Originally published November 6, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1303
No one can argue the absolute necessity of trying to get new fans, new readers on board. To present stories and concepts that will ideally stir the interests of those who are not currently reading comics and bring them into the hobby.
The last time that comics had massive or rapid expansion, it was driven by the collector mentality. The characters and stories were of no interest; rather, comics were being bought and sold purely as commodities. Purchasers had as much emotional attachment to the characters as stockbrokers have to AT&T stock. It’s just business, with no personal investment or interest. Unfortunately, if one is at all interested in the long-term health of the industry, then ways have to be found to stoke the fire of that interest once more. There are far too many things vying for the attention of potential young readers these days, and comic characters are a very small voice in a very loud wind.
So, companies continue to make efforts to bring in new readers, any way they can.
I have two recent examples of such, both available for under three dollars, and both aimed at substantially different audiences. One is quite charming, and the other is kind of… meh.
First up is Spider-Man: Chapter One.
Continue Reading “Comic Reviews: Spider-Man: Chapter One and I Hate Superman”
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