It just keeps getting worse and worse

[turtlefu]

Well, I thought it would never happen, I thought DC's plans for "greater diversity" was going to keep one good thing they had going. But No.

I really think I have now completely lost all faith in DC.

Comments

[lorriek]

It looks like they're getting rid of everything I liked. The DCU isn't being made more "new-reader friendly". It's just getting dumbed down. Someone who makes the choice to read a comic isn't going to be put off by having to puzzle out the characters' histories, especially since there are handy little boxes that tell readers the basics at the start of each issue. These potential new readers who need everything simple are entirely fictional.

[arbre_rieur]

"especially since there are handy little boxes that tell readers the basics at the start of each issue"

If a reader needs a boring info-dump before they can begin enjoying the story, the writing's already failed.

[salinea]

It's not about enjoyment, it's about not being completely lost.


It really, actually is useful when you're new to comics. I swear.

[arbre_rieur]

Oh, I agree that's they're useful. I'm just saying it'd be even better if the stories were such that new readers don't need the info-dumps, that they could jump right into the (hopefully) rip-roaring tale.

If it's info-dumps vs. stories that would be confusing without them, info-dumps win, but stories that don't need info-dumps to not be confusing beat them both. That's what writers should be aiming for more often.

[salinea]

I think both the stories with the info dump necessity and the ones without are cool and interesting; they're just different kinds of stories and the world would be lesser if only one of two were being told.

[arbre_rieur]

Completely agreed there. That's why I said "more often" not "all the time." I just think comics are almost entirely the former kind of story, and there aren't enough of the latter, not by a long shot.

[salinea]

ah, well, then I totally agree with you ^_^ but I'm still glad when there's a recap page in the stories that need them!

[featheredserpent]

Speaking as someone who jumped on-board the Legion of Super Heroes with Giffen's "FIve Years Later" arc and avidly enjoyed NOT knowing what the hell was going on (wile appreciating the sense of continuity I didn't get yet) I beg to differ.

[salinea]

... well then people like you can just skip the recap pages and be no worse for it? Kind of like warnings in fanfic. Maybe we need a way to do the highlight-to-read in deadtree books *ponders*

[blunderbuss]

Someone who makes the choice to read a comic isn't going to be put off by having to puzzle out the characters' histories

Uh, yes they will. There's more than a few people, myself included, who are intimidated by decades of continuity, even without the retcons and reboots and cross-overs and other things that comics do to make it even more complicated.

But I still don't think that doing this is a good idea. Why not dedicate a website to neatly outlining the backstory in easy-to-read chunks so the reader can get up to speed if they want to? Have some critical issues available to download?