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Addicted to Comics
2008-11-18 17:41:56

There’s no other way to put it; I am addicted to comics.

I spent the first half of last week locked in a big ol’ room for between eight and ten hours at a stretch, pounding out the future of the Marvel Universe. This all sounds like fun, but it’s also a pressure cooker situation, especially when you have so many strongly opinionated people arguing the minutia of whether Brother Voodoo’s name sounds dated and hokey, or whether anybody knows that there were other undersea kingdoms besides Atlantis. Add on top of that evenings filled with dinners and get-togethers with those selfsame people, and it can all become exceedingly grueling.

We finished up by around 4:00 on Wednesday, just in enough time for me to come back to the office and try to dig through the previous three days’ worth of work, including the final preparations for sending SECRET INVASION #8 to the printer. Totally exhausted, I did another three and a half hours of work, everything from proofing over lettering to answering e-mails and composing planning documents. By the time I stepped foot out of the building, I was completely beat, and ready to go home and collapse.

But first, I went down the block to Jim Hanley’s Universe to pick up that week’s new books.

I can’t help it; that’s just the way I’m programmed after so many years of making that weekly trek. I won’t wait the extra day if I can at all avoid it—even if the stuff I’m picking up isn’t going to get read until the weekend. And I read and buy far more of it that is generally considered healthy. Why is that? I don’t know. There’s just something about the form that intrigues me, that keeps me coming back. And with the tremendous variety of material that’s now available, there’s something new to pick up just about every week—I can’t recall the last time a Wednesday went by when I didn’t walk out of the shop with at least something. And that’s on top of the weekly comp bundle I get.

My younger self would be appalled by how many comics I have sitting around waiting to be read. In my younger days, new comic day (which was Friday at that time) was an event. I’d pick up a paycheck, motor over to the local store, stock up on the new books, then spend a decent portion of the evening reading through them. It was rare that anything survived Friday unread, but even then, by the time the weekend was done, so were all of the comics. But now, I just have more to read than I can handle, and it continues to stack up, despite my best efforts. I’m a very fast reader, but that still hasn’t kept me from falling months verging on years behind in keeping up with certain titles.

So why do I continue to seek out new books, new stuff to add onto the top of that stack? It’s an addiction.

SECRET INVASION #8 is off to the printer, by the way, so the Invasion is officially over! (Can’t show you the last panel, like I did with CIVIL WAR, since it’d give something away—you’ll just need to take my word for it.)

More later.

Tom B

Woot! He's back!

Posted by thomas more on 2008-11-17 23:25:33

Addicted!
Loved the straightforward title!

And I can say I'm addicted to comics. What could be better? I'd say creating your own stories. I love it and someday I hope to add my little piece.

Posted by DRock1 on 2008-11-17 23:56:53

Glad your back Tom, i hope we'll be getting some juicy hints at what you guys came up with at the retreat. is Bendis still going to be writing 75% of your books or is he finally relinquishing his iron grip on everything Marvel?

Posted by cryhavok01 on 2008-11-18 00:10:27

I caught the Marvel honchos on the Comic Book Club You Tube vids, and it made me wonder, you guys should do comedy, I laughed my @@**!@ off. Even watched your interview too, it was kinda cool seeing the video of the interview including the clip of you taking out your phone and recording for the blog, after seeing the little thirty second video on your blog.

Posted by thomas more on 2008-11-18 00:18:44

Cool
Nice to see your blogs again. I too and addicted to comics. And thanks to your company, have WAY more comics than are healthy. PLUS I don't get a comp pile. :p Indeed, it isn't money that is my issue but space. I am two months in my queue and I am sure I am not as busy as you.

I remember when pickup day was Friday too...

Posted by beta-ray on 2008-11-18 00:47:43

Sweet. Secret Invasion, what a ride! I think I'll be glad when it's over just for a breather with normal comics, but then there's this Dark Reign stuff...

I have a questions too. What's with not hand-lettering comics? Is it just a time saver? What about letting pencilers or letterers make their own fonts? What is the virtue of having a standard font through the whole line? Are there variations that I just don't see? With all the really excellent, stylized draftsmen you have, wouldn't things look better with something closer to hand-lettering? What about the shape of word balloons, the single oval per paragraph approach? When did that become the norm (as opposed to something that rippled a little closer to the words)?

I'm not trying to be nick picky, and I'm sure there is a simple answer for all this. I've just never heard it. Comics have had the same 'look and feel' since I've been reading, I just want to know when/why these decisions were made.

I Believoort!

Posted by kyle-latino on 2008-11-18 08:24:06

I think the official typographic police for comics is 'meanwhile', that's the name...

Posted by notapotatoe on 2008-11-18 09:33:44

...works very well to me.

Posted by notapotatoe on 2008-11-18 09:34:41

Fans know ...
Of course, there are other undersea kingdoms than Atlantis! Who could forget Lemuria, once ruled by Namor's arch nemesis Llyra (who orcked his wife, his father, and his cousin Namora) and home of the Serpent Crown for centuries. It was good to see Pak and Van Lente use Lemuria in the recent Incredible Hercules issues, though I was somewhat puzzled at seeing Atlanteans and Namora there.

And thank you for all your hard work at summits and putting out the comics that feed our mutual addictions. :)

Posted by Rheged on 2008-11-18 11:44:41

comic book addiction
Yep. Over 40 years since I read my first comic and I still can't get enough. There is just something unique about the combination of pictures, words, glossy paper and staples.

Tom, it's good to know you have that feeling too. It means that you still have empathy with the fans who look forward to that little thrill every week and aren't just pumping out a product for consumers that, deep down, you hold in contempt.

I often feel that at least some of the people in charge at DC have a very negative attitude towards those of us that buy their comics, especially long timers like myself. There is so much spin doctoring that comes out of Dan Didio that I just pretty much ignore anything he has to say anymore.

It amazes me that you still interact with us on an almost daily basis and are usually pretty straightforward about what goes on and why, even when we sometimes respond in a very vituperative
manner.

Posted by izzatrix on 2008-11-18 12:14:09

The NEW Marvel Age
I feel your pain Tom. I'm three weeks behind on my pile. Of course the books I care most about always make their way to the top each Wednesday.

Can't wait till the Secret Invasion ends and I mean that in a good way. There's a lot of stuff I want to get my hands on in the upcoming months. Dark Reign, War of the Kings, The Noir line, Dark Avengers and of course Ultimatum.

Everything seems like it's going right for Marvel these days. It's a great time to be a fan. The late 90's overkill hangover is long gone. I think we're in the middle of a new age of Marvel Comics. You can sense it. The writers and editors have done a wonderful job of maintaining a direction that you decided to go in and haven't done anything to derail it. Delays I can handle. Rush jobs I can not.

Any chance you can give us the inside scoop or hint on what next summer's blockbuster will bring us?

Posted by bzoo2000 on 2008-11-18 13:10:11

Hi Tom,
Nice to hear it from the horse's mouth that at heart, you're a fan like us too! And that's patently obvious from the passion and honesty found in this blog, not to mention the fact that you take the time to relate to us fans in such a direct manner on such a frequent basis in the first place.

I Believoort!

Posted by cjmcaree on 2008-11-18 14:13:23

I'm the same way re: Wednesdays. I remember a few years ago I drove through a MASSIVE snowstorm (it may actually have been the Valentine's Day massacre that left tons of people stranded on I-78 in Pennsylvania for hours) only to discover my shop had not opened. *sigh*

As for the last panel, I hope it's the return of Hawkeye. That'd be nice. Killer ninja Clint remains one of the dumbest things in Marvel history.

Posted by motteditor on 2008-11-18 20:17:16

Congrats on getting the last ish out. Looking forward to the future of the MU!

When you have a chance, maybe it would be worth poring over the previous few sets of answers we gave to give some insight/ reaction?

Posted by hamgravy on 2008-11-20 12:06:52

I wouldnt know
it sounds like things can be ruff at times around the office but at the end of the day would you trade any of it? there are people in the world who would give anything to be in your shoes working at Marvel, yea I know its easy for me to say but Tom your part of the team without you things would probably run a little slower so thanks for being there fighting in the trenches.

As for the pile up you shouldn't worry you have the rest of your life to catch up, you know what they say "its never to late" or "its better late then never"

Posted by terciera on 2008-11-23 13:13:24

I am too
I wake up in the marining pick up my marvel encyclopedia and one of my 1960s original comics {Avengers, Spiderman, etc. I have about 200!} And then while I am In the cafeteria at school I read my Marvel comic. Then in Science,PE,Math, and Language Arts I read on of my original comics. Then, I come home get on Marvel.com and see whats up with my man Stan Lee. After that I get off the computer and take out on of my comics and read them. Then I play Spiderman Web of Shadows. And thats my life everyday.

P.S. does anyone know whta hero points are on this website.

Posted by Marvel comix on 2008-11-27 11:38:25

LOL
LOL

Posted by terciera on 2008-11-27 23:28:44

Array

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About this blog:
Ramblings and musings from the mind of Tom Brevoort. "It won’t be clean. It won’t be fun. It mostly won’t be coherent."

About the author:
Tom Brevoort is Executive Editor for Marvel Comics, and oversees such titles as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four.


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