Weekly Comic Spotlight

[LA Rabbit]

Enjoyed as always. Surprised to hear John say that some think his reviews are too negative. Since I have been listening, there has been maybe one "1" grade but I can't even remember. He gives out far more "5"s than "1"s but it is not that he gives out a ton of "5" grades. It seems like mostly "3" and "4" grades is my impression. I find the reviews detailed and generally criticisms explained. Mind you there is a bit of selection bias as Bob and John are normally picking books that they think they will like as opposed to 3 randomn books out of previews but I think that is pretty standard for comic book podcast reviews. Unlike movies, there are just too many comics for one person to review each month.

I skipped the Daredevil book as the 8 issue mini-series is a big red flag to me. Especially in the modern style of comic book writing, it seems hard to pace them correctly. As noted in your Dectective review it is tough to write a story in a backup. I think it is tough to write to any particular length. It seems like 3, 4 or 12 are lengths that the modern writers can craft stories that work for me. I certainly would have been more tempted if this was an OGN. Just my personal paranoia but with some of the limited series, I feel there is padding to stretch them out at times. With the OGN, you just take the number of pages needed to tell the story.

[JohnMayo]

Surprised to hear John say that some think his reviews are too negative. Since I have been listening, there has been maybe one "1" grade but I can't even remember. He gives out far more "5"s than "1"s but it is not that he gives out a ton of "5" grades. It seems like mostly "3" and "4" grades is my impression. I find the reviews detailed and generally criticisms explained. Mind you there is a bit of selection bias as Bob and John are normally picking books that they think they will like as opposed to 3 random books out of previews but I think that is pretty standard for comic book podcast reviews. Unlike movies, there are just too many comics for one person to review each month.

What I've found over the years is that if I mention something, people think it is of some sort of extreme importance to me. Part of why we stopped mentioning the price per page ratio was some people thought our entire review was summed up by that factoid while I thought it was a fair way of gauging the price point.

Likewise, if I mention something specific about a plot element or aspect of the art, some people think I must have absolutely hated that thing. Rarely is that the case as I'm not much of a hater in general. What I am is highly analytic. I'll notice any number of things which I think are worth mentioning in a discussion of the comic and not all of the detract from my enjoyment or respect for the work. I'm also fully capable of enjoying something which technically isn't that good if it appeals to me on some level and not enjoying something that is flawlessly executed if I don't care for the nature of the story being told.

[BobBretall]

Mind you there is a bit of selection bias as Bob and John are normally picking books that they think they will like as opposed to 3 randomn books out of previews but I think that is pretty standard for comic book podcast reviews. Unlike movies, there are just too many comics for one person to review each month.

Technically, we try to pick books we are getting, which is not necessarily the same as picking books we think we'll like

A lot of times there are books we'll get that we don't know yet if we'll like, especially for #1 issues that we cover, though I guess we had some kind of predisposition towards liking the general concept because we ordered it in the 1st place.

I will say that for my own part, I'll sometimes buy a book & give it a read just because we're reviewing it, this week's DD book being an example of that, as is next week's Ame Comi Girls #1.

[JohnMayo]

I will say that for my own part, I'll sometimes buy a book & give it a read just because we're reviewing it, this week's DD book being an example of that, as is next week's Ame Comi Girls #1.

I rarely go out and buy something just to discuss it on the podcast. I'm getting close to 200 comics a month. If it doesn't make that cut, there is probably a reason I didn't get it. I find that discussing such a comic is often not in the best interest of that comic.

That having been said, sometimes I overlook things in Previews and if a comic looks like something I'd like, I'm not against getting it locally in order to discuss it on the podcast.

[Gilgabob]

I agree with LA regarding John's reviews. I've been listening for quite awhile now and whenever John would talk about a book I would try and guess what I thought his final grade was going to be and my guesses were almost always lower than what he would actually give. I now have a clear understanding that although John may be talking about a negative aspect of a book that he is reviewing, he is not necessarily putting an enourmous amount of import on that point.

I think as reviewers go John and Bob are some of the gentlest out there. I don't mean to suggest that they don't offer accurate and fair reviews, because they do, but rather they are careful to use language that is not overly harsh by using lines such as "the art didn't really click for me" or "I didn't care for the story flow" etc... To me this reflects their enjoyment of the hobby and the respect for the creators efforts, even if those efforts aren't particularly well executed.

I listen every week to all the boys' podcasts and have enjoyed them all and I hope they continue to provide this service for years to come!

[BobBretall]

I will say that for my own part, I'll sometimes buy a book & give it a read just because we're reviewing it, this week's DD book being an example of that, as is next week's Ame Comi Girls #1.

I rarely go out and buy something just to discuss it on the podcast. I'm getting close to 200 comics a month. If it doesn't make that cut, there is probably a reason I didn't get it. I find that discussing such a comic is often not in the best interest of that comic.

Yeah, with the # of books you get, this makes sense. On the other hand, it makes sense for me to do it occasionally, given my current Marvel/DC buying patterns unless we want to change the show format to "John Reviews Marvel/DC books & Bob talks about an Indie".

[LA Rabbit]

Big Congrats on 700 hours. Looking forward to the next 700.

Got Hulk but have not read it. This time of year is always crazy.

[HassanT]

Congratulations on over 700 hours of podcasts!!

[Gilgabob]

If my calculations are correct that is about a month of podcasts!

So if I didn't sleep and I did nothing but listen to your shows I would finish around the end of this year. scary!

[JohnMayo]

If my calculations are correct that is about a month of podcasts!

So if I didn't sleep and I did nothing but listen to your shows I would finish around the end of this year. scary!

At the very least, it is enough content to fill an entire February, even in a leap year.

[LA Rabbit]

Catching up on the episodes as the holidays put me behind and I wanted to read Avengers Arena before your review. I probably should have listend to your review first and saved myself some money. I don't understand why they decided on this direction. This is a company that seems to be struggling for new properties. Avengers Academy had a nice run (around 40 issues, with the point ones, I don't know how many it lasted) and don't they want stuff for the future? If they could get something new going, that means more movies, cartoons, toys etc. They are doing a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, don't tell me they wouldn't like some new properties that they haven't auctioned off to other movie studios.

They seem to try (see Alpha) but then just to gut them for a "death" that no one is going to believe or care about? If we want to see a more grim version of super heros I don't see how they can compete with indys? Danger Club is much better because the deaths may be more permanent. I just don't understand the thinking. Having villians that kill heros in DC/Marvel don't really work as well for me because it is tough to reset from that status quo. These characters are going to last for years and years and years so I don't know how you come back if you escalate the stakes with murder. Leave that to the indys.

Thanks for letting me vent and thanks for the podcast. You boys do great work. My only small pet peeve is normally you boys skirt the line with spoilers very well but thought you crossed a little with the Walking Dead talk.

As a side issue the wife and I were discussing if getting that title over a long period of time (say jumping on early) and reading periodically, made for a materially different experience from coming on recently and just reading 100 issues worth of material in short period. I can't decide but I am puzzling my noodle over it.

Keep up the good work.

[JohnMayo]

My only small pet peeve is normally you boys skirt the line with spoilers very well but thought you crossed a little with the Walking Dead talk.

Where/how do you think we crossed the line on spoilers? I ask not because I disagree with you (too much was revealed) but because I'd appreciate specifics on where you and others draw the line. Obviously Bob and I have differing opinions on how much is too much to reveal. I don't think there is a "right" answer for this but I'm curious what you all think about this.

As a side issue the wife and I were discussing if getting that title over a long period of time (say jumping on early) and reading periodically, made for a materially different experience from coming on recently and just reading 100 issues worth of material in short period. I can't decide but I am puzzling my noodle over it.

I think it is a fundamentally different experience to read something piecemeal as it comes out versus in larger chunks (like in trade/hardcover) or all at once. No one way is the best way to read all material. Some titles read better in single issues while others read better in larger chunks. For better or worse, it can be a radically different reading experience.

[boshuda]

My only small pet peeve is normally you boys skirt the line with spoilers very well but thought you crossed a little with the Walking Dead talk.

Where/how do you think we crossed the line on spoilers? I ask not because I disagree with you (too much was revealed) but because I'd appreciate specifics on where you and others draw the line. Obviously Bob and I have differing opinions on how much is too much to reveal. I don't think there is a "right" answer for this but I'm curious what you all think about this.

Most comics have about a month or two where spoilers should be avoided. Walking Dead, for some reason, has a special place in people's hearts where you should never reveal anything. It's so taboo I honestly don't think a comic podcast/review site should do any more than tell people the latest issue shipped. I don't even like discussing how the comic differs from the show.

In general I personally read so far behind things that I don't like spoilers at all. I remember some one spoiled the fate of Little Boy Blue in Fables and it detracted from the story. I've stopped listening to Pete's Basement because they spoil like crazy. And I actually enjoy their podcast quite a bit. It's the one I credit with really getting me back in comics. (sorry guys - it took me a while to find yours )

As a side issue the wife and I were discussing if getting that title over a long period of time (say jumping on early) and reading periodically, made for a materially different experience from coming on recently and just reading 100 issues worth of material in short period. I can't decide but I am puzzling my noodle over it.

I think it is a fundamentally different experience to read something piecemeal as it comes out versus in larger chunks (like in trade/hardcover) or all at once. No one way is the best way to read all material. Some titles read better in single issues while others read better in larger chunks. For better or worse, it can be a radically different reading experience.

I think most titles are fun month to month, but not every title is as fun collected. I read Walking Dead every month until about issue 60 or 70 - something (somewhere in there). At about issue 85 or so I started collecting again and so I re-read from issue #1 in a quick block of time. It's a little easier to deal with how cruel Kirkman is to his characters monthly. When you read them in chunks you really get to see how he misdirects and uses the medium to shock the reader. It becomes a subtly different experience, but both are equally enjoyable.

[fudd71]

This whole topic of spoilers is to me is the great oxymoron in comics.

As fans we are asked not discuss last week’s books because some people haven’t gotten them yet, books from two to three weeks ago because some people keep large to read piles and haven’t read them yet, books from a month or two back because the trade isn’t out and some people read the trades, books from six months to a year ago because some people are waiting for a different format of trade and books from several years ago because the trade is out of print and people are waiting for the next collected edition.

What are we allowed to talk about? Oh yes, get a copy of Previews and spoil stories no one but the editors have read. That is perfectly acceptable. I haven’t read Spider-man in almost two years but I knew everything that was happening in the last few issues before they even came out.

Sorry, I had to vent, I’m back to my old man hole where we use to talk about the books from the week not the future.
Get off my lawn!

[JohnMayo]

Most comics have about a month or two where spoilers should be avoided. Walking Dead, for some reason, has a special place in people's hearts where you should never reveal anything. It's so taboo I honestly don't think a comic podcast/review site should do any more than tell people the latest issue shipped. I don't even like discussing how the comic differs from the show.

In general I personally read so far behind things that I don't like spoilers at all. I remember some one spoiled the fate of Little Boy Blue in Fables and it detracted from the story.

Essentially, what you have written seems to be saying is reviews containing any spoilers shouldn't happen until a month or two after the issue ships and Walking Dead shouldn't be reviewed at all. That seems a bit extreme.

We review issues 12 days after they are released so people have time to read them before we discuss them. We also announce an episode in advance which issues we'll be featuring on the next Weekly Comics Spotlight. I think we are playing fair in that regard. Personally, I don't like reviews that come out the instant the issue hits the stand as I like to read the issues before reading/hearing reviews of them.

Personally, I try to give out as few spoilers as possible. Sometimes a spoiler or two needs to be revealed in order to fully discuss an aspect of an issue. I tried not to give specifics about the issue and to stick to general thematic aspects of the issue.

As for Walking Dead being some sort of special case in terms of spoilers, I have to disagree with you. If you'd pointed out that it wasn't a featured issue on the episode and therefore shouldn't have any spoilers then that I might have agreed with.

I'm still curious where you draw the line on what is and isn't a spoiler. From what you've written, it seems like discussing almost anything about the contents might be considered a spoiler.