Comix Tawk Boxset, Volume 1

 

Comix Tawk Boxset, Volume One

Chris and Reggie's Comix Tawk, Episodes 1-6
(00:00:00) Episode One: Variant Covers
(00:43:15) Episode Two: Dreaded Deadline Doom
(01:33:49) Episode Three: No Sir, We Don't Like it!
(02:48:40) Episode Four: Completionism, Collecting, and Addiction
(04:01:07) Episode Five: Decompression
(04:50:05) Episode Six: The Four Kinds of Fans

Sharing a compilation of a very special series of episodes. Comix Tawk was Reggie and my Patreon Exclusive program, in which we basically shot the breeze and recorded it. Well, it was a little bit more structured than that... but, it's probably as "pure" Chris and Reggie as you'll find.

Sharing them out here as I don't know if many listeners had the opportunity (or interest) in checking them out before. For this set, we talk about several of the hot-button topics in the comics industry and fandom -- the glut of variant covers, creators treating their deadlines as though they were optional, characters and concepts in comics that we don't really care for, the "myth" of decompression, and a breakdown of the "Four Kinds of Fans" that exist!

I truly hope you enjoy!

--

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Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 13: "DC Comics' Rumored 5G Reboot"

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode #13
DC Comics' Rumored 5G Reboot

Hey everybody, today we wrap up our few month-long trek into the formerly Patreon-exclusive Comix Tawk archives... with a, thankfully, obsolete episode!  So happy that heads rolled at DC Comics not too long after this, and much of this concept was seemingly dropped.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 12: "The Softening of Comic Book Villainry"

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode #12
"The Softening of Comic Book Villainry"

Welcome, friends... to the penultimate episode of Comix Tawk, wherein Reggie and I discuss the phenomenon of "softening" comic book villains.  This can be due to a full-blown "face turn" for a bad guy... or, by a writer taking a particular interest in fleshing out a villain's backstory... to the point where readers might find it easier to relate to them... or at the very least, make the baddie harder to hate!

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 11: "Teen Titans, the Early Years"

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode #11
"Teen Titans, the Early Years"

Have a title-specific installment of Comix Tawk to share this week... which was meant to be the first episode of a multi-part series wherein we discussed the lives and times of the Teen Titans.

Rather than referring to this as a "Part One", we will just look at it as our look at "The Early Years" of that team we enjoy so much.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 10: "Comic Scenes We Love!"

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode #10
"Comic Scenes We Love!"

Flipping the script on our usual "Negative Nellie" Comix Tawk outings, this time out Reggie and I decided to focus on the positive... and discuss some of our very favorite scenes in all of comics.

It's nice to sometimes remember why we still buy these things, right?

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 9: "Brian Hibbs' 10-Point Plan"

This episode of Comix Tawk was a request from several of our Patrons... and, might seem just a little bit "dated" to revisit a year and change later... but, I believe there's still plenty of good conversation here.


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The inspiration for this episode was a speech given by the long-time owner of Comix Experience in San Francisco, and prolific writer and commenter of the things going on in the industry, Brian Hibbs.  At the 2019 ComicsPRO Meeting, he would outline a 10-Point Plan which he felt would keep the retail side of comics healthy... and perhaps even extend the life of comics retail into the future.

It's a very common sense approach to the retail side of things... which is sadly, often overlooked by the distribution and publishing end.  It's almost as though the industry itself (excluding retail) takes for granted that there will just always be stores to carry their halfhearted wares.

Now, why did we cover this on the show?  Well, like I said, it was a request... multiple Patrons actually requested we comment on this, because... so much of what Mr. Hibbs says here, are the things we've discussed on earlier episodes of Comix Tawk.  Only difference between him and us is... he's legit, and we're mostly talking out our asses!

Hibbs' 10-Points have been covered plenty of places, and I'd wager some of the folks reading this are already familiar with them... but, even if that's the case, I hope you'll give us a listen anyway!  This was a very fun episode to put together, and allowed us to put our own personal spins/anecdotes on each of the points.

In case you aren't familiar with Hibbs' 10-Points... here they are (at their most basic):

1. Stop Mixing SKU’s
2. Sales Charts with a “penetration index” – # of accounts purchasing specific SKU’s
3. Abandon “meets or exceeds” thinking
4. Tie variant SKU’s to native base sales (1 variant per 20k sales)
5. Tie variants to percentage of publisher’s line (25%)
6. Shipping information in a box-by-box format, and review discounts and shipping
7. FOC locked no later than noon Fridays, including all aft and information otherwise 100% returnable
8. Every comic should be listed in PREVIEWS, not available only at FOC.
9. Data Summit to determine where and when to assign “Series Codes”
10. First three issues of every new series to be fully returnable from all publishers (including one-shots and mini-series)

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 8: "Reboots"

For this week's new-to-most episode of Comix Tawk, Reggie and I discuss the old go-to the industry has for zsuszing sales... Rebooting!  I'm not sure if "zsuszing" is a word... but, if you sound it out phonetically, hopefully you understand what I mean by it.


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"Reboot", when it comes to comic books is one of those descriptors that sometimes finds itself conflated with "Relaunch".  For the purposes of this episode, I do believe we discuss both Reboots and Relaunches... we probably conflate them a time or two as well.

I can't remember how I may have worded it in the heat of the moment of recording, but... to me, a "Reboot" is more of a tabula rasa sort of thing, where continuities and characterization are wiped away... where a "Relaunch" is just Marvel and DC's insistence on resetting volumes to #1's every handful of months.  In certain situations (The New-52!), an issue may serve as both a Reboot and a Relaunch.  Ya dig?

With the semantics out of the way, I suppose I could discuss some of my feelings about the Reboot/Relaunch phenomenon.  If you've followed this blog for any of the past 1,600+ days, you could probably guess that I'm not a fan.  I feel like they are disrespectful to the fans who have supported the industry, the creators who had built the industry... and, in most recent years, have quickly fallen down the well of diminishing returns.

I'm trying to think of a time where I was actually excited for a "New #1" or for some "inconvenient continuity" to be wiped away from a beloved franchise... annnnnd, I'm coming up empty.  Maybe Daredevil (vol.2) #1 from Marvel Knights?  Maybe Green Arrow (vol.2) #1?  I... didn't mean for those to both to be Kevin Smith books, but, whattayagonnado?

I am a huge fan of "legacy" (and not whatever the hell "Marvel Legacy" was trying to be a few years back).  To me, tossing an entire volume to get a slight (and often short-lived) "zsusz" to your sales, really isn't worth it.  Granted, I'm no "bean-counter" and I couldn't care less how many pennies Marvel or DC have in their coffers, but I feel like this does more harm than good when it becomes an annual go-to, rather than something organic and born out of the direction of a story.

Resetting/Rebooting/Relaunching shouldn't be the "in case of fire - break glass" situation that it has become, especially in the past 10-15 years.  If we are "courting" new readers, this is really just about the dumbest way to go about it.  Just because you're buying Fantastic Four (volume whatever the hell) #1... doesn't mean there isn't over a half-century's worth of continuity there.

We go into much greater depth during the episode, and even discuss a few times where the practice (mostly) worked.  What are y'alls thoughts on Reboots?  Is there a place for them in comics?  Is it something that should be exploited as much as it has?  Does it affect your enjoyment in any way?

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 7: "Green Lantern"

Three Comix Tawks in a row?  Wha--?

Yes, in order to try and keep a semblance of "order" in releases... today I'll be sharing the other episode of Comix Tawk that was already added to our regular feed nearly a year ago.  Episode 7 had a bit of a different tone and feel to it... and was a direction we were very excited to explore.

Rather than us curmudgeonly kvetching about everything going on in "current year comics", we decided to go a different direction, and actually talk about things we like!  Imagine that, right?


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We wanted to use our Comix Tawk "forum" to, not only discuss the industry... but the properties, franchises, creators, and characters we love so much.  Green Lantern is one of those properties, and we figured it was as good a place to begin as any.  We had a massive list of topics for this type of Comix Tawk... however, only got around to covering two.  In a few weeks, I'll release the episode featuring the other franchise we examined... the Teen Titans.

I've got so many partially done scripts of this type in my Google Drive right now.  We were really looking forward to just chatting about our favorites in an "off-the-cuff" yet chronological/linear fashion.  I did get to use my Doom Patrol timeline for a different program... but, most of 'em are probably just gonna sit.

Anyway... if you decide to give this a listen, I hope you enjoy.  I'd love to hear your thoughts... and maybe hear about some of your favorite/least favorite eras/stories in Green Lantern history.

Episode 8 of Comix Tawk will release as scheduled this Sunday morning.

If you decide to listen, I hope you enjoy.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 6: "The Four Kinds of Fans"

Two Comix Tawks in a row?

Well, yeah... but not because I'm uploading them two days in a row.  This episode of Comix Tawk was released to the main feed well over a year ago (March 17, 2019), as both a way to buy us a week while Reggie was dealing with illness, and to let the listeners know what sort of content we were providing as Patreon Exclusives.

This episode's topic is one I was very excited about... and, had honestly been looking for any way of shoehorning it into the conversation.  This is an examination of the fandom... of all fandoms, I guess... and the lengths purveyors of consumable entertainment go to serve as many of them as possible (sometimes/often "robbing Peter to pay Paul").


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The inspiration for this sort of episode, wherein we analyze the "four kinds of fans", came from an interview conducted with professional wrestling personality, Jim Cornette probably sometime during the mid-2000's.  I had stumbled across it was back then, and had even written a piece about it on a long-defunct blog I used to maintain.

When asked about ways to "improve business", Cornette explained how he viewed potential recipients of professional wrestling by breaking them down into four groups... which, if you stop and think about it (which I did), are pretty universal to any sort of media.

• Group 1: Fans.  These are the people who will watch/read/buy your product regardless of its quality, simply because they are fans of... comics, movies, music, pro-wrestling, tv shows... etc.
• Group 2: Fans of the Good Stuff.  These fans are "aware" of your product, but will only buy/read/watch/attend when there's a "buzz"... when they hear good things about it.
• Group 3: Bandwagoners.  They know you're out there, but will only pop in for the biggest events, and multi-media tie-ins.
• Group 4: Non-Fans.  These are people who don't care about your product... and never will.

His stance was... you'll always have Group 1.  You'll get Group 2 when you're good.  You'll get Group 3 when you're lucky.  And, most importantly for this episode... you'll never get Group 4, because they just don't care.

So why is it that media, comics included, are always trying to lure those Group 4'ers into the club when it's obvious they don't wanna be there?  Well, the clear answer is, as it normally is, "money".  But what is the cost of largely unsuccessfully luring these folks?  What happens to those folks in the other three groups... who it's possible to get... when you stop caring about what they want?

It's a pretty fun conversation, if you care to listen.  This was an episode like 12-13 years in the making for me... a topic I really wanted to discuss, and I'm so glad  we found the opportunity to do so.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 5: "Decompression & Writing For the Trade"

In this new-to-most former Patreon Exclusive episode, we discuss the not-so-secret phenomenon of writing "for the trade".  When did it begin to take over the mainstream comics industry... and, after all years since, is it still just something the fandom "imagined up"?

It's a lean and mean episode discussing excessively padded pablum... you won't wanna miss it!

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 4: "Collecting, Completionism, & Addiction"

Looking back, there were so many "evergreen" discussions I would have with Reggie.  Topics that could (and would) come up many times that we'd talk.  It was always like, when these topics would come up, that we were building on/continuing everything we said before.  I mean, that's not unique to us... that's just how friends communicate.  What is (somewhat) unique to us, is... sometimes, we'd be talking into live-mics when we did.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 3: "No Sir... We Don't Like It!"

The third in our series of Comix Tawk episodes, previously only available to Chris and Reggie Patrons over at Patreon.  This time out, at the request of our good pal Jeremiah Jones Goldstein, we discuss some of our least favorite characters and concepts in all of comicdom!

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 2: Dreaded Deadline Doom

More from the Patreon Exclusive Archives... the second episode of Comix Tawk, Reggie and my more "off-the-cuff" offering, wherein we kinda kvetch about anything going on in comics that finds its way under our skin.

Cosmic Treadmill Presents... Comix Tawk, Episode 1: Variant Covers

Want to start today with a little bit of housekeeping.  I mentioned the other day that I finally figured out how to regain access to the Chris and Reggie Patreon page (in order to turn out the lights... and download all of our exclusive audio, of which there was plenty).  I decided to start transitioning all of that exclusive audio to the main Chris and Reggie feed... and that starts today, with the first episode of our "off-the-cuff" Comix Tawk.

Comix Tawk was more or less Reggie and I committing some of our pre-recording "warm up" chatter to audio... only without quite as many expletives.  We thought it would be fun to share some of these discussions with our Patrons, while also allowing them to see a more casual side to us.  This program, along with Cosmic Treadmill: After Dark were the initial (and ultimately, only) "exclusives" we offered to our wonderful supporters.

Over the next several months, I will be sharing this "new-to-most" content... probably weekly... probably on Sundays.  This will include five full-blown Cosmic Treadmills (After Dark), which will bring our total episode count for that series to a round 150.

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The topic we chose to begin is one of the more contentious and controversial among the comics community... variant covers!  After a look into the history of variants... we share some of our personal feelings on the "current year" glut, and how these shelf-hogs inflate the numbers on some books that might not necessarily deserve the "rub"!

What are your thoughts on variant covers?