Comics are awesome.

[Shockwave]

I actually did mean to make an analogy for strategy, not target so my comment about Parallax always attacking Hal should have been reworded. And I'll have to take your word on most of this as I don't read DC comics... like ever... so without having read the specifics it's kind of hard to debate it. What I was really saying is mostly to back up the concept that Anderson was trying to state which, as you pointed out in the last post, is that using the same strategy over and over again gets old fast and becomes useless over time. I guess Anderson has reached a point of reading Parallax where he feels that's happened.

[Sparky Prime]

Andersonh1 wasn't arguing that the strategy has gotten old though. What he was saying is that he feels that Parallax has lost his edge as a threat because he's getting pulled out of his host(s) so quickly in more recent encounters. But as I've said, I don't see that Parallax has lost his edge at all. It's just been in those situations someone powerful enough was there to help remove Parallax.

[Onslaught Six]

Interesting article by Mark Waid about digital publishing and storytelling:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/2 ... -december/

And this was linked within:
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/16/is ... of-comics/

[andersonh1]

Andersonh1 wasn't arguing that the strategy has gotten old though. What he was saying is that he feels that Parallax has lost his edge as a threat because he's getting pulled out of his host(s) so quickly in more recent encounters.

Exactly.

But as I've said, I don't see that Parallax has lost his edge at all. It's just been in those situations someone powerful enough was there to help remove Parallax.

That in and of itself makes him appear less theatening to me.

To me, any villain becomes less effective with time and overuse. He can only be defeated so many times before he starts to look like an empty threat.

[Dominic]

And, this here is what I like about the hobby. I do not even have to read and review the stupid comics to find stuff to read and write about.

Interesting article by Mark Waid about digital publishing and storytelling:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/2 ... -december/

And this was linked within:
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/04/16/is ... of-comics/

Waid has a gift for understatement here.

MW: I think the damage will be in periodical sales. Let me break it down even further. I think the impact will be greatly on stores that see themselves as a periodical business. Those guys are going to get hurt the most. The smart guys who look at their stores as pop culture outlets that are not dependent on selling that week's comics are going to be able to adapt the fastest. It's wonderful to sell $4 floppies, but you gotta make room in your store for the sweatshirts and statues and collectibles. It means changing your business model somewhat, and being less dependent on the $4 comics nobody's buying anymore.

He is substantively right. But, comic shops also need to get the hell over themselves. *Refusing* to sell certain products, (such as compilations), to people who want them is a problem. Stores resist ordering compilations, presumably to "force" readers to buy floppies....when it is often possible to simply go to a real bookstore and get a compilation. Comic stores effectively sacrifice their biggest advantage, (the ability to get product consistently and on time), to bookstores that are generally bad about that sort of thing.


He also touches on the idea of the market being flooded. The sheer number of web-comics is over-whelming, and they might simply crowd each-other out.


Dom
-needs to post reviews.

[Shockwave]

Andersonh1 wasn't arguing that the strategy has gotten old though. What he was saying is that he feels that Parallax has lost his edge as a threat because he's getting pulled out of his host(s) so quickly in more recent encounters.

Exactly.

Oh. Ok. Well like I told Sparky, I haven't read it so I guess I'll just go back to the corner and mind my own damn business. Read my Buffy comics.

But as I've said, I don't see that Parallax has lost his edge at all. It's just been in those situations someone powerful enough was there to help remove Parallax.

That in and of itself makes him appear less theatening to me.

To me, any villain becomes less effective with time and overuse. He can only be defeated so many times before he starts to look like an empty threat.

Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute... How is this any different than what I just said? To say that Parallax is less threatening because there were powerful enough characters to exorcise him makes him less threatening is the exact concept I was saying. It's because it's the same strategy and there just happened to be characters present who could do it. Dang it, and I was almost back in the corner too!

Shockwave
-Is genuinely vexed.

[andersonh1]

Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute... How is this any different than what I just said? To say that Parallax is less threatening because there were powerful enough characters to exorcise him makes him less threatening is the exact concept I was saying. It's because it's the same strategy and there just happened to be characters present who could do it. Dang it, and I was almost back in the corner too!

Shockwave
-Is genuinely vexed.

I was arguing with Sparky's point rather than yours. To some extent I agree with what you're saying, though I'm not sure it's exactly the same point as mine.

[Sparky Prime]

That in and of itself makes him appear less theatening to me.

To me, any villain becomes less effective with time and overuse. He can only be defeated so many times before he starts to look like an empty threat.

I just don't see that's the case for Parallax when it has taken beings as powerful as Parallax himself or several Green Lanterns at the very least to defeat him.

[Shockwave]

Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute... How is this any different than what I just said? To say that Parallax is less threatening because there were powerful enough characters to exorcise him makes him less threatening is the exact concept I was saying. It's because it's the same strategy and there just happened to be characters present who could do it. Dang it, and I was almost back in the corner too!

Shockwave
-Is genuinely vexed.

I was arguing with Sparky's point rather than yours. To some extent I agree with what you're saying, though I'm not sure it's exactly the same point as mine.

Oh. Ok. I think it's pretty close, as I understand it now, you're saying that the decreased length of time that it takes to defeat Parallax makes it APPEAR as though the threat has been diminished regardless of whether or not it actually has. Is that right? Or not? Maybe... I dunno, I'm just gonna shut up now.

Shockwave
-Is back in the corner now

[andersonh1]

Oh. Ok. I think it's pretty close, as I understand it now, you're saying that the decreased length of time that it takes to defeat Parallax makes it APPEAR as though the threat has been diminished regardless of whether or not it actually has. Is that right?

Yep, you got it.