Comic Cancellation and Reboot RUMOR

[Obiwanjacoby]

There are people on various JOE forums right NOW, boasting that they don't read the comic (and never have done!) and yet they are, in the same post, saying the new book is "crap" and "deserves cancelling" or that these rumours are "bad ideas".

My comic shop is one of the rare ones that let you thumb through a new ish to see if you wanna subscribe to it. They understand if you plan on rereading it/treasuring it, then you'll buy it.

I dropped out on GIJoe about halfway through, but I still check 'em out on the stand to see if I'll ever resubscribe. Every month, the scripting is really simplistic. I can get the gist of the entire issue in less than 5 minutes. My wife reads Reloaded because she admittedly likes Alt-Universe stories. And so that's the only one I buy. The others let me down every month. But I don't pay a dime.

Also thumbed through the Transformers crossovers. Don't waste my money there either. I can't put my finger on it. . .but they're all so. . .shallow.

I don't understand why I can't get into a multi-character book like GIJoe, but Avengers has been changing writers/continuity as much as DDP does! Stayed with that one for the past three years now! I even liked the first two issues of New Avengers.

On a related note, why do comic writers/artists have to change around so much anyway?

A measley 12-issue arc is now considered a major commitment! Wtf?!???

If DD can't produce interesting stories from a universe that literally has hundreds of characters in it, then they are in the wrong business.

Now that is truly a brilliant and concise statement. They shouldn't be getting creative burnout this early in the game. Maybe they got what they call "X-Book syndrome". If you know what I mean, then you really know what I mean!


-PJ

[Obiwanjacoby]

After reading all the rumors all at once, here's my guess on what'll happen. . .

They're trying to create a "DDP Universe", like Marvel has. Incorporating all their most popular titles in one timestream.

Just a guess.

-PJ

[mukkidog]

As a buyer of ACTION MAN in the 1970's and also having bought the early ACTION FORCE figures (pre-GI JOE) & comics I consider myself a fan of long standing. Don't presume that because I'm new to the board that I will never have an understanding of what makes a GI JOE comic 'good'.

I've read and enjoyed comics featuring all manner of characters from the GI JOE universe, seeing them fight many different adversaries from COBRA through to the "ENEMY" - When ACTION FORCE ditched the RED SHADOW threat and introduced COBRA I was worried, thinking that this wasn't the comic I was used to (I was a kid then and worried about such trivial things) - Two issues into this new run I loved it and enjoyed the new direction. I doubt the comic company had "run out of ideas" concerning Z-FORCE, Q-FORCE and the rest but a chance for a bold new look and feel presented itself and the transition was handled very well. Leaping on my general statement of "ideas running out" and turning it into yet another attack on Devil's Due is a little forced - The fact that "too many characters" was often cited as a major weakness in the Marvel run highlights just how much people's opinions differ. So a GI JOE comic is put out that matches exactly your vision, Dreadnok4life, and you of course lap it up. But what if I and the others who love the present comic don't like it? Tough on me, eh? You've got the comic you want after all.
You have to accept that the DDP comic will always be one person's take on what GI JOE is about. If that's too hard then lobby Hasbro like **** for them to cancel the license and hope to god it goes to domeone who'll produce a comic catered for you. I bet the chances of finding the head of a comics company who shares your opinions on the direction the story should go and which characters should be used exactly are none existant.

If you don't like what DDP are doing now then I doubt you'll like whatever it is they have planned, but then if you dislike the comic, why should the prospect of a change be of any concern to you at all - Those who like the DDP comic and are worried; Why? Why shouldn't this "new version" (and that statement is pretty meaningless as nobody knows what the "new version" is yet) be as enjoyable and as interesting as what has gone before?
Bringing up oh-so many "X-MEN" references is worthless to me, as I don't purchase any other comics. My interest is in GI JOE and I like what has been done. I'd buy the comic if the stories were on a par with those featured in the toy-packets, as a colourful and exciting universe would still continue to be expanded upon. I certainly don't buy a GI JOE comic expecting prose on a par with the classics of world literature and I doubt whether the likes of Josh B. or Brandon have any pretensions of delivering anything other than a fun and engaging comic once a month; I think they deliver on that goal.

Maybe I'm a simple idiot with standards so low that I can't spot "bad" writing and plot construction - I read GI JOE every month and enjoy it, and the prospects of this forthcoming evolution is exciting and full of potential to me. With so many stating that they won't even sample one issue (and so many more approaching the new series with such prejudiced opinions that they're guarenteed to hate it), I suspect it will fail. That will be tragic for those of us who appreciate the hard work put in by so many people to put out a quality product each month.

[Obiwanjacoby]

As a buyer of ACTION MAN in the 1970's and also having bought the early ACTION FORCE figures (pre-GI JOE) & comics I consider myself a fan of long standing. Don't presume that because I'm new to the board that I will never have an understanding of what makes a GI JOE comic 'good'.

Don't worry Mukki, I won't.

Because I never did!

Don't put words in my mouth! I was simply stating you "presumed" that because someone didn't actually buy every issue of the DDP series, they have no right to rip on it. I say they can. Even if you just follow the online previews/official news, you have every right to say "it's not going the way I'd like it to".

Rudeness notwithstanding.

I've read and enjoyed comics featuring all manner of characters from the GI JOE universe, seeing them fight many different adversaries from COBRA through to the "ENEMY" - When ACTION FORCE ditched the RED SHADOW threat and introduced COBRA I was worried, thinking that this wasn't the comic I was used to (I was a kid then and worried about such trivial things) - Two issues into this new run I loved it and enjoyed the new direction. I doubt the comic company had "run out of ideas" concerning Z-FORCE, Q-FORCE and the rest but a chance for a bold new look and feel presented itself and the transition was handled very well.

So let me get this straight, you're. . .um, using Action Force comics to defend DDP?

Action Force was the much higher quality comic, IMO.

So a GI JOE comic is put out that matches exactly your vision, Dreadnok4life, and you of course lap it up.

No, it is possible to make a comic that will please at least 90% of the fanbase. It's just very difficult and demands a creative team to match it. My demands really aren't that high. To prove it, I'd shell out $4 a month for a Joe book written along the lines of CN's JLA Adventures!

Featuring maybe one Joe a month w/a supporting cast, some consistent art (doesn't have to be "Jim Lee" material either), and a strong one-shot storyline with maybe a slower backstory. Alot of AF comics were like that too!

The current books are less character driven that way IMO. Sure you'll get a few brief "rare Joe" cameos, but that's not what I'm talking about. I just wish they'd stop trying to feature everyone all at once in a recycled "ultimate battle royale" story format all the time.

Those who like the DDP comic and are worried; Why? Why shouldn't this "new version" (and that statement is pretty meaningless as nobody knows what the "new version" is yet) be as enjoyable and as interesting as what has gone before?

Because all we've heard for the past 4 years is about how THIS time, "DDP is taking it all in a new & fresh direction." We're just looking for some consistent fiction to rely on man. Enough with the gimmicky shakeups. But instead of breaking the habit, they'll probably just think the shakeups need to be more extreme. Abruptly shocking readers all the time doesn't always guarantee the books will fly off the shelves.

Bringing up oh-so many "X-MEN" references is worthless to me, as I don't purchase any other comics.

Then you obviously didn't "know what I mean" then.

They're planning a mutant genocide in that book to reduce the number of superfluous characters.

Sound familiar?

They thought that if they just kept adding more new characters, then it would improve the book. Instead, it just watered it down for everyone else.

Sound familiar?

I certainly don't buy a GI JOE comic expecting prose on a par with the classics of world literature and I doubt whether the likes of Josh B. or Brandon have any pretensions of delivering anything other than a fun and engaging comic once a month; I think they deliver on that goal.

Then you'd be surprised to know that while our expectations are similar, we differ in our opinion of what we end up with.

-PJ

[gijones]

The regular comics picked up from where Marvel left...

Actually the Devil's Due Comic takes place several years after Marvel's last comic.

[Dreadnok4life]

Yes Mukkidog, if a comic matches my sense of what it should be, I do buy it. Is that really so strange? If DC decided Batman needed to get a sex change operation and move to San Francisco should I still "lap" it up? Would it be unreasonable for me not to want to read Batman anymore? I don't understand your comment.

By some accounts I've read, Devil's Due has lost 1/2 to 2/3 of GI Joe's readership. It would appear a lot of people have decided the book, in it's current form, is not worthy of their time or money. By the way I still buy it out of sheer loyalty to the brand name. So I'm a part of the 1/2 to 1/3 that are still around. I did stop buying Reloaded because it was horrendous.

I don't believe anybody on here has tried to insult you. We are just expressing our opinions. My opinion differs from yours. It's not personal. It's great you read Action Force. I read some issues but for the most part my comic book GI Joe ideal comes from Marvel. Action Force is / was an alternative universe in my mind. I'm not knocking it, it just wasn't a big part of my life.

I do hope DD succeeds with GI Joe. I do not think anyone else will pick up the title after DD is done with it. However I don't believe DD will be successful unless they tell better stories. It doesn't matter who the bad guys are, if the stories stink the book will get cancelled. I also don't believe the majority of Joe fans will buy a book that kills off, or minimizes the importance of, the most popular characters. A dead Baroness, paralyzed Hawk, etc. is a deal breaker for me. Sorry that's just the way it is. And I think many Joe fans feel the same way.

[mukkidog]

You all do whatever you want, I TRULY don't care.
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, I'm just saying don't ruin it for those who like the comic.

Gee, joining a forum is like jumping in a fast river... swim along with the flow or get smashed on the rocks.

[GI Trekker]

By some accounts I've read, Devil's Due has lost 1/2 to 2/3 of GI Joe's readership. It would appear a lot of people have decided the book, in it's current form, is not worthy of their time or money. By the way I still buy it out of sheer loyalty to the brand name. So I'm a part of the 1/2 to 1/3 that are still around. I did stop buying Reloaded because it was horrendous.

...I don't believe DD will be successful unless they tell better stories. It doesn't matter who the bad guys are, if the stories stink the book will get cancelled. I also don't believe the majority of Joe fans will buy a book that kills off, or minimizes the importance of, the most popular characters. A dead Baroness, paralyzed Hawk, etc. is a deal breaker for me. Sorry that's just the way it is. And I think many Joe fans feel the same way.

I certainly do. I still get the book, but I'm getting increasingly sick of it. I didn't go anywhere near Reloaded, however.

When the DD version of G.I.Joe got started, I thought they did a really capable job of capturing the spirit of G.I.Joe. That's no longer the case. The casual slaughter of various characters was simply unacceptable. This wasn't even part of a combat situation. Tracker was gunned down on a beach, and just when they might've done something interesting with the character with the "Action Man" reference. Simply stated, the book has deviated too far from what I as a fan consider acceptable for G.I.Joe. And I as a longtime fan am entitled to make that decision with my hobby dollars.

Nor do I consider the planned new format, of a limited-size team going up against a far less organized Cobra, to be especially appealing.

You want something to make you cry? Stir up some of the Marvel title and give it a read. I have lately, and the comparison between that title and what the Devil's Due title has become is downright sickening.