This summer The Charger Bulletin traveled to Comic Con at the XL Center in Hartford on Saturday, May 31. I was fortunate enough to be one of the staff members who tagged along.
The Bat mobile, artists from various Marvel/DC comics, and even the Soup Master from Seinfeld were only some of the many attractions featured at Comic Con.
The highlight of the day really came from an artist/writer named Jon Howard, who publishes his own work. I talked with him about the relationship between movies and comics and how they may not be quite like you would think. We tend to believe that changes in the comics affect the films, and reasonably so, since the films are based on the stories in these comics.
But here’s the new perspective Howard offered me: the mainstream public doesn’t read comics anymore, but they love the movies. Today, films are the dominant medium for superheroes. Because of this, comic book sales are struggling, and are actually influenced by the films in order to attract an audience.
A basic example of this would be when Nick Fury in the comics was abruptly changed to an African American with a goatee to look like Samuel L. Jackson.
But the most fascinating part comes from the subliminal messages. As we know, the Marvel film rights belong to three different studios: Sony (Spiderman), Fox (X-Men/Fantastic 4) and Disney. Disney’s ultimate goal is to buy the rights they do not have, but cannot do so because the properties are too successful to be up for sale.
Instead, Disney uses their ownership of the comics to their advantage. See if you can spot a pattern: since 2012, Cyclopes and select X-Men have become primary villains.
In 2013 Peter Parker was killed. Just months ago, Marvel comics announced they will discontinue the Fantastic 4 series.
The comics try to deprogram readers of the non-Disney properties, in effort to prevent people from seeing the films, especially around the dawn of the premiers. If they succeed, the rival studios lose money, and Disney gets rights back.
This also works for the other end of the spectrum. In the comics, Ironman joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, possibly to bring attention to the film which just came out.
What Howard told me about the film/comics industry was just fascinating and changed my perspective on superhero movies.
Other events of the day included various panels and workshops, autograph signings, and many tables where artists displayed and sold memorabilia dating back to some of the first, which are now antique, comic books. Guests dressed up as their favorite characters ranging from super heroes, to villains, to TV characters, and even Disney princesses.
