The Avengers: 4 Things The Comics Can Learn From The Movie

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If you watched The Avengers without watching Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, or Captain America: The First Avenger, you could still follow what was going on pretty easily. You learn everything you need to about each of these characters when they first appear: Captain America is a man out of time, Iron Man is a rich genius with a suit of armor, Thor is a demigod who can control the weather, the Hulk is a scientist with an anger management problem, the Black Widow is a kick-ass spy, and Hawkeye is a soldier who sees all the angles. Sure, it helps if you saw the preceding movies, but it€™s not necessary. Now imagine this movie was your first real exposure to The Avengers. You€™re pumped and knowing that this is a Marvel movie and Marvel publishes comics, you go into your local comic shop, or maybe you just fire up your smartphone or tablet and download the Marvel app. You search for Avengers and what do you find? For argument€™s sake, let€™s say you€™re just looking for new comics. You€™ve got Avengers, Avengers Assemble, Secret Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, New Avengers, Young Avengers, Dark Avengers, and Avengers Arena. Each one is priced at $3.99 per issue, and single-issue stories have become the exception to the rule. Pick up a random issue of any Marvel comic, and you€™re likely to find yourself right in the middle of some big event crossover or in the middle of a story-arc that began several issues ago and filled with characters you probably don€™t even recognise. Look at the above image. That's the roster for just one Avengers book. It€™s become accepted wisdom in the comic industry that movies don€™t offer any significant boost to the comics beyond the short-term, and it€™s because the books just aren€™t friendly to new readers. Stan Lee used to have a philosophy that every comic book was somebody€™s first. But over time, Marvel stopped following that philosophy and now, if you€™re just a casual reader looking for a quick fix, you€™re pretty much out of luck. Even Marvel€™s Ultimate line, which was once created to appeal to readers who didn€™t want to be bothered by all the continuity, is now chock-full of its own continuity, much of it completely different from the Marvel Universe proper. Streamline the books, bring back single issue stories, and try to see if you can do something about the price.
 
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Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com