What do you think about Future Comics?

[FIG]

I was wondering what some of you penciljackers thought about the upcoming comic company called Future Comics and there comics?-Good, bad, don't really care?-Sound off.

[Spidey]

Never heard of em. do you have a link?
Im too lazy to look them up myself.

[FIG]

Damn, the laziness of some people;) . Here ya go, heres their official link. Future Comics (http://www.futurecomicsonline.com/)

[Devilman]

hope these guys aren't friends of yours. I went and looked at the characters page and that was enough to keep me from looking any further. I have to say, if this is the future of comics, then I'm glad I have gigs of porn on my HD.

[Inkthinker]

Mmm, I've heard a bit about them since they're in my neighborhood so to speak... but not much.

Honestly, I don't know why any company would start off with superhero books, though. Get a clue people... the superhero genre is BORING, there is very little left there that hasn't been done twice by someone else. The characterization behind Freemind is interesting, but it remains to be seen if they can make it work... as for the other two, neither looked like it was worth my time.

Now, a company publishing crime comics, or science-fiction, or horror, or even fantasy as long as it looks good and DOESN'T look like Battle Chasers... now that I could find interesting.

By the by, the idea that humans only use 10% of their brain is somewhat illusory... unless I'm mistaken, we only use 10% of it at any one time, but during the course of a lifetime there is activity going on all over. While it's true that we understand very little about what's going on in the human brain, it's not like 90% of it is a lumpy mass that does little more than add a few pounds to your bathroom scale.

[FIG]

Devilman > No, I don't know them but I just read an article yesterday in some comic newspaper I get at the comicsbook store whenever I make a purchase and they came out talking smack, most of which came off like something some bitter creators would say. I was just curious what other penciljackers thought.

Inkthinker > I agree, superheros sound overdone, maybe they need a break. I still manage to pick up 'The Ultimates" though. I also liked Battlechasers but everyone does have their own opinions. Later man.

[Inkthinker]

I loved BC, but the problem arises when the majority of new fantasy titles I see on the shelves are done by Mad clones trying to ride the wave.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the work of Joe Maduriera himself, but he has to be the most recognizably swiped designer and illustrator of the current era. It gets old seeing new kids who think that copying his style makes them look good, when what it does is make them look weak, and makes his style so common that people cease to appreciate it.

If someone wants to do fantasy, they should try actually looking at historical material and trying variations on them, like Mark Smylie (http://www.daradja.com) or Mark Oakley (http://www.iboxpublishing.com) (who's illustrated style is admittedly derivative of Hayao Miyazaki, but his costume and settings are notably Rennaisance in their inspiration).

But for the love of freakin' GOD, don't attempt to emulate one of the most popular styles of the last decade, because it's blatantly, ridiculously obvious and terribly sad.

[FIG]

.......I agree with everything you just said and I'm not just saying that. Like the part about artists who clone Joe MADs style not realizing that it makes them look weak because they are cloning a very famous comic artist. I really can't stand any clones for that matter, whether its Joe MAD clones, Humberto Ramos clones, Marc Silvestri clones, Bart Sears clones, Jim Lee clones, Todd McFarlane clones, you name it. Clones suck.

[Spidey]

Yeah, the backgrounds on the character seem rather boring.
I dont like the cracter designs either, it kinda reminds me of Valiant's stuff.
The Metallix one sounda like some Captain Planet type story.
And no im not that lazy, I actualy typed in futurecomics.comin the address bar, but the site was somtheing else, so I just gave up.

[Phil Clark]

Originally posted by Devilman
hope these guys aren't friends of yours. I went and looked at the characters page and that was enough to keep me from looking any further. I have to say, if this is the future of comics, then I'm glad I have gigs of porn on my HD.

Dude, don't you know who Bob Layton, David Michellinie, Dick Giordano, Ron Lim and Bob McCleod are? If you don't you have missed out on some of the best comics of the 70's through the 90's. I am glad I just found out about this venture. I will be watching for it with baited breath. These guys could create something very exciting.

[Chris Piers]

I wish them the best, I used to like Layton's stuff on Iron Man and at Valiant when I was still discovering the comics world. But... nothing on their website excites me. It seems very traditionalist and I have no idea what kind of market that entails today.

[Inkthinker]

It entails a market already inundated by three major labels with money to burn... it's honestly just doesn't seem like good business to introduce a superhero story into the market unless you have the revenue to compete with Marvel, DC and Image in advertising and market recognition... or unless you have something VERY unique to offer in your particular men-in-tights scenario.

[Exiter]

i respect all the people involved but i have to question the sanity of this kind of venture.
Pretty much cookie cutter looking comics from the images and descripts on the site
Somewhat reminds me of what Defalco, Lim, Frenz and someone else from the "old" marvel tried to do at Image a little while back

If Jim Shooter were in the equation i would have a totally different outlook....but alas he's not
BTW does anyone Know where Shooter is????:confused:

[Kaligula]

I suppose I have respect for these guys and all. . . but everything I saw on the site bored the hell out of me. It all just seemed very dated, even down to the coloring. Hell, even the company name sounds old school.

[FIG]

.........but these characters remind me so much of the valiant characters. I remember X-0 Manowar by Bart Sears (which I used to follow religiously) and even some of the Magnus stuff was cool as was Bloodshot. These characters look like they're from the same company but they do look outdated. Even the coloring looks outdated. I wish these old guys luck because by the looks of the characters they're going to need it.

[bushiboy]

Was it just me, Or did Metallix have Neil Adam's Megalith's "M" Symbol?

There is no way these comics are from the future. In the future, comics are downloaded directly into our brains, as our leechlike parasitic masters feed from them.

[Inkthinker]

See, now that book I would read.

Horror of the Brain Feeders!!

It's a winner, I tells ya.

[Spidey]

Originally posted by bushiboy
Was it just me, Or did Metallix have Neil Adam's Megalith's "M" Symbol?

There is no way these comics are from the future. In the future, comics are downloaded directly into our brains, as our leechlike parasitic masters feed from them.
Oh if only...

[Kimo]

The titles look like retro Valiant comics. Not surprising since Layton helped build the company. The future's apparently, is in throwbacks to the past.

The biggest hurdle they'll face is distribution. They're not using Diamond. That's imposing a big handicap when you're trying to entice retailers...

kimo

[ghost-x]

I can respect them for what they have done separately in the past... and what they're trying to do now... But, their titles just look bland and uninteresting. It seems like stuff we've already seen over and over. I keep wondering who told them this was a good idea...

These guys are obviously all technically sound. But, style is another thing altogether. Sometimes that's enough... but it's not here. The stories are too bland.

Phil seems to be the only guy in this thread that likes them (sorry to use you as an example PC). But, Phil also draws in a style somewhat similar to these guys... Phil is talented too, but even 'knowing' him, I don't think I'd buy a book of his unless it was a well-written non-superhero book. This stuff is neither.

Pretty much everyone in their twenties, early thirties, and under who have responded to this thread... have said the exact same thing I have. I'm not sure how that makes them the future of comics...

[Black Ryu]

Originally posted by Inkthinker
It entails a market already inundated by three major labels with money to burn... it's honestly just doesn't seem like good business to introduce a superhero story into the market unless you have the revenue to compete with Marvel, DC and Image in advertising and market recognition... or unless you have something VERY unique to offer in your particular men-in-tights scenario.

TOP 20 COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS BY QUANTITY

1 JUN021717 FANTASTIC FOUR #60
2 JUN022232 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #2
3 JUN020464 THUNDERCATS RECLAIMING THUNDERA #1
4 MAY021500 SPIDER-MAN BLACK CAT THE EVIL THAT MEN DO #2
5 APR021775 ULTIMATES #6
6 JUN021735 NEW X-MEN #130
7 JUN021709 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #44
8 JUN021710 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #25
9 JUN021737 ULTIMATE X-MEN #21
10 JUN020463 THUNDERCATS #0

[Phil Clark]

Originally posted by ghost-x
Phil seems to be the only guy in this thread that likes them (sorry to use you as an example PC). But, Phil also draws in a style somewhat similar to these guys... Phil is talented too, but even 'knowing' him, I don't think I'd buy a book of his unless it was a well-written non-superhero book. This stuff is neither.

No offense taken. I have been in the minority many times. Doesn't bother me. Particularly when you say "Phil is talented too..." :D

I don't judge a comic by its cover, or by flashy art, but by the stories. And until the things hit the stands, and we can read them, then all of this is just guesswork. How often have you heard a rough idea outlined and thought "that's gonna suck" and when the actual book hit the stand you went "Whoa, this is a lot better than the premise sounded"? I just beleive in giving proven talent a chance. Then if they fall flat, you can all say "We told you so". ;)

[Inkthinker]

Originally posted by Yamazaki


TOP 20 COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS BY QUANTITY

1 JUN021717 FANTASTIC FOUR #60
2 JUN022232 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #2
3 JUN020464 THUNDERCATS RECLAIMING THUNDERA #1
4 MAY021500 SPIDER-MAN BLACK CAT THE EVIL THAT MEN DO #2
5 APR021775 ULTIMATES #6
6 JUN021735 NEW X-MEN #130
7 JUN021709 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #44
8 JUN021710 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #25
9 JUN021737 ULTIMATE X-MEN #21
10 JUN020463 THUNDERCATS #0

Thank you... my point is proven, I rest my case.

I wonder if anyone has had the cojones to tell them any of this... somtimes the biggest problem with a new venture, espescially one started by experienced people, is that no-one will tell them if they're doing something that may not be a good idea... people think, "Hey, they know what they're doing better than I do. Who am I to tell them how the business works?"

Well, the answer to that is, "We're the fans."

We are the consumers, and we determine the success or downfall of materials produced through our descisions on what to support. And if many comics fans are saying, "Sweet mother of mercy, not another gawddamn superhero book!" then burgeoning industry creators should pay attention to that.

It's my opinion that in order for the comics industry to succeed and expand, we need to diversify so much more. There's a certain amount of that happening through the expansion of imported books from Japan, in that we're getting more of their diversified materials like sports comics and romance fantasies and the like, but honetly we need to be producing this material on our own, and making more of an effort to get the public to realize that comics are more than men in tights, a stigmata that continues to cast a shadow upon the industry.

More books like Bone, Thieves and Kings, 100 Bullets, Transmetropolitan, Preacher, Hellboy and Herobear and the Kid.

But not more superheroes... we've got a glut of those already, thank you.

[Inkthinker]

Originally posted by pclark


No offense taken. I have been in the minority many times. Doesn't bother me. Particularly when you say "Phil is talented too..." :D

I don't judge a comic by its cover, or by flashy art, but by the stories. And until the things hit the stands, and we can read them, then all of this is just guesswork. How often have you heard a rough idea outlined and thought "that's gonna suck" and when the actual book hit the stand you went "Whoa, this is a lot better than the premise sounded"? I just beleive in giving proven talent a chance. Then if they fall flat, you can all say "We told you so". ;)


As I said before the character concept behind Freemind certainly sounds interesting... the character is a 30+ year-old who's had almost no proper social interaction with anyone since he's been paralyzed and bedridden for his whole life... now he's got the ability to interact with society on a mature level and with physical abilites that place him in a superior position to most of the people he'll interact with... but with no real experience doing so. This could be played out VERY well if the book focuses on his experiences as a person, and not the fact that he now has a super-powered robot body.

How this person deals with going from having no power or control over his own life to having superior power and control over his own life as well as the lives of others could make for excellent storytelling. Whether or not this company proceeds to to uphold that potential remains to be seen.



So what's this about them skipping the Diamond Dist. route? How do they plan to get their books into the retailer's stores?

[FIG]

I think they said somewhere in an article I read that they're setting up their own distribution route?!-Maybe its going to be directly with the customer throught the internet?