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Out of the entire audience of comics, what percentage, does it seem/do you think/do you know are more interested in individual creators and what percentage are interested in characters/intellectual property?
Depends where you look. Here, I'd say it leans more towards creator-over-character, but in the shop I haunt and on places like Comicboards, it's definitely character-over-creator. Personally, I follow creators; it's so much easier to find good comics that way.
Is there a certain point at which a comics fan becomes (for lack of a better word) "sophisticated" enough to differentiate between creators (particularly writers, though artist may be discussed to - I think the issues involved are a little different) rather than simply buy X-Men because they want to read about Wolverine?
I always thought one guy wrote and drew and lettered etc. an entire comic. Once I learned there were a multitude of creators, my world changed. But it's really within the last handful of years, and probably thanks to Morrison, that I've chosen creators over characters. But I was young back then.
Translating (kind of) to film terms, do people ever go see movies based on a "produced by Michael Bay" credit rather than a "starring Bruce Willis" credit? Do people care who wrote which individual "Buffy" episode? I mean, not you people. "people."
Well, okay, no, "people" don't care. But I do. I've pretty much learned who wrote each episode of Buffy, and I know which ones I like best: those written by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie, and Drew Goddard. Whereas most of my least-fave are by Marti Noxon and Drew Greenberg and the like. But I watched Buffy 'cause it was, well, Buffy. I became absorbed in the story. TV is different than comics, tho; one person (say, Joss) has absolute control over the property. Whereas, with comics, it's much different, and things can change radically every month.
Now take movies. I'll see anything with Bruce Campbell in it. Or anything with Sam Raimi's name on it (so I'll end up seeing the Grudge, 'cause it's produced by Raimi and "Buffy's" in it! Woo!). Of course, for those movies with 'creators' who have unproven track records to me, I'll check it out if I like the concept or whatnot. It depends. With comics, though, I'm very picky.
Really, it just upsets me when those from outside the comics field are writing comics, 'cause dammit, I want to break into the field, and I don't want to have to direct a movie to do it!
Creator-over-character is the best way to go, though. I mean, you can pick up a random X-Men comic, and it'll probably be crap. If you pick up a random Grant/George/Greg/Judy Morrison comic, though, it's probably going to be good, especially if you like Morrison comics. |
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