tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post2939918571849989787..comments2024-03-27T21:12:28.287-05:00Comments on Collected Editions: Review: Superboy Vol. 3: Lost trade paperback (DC Comics)collectededitionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14698269790653953645noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-54976769158771189212014-08-02T00:52:51.948-05:002014-08-02T00:52:51.948-05:00Any concept can work if the talent writing it/draw...Any concept can work if the talent writing it/drawing it is good enough. Unfortunately D.C. made some poor decisions for some of the creative teams when the New52 launched. Having a bad creative team is usually something that can be fixed just by removing the creative team and continuing on, it happens all the time in comics, but when you are launching a brand new universe like they did with the New52 the opening story arc is so important because you are defining what the character and direction is goi9ng to be for that that character and that title. If you sputter out of the gate it is much harder to get traction again. Basically you can make the character toxic for any future use. It's going to be that much harder to get these characters back in a positive way because there is already a "stink" to them. Look how long it took to rehabilitate Hawkman back in the old universe.Nikosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-54269214545893180342014-08-01T13:43:21.536-05:002014-08-01T13:43:21.536-05:00I say this admittedly having never read an issue o...I say this admittedly having never read an issue of Young Avengers, but going to what Doug said and also Darren about the zeitgeist, I think DC titles have struggled for a while, especially in teen team books, with actually being stories about teens instead of stories about miniaturized adult superheroes. This is somewhere that I think Marvel with Young Avengers and etc. succeeds. <br /><br />In essence, Teen Titans ought be the comic book reading equivalent of watching a show on the CW (itself a good representation of how to write teen drama for adults), but it's been a long time since that's been the case.collectededitionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698269790653953645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-17813209879140780642014-08-01T12:47:57.113-05:002014-08-01T12:47:57.113-05:00I think the "Young Justice" genre reache...I think the "Young Justice" genre reached its peak in the 80s. Similar to what we're seeing with the Harley Quinn monthly, I think TNTT came out of nowhere and surprised everyone with its overwhelming success. I'm not taking anything away from Wolfman/Perez & Palmiotti/Conner --all are outstanding creators-- but I think the timing was just inexplicably there in the 80s for the Young Justice genre. Look at how well Legion of Super Heroes fared, as well as the Brat Pack/Breakfast Club-type teen movies did during that time. Were creators capturing the zeitgeist brought on by the MTV era (this just spewed from my fingertips and may be an apple/oranges comparison, so take it as you wish)?<br /><br />Since then, DC has been trying to reclaim that glory, but to swipe an old adage, "You can't go home again." Reboot after reboot of the Teen Titans and the LSH comic in all its formats/roll calls has gradually diluted the effectiveness of the brand. I would be in favor of giving these franchises a 5-7 year break, rather than seeing them have consecutive runs that are greeted with lukewarm enthusiasm and garnering less and less success. Give these properties some dignity, and leave them alone for awhile. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793630374134697960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-28183979706970424502014-08-01T11:13:40.328-05:002014-08-01T11:13:40.328-05:00Teen teams aren't a dead concept; Jeff Lemire&...Teen teams aren't a dead concept; Jeff Lemire's "Teen Titans: Earth One" looks great and "Young Avengers" was one of the best comics of 2013. It's less to do with the concept and more the readership.<br /><br />The launch of the New 52 alienated so much of the pre-existing Titans fans between ditching Wally and Donna and the controversy about "Red Hood" that readers who want to read a DC teen team title simply don't trust the company. I know it's been three years since that, but fan hatred can last a long time. Just ask any given member of HEAT... or go watch Linkara's "March of the Titans" series of reviews, which sum up much of the Titans fans' complaints.<br />doug.glassmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18018711097234509826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-47497642441844157162014-07-31T15:14:07.842-05:002014-07-31T15:14:07.842-05:00You're definitely right. "New 52 titles t...You're definitely right. "New 52 titles that had a good first volume and then faltered" is a category all to itself. And I think -- Culling and etc. -- we can say something went wrong in that the "Young Justice" titles quickly dwindled down to just Teen Titans, and even that's being relaunched. Or do "teen team" titles just not have the cache they once did?collectededitionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698269790653953645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-6162646118752001782014-07-31T14:32:19.172-05:002014-07-31T14:32:19.172-05:00I think Superboy lacked any direction after the fi...I think Superboy lacked any direction after the first volume, which is a shame. The Culling didn't do much for me, and I believe it ultimately hurt all the titles involved in the crossover. Hopefully, Lobdell can get a chance writing Superboy sometime in the future. Despite all the Internet hate, I think Lobdell is a pretty decent writer. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793630374134697960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-3202154359895701552014-07-31T10:25:56.888-05:002014-07-31T10:25:56.888-05:00Oops, you're right. Modified those lines. Yes,...Oops, you're right. Modified those lines. Yes, for all the flak Lobdell gets, my only exposure to him has been at DC, and I thought his first Superboy collection worked very well, and I've felt generally favorable about his Superman and Red Hood, too. <br /><br />That the creative teams shift after this is unfortunate, sure, but Justin Jordan and Marv Wolfman seem like two good names to go out on.collectededitionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698269790653953645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10945794.post-29426046948428525082014-07-31T09:47:54.183-05:002014-07-31T09:47:54.183-05:00It was actually Lobdell who wrote the issue that c...It was actually Lobdell who wrote the issue that concludes this volume, and I agree that it's better than what came before. He seems to be the one writer who can make this new version of Kon-El work for me. Unfortunately, after this issue, all we get is a string of arcs by different writers who weren't able to stay on the book for longer than 5 issues. No wonder it's getting cancelled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com