Will the Comic Books Please Stand up!!?!

This week, our blog speaks directly to the weeks reading, “Will the Real Wolverine Please Stand Up?” by Derek Johnson.

First of all, in his article, Johnson talks about the relationship between marvel comics and the movies that are being based on them and equates this, more or less, to being a negative thing (especially in circles with dedicated comic fans who see their favorite comics getting used only has “secondary consideration” in a movie or television adaptation). In accordance with Johnson, we would definitely agree that comics are probably not as popular as they once were perhaps due in part to the great advances in other forms of media (like movies, television and video games) that give people who would potentially be interested in comic books, a much more intense and sensory experience then just reading pictures and text off a paper. It seems that imagination has become undervalued with these media forms, since they don’t leave much for viewers to imagine anymore.

BUT, we have another argument/perspective to add to the mix. We would argue that comic book adaptation into movies has also increased interest in comic books, at least from our personal experience. After seeing Watchmen the movie for the first time (outside of class) we became curious to find out what it was based on. As this relates to our Birds of Prey project, we believe that if people went to go see the movie it would have this effect on audiences as well. A movie version of Birds of Prey might actually bring more fans to the original comic book series... especially if they want to find out what other situations the characters get themselves into!

 Clearly with all the new Hollywood adaptations and comic movies coming out  like they were on a conveyor belt, comic books seem to be having their chance to be “cool”. This is a definite shift we are noticing. To get more attention to comic books though, we think that the fans and writers need to be more open-minded if they want to attract more crowds. Perhaps re-vamping or modernizing their comics, for a modern audience. In other words, with a bit of modernizing (maybe some new heroes, updating text, more relatable yet still keeping the elements of what makes marvel marvel) who knows?…the reading of comic books could make a comeback! That is slightly off topic...But in the end, we believe that the comic book people have to understand Hollywood movies can’t please everyone, with every adaptation whether it is a just a novel, play or comic book…they can’t be exactly transferred to the screen exactly how it is. That is a rare thing. Hollywood needs to sell and, basically, you can’t please everyone. They should focus more of getting newer younger readers.