Over the last few years, I have taken a lot of criticism over a particular stance I've taken concerning a particular book series that DC is publishing... a stance that I feel strongly about and a stance that absolutely no person on this planet will change my mind on. Period!
I am an old school comic book freak. Most of the last 15 years in comics does not exist to me because both DC and Marvel Comics continually morph and twist their core reality, bending it and twisting it into all of these bizarre directions that only confuse and frustrates people like me. I think what DC is now doing with twisting its core AGAIN into the 52 concept is just plain silly.
Why the stupid gimmicks? Just give us Superman, Adventure Comics, Swamp Thing, The Spectre, Batman, Hawk Man, Justice League, Green Lantern, Challengers of the Unknown, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, The Demon... and on and on.
But what has brought me into direct conflict with comic book fans is my stance AGAINST the latest incarnation of Showcase Presents!
I believe with all my heart and mind and soul that DC comics is giving all of us a LAZY F**K YOU with producing all these great older comics in this mind bending lazy and crazy black and white format. To take these beautiful full color comics, strip them of their beautiful color, and force the public to buy a half-assed product -- a product we all crave, mind you -- is an act of terrorism, in my opinion!
I have had many people challenge me all over the place, particularly on Amazon.com. My stance against this black and white travesty is this... DC has MANY examples of small omnibus collections that are in FULL COLOR, with just as many pages as Showcase Presents, and with a price point right at the price of a Showcase Presents collection. People continued to challenge me to give examples of these "imaginary" books I was talking about. For a time, I gave several examples... until I grew tired of doing the research work of the ignorant and uneducated who were calling me names and who were obviously too young to even know what I was talking about... and too young to have even have seen one of these stripped of color Showcase Presents comics it the original form.
I began to tell my detractors to do their own goddamn research if they did not like my words!
My biggest problem with Showcase presents, which by the way had several iterations in the past as FULL COLOR INDIVIDUAL COMIC BOOKS before DC decided to destroy the concept by stripping out the color, came when DC f**ked The Doom Patrol by releasing it in the colorless format. That was the last straw for my mental state of being about this issue, and I went off and wrote an extremely harsh letter to DC that I published through Amazon. And the Showcase Presents fans did not like that at all!
Everyone has a favorite comic book... mine is without a doubt The Doom Patrol! I am old enough to have read The Doom Patrol as a child when it eas first released and I remember to this day the pure visceral impact this comic book had on my psyche. The Doom Patrol art is fantastic! The Doom Patrol color is beautiful. The story is serious and sober! And the fact that the characters are so tragic made The Doom Patrol decades ahead of its time. And I have been affected by my favorite comic book for well over 45 years! And, DC comics bastardized my Doom Patrol... my memories... by releasing it in this horrible format!
I refuse to buy this book! And, to prove ALL of my points, Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol has completely sold out. Amazon.com is now offering new copies of the book for over $80.00 now. WOW! That means, to me, many people LOVE them some Doom Patrol! And this Showcase Presents format was the cheapest way to afford these rare comics. So fans have purchased nearly ALL of the Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol books. And I say, good for all of you.
If you want this bastard format of The Doom Patrol... then go for it! I totally understand your desire to read comic book greatness! But, in my opinion, you are selling greedy, evil DC comics a part of your soul by feeding into this black and white format. Making this book into a best seller has only fed the monster raw meat... there is a Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol vol. 2 coming out very soon.
I respect your desire to own this book. I will never give DC my money for this bastard concept! DC could, and should, charge all of us another two or three dollars and PUT THE ORIGINAL COLOR BACK IN THESE COMICS! This is a crime!
Vampirella, Creepy, Eerie, Mad Magazine, Cracked Magazine and plenty of other books were originally black and white... with a splash of color. To release these books in full color would not be true to their original formats... so I WELCOME every black and white issue of these books I can get my hands on, including the Archives Editions!
DC comics is scamming all of you good fans. And as long as you willingly allow DC to continue on with this travesty... well, it is a business and its purpose it to get your money, regardless of how I might feel about their crime.
RLJ
I couldn't agree more ...
ReplyDeleteI never read these books in black and white and won't start now. I've always been amazed that no publisher has put out a similar format collection 'with' color. I love the fact that it's on newsprint and a hugely good deal for the price.
The irony is that I'd probably buy most of them if they were as you say three or four more dollars for 'full color'.
Kids don't even read comics anymore. We need to get cheap, affordable collections in the hands of new fans. They need to be like the books we had ... something you can throw in a bag or suitcase and be used and abused.
Black and White Showcase simply blows goat.
G. Solomon