Jim Lemoine
Jul 18, 2004, 11:58 pm
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/logos/cfdlogo.jpg" align=left border=0 alt="Comics For Dummies logo">By Raul Grau, RJacknite@aol.com
X: It's the Best Y You're Not Z'n
Obviously, you really should be Z'n X, because out of all the Y's I've Z'd, that you haven't Z'd, X is clearly the Best!
Unfortunately, that is not a question posed on a college entrance exam, but a misguided sales pitch that I am sure you are all familiar with. You can substitute in Captain Marvel for X, Comic Book for Y, and Reading instead of Z'n. Or Freaks and Geeks for X, Show for Y, and Watching in place of Z'n. Everyone has been subjected to this sort of endorsement, yet the product endorsed still traditionally fails, so the question becomes: why doesn't that banner serve its intended purpose?
Well, let's look at the expression piece by piece for the explanation:
It's. A contraction, meaning 'it is', and referring to the X. Ok, that one was easy. What's next?
The Best. Now entering the land of Subjective. So what is truly the 'best' of anything?
If I said that Watchmen is the single best work that has ever been produced by Alan Moore, I would get very little argument to the contrary (except, perhaps, from the rabid contingent of WildCATS/Spawn fans in the audience). The multilayered storytelling, the emotionally scarred 'heroes', even the panel layouts help make this a true masterpiece of a miniseries... no, maybe maxiseries, I always get those two confused. Well, Watchmen may very well be the best of Moore, yet I much prefer the more atmospheric Moore of V for Vendetta. Y V? Maybe it's the ambiguous motivations, or the just-around-the-corner dystopian future. Or maybe I'm just stupid... who knows?
Best Incarnation of the Justice League? Without blinking, the grand majority would extoll the virtues of Morrison's uber-iconic JLA, but I would trade his entire pantheon-ladden run in for one more issue of the Giffen-era BWAH-HA-HA squad. If you try to narrow down the best film of all time, the discussion might end with the impeccably shot Psycho or the emotionally charged To Kill a Mockingbird, but if I were trapped on a desert island with only a television, a VCR, a portable generator to run the aforementioned equipment, an inexhaustible supply of fuel for the generator, and only one video tape, I would bring Akira, without pause. And the best band chat would certainly lead down the road to either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but give me They Might Be Giants any day.
So what does all this mean? Well, it's quite possible that there is a difference between what the majority dubs the best, and what an individual might select as their favorite. Even a potential dichotomy between what you yourself might think the best crafted example of a genre might be, and what you'd rather Z for the millionth time. And, very possibly, that I have completely terrible taste.
Perhaps the rest of the sentence will be easier to examine objectively...
You're Not Z'n. If the statement is being directed to you personally, then it could very well be the case that you are the only person not Z'n the great Y that is X. Of course, if the 'you' in question is the majority of people out there, then the majority of people out there are also avoiding this product, and nothing will sell a product better than pointing out that most other people aren't currently interested in it either.
Let's examine that mindset for a moment, as it impacts the world of comic book readers. You've just been told that there is a wonderful book, truly highly acclaimed, yet for some reason, the vast majority of fans are not reading it. The trouble with that (other than the shocking realization that some people choose not to read books based on acclaim, but on personal tastes instead) is that the audience for comic books is quite limited, and if most of that audience is not reading an ongoing series, then that series won't be ongoing for much longer. Justifiably, most people would rather not jump aboard a book during its swansong.
Can you honestly imagine someone saying the following: 'Boy oh boy, that book sounds great. What? It's going to end soon too? Wow, I can't wait to get hooked on a set of characters that could, quite possibly, have no closure when their series inevitably ends. I am so psyched.' Of course you can't. It makes no sense. I mean, no one says 'psyched' anymore.
Regardless of sales charts, there is no real sense of urgency behind most mediums of media these days. If the movie that you wanted to see has vanished from theaters, then it's on Pay Per View already. In a few months, you'll be able to buy the DVD (usually for less money than the movie would have cost at the cinema) and, while you're at the store, why not pick up the box set for that TV show that you just heard about? And if you like the show, set your TiVo to record it for you for the rest of the season. However, make sure not to spend all of your free time watching TV, or you might miss the next, hot movie, and have to start the whole consumer-based cycle over again... though it does make your local video store very happy.
The same danger-free attitude applies to the modern sequential fiction shopper as well. Before the rise of the comic book store (which, of course, preceded the fall of the comic book store), back issue buying was something you did by digging through the 'mystery box' on the floor of your local drugstore. If you were lucky, your town ranked as worthy of a convention, and you could pick up as many creased copies of Joker #3 as you could carry. However, in this new era, the DVD of comic books - the trade paperback - has provided affordable collected volumes of past series as well as currently ongoing titles, sometimes mere weeks after their initial release. And if you only need Joker #1-2 and #4-9 to supplement your multitude of #3's, then the back issue bin at the local comic book store is yours for the taking... well, obviously not the whole bin. So if this X is truly as good as they say, you can look forward to maybe picking it up, someday, in some form, no rush. Plus, the sooner it gets cancelled, the fewer back issues you'll have to buy later.
And, finally, there is the single biggest flaw with this or any other sort of recommendation that you might see in print, and that's the simple fact that it is in print. No amount of words (not even a thousand of them) can completely describe the artwork that goes into one panel of one comic book or one scene of one movie. Any complete description of plot would basically amount to summary, ruining the enjoyment of the work, and any dialogue from a story would be taken out of context, and therefore wholly meaningless.
So what can be done to hook your friends on your particular addiction of choice? Let them experience it like you did, and loan them a copy. If it's a television show, record an episode, and let them borrow the tape. If it's a movie, then your DVD collection can do without it for a few days. If it's a comic book, buy an extra copy, or simply loan them yours. I know, their fingerprints are a noticeably different size than yours, and they might not read your precious using tweezers and specially treated gloves like you do, but if they like it as much as you did, then they might end up being the single tick up in sales that saves the title from the fate of Joker. Just consider it; after all, it could be the best idea you're not trying.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
Raul Grau is the author of Comics For Dummies, which is The Best Column You're Not Reading. He realizes the possible flaw in that last statement, but insists that you finished reading the column twenty seconds ago, and, therefore, you are no longer reading it.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and are not reflective of ComiX-Fan or its other staff in general.
X: It's the Best Y You're Not Z'n
Obviously, you really should be Z'n X, because out of all the Y's I've Z'd, that you haven't Z'd, X is clearly the Best!
Unfortunately, that is not a question posed on a college entrance exam, but a misguided sales pitch that I am sure you are all familiar with. You can substitute in Captain Marvel for X, Comic Book for Y, and Reading instead of Z'n. Or Freaks and Geeks for X, Show for Y, and Watching in place of Z'n. Everyone has been subjected to this sort of endorsement, yet the product endorsed still traditionally fails, so the question becomes: why doesn't that banner serve its intended purpose?
Well, let's look at the expression piece by piece for the explanation:
It's. A contraction, meaning 'it is', and referring to the X. Ok, that one was easy. What's next?
The Best. Now entering the land of Subjective. So what is truly the 'best' of anything?
If I said that Watchmen is the single best work that has ever been produced by Alan Moore, I would get very little argument to the contrary (except, perhaps, from the rabid contingent of WildCATS/Spawn fans in the audience). The multilayered storytelling, the emotionally scarred 'heroes', even the panel layouts help make this a true masterpiece of a miniseries... no, maybe maxiseries, I always get those two confused. Well, Watchmen may very well be the best of Moore, yet I much prefer the more atmospheric Moore of V for Vendetta. Y V? Maybe it's the ambiguous motivations, or the just-around-the-corner dystopian future. Or maybe I'm just stupid... who knows?
Best Incarnation of the Justice League? Without blinking, the grand majority would extoll the virtues of Morrison's uber-iconic JLA, but I would trade his entire pantheon-ladden run in for one more issue of the Giffen-era BWAH-HA-HA squad. If you try to narrow down the best film of all time, the discussion might end with the impeccably shot Psycho or the emotionally charged To Kill a Mockingbird, but if I were trapped on a desert island with only a television, a VCR, a portable generator to run the aforementioned equipment, an inexhaustible supply of fuel for the generator, and only one video tape, I would bring Akira, without pause. And the best band chat would certainly lead down the road to either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but give me They Might Be Giants any day.
So what does all this mean? Well, it's quite possible that there is a difference between what the majority dubs the best, and what an individual might select as their favorite. Even a potential dichotomy between what you yourself might think the best crafted example of a genre might be, and what you'd rather Z for the millionth time. And, very possibly, that I have completely terrible taste.
Perhaps the rest of the sentence will be easier to examine objectively...
You're Not Z'n. If the statement is being directed to you personally, then it could very well be the case that you are the only person not Z'n the great Y that is X. Of course, if the 'you' in question is the majority of people out there, then the majority of people out there are also avoiding this product, and nothing will sell a product better than pointing out that most other people aren't currently interested in it either.
Let's examine that mindset for a moment, as it impacts the world of comic book readers. You've just been told that there is a wonderful book, truly highly acclaimed, yet for some reason, the vast majority of fans are not reading it. The trouble with that (other than the shocking realization that some people choose not to read books based on acclaim, but on personal tastes instead) is that the audience for comic books is quite limited, and if most of that audience is not reading an ongoing series, then that series won't be ongoing for much longer. Justifiably, most people would rather not jump aboard a book during its swansong.
Can you honestly imagine someone saying the following: 'Boy oh boy, that book sounds great. What? It's going to end soon too? Wow, I can't wait to get hooked on a set of characters that could, quite possibly, have no closure when their series inevitably ends. I am so psyched.' Of course you can't. It makes no sense. I mean, no one says 'psyched' anymore.
Regardless of sales charts, there is no real sense of urgency behind most mediums of media these days. If the movie that you wanted to see has vanished from theaters, then it's on Pay Per View already. In a few months, you'll be able to buy the DVD (usually for less money than the movie would have cost at the cinema) and, while you're at the store, why not pick up the box set for that TV show that you just heard about? And if you like the show, set your TiVo to record it for you for the rest of the season. However, make sure not to spend all of your free time watching TV, or you might miss the next, hot movie, and have to start the whole consumer-based cycle over again... though it does make your local video store very happy.
The same danger-free attitude applies to the modern sequential fiction shopper as well. Before the rise of the comic book store (which, of course, preceded the fall of the comic book store), back issue buying was something you did by digging through the 'mystery box' on the floor of your local drugstore. If you were lucky, your town ranked as worthy of a convention, and you could pick up as many creased copies of Joker #3 as you could carry. However, in this new era, the DVD of comic books - the trade paperback - has provided affordable collected volumes of past series as well as currently ongoing titles, sometimes mere weeks after their initial release. And if you only need Joker #1-2 and #4-9 to supplement your multitude of #3's, then the back issue bin at the local comic book store is yours for the taking... well, obviously not the whole bin. So if this X is truly as good as they say, you can look forward to maybe picking it up, someday, in some form, no rush. Plus, the sooner it gets cancelled, the fewer back issues you'll have to buy later.
And, finally, there is the single biggest flaw with this or any other sort of recommendation that you might see in print, and that's the simple fact that it is in print. No amount of words (not even a thousand of them) can completely describe the artwork that goes into one panel of one comic book or one scene of one movie. Any complete description of plot would basically amount to summary, ruining the enjoyment of the work, and any dialogue from a story would be taken out of context, and therefore wholly meaningless.
So what can be done to hook your friends on your particular addiction of choice? Let them experience it like you did, and loan them a copy. If it's a television show, record an episode, and let them borrow the tape. If it's a movie, then your DVD collection can do without it for a few days. If it's a comic book, buy an extra copy, or simply loan them yours. I know, their fingerprints are a noticeably different size than yours, and they might not read your precious using tweezers and specially treated gloves like you do, but if they like it as much as you did, then they might end up being the single tick up in sales that saves the title from the fate of Joker. Just consider it; after all, it could be the best idea you're not trying.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
Raul Grau is the author of Comics For Dummies, which is The Best Column You're Not Reading. He realizes the possible flaw in that last statement, but insists that you finished reading the column twenty seconds ago, and, therefore, you are no longer reading it.
<center><hr width=75%></center>
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and are not reflective of ComiX-Fan or its other staff in general.