should NEVER be given another solo title? No, it just means that this attempt didn’t do well because it had problems with the writing (something that can happen to A-List characters too!)

Comic sales are struggling, in my opinion, because DC and Marvel are making bad/outdated BUSINESS choices, BAD WRITING, and oftentimes PLAYING IT safe. It has NOTHING to do with DIVERSITY or NEW CHARACTERS.

When a company PUBLICLY says artists (who are the life blood OF COMICS!) are basically unimportant; you know that company has some PRETTY SHITTY PRIORITIES!

And I gotta ask- do we really need Logan in 4 to 5 books?! I don’t know about other readers; but I’m getting sick of characters like Logan getting double/triple/quadruple duty on teams and becoming oversaturated (that’s how you end up with 'microwave claws’ Logan OR Hulkerine…) - than Marvel simply BEING CREATIVE and using new and fresh lineups with lesser known characters.