I have been yelling this for years. comics have become too adult and almost stale in the fact their isnt anything appealing outside of manga to the younger generation that is appropriate for that generation. adventure comics and that stuff is cool but its too kiddy…if ur not fucking 5 its not really for u. what about those 6-13 or so. theirs nothing.
i understand a big portion is about creator owned stuff but listen to the stuff about the kids in this. this is my big reason for currently working on my project of making a kids comic…that isnt like preschool shit. but sumtin i woulda read as a kid and is kid appropriate.
The Adventures line is hardly “kiddie”.
Kirkman never even read an issue of Adventures before he started shooting his mouth off, and I’m guessing you haven’t either.
They’re exactly the same kind of thing I was reading when I was 12.
Kids don’t want to read comics.
It’s really just that simple.
actually i have read adventures or i wouldnt be saying that stuff. and it definetly isnt the same kinda stuff i was reading when i was a kid.
curious how old are u. just wanna figure sumtin out.
outside of manga and adventures line their really isnt anything for kids. their isnt anything being built up for the next generation of comic readers. i believe their is gonna be a crash unless they do sumtin to change it up and bring in new kids…and free comic day aiignt doing it. it brings in new adults but not new kids
Adventures is nothing like the old “kids” comics. They are simply softer comics.
Good comics for kids? Read any of the old Stan Lee stuff. It didn’t talk down to you, the characters were relatable and the comics were fun. The “kids” stuff nowadays range from dumb comics that talk down to you, and generic, rehashed stuff with no emotion or feeling (like Adventures).
Some people can argue that Invincible is too violent for kids, but storytelling-wise, it’s exactly what comics need, with a perfect balance.
…and then there’s the new DC stuff-
Billy Bastion and the Power of Shazam, the new Superigrl series and Tiny Titans
From Marvel there’s the Power Pack mini series and the Marvel Adventure series.
FCBD is doing it. It brings in quite a few kids, actually.
I’m 27 now, and the Adventures line reads the same to me as old Marvel stories used to. The only difference is they’re “done-in-ones”.
They’re also way more responsible with the material they put out, by keeping the violence to a reasonable level and a lot of the “big boobed babes” out of it.
Kirkman was talking about the Marvel Age line, not the Adventures line, and let’s be honest here.
What he did was a thinly disguised attempt to get creators to jump ship to Image, if you listen to the Word Balloon podcast he fumbles everything and can’t even make a clear point.
The reason Manga’s so popular is it’s in all the bookstores and the anime boom that was on CN not too long ago.
The Marvel digests sell well in bookstores too. They have Runaways and SMLMJ that appeal to the female demographic.
Ultimate Spider-Man is perfect, but it sells better in trades.
Gerard Way and Claudio Sanchez are getting people (tween music fans) to read comics who never would before.
The exact same demographic people think we need.
We’re doing it. A lot of stuff is being done.
The product simply cannot compete with all the other forms of entertainment out on the market today to grab kid’s attention.
The monthly format is not appealing. (and neither is having to go to a comic shop)
The industry is not in a spiral of chaos and bankruptcy right now, it’s actually growing.
A simple format shift and a way to make the product more **AVAILABLE ** is what’s needed.
Online, subscriptions, grocery stores etc.
The content is fine.
ive been really meaning to check out billy batson…i love the artists work…his kids stuff is spectacular stuff.
supergirl is meant for kids?
Apathy-Inc: i made it a point to comment that what kirkman said wasnt mainly about kids…i know its about the industry as a whole but what specifically caught me was the kids stuff. and his comments about it being dumbed down stuff.
ultimate spider-man started out being good for kids…but then it went the way of too adult around clonage saga. they went batshit insane with all the clonage stuff…hasn’t anyone learned nothing good comes from spiderman and clones.
Frankfurt: yeah invincible is kinda iffy…the writing is very similar to what i woulda read as a kid but i dunno about the violence.
Like I said, Kirkman has never read any of those books so his opinion on the matter is moot.
Not to mention he’s not willing to do anything about the “no comics for kids” problem, he wants someone else to take care of it while he continues to do his thing.
I love Invincible (too violent for kids, great for teens), but that guy has no clue what he’s talking about.
I’ve been reading Ultimate Spidey for a while now, and it’s still very accessible to all ages. If they don’t like the clone saga, skip it. 1 story out of 120+ issues is hardly a reason to check the title off altogether.
I could understand what Kirkman was trying to say and he does have a point, but you gotta admit, would he bring this up if he isn’t as high up in Image comics as he is now? Plus this kind of thing has been brought up by other writers before. Priest has been talking about this for years.
What it really comes down to is that comics aren’t being marketed to kids as much as it is being marketed to arrestedly developed 30-somethings. It’s such a niche market that its sales are pathetically small and when those die off there won’t be much in terms of new readers to replace them.
Kids love manga. Manga is comics. Comics won’t die. They will just be forced to change. Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, and all the rest will just need to adapt if they’re truly serious about grabbing a new generation of readers.
He said it in the Podcast for Word Balloon.
It has his little address at the beginning then he fumbles over his defense of his statement for forever while John pokes holes in his entire idea.
He mentions Marvel Adventures and having never actually read an issue.
Alvin Lee has been doing “Marvel Superheroes” or something like that, staring Spidey, Iron Man and Hulk.
He also did this year’s Free Comic Book Day story.
The First Class stories are also aimed at a younger audience.
You haven’t mentioned what read that struck you as “dumbed down”.