The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Independent Comic Book Companies, how have they appealed to you. Where you involved with Standard Comics before the Independent Boom?

In your opinion how have Graphic Expansions revitalized existing comic book companies Example Dark Horse (DC)?

What do you see in the near future for Comic/Graphic Novels?

As one of the many comic collectors dabbler, i manly collect DC and marvel comics.

But have collected independent comics latley, depending on the material would be a good sugestion in waht you want to collect.

But the decline of books have been on the increase, only the aadvide collocters are still out there. the problem like many things people are fater the quick buck, and the comics now compared to the past, there are to many hitting the public and being saved unlock the old days.

where do see this going, not much furhter not many prints will b coming out.

Image Comics has Talent Brian Michael Bendis, being a name to watch, a few of his hits are slated for movies, he has also delved into
True Story docu-comics.

Even none action Mundane character story lines are at the top of the stacks. As more "Airline novels flood the market" Indy Comics will peel
jaded readers into Grapic Novels. Watchmen ( a long time coming) will demonstrate this well.

I support local newpapers that support local artists. I love the twisted little catoons that they have in the obscure magazines in town here. does that count?

other than that i dont seek out indi comics. just "funnies" as it were.

A new fad to come in the comics,, would like to see it. but I think the era of magizines and books are done, or will be slow, with audio books and movies taking the place. the mass market of comics on both have hurt the collecting enviroment.

The underground comics history goes back to R. Crumb. Alternative Comics (Johnny Homicidal Maniac), and Graphic Expansions (Vertigo, Marvel) show that if anything the Alternative, Indi Comics boosted the
Art interest, Looking at Watchmen, and how long the series has been
wrapped up, and how the popularity still stands will be a curious phenomena to observe. When Brien Micheal Bendis' Comics (Image) Powers, and Jinx, and Goldfish, Look Out!

I have noticed a lot more Manga hitting our shelves in the UK. I thought Manga was relatively new but apparently it's been around since the early 50's.
That could well be the trend for the future!

Manga, yea that was my Idea for another thread.. A cross between Manga, and Graphic Comics like .. oh the name escapes me now, it is an American Writer, and A Japanese Artist..

manga crossovers would such a good idea.but there is a legal problem with it.kei and uri made a brief guest appearence in excalibar.i liked cerberus very much and i remember warroir though it was so depressing.

Well some of the Independant Comics are making a good impression on most, yet I still would much rather have the older comics, not any disrespect, I am just more interested in the older ones.. LOL They need to unlock the vaults and let all the older comics be available in my opinion , yet then the Collectors may disagree....

Those that follow the story lines of the Standard Adventure comics, and those that fill the Com-Cons are the truest fans.

As a collector, i agree, they should unlock the vaults and reprint some of the older comics, this insuring the value of the old ones,.

Yet Dabbler the Alternative comics in my sense is more of the fictional blood and gore and ideas set in ones mind, unlike the old comics with a story evollving every time the page is turned.

There are few good ones out there, yet coming (my opinion) from you who ponders everything, the possibilities of these comics would set your mind racing and confused.

Many story lines are scattered. and so dark within the pages.

I suggest Preacher, or Hell Blazer. Graphic, means Graphic Art, and subject matter, Johnny Homicidal Maniac really pushed the envelope.

Unfortunately, I don't know very much when it comes to Marvel and DC comics. I'm more of a movie watcher when it comes to those books. For me, the comics I watch are Manga. Actually...Manga has been published since the late 18th century, and the literal term means Whimsical Drawings, so it's not something new, though it's becoming more and more popular as of late all across the globe, that's for sure.

Would you speculate that Anima boosted the western exposure to Manga?

Yes those who like anime, it has shown the western world a new type of comic and story.

remeber comic artist were more fictional on portrayel of characters in their books. Everyone wanted a hero or fantasy world and not the burdens of this life. Anime still gives them spin offs of this but has more of a mundane life cycle in everyday life.

i do love anime...all of the women are 14 and have eyes like e.t. LOL
jokes aside, i do have probs withsome of the stylistic things....such as the huge alien eyes and the way motion is portrayed.
some very good story lines tho.
~W~

i agree with an earlier statement that the comics are being pushed aside for audio and dvds but perhaps the movies being made from them will help to revitalize all aspects that most of us collectors have come to cherish

i grew up on marvel comics, then branched out to some DC then realized there were smaller press comics out there which were just as good. those will always be considered the american "big two", which would make (for me anyways) Dark Horse #3 and Image #4
i really have to applaud Image for coming about and giving creators ownership over their characters and such (characters created by an artist and/or author while working for marvel or dc meant the character and all rights was owned by marvel or dc, which changed substantially after Image) and they have put out some quality over the years as well. some current faves by them include INVINCIBLE and WALKING DEAD, which are both written by Robert Kirkman. I would like to hope that the future of american comics will lead to more ongoing respect of creators' rights in the industry.
and yes, manga has gotten more and more popular in america in the past decade, which has made american publishers notice THAT GIRLS WILL READ COMICS TOO (surprise, surprise), and this has lead to more "girl friendly" lines out there, not just the now defunct DC MINX line of single serving digest sized stories (some of which used top talent and were actually quite good, but many fell flat), but also in ongoing monthlies like Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and Runaways. hopefully the future of american comics will lead to the industry being less of a "boys club" on both audience accessibility and in creative teams.
something else that manga has made american publishers realize is that not every comic book needs to be about costumed adventurers to succeed. granted, most "off-genre" examples would mostly be in the small press (re: GloomCookie, Blue Monday, Mouse Guard, Bone, etc), but Marvel has branched out into adapting works by major novelists like Stephen King's Dark Tower, and DC's Vertigo division has devoted many titles to supernatural.
the sudden recent "boom" in comic books adapted into major motion pictures has of course had a similar boom in the publishing of comics as well. i think it has made publishers more willing to take "risks" on various projects and properties to which they formerly would have turned away because you never know what could turn out to be the next big "thing" and now the next big thing could also be the next big movie. and not all of the popular comic book movies have been of super heroes. let's not forget Road to Perdition, Ghost World, 300, Sin City and American Splendor. unfortunately, i do foresee that this motion picture adaptation boom will implode in on itself at some point and create a vaccuum in the industry. we are in a high point now, which i fear shall turn into a horrific low point all too soon.
the combination of the manga popularity and the motion picture adaptation boom have brought us a change in how stories are told in comics. remember waaaaay back in the 1960s when you could read one issue and have gotten a whole story? heck, spider-man's origin less than was one issue long. then comics evolved into story arcs and tales which unfolded over time, over a period of several issues (when Ultimate Spider-man was launched, spidey's origin was expanded from the original ELEVEN PAGES to 180!). now, everything is set up for easy transition into trade paperback publishing after the fact. you can buy issues 1 though 6 over the course of the next six months for the story arc or wait seven months and get issues 1 through 6 collected in a soft cover book. i believe trade paper backs started out as a cheaper way to reprint older comics but publishers realized the goldmine they were sitting on and decided to reprint NEW stories this way too. many comics now skip over printing individual comics ("floppies") and go right to book format (such as DC's MINX line and Oni's Scott Pilgrim). i predict much more of this in the future of comics, especially in the smaller press arenas. heck, there are ONLINE comics getting collected in book format now (such as Mega Tokyo, Sinfest, and Order of the Stick).
this is also one of the new trends in comics for which i see a strong future: free online in small doses, then compiled in a book to buy with bonus material. individuals can publish themselves FOR FREE online and build up a fan base, meeting expenses through donations and maybe related merchandising like Questionable Content and t-shirts or Devil's Panties with everything from shot glasses to playing cards, and then when the audience is there, looking for a small press publisher to print your work. and as i said earlier, the big boom in the comics industry has made more of the publishers willing to take a risk with a small, independent title. Mega Tokyo gets published by one of Dark Horse branches!


sorry, you talk about comics and i get all wordy. that's just how it is.

in short, the future of comics:
good side: more creator own properties, more work by independents readily available, more work for and/or by girl-types, and more stuff in book format
bad side: the rise in movie adaptations will cause over exposure and the industry will implode which will lead to or be caused by an influx of terribly bad stories because the publishers are desperate for the next big thing.

I choose traditional characters to read and collect...I at one time collected comics,I had over 3000 in my collection but when the price went above a $1.00 I stopped.I now collect Graphic Novels,better art and storylines.Watchmen for example,everyone went ga ga over it and now the movie.For me these characters are not at all interesting to me.As for anime and Manga,it is created by over worked pervs.All the ones I have been exposed to are about seducing underage girls by older men and or half dressed little girls fighting with grown men.I'll stick to good ole American heroes. that fight the good fight and defend the helpless.

So very blunt. So evident. I have two friends that do the Anima Trade circuit, the stories they tell..

Indi- Cons are slow on the uptake, promotion plays a good part, how would you like to be an up and coming Artist, SW, while Watchmen hits the theature? Being optimistic those that are drawn to Watchmen (back issues)
Walk past, and glean other titled Indi. Gritty stories, and Noir stories and Art.

While I enjoy some anime, not all of it appeals. There are a few I've found that have very good stories running while others are just excuses for sexual innuendo and no backbone. I just don't want anime and manga to replace the old style comic. How many remember when reading x-men got you laughed at or heaven forbid Howard the Duck?
*before they thought of the dumb ideal of making it a movie*

You captured the Fadist vs Fan, the conventions benifit all the same, but fadist are seldom character devoted, and lack indepht, and basic trivial knowledge.

I think they should bring the tradional comics back on store, perhaps with new graphics, just for the collectors benefit of having the original ones, and additional storylines for a more in depth psychological presentation of each character, then again i dont know if the origianal authors/creators still alive to retale more story to their ideals and background, through their original point of view. It would be like filling the gaps of the Star Wars latest movies in correlation with continuation of the oldest ones, and all this mini-series of the clone wars and the "Force Unleash" amoung other games storylines that takes the Star Wars Original story in a more narrowed scope.

Comic X-men vs Movie X-men super FAIL.. i wanted to atleast see Apocalypse and sentinels screwing the planet and the X-men actually kicking ass before half of the main characters even started dying.

REVENOUS: many of the old, old american comics ARE available in collected tradepaperback format. yes, it would be very difficult to track down the old, individual issues of say, "superman's pal, jimmy olseson" or the entire run of "the legion or superheoreos", or even the original stan lee x-men stories. DC and Marvel both have out "essential" or "omnibus" or "best of" paperback books out there which collect the old, hard to find stories. you would also break the bank trying to get all of the awesome alan moore swamp thing individual issues, but you can buy the trade paperbacks on the cheap. also, many of these paperbacks of old comics are in black and white because colouring techniques back then were terrible and detracted from otherwise wonderful art. (however DC's latest "Absolute" collections which are impressive hard covers featured "improved" colouring on classics like neil gaiman's Sandman, but are likewise pricey)

Glossy, though visually complimentary presented the art well. With a hefty price increase. Watching Graphic Novel come out in affordable formats.

I also like the teaser three in one samplers, which is how I discovered Brian Micheal Bendis, Preacher by Gaiman, and Miller lured me back to I Indipendants, the Sandman stories lost me in( as stated above) dragged out story lines. Eventually I will find the condensed in libraries.