I Am So Confused

[redbrunja]

So are there no new Captain Marvel comics being released? Do I have to read Avengers (is it just Avengers? Is 'The Enemy Within' the subtitle? Why is the Marvel website completely unhelpful?) to find out what happens with Carol and her brain tumor?

FUCKING COMICS.

Dear comics,

This is why I never recommend anyone ever start reading you, because you're the fucking worst, I mean seriously, do you hate your readers? DO YOU?*

No love,
Red


*I mean, obviously the answer is yes, especially if said reader has a vagina.

Comments

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

It's a crossover event right now. There will be Captain Marvel again next month. The trade paperback collecting the crossover event lists these issues, although I don't know if it's complete or if there will be some issues it won't collect:

Avengers: The Enemy Within 1, Captain Marvel 13-17, Avengers Assemble 16-17

The thing to pick up this month is that Avengers: The Enemy Within #1.

Yes, comics are ridic confusing. Google, fandom tumblrs, comics wikis, and people who know more than I do are how I get by. Also, Kelly Sue's tumblr (http://kellysue.tumblr.com/) might help?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

(http://s190.photobucket.com/user/redbrunja/media/avengetumblr_m7osi4g9Af1qa9337.gif.html)

Ugh, 'cross-over event' does not fill me with hope. Yuck.

The thing to pick up this month is that Avengers: The Enemy Within #1.

Thank you. I will probably keep bugging you about what I should be reading with regards to Carol.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

It's annoying trying to chase down crossover issues, but I'm hoping it means good things for how Marvel feels about Carol? Like, centering an event around her seems like they are either trying to promote her or make her important? I'm hoping, anyway.

I will try to help if you have questions! I don't know how helpful I am, though. I'm a little behind on Carol since I'm waiting for the second trade to come out, but shinyjenni told me I could read the crossover anyway so I did get the first issue today.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Like, centering an event around her seems like they are either trying to promote her or make her important? I'm hoping, anyway.

Fingers crossed. Carol is actually my first choice for the next hero for the MCU - I think that she'd fit in wonderfully.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I keep hearing that they have a script for a potential Captain/Ms. Marvel movie.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

That would make my heart sing.

[sugar-fey.livejournal.com]

There's no new Captain Marvel this month, as Kelly Sue is writing a crossover with Avengers Assemble. Captain Marvel will continue next month, picking up the story started in Avengers: The Enemy Within (which is really good, by the way).

The Marvel seems to have a ridiculously poor marketing strategy. They keep complaining about how sales are declining, yet seem to do everything in their power to make comics inaccessible to new readers, all the while encouraging a fandom environment that is hostile to new fans and female fans in particular.

When I ventured into my local comics shop after seeing The Avengers, I was looking for Black Widow comics. Preferably a solo comic. And nothing, nada. She was wallpaper in Secret Avengers and the only other option was some comic where she was the love interest of a male character I neither knew nor cared about.* It was disheartening to say the least. My friends who came with me both left empty handed and haven't tried to read comics since. If I hadn't found some good recs on the internet I would have given up too.

Sorry for ranting, but Marvel makes me so frustrated sometimes.

*It was the start of the final Winter Soldier arc too. Talk about a bad introduction to Bucky Barnes!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

They keep complaining about how sales are declining, yet seem to do everything in their power to make comics inaccessible to new readers, all the while encouraging a fandom environment that is hostile to new fans and female fans in particular.


Pretty much exactly this. It's so unclear and they rely on the fans (and probably don't even realize they're doing it) to provide 'how to get into comics' guides.

When I ventured into my local comics shop after seeing The Avengers, I was looking for Black Widow comics. Preferably a solo comic. And nothing, nada.

I'm going to assumed you found The Name of the Rose? And Possibly Fear Itself, which I have a lot of fondness for.

Sorry for ranting, but Marvel makes me so frustrated sometimes.

Understandable.

*It was the start of the final Winter Soldier arc too. Talk about a bad introduction to Bucky Barnes!

Oh, yeah. I remember getting to the end of that arc and being JAW-DROPPINGLY shocked to realize that that title WASN'T the unofficial Black Widow solo title (the way Hawkeye is for Kate Bishop).

[sugar-fey.livejournal.com]

I found Name of the Rose, but I had to buy it on Book Depository. My comics shop didn't stock any BW solos, grr. It's my favourite comic ever.

Oh, yeah. I remember getting to the end of that arc and being JAW-DROPPINGLY shocked to realize that that title WASN'T the unofficial Black Widow solo title (the way Hawkeye is for Kate Bishop).

Winter Soldier #14 made me want to hunt down Ed Brubaker and throw rotten fruit at him, I won't lie.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I found Name of the Rose, but I had to buy it on Book Depository. My comics shop didn't stock any BW solos, grr. It's my favourite comic ever.

I'd suggest checking out Things They Say About Her. The art is flat-out hideous but I really like the story.

Winter Soldier #14 made me want to hunt down Ed Brubaker and throw rotten fruit at him, I won't lie.

Everyone I know had that reaction

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

This is why I tend to stick with comics that have a set run length. They know how to wrap things up without having to manufacture angst and torture characters for the sake of plot at the sacrifice of story. Sandman ended at #75, Chew's ending with #60, and Fables ended at #75 and totally still isn't ongoing and while I had some issues with how it wrapped up it's not like he reached a point that a seven-year-old was convinced that suicide was totally a good option fuck you Bill Willingham I want to punch you in your stupid face.

[littlepunkryo.livejournal.com]

The only reason I know exactly which issues to look for is because there's a page at the back of Avengers - Enemy Within #1 that says the next ones coming are Avengers Assemble 16, Captain Marvel 13, Avengers Assemble 17 and Captain Marvel 14. I get that they're trying to boost sales on Captain Marvel by possibly bringing in people who are reading AA, but there's no excuse for completely renumbering the book that starts the crossover so people have no idea what it is anymore. This Enemy Within book is just Avengers Assemble 15 but seriously I was like "what is this?" because of the pointless rename and then I realized. They should have left it in a subtitle under Avengers Assemble or something imo.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank god someone's paying attention, otherwise I would be totally lost.

but there's no excuse for completely renumbering the book that starts the crossover so people have no idea what it is anymore. This Enemy Within book is just Avengers Assemble 15 but seriously I was like "what is this?" because of the pointless rename and then I realized. They should have left it in a subtitle under Avengers Assemble or something imo.


They totally should! Don't fucking throw around #1 unless you actually mean it and a new reader could come in cold and know what's going on!

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

Everybody's pretty much already said what I might have said re: the crossover event, just thought I'd add that I find comixology and its automagical pull list feature to be 100% more helpful in terms of info-gathering most of the time than comics company's sites, and that current dates put CM #13 out on June 19th, #14 on July 31st, and #15 on August 28th.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I will check out comixology, thanks!

[mistaria.livejournal.com]

I honestly do not understand why companies like DC and Margel refuse to make it easy for new fans. If you are new to American comics and you don't jump in at #1 with a series you have to work to figure out what you should be reading (and then yeah crossover events happen and muck things up further). They have a baffling business model.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I honestly do not understand why companies like DC and Margel refuse to make it easy for new fans.

I feel like this is the result of them having an unofficial monopoly and an incredibly insular attitude. For all their whinging about needing new readers they are not making any rational efforts in that direction (and their attitude towards their female readers shows that they care more about about their old boys club atmosphere than expanding their reader base.

So, no sympathy when they whine for new readers.

[mistaria.livejournal.com]

So, no sympathy when they whine for new readers.

Exactly.