I really hope there are people like you who can make something of this situation, bring together all the like minded people who care more about quality products and talent than politics and agenda. Put the word out I say, could make a lot of money by bringing in all the actual fans that are left in the rain atm.
In the words of the once great Jean-Luc Picard: "We've made too many compromises already; too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And *I* will make them pay for what they've done!"
I was just thinking that I'm glad I moved out into the boonies because I can listen to Az rant as loud and as much as I want and not have to worry about anyone else. =) **self-indulgent**
I have come here to chew gum and kick ass, and I am all out of gum. Says the customers (They Live [we sleep] ) Oh no Says the creators of comics no one wants to buy You ain't worth the bullet, I will just keep my money in my pocket. Says the customer. (They Live [we sleep] ) Oh no oh no says the creators .
"Comments are turned off." Yeah, that's stunning and brave. The best thing that can happen to these companies is to go completely under. Then the grownups can start over.
When Mark Waid was asked during the discovery phase of the lawsuit against him by Richard C. Meyer wether he truly believed Richard to be a white supremacist, he said 'yes, it's a broad spectrum these days'. I didn't know wether to laugh or cry.
@@Hinatachan360 well, George Orwell called it, when he describes 'doublethink' in his book '1984'. "Doublethink: a process of indoctrination whereby the subject is expected to accept as true that which is clearly false, or to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in contravention to one's own memories or sense of reality."
@Esben M but this is how extreme Leftistism WORKS. Look at the Soviet Union under, say, Stalin (although it was and is the same for ALL communist regimes). Of every six people, two were informers. That means that if you lived in a family unit of father, mother, three children and one grandparent, two of them were informers and could rat you out to the government. Could be your wife, your husband, your parent, your children. That meant that you can never, ever, EVER say anything critical of the regime or the ideology. Because you would be ratted out and sent to the concentration camps known as 'gulags'. That meant that you could not trust those you loved. You could not trust your spouse, or your parents or your children. This put people under a huge amount of stress. Never being able to say what was true, what was correct, but only what was politically correct (yes, that's where that phrase came from - talk about dark humour!). Always knowing that no matter how succesful you were the one moment, everything could be taken away from you the next. It's also very difficult to constantly lie (say things your actually believe is the opposite of the truth), so soviets became masters of what Orwell called 'doublethink', the ability, enforced by the process of indoctrination, to accept as true what is clearly false or to simultaneously accept two mutually contradictionary beliefs to be correct. This process of 'double think' is both the requisite of extreme leftism/communism as the result of it. Requisite because communism/leftism relies on group-think. Any form of individualism would threaten that. The Leader or the Party determines what the current beliefs are and the group HAS to adhere or else the group would cease to be. And because it's so stressful to constantly tell lies, training yourself to believe those lies, no matter what your eyes, reasoning or common sense tells you, becomes a coping mechianism. So now we come to Mark Waid, who is typical of this process. He has been, no doubt, a leftie all his life, but when Marvel was slowly infiltrated and taken over by sjws, his beliefs, or at least the adherence to them, had to be ramped up. Like crabs in a bucket, sjws will always attack the ones who try to get away or do not stay in the group, so it's vital to say the right thing and attack the right people. Of course, Mark is a middle-aged man who is not old enough to retire but knows the fear of the hot breath of the young crowd williing to take your job in the neck. And it doesn't matter how much of an 'established name' or 'eminence grise' you are. In fact, that weighs against him because sjws love nothing better than to tear down those who have accomplished something. And he can't trust anybody, because just like in Soviet Russia, your nearest and dearest can and will rat you out and you will be sent to the gulag. Err... you will be cancelled. So Mark had to be the loudest denouncer. Just to stay in the game. So really, it doesn't matter wether Mark really, truly, in the deepest pit of his tiny heart, believes that Richard C. Meyer is a 'white supremacist' or not. He HAS to say it. He HAS to believe it, no matter what the evidence says. In order to stay in his sjw group and in order to NOT be attacked himself, he HAS to publicly voice the mantra. The SJW herd has declared that anybody who criticises them is Problematic Hetero Christian White Male. A White Male who is an ist, a phobe, a natsee. Doesn't matter that Comicsgate has quite the number of women or poc's. Doesn't matter that Richard C. Meyer has biracial children, one of which wears a hijab. To the group-think of the sjw comic pro's, all comics gaters are 'white supremacists' and Richard, as their 'leader' (which he isn't, but they simply cannot concieve of a movement without leaders, which tells you more about them than about comics gate), Richard C. Meyer, as CG 'leader' MUST be the biggest 'white supremacist' of them all! Here ends the lecture :)
Hey Az, I'm not actually a comic collector but I can share the pain all comic book fans are feeling right now because it appears as though it is heading down the same direction as Hollywood. I literally cringe at the idea of a new movie these days because there is a large percentage chance it will be directed by a Hollywood activist who feels the need to try and cram their ridiculous political ideology down our throats. The entertainment establishment has been overrun by hard-left ideologues and it has literally destroyed entertainment and comedy in general. Until we have more producers/creators and publishers that start calling out this nonsense and quite frankly ignoring the shrieks of activists, the entertainment we have grown up with is nothing but a shell of its former glory.
As econic times get harder, the free ride for non creative agenda pushers is slowing down or ending. Will Picard have a second season? Unlikely to happen . Will Star Wars movies snd projects go forward? No Did the expert on Tolkien remove himself from a Lord of the Rings project ? Yes Are we being offered products never intended to be entertaining but called entertainment? Yes. Can we get the FTC ( federal trade commission in the USA ) to go after them ? Sadly no but selling entertainment never intended to entertain is fraud. We can intentionally not buy the wasp in the caterpillar products and they will have to give away their revolting and appealing propaganda or stop making it. Comics is crippled and must follow the path of the exiled indie artists .
Outstanding description of Exactly what they are...I'll bet we could add "soul stealing" and "micro managing" to the list as well. I'm sure there are people there who could right the ship, they're just not in charge.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. C. S. Lewis
Remember when companies actually put out decent products because their customers held them to a standard? Too many people have been raised in the current educational system to be narcissistic dolts who are corporate slaves.
I was wondering if Chinese fans could see her Twitter. "Free Hong Kong!" then "Please China, buy my comic book!". How these people lecture us on morals is beyond me.
Spinning Spin sigh you never learn. Problem is not on our side. Let me ask you this. How much you do think all your media say is true? We can only do so much without cooperation from your side? If you said “why don’t you open your country? Why disclose your country? Why close the country?” Said the trump. Well I can’t move you. Only you move on your own.
Spinning Spin green light to go and lie. Green light to disclose information. Green light to be as stubborn as people can be. Green light to not follow order and go to your free will. If you have no power to stop even your own children, you have no power on us.
Even better: she’s bragging on Twitter how the trailer is like the 3rd most viewed... fails to mention the abysmal like-dislike ratio 😂 Hahahahahaha so deceptive.
@@HeelvsBabyface yeah. That really broke my heart when that happened. :( Lee would be turning over in his grave right now. Saddened by how bad the comic industry the way it is right now.
When the sjw's got into an industry that they dont even care for, we said whatever, now we are paying for it! The original iron man movie and the dark knight movies are the last of the good movies that we will ever see. The comic book movies destroyed the comic book industry, sorry guys, the only reason this is even an issue is bc of these sjw bs has to have "DIVERSITY" and they saw the movies and said....blah blah, blah, oh wait the comics do to, it's been a shit show for awhile and for you liberal fucks who watch this channel, I love this guy and I'm not the biggest comics fan but I feel where he is coming from and you assholes ruin fucking everything!!!!!!!
Spiff is fantastic. Az is fantastic. Coincidence? no! this is so much more evidence than the evidence that certain people need to destroy somebodys life.
Agree with every word, it's time to close our wallets and that means not just to DC and Marvel, but all of Hollywood as well, frell their new movies , I'm done.
I didn't watch Captain Marvel because of the BS surrounding the actress and what she said. And the only part of Endgame I didn't like was the "girl power" scene because it felt forced and unneeded.
I agree. They've been creatively bankrupt for decades now. That's why they turned to Marvel because back in the day, Marvel was the house if ideas. Now its the outhouse of overflowing crap. I mean look at Charlie's Angels. This last is what the third movie they've made of a TV show from 1976-81!!!! They have nothing. They have no creativity, no originality, nothing but political crap made for people who don't really care. Let it burn.
@@leehyun9 Yes, but, the rest of AAA are being puritanical to keep the Chinese government happy. Plus most of them have gone out of their way to insult and attack the customers who protest. The problem isn't limited to comics. Its all through the corporate run entertainment industry. All of it is infected and getting more zombiefied by the day.
Wow I legit jumped when he started his rant I've literally got goosebumps your scary man when you want to be. PS why has everything good in the world gone to shit.
I am American, for me this is about free speech, taking down "The Comic Industry" is like the canary in the mine, we need to fight for free speech matter what country you live in.
When an argument can't be won, then they resort to insults calling people ists and isms etc is pathetic. It's really sad when people are hell bent in ruining something others like. I don't follow comics but I do with something similar and that is videogames but even I have had to not buy a game that I otherwise would have but did not because blatant wokeness was inserted in them. And stop playing certain game because the game was altered LONG AFTER it was released because the developer decided to bend the knee to wokeness.
I saw a thumbnail for a video on this where they said in a bubble about batwoman “No one knows it was *her* money that created Wayne Industries”. Making the her be in bold as she’s so important. So again, taking away from the Male character 🤦🏻♀️. I wish they would stop with This Goddam nonsense.
but that's all they can do. Take away stuff. They can't create, because they lack creativity. All they can do is take existing stuff and make it worse and infected with their ideas. So sad :(
Hey AZ, you nailed it again. It's equivalent to a restaurant that has prepared a menu that people have become accustomed to, love and support, getting a new chef who no longer wants to make the award winning menu that made them prosper. It's such a simple concept. I get some of the "shock and awe" theory of killing Superman, and making Captain America Hydra, but these cheap stunts only sour stable readers from the product. I guess the writers can discuss their high and lofty goals in the unemployment line over macchiatos.
You can see the rage building inside .... Then at 6:19 the dam breaks. Next door neighbour: I can hear shouting and swearing, Az must be making another comic industry video again.
*me queueing up the "Nice" meme, as I refuse to buy comics that aren't from actual good writers or artists who didn't retcon characters but told or shown stories that were captivating*
I get extremely pissed whenever anyone in a media position of any sort tries to make the claim that fans/readers/viewers do not have any ownership over the things they didn't create. Yes, they absolutely do. Not only have they paid money for the "privilege" of consuming that media form, but once a creator has put something out into the world, it is NO LONGER THEIRS. If you want to keep your precious brain-babies safe from all criticism, you don't become a professional artist/writer/actor/etc. You get a job as an accountant and then write fanfics for yourself on your Mac at 2am.
The only ones staying open are the ones who also sells other stuff, mine is like 40-50% comics (old and new) and the rest is manga/anime, art books and fantasy/sci-fi novels and a tiny bit of merch. So they basically survive off the the other 50-60%. Hell, one have went to be basically like only 20-30% comics and the rest is the same as above except, they even got some boardgames also. I won't be surprised if many comic book stores "survive" this way.
My local comic store is mostly games and merch with comics on the side. That’s how they have been surviving for the last 5 years. Comics are a joke in It’s current form. Luckily there are decades and decades of back comics that are great rereads.
This is what being deeply truthful and passionate looks like, current comics industry doesn't understand the truthful part and fake the passionate part.
At the expense of comic shops and the industry itself, the thing I see coming out of this is that when everything goes digital only they will see that people don't want to buy their shit.
I bet you any money that if they got some balls and got around to finally firing these people due to low sales, they would probably sue them and claim it was because of some sort of "isms."
I wonder what would happen if anyone pointed out to these people that their tactics have been so thoroughly deconstructed and documented that you can use them in the Plague Inc "Fake News" scenario?
It was looking like both Marvel and DC, just because both were acquired by large corporations and the comic publishing division did not produce enough revenue, were both likely to be shut down and publishing rights being sold off to one the minor publishers ( Image, IDW, Archie). However after this shutdown it is even more likely Marvel and DC publishing will not be profitable enough for their corporate overlords but there may not any minor publishers remaining to licence any titles.
I love your channel. Thanks for another dose of truth :) Now here's an off topic question: What kind of chair are you sitting in? I am in the market for a new computer chair, how is yours working out? Do you recommend the brand?
6:18 totally reminded me of my favorite "jean-luc picard" moment, quoted from "first contact", one of my favorite star-trek movies: we made to many compromises already, to many retreats... they invade our space - and we fall back they assimilate entire worlds - and we fall back not again, the line must be drawn here! this far, no further! I will make them pay for what they've done.
I make INDIE Comics and I'm friends with five other Artists, and in the last eight to ten months half of us have noticed a BIG increase in our sales! There is no doubt that this it is due to these SJW monsters taking down DC, MARVEL and Image by humiliating their long established characters and pissing off a massive world wide Fan base. I love having my sales go up, but I'm not happy that so many good Customers came to us because they were betrayed this way.
As a woman: Thank you for saying everything I've been thinking for a very long time. I don't care what industry it is - it's all industries. They think they are indestructible and will call you sexist or that you aren't doing enough for your "fellow woman" to support them, without realizing that, no matter who you are, if you intend to work in the business of entertainment, then you have to prove you're worth supporting. You're working a job and your customers will always win by talking with their wallets.
The very same thing is happening in all sort of industries, from production to services: - managers with zero competence but above all ZERO passion for what they do: they could supervise comic sales today and pipe production tomorrow with the same enthusiasm; - companies lay off people as FIRST measure to cut costs, with NO consideration for the consequences on the long term, and after they struggle to rebuild their teams with watered-down (but less expensive...) "talents"; - an overall lack of LOVE for what they do, with company missions and visions only aimed at short term results: this is why most businesses are failing and only those with no respect for people (partners, internal staff and consumers alike) show success in the short term. In most cases, only injection of capitals keep them afloat.
How come I can't get fun ads like that? I just keep getting stupid Doordash ads. -_- I've never used them and never will, dang it! I know how old I am, RU-vid! Ignore it and pay attention to my actual interests and the kinda ads I'm telling you not to show me anymore! Gah!
6:18 We need more people to have that attitude, if instead of retreating and bending the knee people would have stood up and said “Fuck you” right back at them this shit wouldn’t have got as bad as it did.
Thumbs up Az. Perfectly put. Such a shame the head honchos of the Disney & AT&T won't see this. That's who call them to heel and tell start making something that sells get the old fan's back, or clear your damn desk out.
I really though Gotham High might do well even though I thought it was stupid... until I heard that they made Bruce Chinese. Then I was like, you know, kids know that Batman isn't Chinese, they're going to see what you're doing. This won't fly.
Imagine 20 years ago if I offered you a subscription to every DC or Marvel comic title. Yes there were titles I probably avoided buying but for free it would be an offer I'd welcome and most likely read every free issue I received. Now if I made you the same deal today consider unexcitement, the titles never looked piling up in a corner of your home, even free it would feel a burden.
Az, they haven't completely given up on digital. According to the latest article from CBR, it seems they will try to get "store customers" to purchase online digital copies to read, than later once the quarantine is over pick up their physical copies from the store. Who said publishers still care about the LCS?
Art teacher here from Tampa Florida.! Hope everyone’s safe. Great video sir! We’re on lockdown, but teaching online. One of the main things I tell my students...I want you to learn how to think( for yourself), not what to think.
Meanwhile, independent crowdfunded comics or making money hand over fist. Some have made a quarter to a half million on individual titles. Stupid Jealous Weirdo writers will never see those type of sales for their woke garbage.
What's sad is they had a license to print money.. all they needed to do is focus on resurrecting the classic long lived main series. Both DC and Marvel.. Just focus on the main Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League, Detective Comic series, etc, and Marvel do the same, focus on bringing back and focusing on the Uncanny X-Men, Iron-Man, Amazing Spider-man Fantastic Four, Avengers, etc. Stop with all the series relaunches (2nd, 3rd, 4th, ... series), excessive amount of side character or political/woke comics, and just focus on the true all-time classics and greats and keep the stories grounded in and based in their fantasy world, don't try to adapt the real world into it, especially not any of the pop culture political or societal agendas/issues that would make the comic's dated and irrelevant in the future, keep them as timeless stories that a reader today and a reader 50 years from now could read and identify with regardless of the social/political pop scene of the future.. It's how these timeless characters survived the test of time over the many decades, they created timeless stories and only ever adapted timeless broad/generic political/societal issues (i.e. generic broad prejudice as in X-Men).
Imagine if people in other industries only had to "prove to themselves their credentials"... Doctors, lawyers, judges, scientists, teachers... "As long as I prove to myself that I'm good enough, I can do this!"
It's 9:18 here in Chile and I'm having my coffee and milk with avocado toasts (that is a Chilean produce so here it is the normal breakfast) and since I went to sleep at 5 am it is early for me. Cheers and good day.
Remember reading my uncles comics back in the 70's and 80's....damn they were good back then, now....what they try to stuff down our throats, I wouldn't even use it instead for bog roll!
To paraphrase Capt. James T. Kirk .... "Don't mince words AZ, What do you really think?" LOL Excellent comments AZ, Keep up the great work. I realize that wading through crap is disgusting and plain nasty. Your efforts are indeed appreciated.
Go for it Az! You're speaking for so many of us...not only comics, but the entire media is infested with this madness. I'm completely fucked off with it myself... When you went full-on rage - I was thinking "yessss"! And good man for beginning proceedings with a good brew!
Those at the top of the comics industry are already rich or have relatives that are rich enough to pay for their lifestyle so they use their job as a hobby or political platform and care nothing for the business.
Like the TV licence (to produce crap), comic dealers can't return unsold(crap) product. No reason to improve. DC and marvel only list units shipped. If all the units went into the ocean, nothing changes. It's so clear now. Comics are the New USSR, starting when the old USSR fell apart.
So this industry frustrates me it’s the same with movies and games development. I’m from Leeds West Yorkshire 1st gen Middle Eastern I grew up watching the animated 90’s fox kids Spider-Man and xmen loved peter Parker character guess what race had nothing to do with it, his struggles, morale dilemma’s, small victories I loved it. What we are getting now is upsetting I have money not after ff7 1st class but refuse to touch comics because of this which is a shame. I feel for anyone that has invested in comics
I gave up comics back in the early 2000's when this SJW-ness first walked in the door. Sad that a bunch of rich pampered kids turned our favorite heroes into a social experiment. It's like being forced to watch your crazy neighbor do cruel experiments on your dog while there's nothing you can do about it. The rage is understandable, and justified. Once these nutjobs fail and get fired, most of them can just move back in with their rich parents while the rest of us have to find new heroes. I have since moved on to anime and manga but I'm starting to see the same SJW-ness creep into there like I did back in the early 2000's and am fearful they will take that over too. I don't usually wish ill on strangers. So I will do that outside the comment section.
I came here by recommendation. I'm not a comic book guy but am a musician. The industries parallel. Thanks, I feel really zen after hearing you so eloquently state my own frustrations.