PREVIEWS: a look at what's ahead

Holy crap! (to quote one of my role models, Frank Barone)

I haven't had a chance to look at an issue of PREVIEWS for about a year or so, back when I was still regularly buying comics in Connecticut. I can't believe that I actually used to get through this each and every month, plus fill out the order form. The amount of comics material is incredible, and that doesn't even include the trading cards, models, animation and other stuff. You'd have to be in the Bill Gates category to even begin to afford just the regular titles from the major and alternative publishers. Hard to believe that the industry was bordering on self-destruct only a decade ago.

Some things remain the same, while there are evident changes in what is hitting the shops these days. We seem to have weathered the "Bad Girl" influx of the mid-90s, with only a few titles like LADY DEATH and a few Verotic titles still around. VAMPIRELLA and RED SONJA, both early entries in the barely dressed heroine sub-genre, remain favorites with both male & female fans of that type of thing.

Of course, the latest issue of PREVIEWS is filled with the usual hundreds of titles from DC, Marvel and Image, with Dark Horse producing their own wide range of material. The Big Two continue to focus on the super-hero books which made them into the driving forces in the industry, surviving after dozens of other publishers fell by the wayside. Only the books produced by Archie Comics have been around as long as those from the the former National and Atlas stables. Now it seems that the super-hero books are being kept around more for the abililty to be marketed to non-print media. Hollywood is once again making a number of films based on characters and stories from the four-color world. (SIN CITY is more black & white, but you know what I mean!)

There are two real bright spots reflected in this issue. First, the amazing popularity of manga (Japanese comics & graphic novels) which seem to have brought a new audience into shops and book stores. Perhaps some of those kids (and their parents) might just find some American made books which would also appeal to them. Secondly, a number of publishers (chiefly small companies and self-publishers) have begun to produce titles which will appeal to an "all-ages" audience. It seems that some wiser heads have taken a look at what is available in Europe & Asia and realized that the industry should try to broaden its appeal. The fanboys will always bee there to see Uber-man and Thumb Twister battling each and every month, but these guys are not going to keep the market viable and they are not getting any younger.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought PREVIEWS, but it ended up giving me a positive feeling about my hobby and its ability to change and remain relevant. It may even get me back into the shops when I have a few extra bucks.