Yet another procrastinated post, I knew last month how many comics movies were in the works and meant to make an entry. This week is the premiere of what is positive to be the biggest summer blockbuster since... maybe Batman? I'm talking about Frank Miller's 300 of course, soon to be followed by a veritable slew of comics movie adaptations, including Rise of the Silver Surfer, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Spider-Man 3, Transformers, and The Spirit (also by Frank Miller). I know, I know: what's the point of getting all this advance knowledge if I never share it? But I've been busy with everyday life and such, so I'm getting it to you - just not always before the other guys scoop me!
Anyway, 300 is going to blow Ghost Rider out of the water. I predict it will be #1 for several weeks in a row - the first two of its release, at the very least - and may in fact actually prove to be the "movie event of a generation," as one scintillating bit of ad copy touts it.
The other trends are within the comics industry itself: war and zombies. Now, while the two go together like sugar and cream, they are actually two very separate trends within comics, with the Big Two leading the way of war with Marvel's Civil War and DC's WWIII sagas and just now leaping on board the independent zombie train, which has been going strong for a few years now.
This is nothing new to long-time fans; just like TV, cinema, and other major entertainment fields, whenever a trend takes hold, literally everyone jumps on board with their take on it. It'll blow over within the year and the next big trends will take hold and life goes on. It can be a big burnout and I hate to see that because I'm not 100% positive the comics industry can take another big burnout. After the mutant bit of the 1980s, which followed the ninja bit of the 1980s, came the "half-demon/half-angel" vengeance antiheroes of the 1990s - and then came the collapse of the industry.
Obviously though, these trends played their way through popular conscience and comics are still around today. And people have been predicting the end of comics pretty much since the beginning of comics, so I'm probably jumping the gun here. Still, comics is one of the most malleable mediums ever invented and I hate to see the guys who run the show making the same stupid mistakes they always have. How many times does Marvel have to go bankrupt before they finally figure out that what they've been doing just isn't working?
No one believes me and never has, but quality really is appreciated. You're only going to get a short way by jumping on the popular train and riding it to the end of the line, then staggering around to the next station; make good product (which starts when you stop calling it "product") and you will not only get butts in the seats, but you'll keep them coming back!
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