Size, Does It Really Matter!?! - Part 2

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Size, Does It Really Matter!?! - Part 2
By Koncise
April 17, 2006 - 16:24

Echo’s From Da Void!?!

So the deal is this, at the beginning of each month I’m gonna throw something at ya. OK, well now it’s your chance to voice your views. All you have to do is drop me an e-mail. And for the rest of the month we’ll be having a nice little discussion. You wont be edited, it’s all you, but play nice!

Chapter 6.2

Easy Cats

Sorry for the delay in this instalment, I’ve been putting something else together, which you’ll be seeing real soon. I’m back now though, so there’s no need for the calls of panic………..what, someone must of missed me :( lol

Jus one e-mail to work with, but that’s cool;

this is benedict from over at Newsarama, saw your post, swung by and read your article. Thought I’d drop some ideas on you.

Does size matter? Yes, most certainly. Unfortunately, a lot of times creators/writers/publishers don't realize that, and push something far beyond its expiration date. In comics, I think that you have to look at the type of book you are writing. Team books made up of already established characters have an easy time with having long runs. Take the JLA for example. Sure, for an arc or two you can have them fight teams of super-villains, but that gets old. But you have a group of people that already have individual foes that can be brought in. Lex Luther can come in, he doesn't have to stay in the Superman books.

Ra's can be brought in, or one of the Rogues. The team of established hero’s concept gives you a lot of avenues to explore. Plus, there is always the option of rotating new members in, bringing with them their own cast of villains. As far as solo hero’s go, where the character is based can play a large role. A big city is a must. After all, how many issues of " Superman: Defender of Smallville" could they put out before Sups has taken care of all the crime in Smallville? It's a big plus if they are the only hero in the city. Again, it gives the writer more options. More hero’s cut in on the action. What if the Flash, the Atom, and Nightwing all moved to Star City? Ollie is running into them all the time, and no longer is it " Green Arrow" but " Green Arrow and Friends". If a hero is going to share a city and still be in it for a long run, they had better establish pretty quick that they are the dominant hero in town.

The powers and talents of the character being written are also important when thinking about series length. A lot of X-Men are getting solo mini-series lately. They won't become ongoing series because of the nature of the characters though. They are, by design, support characters. Starring in a solo adventure every now and then works, but ultimately they work best as team players. Could you see " Cyclops" lasting 100 issues? More than likely not. Same goes for Jubilee, Gambit and Nightcrawler, all of whom have solo books at the moment. But those are just my thoughts. Maybe I'm wrong.

Benedict

Thanks for dropping a line, man :)

You make some interesting points. I totally agree that team/ensemble books are easier to keep going due to the versatility.
I think another factor in keeping them going, other than rogue gallery, is that you can easily change the focus of the book to concentrate on one distinct character for a period of time. You can also focus on the team dynamic, whether all the characters get alone, why their doing what their doing, etc.

I do believe that a lot of characters can carry their own series’. The thing is, it has to mean something, REALLY mean something. There has to be a definite reason for the character having their own book, something that resonates with the readers.

I don’t necessarily think it matters how many characters you have residing in one area. Situations like that can work well, but it’s down to the writer to tap into the pit-falls, advantages and just everyday occurrences this could bring.

Stories need more than just big fights to carry them through. If you just went with that route, it would be the equivalent of building a house on sand….it can’t last.
You have to breathe life into the character, explore their layers, their mindset for what they’re doing, the fabric of their surroundings, there has to be an infrastructure for everything to work.

Another problem I think that creators and companies find with popular books is, knowing when to bring the curtain down.

There are many books that are out there right now, that have been going for a long, long time. And virtually none of them you could say have been stellar for the entirety of their runs.
I’m not talking bout just a few issues either, I’m talking bout big chunks of the runs, like at least a year.
Now you have to wonder, were these stories printed, just because there wasn’t anything else? No other creative team could be found or the creators could really think of much to write, so the book sunk into stagnantation.

This must be really upsetting to the fanbase of the book. I know no one wants to see their favourite book end, but isn’t it better for that, than to see something that once shone, be tarnished?

This is why you gotta give Bendis a lot of credit for ending both Alias and The Pulse, when he felt like he’d told all the stories he had for each series.

Aspen don’t do on-going series’, their titles are either mini of maxi series. You could also look at books like Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina or Kabuki, each of which have a finite life span.

Any of these would be a good idea for many books. Instead of just putting something out there as an on-going series, map out a storyline. Once the book has reached its apex, end it on that high.

When you come up with another kickarse story, you can give the book a second volume.
This way, fans will have fond memories of the book and look forward for another instalment.

It’ll be interesting to see if any of this happens!

And Now!

Well, this column has been sitting on my hard drive for rather a long time, so I think I can fairly say that interest has dwindled a little lol

Never fear though, as the next instalment is in the bank and will be with you quicker than Louis can say to Clark “are you done already”

So keep your lenses focused and be ready for ‘ Leap Of Faith’.
Cause this columns like a lot of things, you can do them on your own, but there so much more fun with company :)

And before I sign out, I want to give a big thanks to Benedict for his contribution, sorry it took so long to post.

koncise an out :)