The Easiest Way Comic Book Companies Can Get More People To Read Comics
Are you ready: STOP MAKING ORIGIN MOVIES!!!!
It's that simple; just start the superhero "in media res," have him/her already in their established world with their supporting characters. Have at least two-to-three established adversaries, and use sequels as the origin story for new ones.
Just don't tell us how the hero came to be; it's boring and becoming cliched. Besides, if people really want to know, just tell them to go buy the fucking comic book. Use the movies to market the interesting aspects of your characters, not to rehash/reboot/restart their origin. If there are people who don't know how Superman, Spider-Man and Batman after decades of exposure, they're either not allowed to be exposed to American culture or they can't read; either way they aren't part of you're target audience.
Take a look a the movie versions of Harry Potter, Star Wars and Aliens/Predator: they all left gaps of storytelling that can be filled if curious viewers just coughed up the dough for the book or comic. The movie is supposed to be the draw, so stop acting like everything has to be stuffed in there in order to make viewers interested. Hell, Movie Superman should be different from Comic Book Superman! Why? Because then people will by the comic in order to compare the two!
Otherwise, we'll never get our Justice League/Avengers movie because, "Oh no!, we forgot to do the Martian Manhunter/Black Panther Origin Movie First!*
*NOTE: Marvel has done the right thing, slipping Black Widow and Hawkeye into the Ironman and Thor movies, respectively...even if it may have taken the movie's main storyline offroad for a bit.
It's that simple; just start the superhero "in media res," have him/her already in their established world with their supporting characters. Have at least two-to-three established adversaries, and use sequels as the origin story for new ones.
Just don't tell us how the hero came to be; it's boring and becoming cliched. Besides, if people really want to know, just tell them to go buy the fucking comic book. Use the movies to market the interesting aspects of your characters, not to rehash/reboot/restart their origin. If there are people who don't know how Superman, Spider-Man and Batman after decades of exposure, they're either not allowed to be exposed to American culture or they can't read; either way they aren't part of you're target audience.
Take a look a the movie versions of Harry Potter, Star Wars and Aliens/Predator: they all left gaps of storytelling that can be filled if curious viewers just coughed up the dough for the book or comic. The movie is supposed to be the draw, so stop acting like everything has to be stuffed in there in order to make viewers interested. Hell, Movie Superman should be different from Comic Book Superman! Why? Because then people will by the comic in order to compare the two!
Otherwise, we'll never get our Justice League/Avengers movie because, "Oh no!, we forgot to do the Martian Manhunter/Black Panther Origin Movie First!*
*NOTE: Marvel has done the right thing, slipping Black Widow and Hawkeye into the Ironman and Thor movies, respectively...even if it may have taken the movie's main storyline offroad for a bit.
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