Look, I can “report” comic book “news,” too.
Ravings
10 Times Batman Did Incredibly Normal Things
RavingsYes, Batman is vengeance. Yes, he is also the night. But underneath all the Dark Knight’s sturm and batarangs is a semi-normal dude who, when written correctly, enjoys the everyday moments of life just as much as he enjoys punching the Riddler in the face.
With that in mind, I have chosen to counter the internet’s many, many lists of “most epic” or “most badass” or “most sociopathic” Batman moments with a list of my own: A list of ten times that Batman proved he is just as human as you and me. In this post, you will see Batman enjoy eating food, spending time with his friends, and dicking around on the internet. If the thought of seeing Batman smile makes you cringe, this post is not for you. If the thought of Batman testing baby formula on his skin makes you giggle, this post is most definitely for you.
Is DC Future State the Future of Monthly Superhero Comics?
RavingsEarlier this year, I laid out how Marvel Comics could streamline its monthly superhero line to just 12 books. This “What If?” scenario involved not just thinning Marvel’s superhero line, but completely rethinking how the company could and should deliver comics to readers. Most of us who want mainstream superhero comics to attract new readers know that the monthly, 20-page, $3.99 periodical has just not been getting the job done. If the Big Two superhero publishers want to increase their books’ audiences, I posited, something big needed to change.
Part of my plan was to condense several of Marvel’s “families” of titles into one, core monthly anthology. Rather than paying $12 a month to follow Iron Man, War Machine, and Rescue, Iron Man fans would be able to pick up one $5-7 book featuring all three of those characters. That way, the Marvel Universe would not contract substantially, fans would get more story for their money, and each character’s stories could eventually be split off into separate (monthly) digital series and trade paperbacks – so those who really want to read about just War Machine could do that if they liked.
I’d planned to follow up on my Marvel article by creating a “reduced” DC Universe before the end of the year … but then DC Comics beat me to it:
The Unique Strengths of Vertical Scroll Webcomics
RavingsWebcomics are one of my big comics blindspots. For a host of reasons (most notably, that I already spend ~8 hrs at a computer each day), I’ve never kept up with webcomics regularly. I think I’ve read exactly one webcomic front to back … no wait, I clicked that link, and there are years’ worth of pages I haven’t seen. See? I am terrible at following webcomics.
Because this blog professes to be about ALL comics, I’ve recently considered starting a new, webcomics-focused feature. I figure this new feature might help me fill in the gaps of my webcomics knowledge and also encourage me to re-engage with comics I started reading but dropped over the years.
As I began my “research,” I clicked over to what I’ve been told is one of the current hottest webcomics platforms: Webtoon. After poking around a bit, I settled on reading Tower of God … and I was met with a very different kind of comic.
BONUS: Get the #SPOOKY Issue of Extra Crunchy Fun for Free
RavingsIt’s my birthday later this month, so I’m giving all Matt Reads Comics readers a gift! (Yes, it is my birthday, and I am giving YOU a gift.)
My wife and I love Halloween, so we worked extra hard on the latest, #SPOOKY issue of our zine, Extra Crunchy Fun. It is full of stories, games, recipes, and pin-ups that will get you in the mood for this time of spooks and specters, and you can download it for free by clicking here or clicking the cover image below:
