Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, michael davis, michaeldavis, milestone, spider-man

A Rant To The Comics Industry From Its Mainstream Audience – Michael Davis, From The Edge

Michael Davis is an artist, writer, mentor, and entertainment executive. He writes, with trigger warnings all over the place… 

Note: Tonight, the Mainstream Audience will be played by a male chauvinist spiderpig.

Dear Comics,

For the better of 25 years you have been lucky enough to be my wife.

We were married during the second silver age. I took one look at Watchmen, the Killing Joke, the Darkness Saga, American Flagg, the Death of Captain Marvel, Miller's Daredevil, Miller's Dark Knight, Miller's Ronan, Miller's Electra, Miller's dad Barney, Simonson's Thor, O'Neil and Cowan's Question, Gold's Wasteland, Berger's Vertigo and Marvel's Secret Wars and I was hooked

More, much more, came from the second Silver Age (SA2) I could easily name titles for hours and still fall short. However, the books were just part of the story. The talent that came into its own during that time was simply beyond compare. Bill Sienkiewicz, Brian Bolland, Dave McKean, Arthur Adams, Kent Williams, John Jay Muth, Scott McCloud, Dwayne McDuffie, Neil Gaimen, Alan Moore, Jim Owsley aka Christopher Priest, Paul Levitz and Todd McFarlane to name but a very few.

So remarkable were the artists and writers to emerge with groundbreaking work even the French and Japanese had to sit up and take notice.

Yes, you were right, I admit I was seeing them even while courting you. I can see your eyes watering while asking yourself why? You KNOW why but I'll spell it out for you and your overbearing lover, Hollywood who I'm sure you're showing this to.

Surprised I know all about your affair with Hollywood? Don't be, everybody knows you're my wife but you're Hollywood's little bitch.

Why did I seek the pleasure of other comics? I'll tell you why, they put out, that's why!

Oh, yes my dear, they put out all the time. My god woman, I was never without a good piece from those two. They always had some hot tale for me. Until the SA2 you ran hot and cold, I swear it seems like every month your mood went from caring to crazy.

I could never be sure what sort of state you were in. One moment I'm enjoying the Kree-Skrull War and the next I'm looking at a Spider-mobile. One day I'm crying over the death of Gwen Stacy but soon after I'm reading about and want to kill her clone.

A CLONE? You cloned one of the most beloved characters in comic's history?! Did you just wake up one morning and just decide all your reader's were idiots? I'm willing to bet you came up with that bright idea during one of your monthly mood swings.

If we were married during that time I would have divorced your sorry ass right then and there. Thank GOD for the most part that sort of silliness went away during what I call the Watchmen era. Yes, the second Silver Age is a fine name for that period but the Watchmen, ahhhhhh the Watchmen set the bar so high it deserves to be mentioned as sub title at least. The Second Silver Age: The Watchmen Era. Has a nice ring to it does it not?

Speaking of rings, you'll notice I no longer wear my wedding ring. I will no longer be made the fool. For years you've had me committed to you and only you (with a occasional wave (heh) of the hand (heh, heh) at your sexier sister, porn) but the last few years you have acted in such a manner I'm too often embarrassed when people find out I know you but I'll be damned if I let on we're married.

Hollywood gives you NO respect why should I? RUMOR has it the next Spider-Man movie will have one of the most hated storylines in comics. Care to wager some poon tang what that could be? Why it's the GWEN STACY CLONE storyline. Man, how's THAT for a pimp slap? Talk about being someone's little bitch. What's next, a storyline featuring little dicks flying around Spidy's head? Why do that? Because they can.

You almost killed yourself when you killed Superman, your fascination with variant covers, one character with multiple titles some with a different continuity a new universe every week, Riverdale's number one resident kissing a Black girl was fine but making it a big deal? No, that's pandering and stupid and speaking of stupid what was with an f**king publisher buying a distributor?

All that silliness in the relentless unapologetic pursuit of a buck. Yes, yes, damnit, YES comics are a business but it's a business that always has with few notable exceptions cannibalizes itself. I'll spell that out also because sometimes you're simply incapable of buying a clue even if said clue was free- 'cannibalizes itself'- means everyone is after the same audience. Publishers feeding upon themselves like they crashed in the artic with no food or water so hell, why not eat some people?

That actually happened in real life but those people at least waited until the person was dead before they chowed down on their ass. You've managed to kill many a publisher with that greedy appetite of yours. Oh, and to answer your often-asked question, you don't look fat in that dress, you are fat.

The success of the Watchmen era should not be measured in revenue the real victory was achieving a goal once thought unachievable yet it happened, comics grew up.

Then you simply threw it all away or rater you killed it like you killed Superman. Everyone in the industry knew he would be back but what you did to me, the mainstream audience was unforgivable. I believed those 30 issues I brought for 20 dollars each would put our kids through college and buy a house for each of them! You could have said something like, 'don't count him out' or ' don't sell your house' but NO. You forego new markets like me to make a quick buck.

NASCAR could give a flaming car crash about expanding their market to include other markets like black people because they don't need them. NASCAR is a southern sport and they are the ONLY game in town. They control racing in this country with nothing as much of a peep from any real competitor. As I said, they don't need and some think they don't want Black people, I don't think the latter is true. A buck is a buck.

Unlike NASCAR comics are beloved by all sorts of people and the markets left on the table may be a bit difficult to breech but it can be done. I know this because its been done. And my dear, done without any help from your lazy ass-I try to include you but at every turn you fight me.

On the subject of fighting, Hockey is another sport where Black people are for the most part excluded but there was much interest at one time. In 1994 the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup capping a season and a series so exciting Black kids in Harlem started wearing Rangers jerseys. Black youth culture is American youth culture and American youth culture is the world's youth culture. Simply put African American culture set the trends in hip, cool and style for the planet. Hockey was on the crust of such a trend with the Rangers victory but alas the next season saw a National Hockey League strike which killed the movement.

Coincidence? Yep! Still, a massive missed opportunity. Speaking of kids HOW on earth can I trust you with our children when comics are one missed opportunity after another?   Goodness, the kids have NO respect for you. Little Hulu and Netflix are bad but AT&T? That little bastard says SDCC is run by film and television!!

What do they say about comics at SDCC? It's just a place to see geeks and nerds. Now, I know the little prick can't spend a great deal of time promoting an industry that, although it provides quite a LOT of revenue to their bottom line, comics isn't part of their core business. They could say SOMETHING in those horribly produced Uverse SDCC spots but they won't. Your pimp, Hollywood, has built a vast empire on your back, selling you like a whore with nary a crumb of thanks to you and everyone follows suit.

They continue to show such disregard to you that I, your public who without you would wander the woods as if a lost child looking for your daddy, I am ashamed to call you mine. It must be said the creators are doing their part with some of the best work ever seen in comics. There still is much too much gossip and backstabbing but the comics are wonderful. As for the publishers, well I would be remiss if I did not mention Dark Horse and Image who may not have the market share of the big two but they fight the good fight. They are always looking for projects outside of the box and take pride in the different as they take pride in the industry. Marvel & DC have to answer to Disney & Warner Brothers and you can't get any more Hollywood than that. STILL they produce some good and more often than not, great stuff.

Regrettably to them, comics are JUST a business nothing more. Mickey and Scooby are not to be trifled with and it is for that reason publishers are much to busy to ponder respect for the medium. It may indeed be something they want alas its not a priority by any means. But there is indeed a powerful weapon that can be used to finally get the respect for the industry. In fact a LOT of the blame for the treatment by me, the pubic, rests with them.

No one is more than an enabler than the so-called comic book press.

As always there are exceptions but those exceptions are far from the rule. Someone needs to put those who knowingly continue to parrot wrong information on notice so I shall.

From this moment forth if you fancy yourself a 'news' portal you are to report the news as news. A press release is NOT a news item if the intent is promotion of a product. IF GIVEN information that contradicts what you have reported you should vet that information and change your 'story' to reflect what's the TRUTH.

There will be no sound whatsoever from your lips when told what to do when to do it and how to do it. IF you consider your work of some importance to the industry you propose to love then you will conduct yourself with respect and stop playing these childish games.

Mark my words, the day is fast approaching when a website realizes those 500,000 plus views may very well transfer into half a million dollar lawsuit for continuing to run the wrong information.

Stop playing journalist, be one.

My friend Nike from Cambridge has a saying, 'just do it.' As your husband, this is my final word on the matter there will be no further discussion.

Now, be a good wife get me my pipe and slippers and some pussy would be nice.

Your husband,

Mainstream

P.S. http://www.magforwomen.com/10-ways-to-handle-male-chauvinist-pigs-at-your-workplace

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