Are Fans More Engaged When They Hate Comics?

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[@atomichound1868]

I understand what JW is saying, but the only engagement that matters is sales. Let’s take two examples: Birds of Prey and Harley Quinn. I love one and loathe the other. Which of the two have I gone out of my way to find incentive covers, buy multiple copies and talked up in the LCS? It sure as hell ain’t HQ!!! So, I fundamentally disagree that unhappy fans increase engagement in the only metric that really matters. Hate reads at $4-5 a pop are going to be rare.

[@danjtrudeau]

That was my take. Hate leads to more talking, but I don't see it leading to more sales.

[@shreyanshdas7481]

Drop the outro, I usually listen to you while a work. I follow the writers usually J.M Demetias, Peter David, Peter Tomasi, Paul Dini, Joshua Williamson, etc to name a few. Mini-series are good one and done. Long arcs are hard to follow sometimes.

[@Bongkaiii]

As someone that’s still fairly new into comics I really wanted to hear others opinions on some of them but I often find more hate then I find praise on a lot of stuff. Maybe it’s just old white guys but It honestly discourages me from talking about what I like or interacting with those at my lcs. Truthfully I don’t need people to like what I like but I don’t want people shitting on it either. Really that goes for anything I like, not just comics. As far as the final question goes I’d say a 3-4 issue rope is what I’d give any comic unless I have a good gut feeling I wont like the direction it’s headed. However if I’m being believer that it might hook me back in after a few stinkers I may extend the rope a bit more.

[@shuwarurusubs]

Josh worked at multiple comic shops before he started writing them so I can imagine he has a better insight for these kinds of things, compared to the average writer basing audience reaction around opinions on twitter. That's still a vocal minority though, when it comes to something like ASM that still sells well. The average buyer probably just reads the book, might enjoy it or not, puts it in their collection and moves onto the next book

[@BrianLCS]

I'll go a few issues 3 or 4 to make a decision on to keep or kill a book from my pull list. Not sure I agree with JW's statement. Look at Ultimate Spider-Man, top sales, because it a well written story with great art!

[@MoramothHauntz]

Williamson's words almost sound like people who peddle outrage for the algorithm. It kind of reaffirms why I trade wait and use channels like this to figure out what too buy later

[@TheComicsPals]

I’m glad we can serve that function for you!

[@masenguerra7835]

When comics get bad I just stop paying attention to them. I just refused to get into new 52 Superman or bendis Superman. But when a new issue of Superman or action comics comes out, I’ll read it and hop onto the Superman Reddit page to chat with people who are obviously reading it too. I think the super vocal fans are just Twitter, a lot of people were upset about bendis aging up Jonathan. I hated it but I never posted about it. Maybe Twitter want to vent on Twitter because they don’t have anyone to talk to about their issues with comics but when it gets out of hand from venting to threatening creators, that’s the major issue.

[@TheComicsPals]

It’s also worth pointing out that many on Twitter who complain about this or that don’t actually read comics

[@kalkella8822]

I honestly don't understand the whole ASM thing. I understand that people buy the book regardless of quality, so Marvel isn't really in a position where they have to change anything. But at the end of the day, they are a business and if you could potentially move more units by reuniting the two then why not do it? Shouldn't the goal be to make as much money as you possibly can and maximize your profit? This is just me, but the whole thing just feels like it's being done out of spite and the way Nick Lowe answers letters in that condescending tone kind of adds fuel to the fire. The whole situation is just hard to understand from a business standpoint.

[@TheComicsPals]

I think Marvels philosophy is that they would t actually move more units by reuniting them. Maybe in the short term, but long term they’re losing tools in their storytelling toolbox, and if the audience is totally satisfied, does that give them a reason to keep reading? That’s why stories based around ‘will they won’t they’ dramas tend to resolve once that question is answered. I’m not saying I agree with that necessarily, just that I think that’s where Marvel is coming from.