I remember when that guy was one of the best editors in the biz. What the hell happened? I still think he lets the creators walk all over him, but who the hell knows.
You probably know all this, but I'm going to post it anyway.
Promotions in a corporate environment generally don't come until a shaping process is complete. Alonso didn't solely get picked to succeed Joe Q because of his skill. He was probably molded into a guy that would be able to easily transition into Joe's position while he went off to get more involved with the movie division (or whatever he's doing now.)
Alonso was probably the 'best guy for the job' based on what the job actually
is these days. So unless he suddenly goes rogue maverick on everyone, I wouldn't expect too big a directional shift. Marvel put the guy in place because he is going to maintain the status quo. They are touting his credentials as PR spin: they want the people that actually follow such things to have faith that they're putting a qualified person in there. They'd never say 'and he does things the we want them done.'
Alonso is under a fuckton of pressure right now. His tenure is brand new and DC is kicking Marvel's ass. I want to see how they respond. I hope they respond by giving me what I actually want to see, if for no other reason than because it would make me happy.
Fuck Marvel. Fuck these endless events, fuck polybags, fuck Bendis, fuck rip off covers (I mean come on), fuck ridiculous price hikes, and just fuck you in general. I really love comics, but no so much so that I'll bend over and take anything. This shit needs to stop. They'll killing the goddamned industry. I mean, do we really need another Avengers title? Fucking really? Jesus.
There was a time when I would have said this was reactionary, but I don't feel that anymore. I feel Marvel got on their horse and rode it and kept riding it to the detriment of the long term stability and integrity of the IPs.
It's as I've said: if I want solely good stories, I'll read other stuff. When it comes to super hero comics from the big 2, I want consistency and perseverance of the core IP.
The classics never get old. Slott is proving that by giving Spidey a face lift that looks different but feels the same. Sure, you may not get the blockbuster press releases, but it will hold you in good stead and see you through rougher waters in times of trouble.
The medium has changed so much. We're at the point where we're fretting the death of print. Who thought this would ever happen? We live in a culture of throwaway and distraction. We make things easier for everyone to enjoy, which is good. But when we start shaping old things to fit into new methods of delivery, we risk losing what made them so special. Society has allowed the fundamental delivery of these IPs to be altered by commerce. We should be celebrating print medium and preserving it, not treating it as a relic. How much longer before the pacing and layout of comics is changed to meed the needs of the digital age? Before publishing schedules and pay scales and an even more heavily scrutinized bottom dollar put even more pressure on the creators and editorial?
I never saw any effort by Marvel to preserve its rich history. We can say whatever we want to say about DC's many failed continuity reboots, but at least they paid attention to the creative integrity and history of their shared universe. That is more important, in my opinion, than the bottom dollar. A thousand years from now, people aren't going to care how much money these things they made. Art is priceless-you just can't put a tag on it, and its creation needs to be handled a certain way.
Yeah, Marvel's a business blah blah blah. It's also pop culture, and part of the ownership of any pop culture icon, spiritually, goes to the public and how they hold it. I always felt DC met the fans halfway on that. I don't feel Marvel even tries to do that.
