Robin #133 / DC
CCA label.
Robin is one of the fallout victims of the current big DC event called Identity Crisis which my next post will deal with.
This issue wasn't that bad, one dream sequence with Robin seeing people close to him who have recently died, his father, one serious girlfriend, one not so serious (all from the past 4-6 months btw). In the sequence it shows the father with worms coming out of his mouth and nose. A rough view of death considering how recent the loss.
The really odd event in this book is one I wouldn't know how to rate even if I was still rating. The villain Blockbuster was lethally shot in the head in another Bat-title, Nightwing. There was some question about him maybe still being alive in this title. Turns out he is dead, but The Penguin had him stuffed. As an adult there's a certain humor in seeing one villain having another as a trophy. In a kid's book its a bit disturbing.
Robin is one of the fallout victims of the current big DC event called Identity Crisis which my next post will deal with.
This issue wasn't that bad, one dream sequence with Robin seeing people close to him who have recently died, his father, one serious girlfriend, one not so serious (all from the past 4-6 months btw). In the sequence it shows the father with worms coming out of his mouth and nose. A rough view of death considering how recent the loss.
The really odd event in this book is one I wouldn't know how to rate even if I was still rating. The villain Blockbuster was lethally shot in the head in another Bat-title, Nightwing. There was some question about him maybe still being alive in this title. Turns out he is dead, but The Penguin had him stuffed. As an adult there's a certain humor in seeing one villain having another as a trophy. In a kid's book its a bit disturbing.
posted by Greg McClay at 7:09 AM
4 Comments:
"In a kid's book its a bit disturbing."
Here's the problem with the ongoing "comics are for kids" argument. Kids aren't buying comics anymore. I'm 20 and even when I was a kid it was pretty rare that I saw other kids there. It's not a matter of content, there was some pretty graphic stuff in what I read back in the day, its the fact that the kids just aren't goin to the stores. If they are there, they're after Yu-Gui-Oh or whatever card or rpg is hot at the moment. Some may argue that the comics are still marketed to kids with all the toys and licensing products, but thats all the kids are buying, not the source material.
At some point I'll have to respond to this point in great detail, you're not the first to try and make the arguement. For now here's a Disney press release that was posted over at Captain Comics:
"DISNEY ADVENTURES TO PUBLISH QUARTERLY COMIC ZONE IN 2005
Disney Adventures magazine will increase the frequency of Comic Zone in 2005 when it publishes its special collector’s issue dedicated completely to comics four times throughout the year. The Winter 2005 issue of Comic Zone, which hits newsstands on December 21, 2004, will feature 20 original and Disney-themed comics, including new comics based upon the new hit Disney/Pixar animated movie The Incredibles; the hit Jetix/ABC Family animated series Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!; and international publishing sensation and soon-to-launch animated series on Jetix/ABC Family and Toon Disney, W.I.T.C.H.
“The first two issues of Comic Zone in winter and summer 2004 received an amazing response, with newsstand sales for the special issues well above the magazine’s monthly average,” said Steve Behling, executive editor, Comics, Disney Adventures. “We are pleased to now offer our readers more opportunities to follow the comics they love from Disney Adventures, and also introduce them to new content created by incredibly talented comic authors and illustrators.”
Favorite comics returning to the 96-page Winter 2005 issue of Comic Zone include Pirates of the Caribbean, by Bret Blevins; Gorilla Gorilla, by Art Baltazar; Kid Gravity, by Landry Walker and Eric Jones; Freaky Friday, by Christine Norrie; Tall Tails, by Glenn McCoy; Dizzy Adventures, by Matt Feazell; Society of Horrors by Rick Geary; Driver 10, by Michael Stewart and Garry Black; and Jet Pack Pets, by Stewart and Black and illustrated by Scott Koblish."
Didn't mean to remain anonymous, sorry, I'm Paul. After reading some more of your posts I think I understand a little better what you're getting at. The current Amazing Spider-Man arc is a great example of where I agree with you. It was needlessly gritty, I gave up on it after one or two issues into the arc. However, I think the "all-ages" comic shouldn't be entirely sanitized, nor should it be too "adult." I think one of the few comics that gets this balance right is Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan. So to summarize...I kinda agree with some of your thoughts, but not exactly...but still, I'd be hard pressed to find some kids who are actually reading comics, Disney or not.
I think the problem is that kids don't SEE comics anymore since they shifted primarily to specialty shops; most parents probably aren't aware they're still being made, for that matter. The concepts still sell; I saw plenty of kids at the theatre for Spider-Man, and all the merchandise aimed at kids sells well. And yes, kids are still willing to read if given something interesting. The publishers seem to be missing a huge opportunity to expand their readership outside of the ever-dwindling circle of returning readers.
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