Thor: The Dark World

Although I enjoyed the movie, I didn’t like the Jane Foster love story. I wanted the ale drinking, womanizing Thor that I read about in my comic books. Jane Foster. Yuck. I also didn’t like Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movie. Since I’m on a roll I might as well keep going. I didn’t like that couple in Star Wars: Return of the Sith either. Superman and Lois Lane, Spider-Man and Mary Jane/Gwen Stacy. Could it be that I’m one of those females that’s jealous of the love interest of these handsome heroes? Nope. Not at all. I just don’t want to see romance in action movies. Fights. Superpowers. Explosives. Destruction. Save cities, countries, galaxies or whatever. Just keep those women at a distance.

Mighty Avengers Gets New Artist

Social media sites have been buzzing with news of Valerio Schiti replacing Greg Land on this title. Though I’m not certain if the change is permanent, I’m hoping this will silence the complainers for now. I’m talking about those who claim they weren’t going to read the book because Land was the artist. I posted on a thread that I want people to put their money where their mouth is and buy the book, if Land was their ONLY reason. All I’m saying is this; if 500 people claim that Land was the only reason for not buying the book, then I would expect those 500 to buy the book. That’s all I’m saying when I talk about sales. That and the fact that I’m hoping retailers will order more books, and actually push the book instead of being quiet as a church mouse.

I stand by the statement that I wrote in my Mighty Avengers #1 Review that Marvel has set this title up for failure. That’s why I’m making it my personal goal to be a watchdog on this book.

Oh wait. Uh-oh. I’m looking in Marvel Previews for February. Schiti is the artist for issues #6 and #7, but Land is the cover artist. I guess those 500 won’t be buying the book after all huh? And the retailers will continue to order an extremely low number of the books, and blame it on readers not liking Land’s covers.

Trade Paperback

If you can help it, please don’t wait until trades are released. Pre-ordered singles is the key for the success of a comic. Twitter followers of creators occasionally tweet, on the creators feed, that they’re going to wait for the trade. Or they will ask if it’s okay if they wait for it. It’s okay to wait for a trade if you really need to. But it’s not okay to ask if you can wait for it. If I was a comic creator, my feelings would be hurt if a follower ask if it was okay to wait for a trade, because that’s telling me that person is not that interested in my work.

Support the Creators of Your Favorite Titles

Comic creators tell readers to talk about a book if they like it. A Big 2 publisher will drop a book faster than the blink of an eye, so we all need to start pushing our favorite books and its’ creators. That goes for indies as well, because Marvel and DC aren’t the only publishers with well-liked titles.

Strike up a conversation at your local comic shop. Tell the owners why you like the book(s) and ask them to pass the information along to their other customers. Talking with other customers could prove valuable as well. Over the past 5-6 months, I’ve gotten 3 customers to try a book I was reading. The customers had already intended to try the books, they just hadn’t gotten around to it. If you’re a female it’s even better! Besides the owner’s wife, I’m usually the only other female in the store when I visit, and I get a lot of attention from the guys! A lot of talking and laughing goes on, but we always exchange information on books we’re reading.

Social media sites are great for talking about the books you like, and why you like them. Mention the names of the creators as well. Talk about the writers, artists, and the colorists, because they give life to those pencils and inks.

We need to push our favorite creators. Put them up on a pedestal. Not only will your favorite books be around for a long time, but you will feel satisfied in knowing that you was a part of the movement. I would love for all the creators on my favorite books to succeed, so they all can have thousands of Twitter followers rushing to comment on their tweets before they can even send it. Or for them to have hundreds of followers begging for a re-tweet or follow! (sorry but I had to throw that in)

Brian Wood / Tess Fowler Scandal

After I read Tess Fowler’s statement, all I said was, “So what.” I can’t believe the number of comments I’ve read on the internet about something that happened about 8 years ago. Most of the comments I read talked negatively about Wood, and sided with Fowler. I skimmed over several comments before leaving the site in disgust. I visited the site the next day, and there were even more comments posted. Again, I skimmed over a few and left in disgust.

I’m not taking sides with anyone, but come on. It’s pathetic how people in this world thrive on controversy. Fowler is playing the innocent victim and people are falling for it. No one knows what happened but Fowler and Wood, and it’s not our business anyway. Now a man’s career and personal life could be in jeopardy, and Fowler appears to be enjoying it.

It sounds to me like Wood was trying to talk to Fowler, but she turned him down. So what. That happens all the time between men and women. Besides, my mother always told her daughters that if a man don’t look at a woman twice, then something is wrong.

We all need to make sure our own house is in order before trying to run somebody else’s. That’s all I have to say in the matter. X-Men will continue to come into my home.

Comic Workshop/Conference

I’m getting pretty tired of reading about not enough blacks and women in comics, and there’s no way for us to break in. Well it’s not about being black or a female, it’s about how to break into the industry. I’ve listened to a few writers share their stories, and they all had one thing in common; they were all at the right place at the right time. So I think it would be a great idea if there was a comic workshop or conference. I am an aspiring writer and I would break my neck to attend. There could be:

• Panels (breaking-in, submissions, legal issues, etc.)
• Track specific panels (writer, artist)
• Networking
• Pitchfest

There should be representatives from the Big 2, indie publishers and web comics. I have attended writing workshops in the past for both screenplay and novels, and there was always a large turnout. Guests would include writers, artist, colorists, letterers, editors and everyone else involved in creating comics. Of course not everyone would want to participate, because some creators would fear the aspiring conference attendees are out to get their jobs. I can’t answer for others, but I don’t want to take anything from anyone. Instead I would love to work side-by-side with a published writer.

Well that’s my thoughts for now. I don’t know what my next post will be about, which is probably why this one is titled Random Thoughts.