There are inherent problems with super heroes that destroy reader accessibility. DC heroes are plagued with these sort of problems.

courtesy DC

Take Superman - while a child’s hero, is not as accessible as he could be. What I mean is super hero comics are escapist fantasies - the reader likes to get lost in these stories and for kids, imagine what it would be like if they were that hero. But I can never be Superman. He’s an alien. I can’t be Batman - I mean, I could if I was the world’s greatest athlete, a millionaire, have gadgets and an IQ over 300. Wonder Woman is a Greek Myth.

But Captain Marvel is a better sort of hero. When kid Billy Batson says the word SHAZAM he becomes Captain Marvel, the super strong and fast adult hero that can throw down with the likes of Superman. Any child can be Captain Marvel. You don’t need scientific knowledge or a trust fund to become him. It’s conceivable that walking down the street we could be this hero. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the comic writers/artists I spoke to at NYCC was Jerry Ordway. For the past 20 years, Mr. Ordway has worked in the comic industry as a writer and artist, working mainly for DC on titles like Power of Shazam and Superman, though he has also worked for Marvel on occasion. Currently, Mr. Ordway is working on illustrations for Brave and the Bold.

Mr. Ordway took time to talk to me about his past work and his reaction to alterations made to the characters he’s written for. Read the rest of this entry »

The comic publishers send their product descriptions to Diamond Comic Distributors, the comic book supplier to most comic book stores for North America three months in advance.

This March there are dozens of great titles to preorder. Read the rest of this entry »