Comics viability today?

[Kambei]

Does that mean the viewers (kids) of the 60s were better able to deal with additional information than the children now? I doubt it.

I would debate you on that. Modern children seem to be more 'instant gratification' then move onto the next thing, the old forgotten. With the advent of the MTV/Internet generation, they need things handed to them on a plate.

As for the merchandising, the difference between children's comics over the two eras is startling. Look at the 50s/60s with comics like Eagle and TV21. High quality art, intelligent storytelling and stories that spanned weeks if not months. Then look at modern comic books aimed at children. There is no comparison.

[Marion]

I agree with you, Kambei. The 'I doubt it' referred to what Intensity Angel was saying - I doubted she meant to say kids nowadays couldn't handle the extra information.
But given that there was a lot fewer entertainment channels available in the 50s and 60s - the comics had a much wider appeal, I think.
Modern comics do seem to be concerned with nothing but promoting some Tv show or merchandise even to the extent of printing screen caps of TV stories - as they did in the short-lived NCS comic.

[Intensity Angel]

You are right, Marion.

I meant that Kids just don't have the interest that was held back in the eariler years. Comics nowadays are like Bang, wow, basic story lines. And children tend to have limited attention span due to more tv and more air time and repeats and also the internet- iplayers and the likes.

[RhapsodyAngel8]

I meant that Kids just don't have the interest that was held back in the eariler years. Comics nowadays are like Bang, wow, basic story lines. And children tend to have limited attention span due to more tv and more air time and repeats and also the internet- iplayers and the likes.

Modern children seem to be more 'instant gratification' then move onto the next thing, the old forgotten. With the advent of the MTV/Internet generation, they need things handed to them on a plate.

Perhaps to a certain degree, yes, I would agree with you, Intensity Angel and Kambei, but please be careful not to give the impression that all children fall into that category.
Not all children are brought up watching television / iplayer / playing computer games etc. as their main recreational activity - a wonderful imagination, an enquiring mind and absorption in an interesting and enjoyable activity can still be found in a good many children today.

I agree with you and Marion on the less than favourable nature of the content of modern comics; I don't think they do much to engage a youngster's attention for much more than an initial, fleeting glance. I have a couple of the NCS ones and a set of the 1990s OCS comics, and, given the choice, my daughter far prefers the OCS comic strip reprints - there is more action, with original storylines, and more scope for her imagination (plus, the illustrations are wonderful). She has also just discovered my mother's old 'Girl' Annuals (from the late 50s), and is devouring those avidly!

[chrisbishop]

Comics nowadays are like Bang, wow, basic story lines.

As a reader of comics - and always had been all through my adult life - I have to step forward and argue that point. Many comic books today present plots which are very well thought-off, and sometimes even complicated. Comic books authors have lots of imagination and talent that lacks, say, in some of Hollywoods' writers today. There is a reason why so many movies today are adapted from other medias, like books, TV, games, and comic books have became an inexhaustible source of inspiration for movies. Comic books writers write movies and TV series (Joseph Loeb, Frank Miller, to name but two at the moment).

I think that the Scarlet fandom benefited quite a lot from comic strips back in the late 60s, early 70s. And there would still be potential for a comic series yet again - either Original (which is what I would prefer) or New. Those screen caps strips were only a lazy way out, I'm afraid. Original stories would have been far preferable, and the market could have developped if only given the chance.

But then again, we all know that the whole NCS series did receive some of the worst marketing ever for a TV show... so it's not surprising that the comic books followed the same lines. The only thing interesting in these mags were the nformation we got in-between strips about the characters, craft and equipment. And there wasn't much to go about.

[RhapsodyAngel8]

Many comic books today present plots which are very well thought-off, and sometimes even complicated. Comic books authors have lots of imagination and talent that lacks, say, in some of Hollywoods' writers today.

Ah - I have to admit (to my shame ) that I had not even thought about comic books such as the ones you describe, Chris - an oversight on my part. Although I have extremely limited knowledge of such comics, I agree with you in that respect. My previous post was meant to refer to comics geared toward readers of my own children's ages (and a bit older), which often have little substance - not to comic books such as the ones you mention.

And there would still be potential for a comic series yet again - either Original (which is what I would prefer) or New.

Now that, indeed, is food for thought

[chrisbishop]

Hi, Rhapsody!

I'm pretty sure you didn't mean anything bad at all And yes, I know of some comics as you described too. As I am quite aware that comic stories such at "300", "Sin City", "V for Vendetta" and such are in a class all by themselves too (and mainly written for adults). Some of the most popular comics (i.e. superhero comics) are written by some of the best writers in the business at the moment, and the 'reading audience' is quite large.

Now, I'm dreaming of a Captain Scarlet strips, using all the best elements of both series (I would still keep the characters and a from the original series - and Cloudbase, at least in name...), with at its helm writers such as Alan Moore, Ed Brubaker, Mike W. Barr (who wrote a few Star Trek episodes), and drawn by... say, George Perez, or the wonderful Alex Ross...

Tall order, I know, but who knows WHO'S reading these lines? We might give them ideas...

Er... do we have comic book artists amongst our members?

[Intensity Angel]

I too wasn't talking the comic books you were talking about Chris, I read some of the adult comic books and find them fascinating: the ones I read are about zombie attacking people. the images are graphic and the dialogue well thought out. But the ones aimed at the much younger generation, children a decade younger than I am are just predicatble I guess and unsustainable for an older person. A friend of mine on the buses is always reading the Pokemon comics and it amazes me how in depth they are about it but then again on the other hand, they turn to me for imformation on Pokemon as obviously I grew up watching the original. I know kids who won't even bother to look at a book because the Tv show they can easily acess on youtube or catch up on TV catch up or something. Some children just don't care or don't want to go hunting for more information themselves: they want it right there in front of their noses whilst they watch the TV show.

[Marion]

Me too, Chris. I did not mean Comic books - or Graphic Novels as we librarians call them - but the weekly magazines for much younger audiences.
When I was young, the magazines for tots were 'educational' and I can remember things I learnt from them even decades later, but nowadays - at least in this country, they are all about fairies or monsters off the TV.
The golden age of 'comics' is long past, although graphic novels go from strength to strength.

[chrisbishop]

My apologies if I misunderstood! At least it gave me an occasion to blatter about another of my favourite subjects...

I know kids who won't even bother to look at a book because the Tv show they can easily acess on youtube or catch up on TV catch up or something. Some children just don't care or don't want to go hunting for more information themselves: they want it right there in front of their noses whilst they watch the TV show.

I think that's exactly why the New Captain Scarlet magazine had such a short life: it was EXACTLY the same stuff taken from the TV series (read: screenshots).

It would have been much more interesting with original material - like the stories old TV21 strips for OCS. Perhaps, it would have attracted much more interest - on the mag and the series.

[Intensity Angel]

Lets call this a case of us all trekking through the wrong terrain.

I think it would've been fun if there had been more NCS magazines with original plots, but then it would've been sketches instead of the CGI images the audiences are used to seeing and so that might've thrown children off as they were used to the CGI characters being in CGI, not as drawings. Adults and children of the past adapted to the comic book adaptions and creation from the puppet world but nowadays its not that easy as children are used to seeing a fixed image or seeing their own recreations of the characters. Besides CGI to drawings: unusual isn't it, for a young child.

Besides unless the creators used photoshop and the same program used to create NCS then couldn't have produced new images of the characters as the comics were just dramatised stills of the episodes.


Why do I have the feeling I'm about to clubbed over this?

[chrisbishop]

No... I actually see your point perfectly. Although some drawings can actually be very good, and 3D likes. Different, of course, but could be enjoyable. Beside, even if Captain Scarlet was aimed at kids, we can safely assume that adults probably enjoyed it better. And adults are those who buy magazines...

That said, however, this is a pretty good argument to bring an ORIGINAL Scarlet strip forward...

I think I'll soon move part of topic into another thread... We're kind of off-topic from CGI, but still within the Scarlet world, and this is still a good subject.

[Intensity Angel]

SIG Colonel.

What ever you say.