Discuss the Ghostbusters Comic from IDW, as well as the now defunct Ghostbusters: Legion series.
#4803648
I never liked the current Ghostbusters monthly comic book.

Strange thing for me to admit. Ghostbusters is my favorite movie of all time. I have the rare novelizations of both films. I've owned both movies on every medium they've been released on.

I have action figures, tshirts, posters, pins, video games. You name it, if it's Ghostbusters I probably have it.

I have all the NOW comics. I have all the current IDW comics. I have the 88MPH comics.

But buying the IDW comic was more a reflex than a joy. Reading it felt like a duty, not a pleasure. It sank further and further down the reading pile as the months wore on.

I had to eventually face the fact that I just didn't like the book much. I'm not going to denigrate the creators, they are talented people. I follow them on Twitter. They seem like cool people and have a real love for the Ghostbusters universe.

Nothing against them, but I just don't care for the artwork and don't care for the writing direction or storylines.

The artwork is serviceable, but nothing outstanding. The characters have an odd, stylized appearance.

The writing is serviceable, but nothing outstanding. The plots at times move with odd pacing, and the story ideas aren't inspired.

Please remember, this is all my own opinion. Yours may (probably does) differ. But the comic is being canceled because far more people agree with me than with you. In an era where the top comics sell 120,000 copies a month, Ghostbusters sells 7,000. There are thousands and thousands of comic readers who give Ghostbusters a pass each month. Is it because they don't know about it, or haven't given it a try? Maybe. Many have read the comic and just not liked it, however.

In my mind, no one has yet produced a good comic book based on Ghostbusters.

"Ok, then Ivo," I hear you say. "If you're so smart, what would a good Ghostbusters comic look like?"

Well, first of all, I don't know if it's possible to create a good Ghostbusters comic. I know it could be done to my specifications, but I don't know if it could be done to my specifications legally.

Here's a rundown of things that would have to happen in order for a "good" Ghostbusters comic to be published:

1) Forget the Real Ghostbusters. I don't want to see the characters based, even tangientally, on the cartoon series. Peter should look like Bill Murray. Egon should look like Harold Ramis. Ray should look like Dan Aykroyd, Winston should look like Ernie Hudson. Secrure the rights to these actors likenesses, and use them. No more pointy glasses on Janine. Revert the characters to their original looks.

2) Stop trying to shoehorn all the accessory characters into the Ghostbusters comic. The video game for the XBox also suffered from this flaw. We don't need Walter Peck. We don't need Jack Hardemyer. We don't need Janosz Poha. Develop some new characters and leave these old characters in the movies. No need to ever see Extreme Ghostbusters characters either. Let's stick to the core 4 GBs (and maybe Janine) and then develop new characters.

3) Start the new Ghostbusters comic with a long, slow-building storyline. At least 8 issues, maybe 12. Start slow. Take it easy. Develop an air of menace, of foreboding. We don't see Gozer until the last 10 minutes of the orginal film!

4) The writing: hire someone who is a good writer, with comedic talent. The plotting and comedy aspects of Ghstbusters are tough to balance correctly. Avoid trying to write too many jokes. Peter Venkman can be funny at times, but trying to write for Bill Murray comes off as forced and awful if you're not as talented as Ramis & Aykroyd (and who in the comics-writing business IS as talented as those two writing comedy?? No one). Keep the jokes to a minimum. Use situational humor, physical humor, maybe the occasional one-liner from Pete. It's a delicate balance. The current writers can't pull it off.

5) The art: hire someone who can draw realistic-looking people. One of the problems with the stylized art is it makes the book look like it's for children. Do you feel proud opening a copy of the current Ghostbusters comic in mixed company (i.e. in front of non-comics fans)? It looks like you are reading an Archie comic. The art is childish-looking and cartoony. It's fine art, but it's not going to make the Ghostbusters comic cool. Like it or not, you need to cultivate a "cool" vibe in today's comic book market. People aren't ashamed to pick up Batman comics. Walking Dead comics. Avengers comics. These books are cool. Ghostbusters is not - but it SHOULD be. It COULD be. Change the art, get some realistic art, gritty art. Watch the first movie - it's gritty. Get some of that vibe.

6) Promote the book. People love Ghostbusters. They go to screenings, they wear GB t-shirts. University dorms are full of GB posters on the wall. Do these people know there is a GB comic? Some don't. Advertise. An initial outlay of some marketing dollars will announce that this NEW Ghostbusters comic is different from past GB comics.

Will any of this happen? Maybe. At some point in the future, some company will buy the rights to GB in comic form. Some of these suggestions might actually be done. Some, probably not. I can't see anyone paying to use the likenesses of the 1984 actors, for example. But as long as they don't base the characters on The Real Ghostbusters (as everyone, including the current IDW team, seems to do) it will be better than what we have now. As long as the writer doesn't try to channel Bill Murray reading from an Aykroyd-Ramis script, the writing will be better than now. Any fan of GB would probably love to write these characters. Heck, I have written some GB fan-fiction myself and I would jump at the chance to write a GB comic! But it has to be done right.

As we say goodbye to the current Ghostbusters comic, we look forward to a time when Ghostbusters #1 will once again grace comic-book store shelves. But what will be inside?
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#4803653
Ivo Shandor wrote:Secrure the rights to these actors likenesses, and use them. No more pointy glasses on Janine. Revert the characters to their original looks.
The biggest flaw with that strategy is that it would make the comic cost ineffective. I'm not familiar with the basis rights are granted on, if it's... say a yearly routine, or if it's a case-by-case basis, but even if it were a case of renegotiating the likeness rights at the end of each year, that's a lot of headache and a lot of money to go through just to make the characters look like the actors.

On top of that, they'd probably have to spend a lot of time getting the actors to approve stuff because it uses their faces... can you imagine that working with Bill Murray?

Start the new Ghostbusters comic with a long, slow-building storyline. At least 8 issues, maybe 12.
It's my understanding that the powers-that-be restricted Tom, Erik and co to shorter stories, and that the production would've liked to have done stores longer than 2-4 issues, things like the Mass Hysteria arc.
Do you feel proud opening a copy of the current Ghostbusters comic in mixed company (i.e. in front of non-comics fans)?
I can't speak for my fellow fans, but I certainly do... and as a fellow reader, there are styles that aren't much more "grown" up that have been employed on some of Marvel's titles. A style like Ghostbusters shouldn't be dismissed just because it isn't hyper-realistic. The Ghostbusters were guys who were a little bit larger than life, and the art of the current comic reflects that.

If "cool" means having something that looks like it was traced out of a fashion magazine (I'm looking at you, initial run of Ultimate Fantastic Four), and winds up looking wooden, or with expressions that don't fit the dialogue or scene, then you can keep your "cool vibe".

-And I much preferred Tony Moore on The Walking Dead to Charlie Adlard.
Promote the book.
What's made you think they haven't promoted the book? I remember more than a few instances where IDW had Ghostbusters on display at their various stalls at SDCC. The comic's also been advertised in their other comics, their website, the creators' blogs and websites and on geek/comic blogs, as well as social media. What could you suggest that IDW isn't/hasn't already done to promote the comic?
Any fan of GB would probably love to write these characters.
A fan of Ghostbusters was writing these characters. One was drawing them, another was inking them, a further fan was colouring them and yet another was editing the book.
#4803656
I've been a reader of comics for years, but it's been a while since a comic series has caught my interest recently like this series has... I came in late, getting my introduction from the Total Containment hardcover, and I got hooked! I love the art style and writing, in my opinion, is excellent!
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#4803658
Kingpin wrote: The biggest flaw with that strategy is that it would make the comic cost ineffective. I'm not familiar with the basis rights are granted on, if it's... say a yearly routine, or if it's a case-by-case basis, but even if it were a case of renegotiating the likeness rights at the end of each year, that's a lot of headache and a lot of money to go through just to make the characters look like the actors.

On top of that, they'd probably have to spend a lot of time getting the actors to approve stuff because it uses their faces... can you imagine that working with Bill Murray?
Yeah, it probably wouldn't fly. But I am sick of seeing every Ghostbusters merchandise in existence based on The Real Ghostbusters. Maybe in the future this might be feasible (dealing with the actor's estates instead of the living actors, etc.) Heck look what they are doing with Katherine Hepburn's image in those commercials, and Fred Astaire's image in those other commercials. If that can happen, then a Bill Murray-looking Pete Venkman can happen sometime in the future.
Kingpin wrote: It's my understanding that the powers-that-be restricted Tom, Erik and co to shorter stories, and that the production would've liked to have done stores longer than 2-4 issues, things like the Mass Hysteria arc.
I wasn't blaming the creators. But if a company in the future wants to have a successful comic, I would strongly advise them to dump the short stories in favor of something that feels...epic. Was this another ploy to appeal to younger readers (shorter stories)?
Kingpin wrote:I can't speak for my fellow fans, but I certainly do... and as a fellow reader, there are styles that aren't much more "grown" up that have been employed on some of Marvel's titles. A style like Ghostbusters shouldn't be dismissed just because it isn't hyper-realistic. The Ghostbusters were guys who were a little bit larger than life, and the art of the current comic reflects that.

If "cool" means having something that looks like it was traced out of a fashion magazine (I'm looking at you, initial run of Ultimate Fantastic Four), and winds up looking wooden, or with expressions that don't fit the dialogue or scene, then you can keep your "cool vibe".
I'm just talking about what sells. Cartoony art doesn't sell, it's a fact of today's comic market.
kingpin wrote:What's made you think they haven't promoted the book? I remember more than a few instances where IDW had Ghostbusters on display at their various stalls at SDCC. The comic's also been advertised in their other comics, their website, the creators' blogs and websites and on geek/comic blogs, as well as social media. What could you suggest that IDW isn't/hasn't already done to promote the comic?
Not sure. I'm not a marketing guru. But whatever they tried didn't work. The sales figures speak for themselves.
kingpin wrote: A fan of Ghostbusters was writing these characters. One was drawing them, another was inking them, a further fan was colouring them and yet another was editing the book.
Yup. And the book failed miserably. 7,000 monthly sales? For GHOSTBUSTERS? Pathetic. No matter how much we might think the current creators are good guys, fans of Ghostbusters, talented, etc etc...it didn't work. A new approach is needed.

Look, Ghostbusters is one of the most popular movies of the past 30 years. It has a huge fanbase and unbelievable name recognition. Everyone knows who the Ghostbusters are. A comic book based on this property should be a good seller.
pyhasanon wrote: I've been a reader of comics for years, but it's been a while since a comic series has caught my interest recently like this series has... I came in late, getting my introduction from the Total Containment hardcover, and I got hooked! I love the art style and writing, in my opinion, is excellent!
People who post here, like you and me, are obviously going to like a Ghostbusters comic - pretty well ANY Ghostbusters comic, more than the average person. We're huge fans. Its the casual comic book buyer they have to appeal to. This latest Ghostbusters comic didn't do that. It had little wide appeal, and abysmal sales figures.
#4803669
pyhasanon wrote:I've been a reader of comics for years, but it's been a while since a comic series has caught my interest recently like this series has... I came in late, getting my introduction from the Total Containment hardcover, and I got hooked! I love the art style and writing, in my opinion, is excellent!
Agreed, The artstyle is great for this Ghostbusters IDW universe, but artstyle is 'not' what Ghostbusters should be about. Ghostbusters overall is supposed to be about the 'mythos', the 'humor', the 'character interactions', and all about the concept of 'catching ghosts'; the Ghostbusters universe is just too big to be restricted to just about the original four(i'm 'not' saying replace them; they are 'still' an important part of the GB universe); it needs to grow on it's own two feet beyond that and not be restricted for nostalgia purposes.

Even though the ongoing series will end, i'm still glad the franchise is living on in future miniseries comics like the TMNT/GB crossover comic coming starting in october.
#4803678
Ivo Shandor wrote:
pyhasanon wrote: I've been a reader of comics for years, but it's been a while since a comic series has caught my interest recently like this series has... I came in late, getting my introduction from the Total Containment hardcover, and I got hooked! I love the art style and writing, in my opinion, is excellent!
People who post here, like you and me, are obviously going to like a Ghostbusters comic - pretty well ANY Ghostbusters comic, more than the average person. We're huge fans. Its the casual comic book buyer they have to appeal to. This latest Ghostbusters comic didn't do that. It had little wide appeal, and abysmal sales figures.
I wasn't trying to make a point or an argument against you in regards to sales, was just stating my opinion... how you linked what I said to abysmal sales is beyond me...
#4803679
*NormalGamer* wrote:
pyhasanon wrote:I've been a reader of comics for years, but it's been a while since a comic series has caught my interest recently like this series has... I came in late, getting my introduction from the Total Containment hardcover, and I got hooked! I love the art style and writing, in my opinion, is excellent!
Agreed, The artstyle is great for this Ghostbusters IDW universe, but artstyle is 'not' what Ghostbusters should be about. Ghostbusters overall is supposed to be about the 'mythos', the 'humor', the 'character interactions', and all about the concept of 'catching ghosts'; the Ghostbusters universe is just too big to be restricted to just about the original four(i'm 'not' saying replace them; they are 'still' an important part of the GB universe); it needs to grow on it's own two feet beyond that and not be restricted for nostalgia purposes.

Even though the ongoing series will end, i'm still glad the franchise is living on in future miniseries comics like the TMNT/GB crossover comic coming starting in october.
I did mention "artstyle AND WRITING"... Geez, I state an opinion, and people are misreading it as if I'm saying something wrong....
#4803686
Ivo Shandor wrote:But I am sick of seeing every Ghostbusters merchandise in existence based on The Real Ghostbusters.
The thing is though, (excluding Janine) the comic's characters aren't just "based on" The Real Ghostbusters... it can even be successfully argued that Dan Schoening's designs aren't based on them at all, but are instead caricatures of the movie actors, with some details slightly exaggerated.

And as far as representation of merchandise is concerned, we might be getting different exposure from each other, but the majority of merchandise out there is without a doubt based on the movie, not the cartoon.
(dealing with the actor's estates instead of the living actors, etc.)
That wouldn't be a guarantee to make things easier. When the BBC were bringing back Doctor Who in 2005, they nearly didn't get permission to use the Daleks because of the estate of Terry Nation (the man who created them).
Was this another ploy to appeal to younger readers (shorter stories)?
I very much doubt it was.
Cartoony art doesn't sell, it's a fact of today's comic market.
That depends vastly on what's considered "cartoony", as that's a very subjective description.
Yup. And the book failed miserably.
It's so far outlasted both prior Ghostbusters comic series to date, so what exactly constitutes a failure?


I really think you're being unfair to the comic in general, especially with holding it up in comparison to any of the offerings of Marvel or DC. Of course the title's going to look wimpy compared to those mainstream titles that have been running for decades, and have movies out in cinemas in the last few years.
People who post here, like you and me, are obviously going to like a Ghostbusters comic - pretty well ANY Ghostbusters comic, more than the average person
You honestly could've fooled me, given how critical you've been of the comic in this thread.
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#4803700
pyhasanon wrote:I did mention "artstyle AND WRITING"... Geez, I state an opinion, and people are misreading it as if I'm saying something wrong....
@ *referring to bold*

And I said 'I agreed' with your opinion. I didn't misread anything; i was just expressing my own point of view on the OP's topic.
#4803703
Just a couple of notes.

The likeness thing has always been a bit odd to me. I've drawn Egon, Winston and now Peter to look pretty close to the actors on a few covers now, and nothing's been said. I had to change Venkman's hair on the Army of Darkness cover I did years ago and that was it. The recent TMNT cover I did was pretty much how I'd draw the Ghostbusters constantly now if given the opportunity (and the second cover is also based pretty closely on the movie likenesses). I was a little worried the first TMNT/GB cover might set off red flags, because I think the Venkman is pretty close to Bill, but nothing. I also think that Dan's Dana and Louis are pretty darn close to Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver, obviously in Dan's signiature style though... so the likeness thing always seemed to be a bit of a grey area.

As for a lot of the things you mentioned, I'll go through what I can about them.

1) I know Dan is a huge fan of RGB. I can recall conversations with Erik regarding his knowledge of the show, and the influence wasn't all that prominent. Erik's totally gone for the movie vibe. And who's to say Janine can't wear pointy glasses? People change what they wear all the time. I personally think Dan's Janine was a pretty perfect blend of all the Janine's out there and pretty much nailed the 'character' of Janine visually.

2) The addition of some of the ancillary characters was my suggestion. Kylie and Peck specifically. What Erik did with them worked for the stories he was telling. It's not how I would've implemented them, but it worked for what he was doing. I think you can still have all of those characters involved somehow, but different writers/artists are always going to approach them differently. Just because you weren't a fan of how they were utilized here doesn't mean that some other creative team could choose to do it differently and leave you feeling the same way. Also, the book DID develop new characters... lots of them actually, but again, they're probably not ones you cared for. Legion did the same thing (I actually really love the Draverhaven character).

3) I personally think the 4-6 issue size is pretty much perfect. Particularly for Ghostbusters. Books like Hellboy do a fantastic job of setting up stories just like the Ghostbusters films and do it in four issues. It's also marketing. Many people don't like shelling out the money most companies want for bigger collected books, that's why most of them are in the size they're in. Companies know they can generally sell the collected books at certain prices at certain sizes.

The rest is pretty much based on personal opinion, which are all things I think people are going to go back and forth on. There've been plenty of times throughout the history of Ghostbusters comics where I wish things were done differently, but there are times where I've been pleasantly surprised.

I think the key thing for a Ghostbusters comic to succeed in comics is that it do things the movies or cartoons don't or can't. I don't mean have Peter fly or things like that -- keep it within the boundaries of the established mythology -- but there are stories you can tell in comics that you can't necessarily do in movies. Look at the bigger comics out there. There are plenty of incredible Spidey stories that you just can't sell as movies, but are regarded as incredible stories all the same. You can tell stories that movies would never even be able to DREAM of having a budget for either. We've had a pretty wide array of stories come out of the Ghostbusters comics, and I love it when they're a bit different. I loved Displaced Aggression, even though it had a few stumbling points, because it did something different but kept the characters pretty true to form. I do wish there were moments where the ongoing branched out a little more, but that's not my call. I've submitted three story ideas at various points in the history of IDW owning the license, and all three were pretty wildly different stories. One was a sort of crime book, one's pretty much a straight up "Wicker Man" style horror, and the other was something more along the lines of the standard GB formula. Breaking them down, all the stories pretty much worked because the characters work in all sorts of situations. I think at the end of the day, that's what's important. Staying true to the characters and keeping balance. You can tilt it to make it slightly scarier, but you gotta make sure the characters respond appropriately and so forth and so forth.

There's so much more I could say on all of this, but t's 2 am and I need sleep.

I'm curious to know if there are people here reading this -- given how the sales figures did nose dive -- that dropped off the comics at some point. And why.
#4803720
I only got into the comics after the "New" ghostbusters started, only because I never knew about them. I wasn't a comic reader, or I would have being a GB fan. But I did then have to find all the back issues before I could start reading, I'm OCD like that, and since then I have had my local comic shop pull all the covers for every issue for me. I'd like to think I helped with the sales albeit 3 covers a month but every little bit helps.

I haven't even started reading mass hysteria yet, I'm letting them pile up and I'll savour it especially now that they are ending. I've already called my local store to pull the GB/tmnt covers for me but as soon as I talked to them, they already knew I would want them and had them on my list.

Bad story, bad art, doesn't matter. I would still buy then and support them because things get better when you support them. If you don't support them when they are bad, they never get the opportunity to become better. I'm not saying these comics are bad, I love them. I don't agree with the OP at all. It's easy to be a couch critic. If you don't like them, then YOU go out and do better. You write the stories, you draw the art. A statue has never been built of a critic.

That's my opinion. Hopefully we can still see some more from this team who has poured so much into a franchise we all love.
#4803722
PssdffJay wrote:If you don't support them when they are bad, they never get the opportunity to become better. I'm not saying these comics are bad, I love them. I don't agree with the OP at all. It's easy to be a couch critic. If you don't like them, then YOU go out and do better. You write the stories, you draw the art.
Well said, Jay...
#4803756
Dear anonymous fan who hates our work...

Sorry you don't like it.

But your suppositions about the cancellation are incorrect. The real reason isn't sales related (I assumed it was myself, but it turns out not so much.) I say that and it's inside baseball to say why, so it sounds like a playground retort "nuh uh!" But trust me, I had a long talk, if it WAS just sales, you wouldn't be seeing, say, a crossover beginning the next month with the same guys involved. So hooray, less people agree with you than you think!

Again, it's also not me. (Sorry, dude!) Or Dan. (Sorry again!)

Owing to conversations at SDCC, we may be sticking around. (;

One of the things with the dropping sales (which all titles experience between major changes to the book) is we're a licensed book with no tie in. No game, no (current) movie or TV show, no toy line. We're in a no man's land. So we're out there, an indie license, and our competition at the stores is extra copies of, say, Amazing Spider-Man #1 to get that exclusive variant to sell for a load more.

Variant covers contribute more to shelf copy attrition than anything these days.

Not to say it's all that. There are shops where GB sells better than (pick your favorite.) And there are stores where they couldn't give it away. Such is the nature of entertainment. Not everyone is going to be entertained. You weren't.

Tristan brought up some good points about the business end. Your views on serialization in the direct market is another personal point of view. Along the lines of "Hollywood should make more westerns because they're the most popular genre there is, and if they made more it's billions in their pocket."

I actually heard that, once. It ignores a lot of moving parts of the business for personal gut feeling.

In Ghostbusters, I have to balance the requests of Sony, IDW, and also Dan (I may rewrite a scene to make it easier for him to draw. Trust me, the figures may be cartoony, but look at everything else. No one would put in as much as Dan as consistently, 20 pages a month, in and out, for as long. Some artists got sick of the equipment after ONE issue.)

There are also people, by the way, who were surprised to discover there were Star Wars comics. It's a condition of the direct market.

I've said all that, but now, what the heck, I'll directly address your points:

1. Sony says no. Tristan's experience notwithstanding.

2. So you want us to pay attention to what the fans want, but not the fans who want to see that stuff?

3. Unrealistic in the direct market. This is the kind of thing that works better for fan-related work. Also, the longer the arc, the more folks who *will* wait for trade and consequently the less shops will order, tanking sales in the loss leading monthly.

4. You're off my Christmas card list.

5. Read what you read unashamedly. Dan's art is less cartoony than, say, Bryan Lee O'Malley, but that doesn't stop Scott Pilgrim from being read in public. All that said, I understand not liking cartoony work... but your reasoning doesn't hold much water. Nor does your estimation of the movie. "Gritty?"

6. There are still people surprised *comics* are being published. Promotion could be better all around.

Your points are personal preferences, not quite bullet points, my anonymous friend. We've gotten several "this got me into/back into" comics" comments for GB for every "WHYYYYYYYYYYY" comments. I think we're doing all right.

I do think a volume 3 will happen (not set in stone.)

I do think Dan and I will be involved (if it does happen.)

I do think the first arc of that you'll loathe. I do think the second and third you might like. (Well, except for the dialogue and the art, clearly.) They're darker and a clean break from the expansion of volume 2.

Of course, that's me being presumptuous. I could still be wrong and the book could end with finality. But so long as Sony, IDW, my collaborators, a good chunk of fans, and the bulk of the reviews are happy, I'll be happy.

Oh, and don't read this as snarky! I know online text has that danger.

(But you really are off my Christmas card list.)
*NormalGamer*, Kingpin, Vincenzo330 and 4 others liked this
#4803761
The fact that both Tristan Jones and Erik Burnham replied here leaves a smile on my face! Thanks for all the work, dedication and amazing fan support, guys!
#4803766
pyhasanon wrote:The fact that both Tristan Jones and Erik Burnham replied here leaves a smile on my face! Thanks for all the work, dedication and amazing fan support, guys!
Yeah, they are really showing their dedication; They both prove that there's still a lot of life in the Ghostbusters franchise. ^_^
#4803768
Four now... You slapped that last one down there... LOL! =P

So, how do we get on this Christmas card list? I kid, I kid... ;)
#4803773
philmorgan81 wrote:The Thought of a Volume 3 just brought a huge smile on my face. :):):) make that three smiles.



:)
Even though Erik said that it's 'not set in stone', it's very refreshing to hear that the series may make a comeback sometime in the future. :)
#4803783
Erik Burnham wrote:(But you really are off my Christmas card list.)
How do I get to be on said list? Is there a minimum cover incentive to special decoder ring or what??
#4803810
Just to add to all this now that I'm a little more awake and probably make more sense. There's nothing actually wrong with the Ghostbusters comic as it stands. It's done better than any of the other Ghostbusters comics that've come before it from a business perspective and I think Dan and Erik have done amazing jobs of carrying the book. There are always going to be things that people are hit and miss with, and that's just the nature of being a fan. I love Ghostbusters 2, but I don't love everything about it, and the same goes for RGB, EGB and pretty much every comic that's come since, but that's me as a fan and also just how my brain works. Erik and Dan both work differently too. I'm sure if Dan wrote and drew a story on his own it'd be different again. At the end of the day, not everyone is going to put together something that is going to please everyone. I know the way I draw doesn't suit everyone's tastes, the same way as Dan's apparently doesn't suit Ivo's, but that's going to happen regardless of which writer/artist/colourist you put on ANY comic. It's just the way things are.

So at the end of the day, sure, you can lament the fact that the ongoing is ending (even though, it apparently might not be). Everyone can, that's fine, but don't slam the book giving it dot points and tell the writer/artist that they aren't funny or suited to the book, because clearly a lot of people think they are. If you don't like the way something is going or the way someone is doing something, then it's completely fine to say that, just don't state it like it's fact. It's opinion, and it's fine to have that. The only way any creator can really learn and adapt is if people speak up, so people really shouldn't be afraid of doing that or think that anyone is going to flame them (obviously as long as they aren't being flamers themselves).
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#4803821
I am one of the readers that was drawn into comics by this series. I didn't know there had ever been a GB comic until this spring. I certainly had never vested in an actual comic series before I found this one just a few months ago. What a difference a few months make.

Though the original post has been well addressed, I wish to speak to one of the questions it posed-- The part about reading the Ongoing in "mixed company" (e.g. non-comic-book readers). The answer is not just yes, but "Heck YES." I would even read it in front of all of my literature and composition professors in college. Through reading in "mixed company" and speaking about the series in "mixed company" on social media (instagram/twitter/tumblr/facebook), I've actually brought a few new people into the fold.

I can't wait to see the resolution of the current arc/ Volume, and I am looking forward to the crossover. I am absolutely thrilled there is a possibility of a 3rd volume.

...wait, there's a Christmas Card list? ha ha :P
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#4803836
1) Of course everything I stated was my own opinion. Didn't I say so somewhere in my original post? Nothing is "fact", it's all opinion.

2) I'm not "anonymous". My name, Twitter handle, and photo are all in my profile.

3) As for my writing ability, I wrote a short fan-fic last night and posted it (although I'm not sure why it seems to have added a bunch of ///s in places). You can read it here: http://www.gbfans.com/fans/fiction/fran ... ale-manor/

4) I'm sorry I'm off the Christmas card list. But a forum like this shouldn't be a cheerleading section, no matter how much we love GB or no matter how nice or great the creators are. Critical voices are important, and when something isn't working it needs to be addressed. No offense is meant! I've been here since 2008, I've posted maybe a few dozen times. I just thought a critical voice might be useful. A lot of people clapping the capt of the Titanic on the back and telling everyone he's a great guy and he's doing a fine job isn't really useful.
#4803845
Erik Burnham wrote:But your suppositions about the cancellation are incorrect. The real reason isn't sales related (I assumed it was myself, but it turns out not so much.) I say that and it's inside baseball to say why, so it sounds like a playground retort "nuh uh!" But trust me, I had a long talk, if it WAS just sales, you wouldn't be seeing, say, a crossover beginning the next month with the same guys involved. So hooray, less people agree with you than you think!

Again, it's also not me. (Sorry, dude!) Or Dan. (Sorry again!)

Owing to conversations at SDCC, we may be sticking around. (;

<<snip>>

I do think a volume 3 will happen (not set in stone.)

I do think Dan and I will be involved (if it does happen.)
I'm just happy to hear these parts here.

I've had my own tiny criticisms over the years, but let me put it this way: there's no other comic book I write snarky reviews of every single month. I'd dearly miss my opportunities to make esoteric nitpicks and stupid jokes :lol:
#4803849
Ivo Shandor wrote:A lot of people clapping the capt of the Titanic on the back and telling everyone he's a great guy and he's doing a fine job isn't really useful.
Yes, but they are doing a great job... it's not like we're lying to them just to make them feel better...

Irrational Games closed their doors, but that didn't mean the Bioshock series and Kevin Levine were doing a horrible job... Some things just happen that cause companies to end, stop or close things down...
#4803854
Ivo Shandor wrote:But a forum like this shouldn't be a cheerleading section, no matter how much we love GB or no matter how nice or great the creators are.
It's rather denigrating to the people who follow and enjoy the comic to lump them together as a "cheerleading section".

There've been a few others who've posted their dissatisfaction with the comic, but for one reason or another they are the minority.
and when something isn't working it needs to be addressed
You think it isn't working. There's a world of difference between something not actually working, and you thinking it isn't working.
#4803858
Kingpin wrote:
Ivo Shandor wrote:and when something isn't working it needs to be addressed
You think it isn't working. There's a world of difference between something not actually working, and you thinking it isn't working.
Right! He says it's just an opinion, but he states the series not working as if it was fact...
Kingpin liked this
#4803864
Kingpin wrote:
Ivo Shandor wrote:But a forum like this shouldn't be a cheerleading section, no matter how much we love GB or no matter how nice or great the creators are.
You think it isn't working. There's a world of difference between something not actually working, and you thinking it isn't working.
Sales figures indicate it isn't working, unless you think the full potential of a GB comic is 7,000 a month. If you think that, then the comic is a huge success. I guess it depends where your expectations lie.
pyhasanon wrote: Right! He says it's just an opinion, but he states the series not working as if it was fact...
Let me rephrase so there is no confusion. In my OPINION, the low (>7,000 a month) sales figures argue for the FACT that the series isn't working.
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