How Not To Report On A Massive Comics Event
Well for starters, if you're a major UK newspaper read for free by numerous commuters and left lying around trains and buses everywhere, not putting it as the big story on page three before all the UK-based comic shops have actually had a chance to open their doors and sell the blasted thing might be a help.
Spoilers in the above link and in the rest of this post...
In addition, a bit of basic fact-checking might result in your not looking stupid, and indeed in not misleading any casual fans who might be reading.
• For instance, you might like to check before you trumpet that his "demise" occurs "in the final edition of the Captain America comic", because it's simply not true. Rather, Cap's shooting is the beginning of a planned-out and lengthy storyline by writer Ed Brubaker, and the title will most decidely be continuing, as the ramifications of his death are explored and played out. Marvel have even issued a statement, saying that "Captain America will continue to be published despite the very real death of Steve Rogers." To say nothing of the fact that, given that it's a storyline that Brubaker's been planning since he first came on the title (and not simply a cheap trick mandated by Civil War), it's a fairly safe bet that at the end of it all, he'll be back alive and well.
• The above is perhaps the silliest aspect of the Metro's hack attempt at a story, but having a random picture of him fighting during the war, with a big cannon behind it, and captioning it as "The moment the hero is shot" just makes you look daft.
• And finally, when the issue in question does actually reveal who was responsible for his death, saying that he was "killed by an unknown sniper" is just lazy...
I know, I know, it's stupid to get angry about the way that comics stuff is reported by the mainstream press. But the Metro in particular are usually quite good about covering comics stuff, and the thought of the general public getting completely the wrong end of the stick about a major comics event... well, it just irks me.
About this entry
- By Seb Patrick
- Posted on Thursday, March 08 2007 @ 10:25 am
- Categorised in Comics
- 14 comments
To be fair to the Metro's previous reporting on comics events, the accuracy of Spider-Man's new costume and unmasking was about as inaccurate. I'm just pleased they're touching it at all.
By James H
March 08, 2007 @ 11:03 am
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It's terrible, someone sent me a link to a yahoo news story, just cuz they knew I like comics and they figured I'd be pysched about a comics headline. Then right there I see that cap got shot. Not Cool.
By green hornet
March 08, 2007 @ 11:55 am
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As if they'd end the series after pulling the publicity stunt of killing him off. That wouldn't make sense from a sales pov.
By performingmonkey
March 08, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
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Seb, could you point me in the best direction for comics shopping online?
By Andrew
March 08, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
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I've done a lot, so allow me to step in:
comix-shop.co.uk have a horrible website, but I've had excellent service from them.
reedcomics.com are decent enough, if you're after superhero comics.
incognitocomics.co.uk have a big selection but their "catalogue" is full of empty categories.
megacitycomics.co.uk are good for recent stuff but their prices are high.
and for TPB & collections, you can't beat Amazon on price ;-)
By James H
March 08, 2007 @ 10:24 pm
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And for back issues, while I haven't ordered from them, I've been in the shop, and Comicana's database is a model that others should aspire to.
By Seb
March 09, 2007 @ 11:31 am
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I've filmed in the shop.
By Ian Symes
March 09, 2007 @ 11:50 am
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I was not impressed with Comicana's store. When I went in there it was a terrible place, covered with, and stinking of dust with a surly, mute assistant who was listening to a Lord of the Rings audiobook extra-loudly. It was worse than the Comic Showcase in Oxford for being just everything bad about a comic shop exemplified in one place.
By James H
March 09, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
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Oh, all that's undeniable. But for cheap and well-organised back issues, it absatively can't be beat.
By Seb
March 09, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
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Cheers!
By Andrew
March 09, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
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Was it just me who thought that Quesda's column in Civil War 7 was a whacking great hint that we're going to have Frank Castle taking over from Rogers? Replacing the Nazi-bashing propaganda symbol with a traumatised 'nam veteran would be an interesting move, if only it wasn't being telegraphed so far in advance...
By Julian
March 10, 2007 @ 11:17 pm
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By Somebody
March 15, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
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By Somebody
March 15, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
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Yeah, unfortunately, we've already been duped by one dodgy Marvel official photoshop job (the one of Iron Man painted red, white and blue), so I'll believe this one when I see it.
I think Frank might go round claiming to be Cap in some way or another, but... well, what's quite funny is that we seem perfectly set up to have a few different Caps running around, just as what happened after Superman died. You've got Patriot, you've got Frank Castle, you've got the government-sponsored Cap that Tony will presumably be choosing... what price Steve Rogers comes back in a year or so with a black costume and a mullet?
By Seb
March 15, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
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