Tag: DC COMICS

Why would a kid play with that?

Posted on by CV Whitfield

So, to follow up on my last post….

I was once again wandering the toy aisle at the Target store. As I was walking through, a Green Lantern DC Multiverse action figure caught my eye. I believe it’s the one that is also made by McFarlane toys and is an action figure of the John Stewart Green Lantern. The first thought that shot through my head was: would a child even know who this character is? And if not, would they even play with it or want it? My immediate answer is No!

This leads me to several conclusions:

for this toy to sell to kids, the child would need to be:

  1. Reading a plethora of comic books. Because, I don’t even think this character is predominately in Justice League books or titles all the time. I admit I’m not really reading any current comics today because of a multitude of issues I have with current editorial decisions. Even if the action figure was of Hal Jordan, I would still have the same questions for the child.
  2. Coached heavily by his mother or father on the identity of said character because he/her parents were such a great fan of comic heroes and maybe watched Justice League in the early 2000s. This is a stretch. Or perhaps the child has somehow caught a streaming service with that 20 year old program.
  3. Possibly there’s a video game with John Stewart he played on a console or computer? I’m no expert on the video game appearances but I believe he was in InJustice and there was a Justice League game out 10-15 years ago. Again, this is merely speculative, as I question how would the child play the video game in the first place unless there was another driving force for the kid to play said game. I find those games are usually played by Comic Book Fans and not just the regular gamer. But what do I know….

So, with that, I looked to other toys and I come to the same big conclusion every time. These are only supported by adult collectors that know the history or have their own childhood memories of the properties.

It was on this trip, I found 3 new Hot Wheels deluxe Batmobiles (Super Friends version, Armored version from Batman and Batman Returns and the Penguinmobile-from the 1966 TV show when the Penguin stole and converted the Batmobile). I doubt any child know the back story to these vehicles. Perhaps I’m being cynical and children are much more aware of pop culture and know exactly what these things are. But to those that don’t, would a random child see said Batmobile and say “that’s cool, mom buy me this?”

Is the Toy Aisle just for adults or are kids still excited to visit it?

More to come for sure….

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Toys ….suck today!

Posted on by CV Whitfield

So, when I enter a Wal-mart or Target, the first place I go is the Toy aisles .

For the last few years, I’ve noticed that the aisles and shelves seem to be a bit thin. It’s quite common to find many pegs and spots just empty of product. We all know that Target stock is always scarce. Yet, now I see this at Walmarts. Why is this?

  1. Today’s toys are very rarely supported by an active TV shows or Comic Books. Yes, every freakin movie gets some kind of toy tie-in but half the time, I don’t think they do any target research to see if kids even want these toys. TV shows and Comic books allow for continued story telling and allows the property to stay in the kids minds for years. With the exception of Star Wars (which is an anomaly), no movie has support a toy line successfully more than 6 months after the movie is released. In the 80s, we had great toy lines He-man and Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe- TV shows. The 80s and 90s gave great Marvel and DC superhero toys – Comic Books. In the 90s, Batman: The Animated Series supported a figure line – TV show. Good Star Trek can give you a nice collector toy line, i.e. the 90s Playmates line – TV show. But today, we only have Star Wars – weak sequel movies – Jurassic Park / World toys – movie – and toys for the remake of Space Jam..
  2. Today’s toys are just too damn expensive. The average action figure price is $9.99. And if you go for the larger 6 inch figures, those go for $19.99 or more. What kid is spending their allowance on this? What parent is spending this to give their child the toy when asked? Honestly, they are not! These toy lines are supported solely on adult collectors. This is why that many of these big box stores are now putting toys in two spots in the stores. Some go in the Toy Aisle and some go in another section for collectibles. Can action figures be cheaper? I would exclaim why not! Hot Wheels have been less than .99 cents for 30 years. Not only do kids love cars, but you can buy dozens of these cars for only a few dollars more than an action figure. Even many nice car toys in the 1:64 scale can price from 3.99 to 7.99. Today, they have the RE-RELEASE of He-man and Masters of the Universe figures. Walmart price is $14.99. They were only $4.99 in 1982. And I remember that was expensive because Star Wars and G.I.Joe were about $2.99. Again, these aren’t toys, but adult collectibles.
  3. Today toys companies are run by morons. Outside of a few long term favorites like Hot Wheels, Barbie and the anomaly that is Star Wars, what action figure toy has been on the shelves for so long? None. What action play toy has been a staple of the Toy Aisle? None. Why hasn’t any toy company actually invested in creating a toy line that will stand the test of time? This is what Mattel did with He-man in the late 70s and early 80s. It was to be a competitor of Star Wars. Instead, these companies lazily rely on movie properties. They are willing to pay millions of dollars for licensing instead of creating a strong IP internally. Take Hasbro for example. They own the G.I.Joe brand solely. Yet, this company has constantly failed on making this toy line successful. It has always been plagued by short supply with the releases in 2007 and again in 2020. Why weren’t these figures filling pegs? Every figure sold would put full profit into their pocket. Instead, they continue to pump out Star Wars figures and pay the 50% to Lucasfilm. The same folks that run these companies clearly don’t research their market.
  4. Today toys can’t compete with video games. Bullshit, I say. I disagree with this statement that I constantly hear when I discuss these very topics. I see kids in the toy aisles wanting toys — like Legos, Action Figures, Nerf Guns and Barbie dolls. Children don’t invest all their time in just video games. Yet, you need to give them a good toy for a good price and they will sell. And the gravy on the steak would be the adult collectors who would buy them too. Yet, first these companies need to MAKE TOYS. Fill those pegs and work on distribution and market research.

Okay. Thats today’s thought on Toys. I could discuss this and these topics for hours.

To all those that want good toys…. Good hunting!

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Comic Book Rant….

Posted on by CV Whitfield

Be warned this will be an unbiased and honest rant about an aspect of the comic book industry and those that are in leadership of said comic book industry.

It’s my opinion. It may be lacking all facts but its what I see and how I feel. And if I can conclude these feelings from simple observations, than perhaps, those folks should look into a mirror and ask themselves: what the hell are we doing? Because these simple impressions are very important to business.

I will focus on a publisher I have loved since I was 10 years old. I grew up on their characters and by 1985 would spending nearly all my allowance and then some buying roughly 20 monthly titles. (Just be aware, comics were only 60 cents back then. Hell, I can’t afford 20 books a month today and I make a pretty good salary for a middle aged man. Math: 1985 20 books = $12. 2019 20 books = $80) That publisher was DC Comics.

Besides the simple cost, what kid in his right mind would pay $3.99 for 20 pages of a funny art book? I know I ask that every time I buy one today. And these f’ing Publishers want to cry and moan that children aren’t getting into comics anymore and the industry is collapsing because of old grumpy white men? These publishers are idiots!

So, this opinion is based solely on a consumer perspective. I’m a consumer and I have money to spend. How will the publishers earn my support? That’s the real question isn’t it? Let’s say that social media doesn’t help their cause!

Well, social media can literally best or break a company. (One can ask Gilllette?). So, it doesn’t help the cause or earn my support with some careless social media posting. And yes, this could be shallow and trite but hey I think it and I have a right to question and talk about it. Thus, I think ‘all’ entertainment companies should have some strict social media rules when they want to lure my money out of my pocket. And to be shallow and honest, this could even be simple family pics highlighting over indulgence….

Not to be someone that just wants to dox another, I will not use the co-publisher’s name. Let’s say his name rhymes with Stan Lee but he’s Asian and much shorter. I’ll refer to him as ‘Little Timmy’ (That kinda rhymes too). So, Little Timmy is a very talented artist. He creates a style and brand for his art; he sets out to be an independent comic creator. And, after all said and done, is a very influential name in the business. He returns to the company that helped him rise up through the industry and has become the co-publisher of all the books this company prints. That’s a pretty impressive CV, right CV? (Why, yes it is!)

So, like every other dumb American, I follow him on social media. I thought it might be a platform to see his art. Well, I was wrong. (Edit: I lie for exaggeration and embellishment! There are posts of his work. Mostly Batman stuff and self-promotion of DC stuff and movies.) Instead, I get photos of him jet-setting around the world. I mean literally “around the world.” There are pics of him front row-courtside at Lakers games ( just a few chairs away from Jaaack!). There, he is, in Greece (I think it was Greece), Saudi Arabia, Dubai, China, Japan, and all of the other European countries. Then I see he’s celebrating a aniversary with his wife (most likely Hawaii) and her brand new Lamborghini Aventador (price tag: just south of a half a mil.).

I know what everyone’s thinking: “So!” He’s worked hard to get where he is. He deserves to treat himself to some luxuries out there in the most expensive real estate of California. And honestly, I’m all for the American Dream and pursuit of wealth. I hope to be there one day too. (Correction: I think I would be more conservative. Chalk it up to growing up poor and knowing the value of things…or more importantly, happiness….) Now to my POINT!

DC COMICS is in trouble. Of the two engines keeping that plane in the air, one is on fire and the other is starting to sputter. So, I question how much time does he actually spend in the board room or his office? Isn’t his job to make sure his company is selling millions of comics and thriving? So when I just see him traveling or buying super sport cars, I feel like somethings being ignored. I want him to wake up and put some dedication in keeping comics around for the next generation — like: try and create solutions to get comics back into the hands of children! My first instinct is to think he’s just milking the cow and not really caring about if the cow is eating a healthy diet.

Little Timmy, pleas stop traveling the world. Instead get in that office and make a difference. Change the scope of the industry once again like you did so many years ago. That would convince me to open that pocket and let that money fly out….

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The Future!

Posted on by CV Whitfield

“Always in motion, the future is.” – Yoda, Empire Strikes Back.

We can sit and do nothing. We can sit and worry about it. Or we can get up, plant our feet on the ground, and take advantage of it.

This is my attitude about publishing. The future is rapidly approaching. The fate of storytelling as we know it could flip in on itself. Not only for novelists, prose writers, short fiction writers but also the comic writer and the comic artist.

Technology is now so advanced; anyone can write and publish a book with little or no fuss (and/or budget). Tools like Amazon or Lulu allow you to place your story online and sell it digitally to millions of Kindle readers or tablet users. WordPress is a brilliant platform for sharing creative content absolutely free!

Then there’s crowdfunding sites to “pre-sale” your product so you absolutely know the demand of your market (and reader)! Sorry big presses; this is the future. One needs to adapt or get out of the way. The time of worrying if a major publisher will accept your work (or story) is over. With the right enthusiasm and motivation, a storyteller can sell his work and bypass them altogether. And actually make a full-time career out of it; paying the bills and paying their taxes.

Right now, you can get lost in a very big sea of content and creators. But soon, millions of people will know where to look for it besides the local Barnes and Noble or Walmart. Comic book stores will become digital stores selling both digital and physical items. And publishers like DC and Marvel need to learn quickly how to stay relevant. Or by 2024, these guys will be only selling reprints of archive stuff or hoping another billion dollar movie can be made. I see Marvel (or DC) being a one room office with a staff of little just trying to protect their copyrights.

I am inspired by the future. And honestly, I still want a big publishing deal. Yet, I know it’s not the only option anymore. I challenge all of you to go to IndieGoGo or Amazon to look for independent stories. Support the next generation of writers and creators! Or be the next generation writer and put you stuff out there, any way you can!

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Toys are for Kids!

Posted on by CV Whitfield

As I write this, I am inspired to do the research but right now I’m just going to write my thoughts.

I wonder if children buy toys anymore? Specifically I’m curious if children buy Hot Wheels, Star Wars figures, or any of the Marvel Legends or DC Multiverse action figures. These are toy lines that have huge adult collector bases. And if they do, what is the percentage of those purchases vs. the adult collector.

I don’t collect any more yet old habits die hard (that’s right Mr. McClane!). When I enter a Target or Wal-mart, the first area I hit is the toy aisles. I don’t go there to buy but to peruse. I’m still intrigued and interested by toys. Both boy and girls focus. In some alternate timeline I became a toy designer. I think I would have been good at that. So, when I’m in the aisle I very rarely see children. It’s not during school hours. Usually on the weekend or evenings. I can’t recall the last time I saw a kid going through the Hot Wheels. But I do see adult men all the time.

Then I start wondering if Mattel just makes Hot Wheels for old guys. As if they gave up long ago that kids want to play with little metal cars on winding plastic tracks. The same thought process goes for Barbie. Over the holidays I saw the Christmas Barbie — just sitting on the shelves. I remember when grown women would fight (literally as in push and shove) for these dolls in the 1990s. These dolls were designed for the adult collector because they had a price point of $29.99 and up. The ones this year were marked $39.99 and no one was buying. And I’m sure parents wouldn’t spend that on a child — in any decade.

Toys are for kids so I hope they are still buying them!

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World’s Finest: analysis.

Posted on by CV Whitfield

So, I wrote how history was different in the mid 90s and we had the awesome luck to have a Superman and Batman movie in 1995 with Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton. The geek world would have truly rejoiced if that had happened nearly 25 years ago.

Yet, I also want to point out that the movie back then would have been completely different than what we finally got in 2016. It would have been a positive and heroic journey – a team-up in every sense of the term. Back then, we wanted movies that inspired. Movies to look up to. We wanted reassurance that the world is still great – where good defeated evil. Our super-heroes were symbols of hope and perfection. They were role-models. We wished we could be like them. Superman was super because he didn’t represent the stereotypes but instead represented righteousness. The character taught us morals and ethics. Then, this changed….

Somehow, the studio (publisher too) in charge of our favorite characters (more specifically my favorite character: Superman) needed to be part of the modern status quo. He/Them is/are flawed. Superman needed to have inner demons. He needed to question everything and everyone around him. Johnathan Kent thought him he couldn’t trust anyone so why would anyone trust him, and vice versa. We got a Superman in the post 9/11 world (you know, where parents sue the Kents because Clark could have endangered lives when he actually saved them. No one blames the tire. Or the guys at the garage for putting faulty tires on the bus. The parents should be thankful instead they call him out. It’s not a positive scene anyway you look at it.) This is a world where Superman should be feared. A Superman with all due respect was not super. This disappointed fans. They even tried to force feed us hope stating his S was Kryptonian for the very word. (Not just a family crest but a perfect time for some moral lessons). Superman wasn’t there to save kittens from trees and stop jewel thieves. Instead he was running from his destiny. How’s that sending a message of hope? Oh well.

Batman was now introduced not as a dark, lone vigilante but an aging cynical man that feared Superman. Not only fear him, but to blame him for the rain of destruction on Metropolis or more specifically the Wayne Building in Metropolos (say what? That’s convenient). The entire point of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman was for everyone (not just the characters in the film but the audience) to fear Superman. Why? Is it just the time we’re in today or does someone think that he’s more interesting as flawed, unpredictable, scary, powerful alien. In Superman II (1980), Superman battled General Zod (and his henchman). That Metropolis had its citizens cheering Superman, supporting the fight even though it was causing millions in property damage. Heck, they even tried to take on Zod when they thought Zod had killed him. In the new version, citizens of Metropolis are blaming Superman for bringing evil to our planet. They blame him for wrecking the city – they demand justice. They are inconvenienced. They have no loyalty. Everyone seems out for themselves. It’s a world where they demand security but forgot that it takes people to risk their lives for it. They forget how Superman is there to unite – to save them. Now, it’s politics and pointing fingers. We can’t just have simple heroes anymore. No. We must be skeptical. We must reject the ideology. We have lost faith in truth, justice and the American way!

The 1980s (filmatically) was an era of hope and positive community. The movies were fun. They made us laugh. They made us cry. They were great movies because we’re still talking about them to this day. I just feel like the post 2010 movies are more about dividing and trying to direct blame at our faults than working together to over come them. Maybe its just me but I felt we’ve definitely lost something not only in society, our culture, but our pop-culture too. I’m curious if anyone in 20 plus years will be still talking about Man of Steel or Justice League. They may be it wont be the same….

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Worlds Finest.

Posted on by CV Whitfield

So, let’s pretend that history was slightly different.

It’s 1990. The world has just experienced Batman as a big budget (and dark) movie masterpiece. Fans are rejoicing and dancing in the streets. We’ve not been this excited since …. well, I don’t know…. but its BIG!

The intelligent minds and businessmen at Warner Brothers green light a sequel. Duh. Who wouldn’t, right? So work begins immediately on the next chapter. They call it Batman Returns. (Not sure why this was the title since its not like he went anywhere. Maybe they could have called it Batman Strikes Back. Nah, what’s he striking back at? It’s not like he lost at the end of the first movie. Maybe, Batman Again! Yeah, we get Batman AGAIN! That’s kinda dumb. It’s the title that doesn’t so much refer to the movie itself but to the audience to tell us, “hey! Batman RETURNS!!! Go buy tickets!”) [back on topic] The movie starts production but there’s one tiny difference….

Batman saves Gotham again. Bruce Wayne finds a stray black cat and he thinks of Catwoman with one life left. We pan up to see the Bat Signal and Catwoman pop her head up. Then the clouds of the signal are broken by something zooming through them. We cut to the credits. After a couple minutes the credits are interrupted – fade in to Wayne Manner. The Batmobile blasts out of the Batcave. A blur of red and blue flies into the frame and block the Batmobile – which slams on the bat brakes! We cut back to the thing blocking Batman’s path – It’s SUPERMAN! Christopher Reeve’s Superman. His blue eyes look down at the Batmobile as the roof slides open to see Batman poking his head out. Wide shot of Superman and Batman. Superman speaks, “Batman – or should I say Bruce Wayne (x-ray vision folks) – I need your help in Metropolis. I’ve got a problem right up your alley. See, there’s this little problem with an old Kryptonian computer….” Cut back to the credits. Fade out.

The style is beyond its time. But don’t discard it. Let’s also move forward on the assumption Superman III never happened in 1983 (or the bad Superman IV: Quest for Peace in 1987). Because the original story plot for Superman III was meant to be a story about Brainiac but due to budget constraints and a studio that demanded Richard Pryor be in a Superman film, we got what we…got. Warner Bros. begins production on the next block buster super-hero movie for release in 1995. The title: WORLD’S FINEST: Superman & Batman. Today, you could have just stuck to World’s Finest, but in the 80/90s you had to put the characters in the title or no one would know it was a Superman and Batman movie.

1995. World’s Finest opens starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton in a double bill, and the fans go crazy. The movie breaks records. It destroys the 1993 record for Jurassic Park. Revolutionary special effects from Industiral Light & Magic creates a marvoulous Brainaic. Batman works to hack into the system and manipulate the ex-Kyptonian computer program. And Superman flies in just at the right moment to fling Brainaic and his ship toward the Sun! It sets up for a new status quo for super-hero films. And the world rejoices!

Oh I wish that were the way things went. Fanboys have always dreamt of a Reeve/Keaton team-up. It would have been stunning….it would have been legendary!

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