Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic What Would You Want In A Comic Book?

I've been toying with the idea of getting into fan-comics, or maybe even writing my own stuff, since it's so hard to find the kind of stories I like. It prompted me to wonder:

If Canon was not an issue,
If Copyright/Character Co-existence was not an issue,
If YOU--the individual reading this sentence--were the only target demographic, and "The Market" was not an Issue...

What would you want to read in a comic book?

I'd want something that is already out there: Byrne's-era and immediately post-Byrne's era Superman: The comics in that time placed character and character development above fight-of-the-issue, had Clark be Clark first and Superman second, had complex plots spanning multiple issues, and had a positive and hope-filled tone. Those were comics that were fun to read. And speaking of fun, I like some of that thrown in, as well.

Joy,
Lynn

In an Superman fanfic comic, I'd want to see a Lois who doesn't always need Superman to rescue her and she helps him as much as he does her. A relationship of equals (even if Lois or Clark never sees it as such). Romance would be nice. Humor. I'd love to see some of your April Fools stories turned into fanfic comics. Those would be a riot.

I wouldn't want to read anything too bloody (imagery wise, not British slang wise) or too sad.

I would want what I have in my favorite comic of all time, "The Batman Adventures: Mad Love." It has beautiful artwork and a dynamic story (all hail Paul Dini and Bruce Timm! ). It is a complete story - as a casual reader of comics, I don't need to know what came before or after it and am not left with a cliffhanger. It tells the story of a minor character within the context of the greater universe - in this case, Harley Quinn's origin story. It pulls at multiple emotional strings - both humor and heartbreak. It's romantic - not in a sugary way, but in an emotionally complex one. It's not about blood and gore - it's about heart and soul.

I'd go for a nice mixture of Lynn's complex plots spanning multiple issues with groobie's complete story and lack of cliffhangers. Ideally, a new reader should be able to enjoy their first story but be hooked into reading the next by the larger plot, not the cliffhanger.

I like my comics like I like my fanfiction... that is to say, all over the place. My biggest thing with the comics is that nobody ever hits it just right for me-- it's always either too dark or too light or even at times too cheesy and never really finds that perfect recipe. I am a huge sucker for angst and drama (don't even start me on Grey's Anatomy lately... ). Everybody knows how much I love deathfics/tragedies/etc. But I'm also a terrible romantic and sometimes I just want to read about a romcom. It all depends on my (rapidly-shifting) mood, but I always like high emotional content. I know the one thing I can say I don't care for is unnecessary action scenes.

(Which is why I'm terrified of what Batman v Superman is going to turn out like... Again, never strikes that middle ground. Actually, I won't say never. I always loved the Bruce Timm DCAU and although it's largely funny and/or for kids it still had some darker parts and action that satisfied me. )

If copyright/character co-existence wasn't an issue, I always, 100% of the time will vote to have team/league comics. When done right (i.e. Avengers films, JL tv shows) it's fantastic, and everybody gets right amount of attention. Also, as far as Marvel goes, I'd like to see X-men and Avengers mashup (not just Wolverine!), even though it would probably make a mess of things. I'd also like to see some Fantastic 4/ Spidey/Avengers action. DC is pretty decent about being able to work their heroes into one thing, but Marvel is so splintered that to bring all of their heroes into one universe would be an epic challenge.