Posted in: Comics | Tagged: adventure time, Comics, entertainment, eric stephenson, image

Adventure Time Is A Not Real Comic. But Aren't They All?

Published Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:03:17 -0600

Last updated Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:40:50 -0600

Two of the bigger stories causing a stir lately have been Nimona web cartoonist Noelle Stevenson's first experience going into a comic shop and Image Comics' publisher Eric Stephenson's ComicsPRO address (no relation).

Noelle Stevenson's account of her comic shop experience rather quickly became a catalyst for conversation about women's treatment in comic shops with accounts of similar experiences being shared. Others quickly gave examples of great shops being very welcoming to female fans. It's not a topic that'll get definitively sorted anytime soon, but Stevenson's account added a fresh new voice to the conversation.

Eric Stephenson's (still no relation) speech also prompted a healthy bit of internet chatter, when he declared "Star Wars comics will never be the real thing." In the address, Stephenson railed against sales practices from other publishers and dismissed licensed comics as not creating new comic fans. Not only did his comments dominate conversation at ComicsPRO, but they even prompted an official response from Dark Horse's Mike Richardson and IDW's Ted Adams, two publishers whose licensed books were specifically called out in the address.

In the midst of the controversy and conversation, this little gem of positivity surfaced. Rian Sygh, a freelance cartoonist and comic shop employee, posted his account of a young girl discovering Adventure Time comics on his Tumblr.

Thanks to a retumbl by Dinosaur Comics creator Ryan North, the post was shared over 13,000 times in 24 hours. It's a nice contrast to the usual negativity and as a father of two girls I want this experience to be more and more common. You be the judge, but it appears that at least in this one instance, not only can a licensed comic be a "real thing" for one young fan, but could create a future female creator.