Image Comics Community

This is a thread is just to discuss what you want see more or less of in SD. I think it's a good thread as long as we keep things mature and criticism constructive. Here's things I want to see:

1. Thought balloons. I don't like the captions in comics all the time. Captions were created to make the comic look more grim and gritty. But in 168, the star guy is using captions in a scene that's not grim; nor are his comments grim. I think thought balloons would be more sensible because overusing captions has always been a comic book peeve of mine.

2. A black and white issue every once and a while. Either that or the same coloring as in Ghost World by Clowes. I would definitely love to see a SD issue with just black and white. It would add a new dimension to the art.

3. Self-contained stories, preferrably funny ones. The comic that started me collecting was Avengers Spotlight 23. http://www.comics.org/issue/46843/cover/4/ I liked it because it was goofy and the characters didn't appear to be taking themselves seriously. It also felt more accessible being self-contained. I often wonder if I'd have liked comics if it wasn't for this one.

4. A whole SD issue without violence whatsoever. There isn't enough of these for me. Everyone seems to be getting beat up, killed, or smashed around. Maybe I'm different because I read a crapload of non-superhero, non-action comics, like stuff from Joe Matt, Seth, Chester Brown, Peter Bagge, and Harvey Pekar, as well as the newspaper funnies. Constant fighting gets too predictable. Sometimes I have to get into the mood to read a violent comic. There are times when I've bought a SD comic and will read the SD Dilbert-like comic or G-Man comic at the end and won't read the actual comic until days latter. Hell, sometimes I don't even read the entire comic til days later. It's mostly a subconscious thing, I guess. I know there's going to be a lot of explosions, people flying through the air, punches, blood, smashing through walls, random fights, and yadda yadda. And I'll buy the comic, put it on my nightstand, and then forget about it while I read my non-violent drawn and quarterly or fantagraphics comics first. Then I'll finally read the comic and think it was a good issue, but then I'll start the process all over again.

Can someone explain this to me? I'm not trying to slag down SD. But why do I like SD but have to work up an enthusiasm to read it sometimes. I've got many superhero comics, but vast majority of them were published between the 60s-80s, which means they aren't nearly as violent as SD. I don't think I'm adverse to violence because I'm a huge horror and western movie fan. However, why would I read a comic whose violence I find tiresome, but like the comic anyway?

Oh man, YES. That would be excellent. Erik's Ink work is some of the best around. And an issue entirely dedicated to showing that off would be just fantastic.

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Notable New Comics Shipping the Week of 01-02-13
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Boobs.

Fighting.

Have I mentioned "Boobs?"

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Darin Wagner
La Crosse, WI

Zeek vs The Vicious Circle

Thor vs Rogue Warrior

The Gang War obscure villains getting massacred

More of the older heroes returning to action

Generally more of the one-shot characters returning for another chance at glory

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- Gavin Higginbotham.

http://savagedragonwiki.wikispaces.com/

Umm.... this isn't true. Like at all. Captions have been around since the very beginning of Comics. Espcially in the most earliest days of comedy comic strips. Don't make me bust out my Little Nemo and Thimble Theater collections.

I'm not against Thought Balloons per...say. I don't think they used in a way that property represents actual human thoughts very often though. Usually they're just there to make obvious to the reader something that should be conveyed through images or body language. And written in a narration format, that could just as easy go in a Caption without any tweaking.

Now... if there was some use of thought ballons, with less complete sentences, or using pictograms representing the images we see in our mind's eye, or something to make them more like actual thoughts. I'd like to see more of them.

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Notable New Comics Shipping the Week of 01-02-13
2000 AD 1813. INVINCIBLE 99. MANHATTAN PROJECTS 8. PROPHET 32. PUNK RUCK JESUS 6.

I'm pretty much with Gavin with a lot of what he said.

First, Rogue Warrior and Arachnid. We haven't seen Rogue Warrior since issue 85. Great freaking character who needs more face time. Archnid Vs Mutation would also be nice.

Also wouldn't mind a good old fashioned house cleaning of some of the really low brow VC goons. The ones that have appeared for one panel. Wouldn't mind seeing that Bat guy from issue 132 either.

Umm...Erik art has been top notch for awhile, so really don't want anything there.

Overall, just want to see more characters and for Erik to keep up this amazing book going. 172 issues is nuts!

More new characters, especially villain, like Skullfaces son, that are fleshed out, have a story and proper motivation. Nothing against some throwaway goons, but more villains with potential, so Malcolm can get his own rough gallery, would be great.

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Seeing IDW's Walt Simonson Thor Artist's Edition makes me wish we had something like that for Dragon. Not many people are actually able to see Erik's original Dragon pages, and I'd love to get a book that shows them off, right down to the whited-out stars. Oh, to dream...

Which begs the question--which seven issues would YOU like to see that that format?

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-Erik Larsen
Savage Dragon perpetrator

www.savagedragon.com
www.imagecomics.com

1. I don't particularly care if a thought is expressed via balloon or caption. I think thought balloons went away largely because they're graphically unappealing. Not only that, but when you're doing a book that relies heavily on internal monologues, balloons are just tough to swing. I mean, could you imagine Dark Knight Returns or Sin City done with thought balloons? It'd be an ugly mess.

But if I had a preference on this in any way, it'd be for Erik to return to the idea of never showing a character's thoughts -- it's something that gave the pre-Savage World Dragon another unique bit of flavoring.

2. Agreed, I'd love to see a "Sin City" issue of Dragon and I think Erik's design and storytelling sensibilities would lend themselves perfectly to this.

3. Yeah, I'm good with that but I'm also good with whatever. The book's seldom let me down.

4. There's a reason your other comics don't have much action -- they're not in the action/adventure genre.

This is an odd complaint -- it's like wishing the next Star Wars or Die Hard movie would be a romantic comedy or a gripping courtroom drama. The superhero genre is an action genre -- why have characters with elaborate costumes and superhuman abilities if they're just going to sit around and chat?

And in any case, if you look at the bulk of what the Big Two are putting out, "too much action" is hardly a concern. Read a Brian Michael Bendis or Paul Jenkins comic if that's what you're after.

Put the shoe on the other foot -- if someone said they'd like Buddy Bradley or Enid Coleslaw to fight ninja commandos or go on an exciting spy mission, you'd be left scratching your head. That's not what those books are about.

Savage Dragon is an action book -- fight scenes are part of the fabric of the strip.