What the documentarian of Shopping for Superman sees in the comics medium
Sci-Fi Pulse interviewed Wes Eastin, the producer/director of Shopping for Superman, a documentary about specialty stores, and how he views the industry. And what was one of the earliest comics he'd read?
On the subject of stories spanning multiple issues, there's something I'm assuming Mr. Eastin did not clearly raise in the documentary, or maybe we'd be getting somewhere not only in terms of formatting, but also in terms of storytelling. If he'd acknowledge company wide crossovers - which The Death & Return of Superman was a product of, in a manner of speaking - did more harm than good ever since Jim Shooter set the ball rolling with since Secret Wars in 1984, and argue whythe time's come to quit with such dreadful nonsense, maybe we'd see more self-contained stories like what he found more engaging back in the day, but even then, a case must still be made why paperback/hardcover is still the more ideal way to go at this point, and the obsession with variant covers must cease as well, mainly because that alone does not guarantee a good story inside, and it's head-shaking how so much ink was wasted on variant covers that could've been put to use for wall paintings instead.
But if the issue of artistic merit isn't raised, how do they think they'll be able to convince most consumers no matter their age to take interest in comicdom and find what to enjoy? Why, while adventure is a great genre, I think it can still be beneficial to encourage kids/teens to learn how to find drama absorbing, though it shouldn't come at the expense of action-adventure themes DC/Marvel were built on, and must be developed organically. The same can be said of character drama and interaction, which should be foremost among heroes and civilian co-stars.
I do see Eastin may allude to how even older stories count as something to encourage a new reader to try out, and that's important, because why is everyone being told only brand new stories count as a "jumping on point" when the Marvel Epic Collections and the recent DC Finest archives can provide you with whole stories that could be completed at one's leisure? And why isn't anybody emulating the less politically motivated, more subtle styles writers of the times employed? Or, if it matters, why don't they take on more challenging issues without ascribing to a leftist playbook?
Nicholas Yanes: What was your first encounter with comic books? Was there a moment in which you realized you had fallen in love with this medium?Not everyone likes comics today either, unless it's to serve as a political platform for leftism, or even movie material for merely profiteering off of at the original comics' expense. But all that aside, interesting he alludes to the early 90s stunt when DC editorial made it seem like they were killing off Superman, because, even if they did intend to revive him (though not for altruistic reasons), it was still very insulting to the intellect they'd subject an entire franchise to such a stunt, especially given that it wound up leading into a much worse one, Emerald Dawn and Zero Hour, which forcibly portrayed Hal Jordan/Green Lantern as a villain, and there were at least a few increasingly repulsive similarities to that atrocity that came along the following decade, where women were victimized by similar storylines (Identity Crisis and Avengers: Disassembled). I attribute some of that to the Phoenix Saga in X-Men, which decidedly didn't do comicdom any favors in the long run. Seriously, what's so great about a story where a heroine's turned into a madwoman and wipes out a billion beings in another solar system? Thank goodness that was retconned about 5 years later so it wasn't Jean Grey, though it's all been corrupted and taken apart again in some way or other since the turn of the century.
Wes Eastin: I remember having Action Comics 678. THEY SAVED LUTHOR’S BRAIN! and being endlessly entertained by the cover and the book itself. Plus, this was Superman, we’re talking about here. And then… they found a way to KILL SUPERMAN!? Oh man. I remember telling my mom and any adult that would listen, (candy cigar in mouth) “I need to know more! Great Caesar’s ghost, they’re killing a legend!”
Superman, Batman, and then the X-Men (thanks to the Fox Kids show), and Spider-Man were everywhere but I found it hard to keep track of everything from the grocery store and newsstand so I would end up reading a story here and there and have a cursory understanding of what was going on. I didn’t care, really, I loved it. Luckily, there were a lot of single-issue stories which let me enjoy things without having to collect multiple issues to follow a longer story. I wish there was more of that these days for the larger titles.
The added bonus to all of this was that not everyone seemed to like comic books back then, so it felt a little like something that was more for me than everybody else.
On the subject of stories spanning multiple issues, there's something I'm assuming Mr. Eastin did not clearly raise in the documentary, or maybe we'd be getting somewhere not only in terms of formatting, but also in terms of storytelling. If he'd acknowledge company wide crossovers - which The Death & Return of Superman was a product of, in a manner of speaking - did more harm than good ever since Jim Shooter set the ball rolling with since Secret Wars in 1984, and argue whythe time's come to quit with such dreadful nonsense, maybe we'd see more self-contained stories like what he found more engaging back in the day, but even then, a case must still be made why paperback/hardcover is still the more ideal way to go at this point, and the obsession with variant covers must cease as well, mainly because that alone does not guarantee a good story inside, and it's head-shaking how so much ink was wasted on variant covers that could've been put to use for wall paintings instead.
Yanes: While comic book intellectual properties are more popular than ever, comic books and comic book stores don’t have the same cultural presence. What do you think can be done to increase comic book sales and help make shops more popular?But what about entertainment value? And why not acknowledge how writing merit in the mainstream declined beginning in the 90s, and art merit went south too 15 years ago? Why not also admit ultra-leftist politics have also ruined much of the mainstream, and even independent comics aren't immune? Of course advertising's a vital component of selling, along with how and where to buy, but if there's no artistic merit, sales won't last. Maybe this also explains why the mainstream publishers for starters don't belong in the ownership of conglomerates, but if even independent publishers make no serious attempt to advertise in wider mediums, then obviously something's wrong there too.
Eastin: I think stores have made a really strong go of elevating their presence online and in their communities, but that’s not really enough to interest people who aren’t comics readers already.
I think a big help would be if publishers and studios like Marvel made more noise about comics that are coming out, already out, and related to the films they’re making; and could drive new readers in, but advertising books and collections would definitely be a great start.
Some shop owners have repeatedly asked why there aren’t TV ads for comics from publishers or streaming ads. I think that’s a big part of the problem. A great many people aren’t being inspired to say, “That looks cool! Where can I find that?” Another great way to make shops more popular? Watch/buy/recommend Shopping for Superman!
All kidding aside, advertising dollars from publishers and distributors that reach people outside of the established circles might actually help keep readers.
Yanes: One of the arguments made in your documentary is that comic book stores are competing against Amazon. However, the number of independent bookstores as well as Barnes & Noble locations are increasing despite competition from Amazon. Why do you think comic book stores struggle to replicate the success currently experienced by other bookstores?No doubt, the misperceptions are still very prevalent, and it could easily be said that's why for many years, north American animation was almost entirely relegated to kiddie fare, well into the mid-90s, and it's not like even the Simpsons ever changed it enough. Let's also consider that political exploitation of animation only hinders the ability to convince older audiences why it's worth their time, just like with comics, as previously mentioned.
Eastin: Well, that’s an interesting comparison. Bookstores are traditionally very distinct from comic book shops in more than a few ways. Since they’re very different creatures, I don’t know if the comparison is entirely fair. (Isn’t it interesting that we value comics as much as non-graphical prose these days? Way to go comics!) I will say that the bulk of the material that you find in a comic shop isn’t just new issue floppies and of that inventory (cards, trades, toys, etc) Amazon offers a great deal of it at a lower rate with super-fast delivery. They literally undercut retailers, and sadly, there’s no pushback from companies to demand that they only offer their products at MSRP. They’re moving inventory so they don’t care, right? But it devalues the product and makes it so that someone doesn’t think getting in the car and shopping locally is worth it when they can get it cheaper straight to their door. This has been Amazon’s model for years and years. They don’t care if they take losses if they’re dominating the market. Comic shops can’t afford to do that and so they lose a lot of customers to groups like Amazon or even Barnes and Noble which still has more warehouse space and flexibility than any mom and pop shop.
Now, independent bookstores… there’s a lot of potential in those. The one in my town has a good bit of graphics for kids but not a ton in the way of teen-adult. I think you’d see way more interest in graphic storytelling for the uninitiated but I think comic shops still suffer a bit of the misconception that comics and graphic storytelling is just for kids. If someone hasn’t seen the evolution of the material and the stores that sell them over the past 30+ years then they’ll only think the shop is like whatever The Big Bang Theory tells them. I think that common misconception is why you don’t see a lot of readers in their teens up through adulthood come through as often.
But if the issue of artistic merit isn't raised, how do they think they'll be able to convince most consumers no matter their age to take interest in comicdom and find what to enjoy? Why, while adventure is a great genre, I think it can still be beneficial to encourage kids/teens to learn how to find drama absorbing, though it shouldn't come at the expense of action-adventure themes DC/Marvel were built on, and must be developed organically. The same can be said of character drama and interaction, which should be foremost among heroes and civilian co-stars.
Yanes: On this note, in the past I’ve written about how comic book prices are increasing faster than inflation while book prices haven’t and video games are dirt cheap (The Increasing Cost of Being a Comic Book Fan vs. Inflation). What do you think companies can do to make comic books affordable?And here, once again, we see what's wrong with this whole picture. Even the documentarian himself sounds like he's uninterested in comics making the switch to paperback/hardcover. Sure, $5 or so may not be as costly as $40-plus for a video game cartridge or disk, but it's still insulting to the intellect if it turns out there's barely 20 pages of story inside, and when you have to spend as much as $60 to buy what could be 10 floppies that once would've just cost little more than 2 dollars for the whole lot in the Bronze Age, then it becomes ridiculous. So, while a paperback/hardcover book obviously wouldn't be much cheaper if you bought several simultaneously (and they could be pretty heavy to carry together), wouldn't that at least make for something more relaxing to spend one's pastime with? Much less strain on the hands than a joystick and keyboard too.
Eastin: If your only goal is distraction, then sure, games give a great return on investment. I’m playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (finally) but that’s only because I finally spent a couple of hundred dollars on the console and then another forty on the game. Would the same cost translate to 40+ hours of comics to read? For some titles, actually… that’s possible.
Comics are turn-key fun. You don’t need a PS5 or the latest Nvidia GPU to jump in and I think that consideration gets lost in the shuffle when people try to compare the two. Games require an interface, designed to become obsolete, whereas comics can be grabbed and enjoyed immediately.
I don’t think the costs of comics are too outrageous when you see what your five dollars can actually buy you, these days, but I get it. When I bring home a stack of comics that cost me sixty bucks, I think of that as money well spent at a store I love, for stories and art that I’m going to appreciate. In some cases though, I find the current model to be insubstantial in floppy form and really wish there were another 5 pages or so to really give the book a little more oomph. (Every artist and writer just decided to stab me.)
If there should be a decrease in cost for comics for anyone, it should be for shop owners. The margins on new comics are pretty low and it’s impossible to run a store where you only offer new books which discourages buying anything new for your customers to try. Flexibility in the wholesale price would be a huge help for a lot of shops.
I do see Eastin may allude to how even older stories count as something to encourage a new reader to try out, and that's important, because why is everyone being told only brand new stories count as a "jumping on point" when the Marvel Epic Collections and the recent DC Finest archives can provide you with whole stories that could be completed at one's leisure? And why isn't anybody emulating the less politically motivated, more subtle styles writers of the times employed? Or, if it matters, why don't they take on more challenging issues without ascribing to a leftist playbook?
Yanes: While researching for this documentary, were there any facts you discovered that surprised you?Something tells me the claim organized syndicates having connections to early delivery and distribution is exaggerated, though if there were any, I'm sure it wasn't intentional on the publisher's part. That aside, of course it's fortunate that he didn't find the kind of bad attitudes found online, though it should be noted there are bad apples abound, and even "professional" creators who engaged in poor behavior online, if anywhere, and it's a real shame they sullied comicdom, even wasting tons of energy attacking the Comicsgate campaign instead of bettering artistic merit along with their own conduct. A bad attitude coming from a creator can be a key factor in poor sales for any particular comic, and similar points can be made about movies and their actors, writers, directors and producers.
Eastin: You’re asking some dangerous questions. For both our sakes, let it go. I was never here. (smoke bomb)
This may sound shmaltzy but the biggest surprise was just how welcoming and kind shop owners, comics artists/writers, and even distributors were when I approached them. There are always exceptions but once I made clear that I respected their time it was really rare that anyone either passed on an interview or was in any way confrontational. I worried, at the start, that the toxicity of the fandom I’d seen online was more prevalent in the culture and I had just been lucky my whole life. Turns out that jerks are the minority in both the industry and the community, broadly speaking.
Oh, and I learned more about the mafia being involved with early comics distribution than I expected. Y’know, IF the mafia were even real. (I’m no rat.)
Yanes: On this note, why do you think comic shops continue to be so important to geek and nerd communities?Well I'm glad he did have a positive experience at specialty stores, but maybe he should also research how some creators have conducted their behavior online, and show the courage to acknowledge it can be damaging when they act negative for all the wrong reasons, and even go so far as to blacklist conservatives whose beliefs they don't agree with.
Eastin: The short answer is human connection. The stereotype about geeks/nerds lacking social graces and abjuring social interaction isn’t entirely baseless but that really hasn’t been my experience. Comic shops continue to be a place where they can find their new favorite thing while chatting with people who are either already familiar or just as curious as them. And while you can get a little taste of that all over the internet, we’re social creatures and face to face interaction has a significant impact on people’s moods, thinking process, etc.
The other thing to consider, for shops that order a nice wide array of offerings, you have a place that allows you to respond to art in a way that doesn’t always translate online. Not only can a cover pique your interest on a new release wall but you’re allowed to pick that art up and give it a look before you take it home and along the way see what other people might be interested in. It’s an immersive experience with the possibility of positive social re-enforcement.
A lot of people liken the comic store to a sort of “third space”. Your work and home are both spaces that you routinely switch back and forth between and the third space is the place you go to forget about the other two for a while. And for stores that have embraced community play with things like Magic the Gathering, D&D, or some form of board game night; it’s the place you go to see your friends and take a break from all your worries (to borrow from the Cheers theme).
Yanes: When people finish watching Shopping for Superman, what do you hope they take away from the experience?On that, good luck, but let's be clear that it all depends on whether they're selling merit-based material that ensures their longevity, no matter the genres and themes in focus. And if Mr. Eastin's documentary doesn't have anything to say about the artistic damage the industry's seen along with moral damage, then what good does it do to focus on the sales side? It's practically cheap to just focus on the business side when even the moral and artistic side is relevant. Failure to confront what the industry did wrong artistically won't improve sales fortunes for specialty stores or anybody else, and then someday, if the industry collapses, there's no telling if anybody will admit what went wrong, and whether wokeness destroyed the medium. It'd be great if somebody filmed a documentary with a seriously objective view of the artistic side of comicdom. But alas, if past examples are any suggestion, it's unlikely such a documentary will be made.
Eastin: For fans of comic shops, I hope they learn something new and walk away feeling like someone made something just for them. It’s definitely a unique film in that it considers the fanboy and the people who are new to comics in general and tries to give them both a fun hour and a half.
For people that are new to comic shops, I genuinely hope it encourages them to visit a comic book store and talk with the owners/clerks to find that perfect story for them that keeps them coming back for more. Comics aren’t just stories where super powerful people beat each other up and from one page to the next you can find inspiration, beauty, and horror in combinations you never thought possible.
My genuine hope has been that people who run comic shops feel appreciated and understand that there’s a love for what they do and what their stores offer and I hope they keep up the fight to keep their doors open!
Labels: animation, Avengers, Batman, crossoverloading, dc comics, golden calf of death, Green Lantern, history, marvel comics, msm propaganda, sales, Spider-Man, Superman, technology, X-Men
