Thank you, Beau Smith. As a professional writer, he expertly expressed the sophomoric nuances of the travails that surround Avengers #71. Many of my fellow retailers and I focused on the ramifications and fallout from such a move. A few others played the free speech card, but Beau hit it right on the head. It's a junior high stunt with all the intelligence, or lack thereof, implied. I don't know if it reeks of desperation since Marvel is financially stable right now, but it certainly isn't necessary.
Here's another bit of informational history that retailing newbies may not be aware of. When I, and multitudes of other collectors bought our books in the old days, we looked forward with great anticipation to our weekly sojourn to the newsstand, long before the days of the direct market store. That anticipation was heightened and maintained over many years because of the consistent quality of the writing and art. It also didn't hurt that the creators back then felt a responsibility to get their books out on time, regularly and always, so there was rarely the disappointment of making a trip to the comics store 'for nothing'.
In the old days, publishers didn't rely on gimmicks of any kind. They did not excuse laziness or lateness from the creators - and when you consider how much less creators got back then and how less protected (as in zilch) their work was, you really have to wonder why today's creators feel as if they don't have to answer to anyone but themselves? Then, it was all about responsibility.
Today, it's about constantly raising the bar. Morality and the heroic ideal are gone. Sexuality (implied and otherwise), depravity, shock for shock's sake, anything for sales these are the publishers marketing buzzwords. Well guess what guys?
If you want to keep making the point that you're dealing in an adult world, then act like adults - not like the junior high schoolers who you keep thinking are interested in your books, but for the most part don't give a hoot.
What does acting like an adult mean, from a publisher's perspective? How about giving the readers books with consistently high standards of quality writing and art, delivered on a timely and as promised basis, with stories that challenge but don't pander, with adult themes handled in a sympathetic, caring way. We may eventually end up with a comics market that embraces adults and children and teenagers of all ages -- but it won't be because of books like Avengers #71.
And a final note to Rick Beidrzycki, sorry buddy, but it does matter if we get upset or not and it does matter what we put in our books. You know why? Because every retailer has that one psycho member of their community who will try to put him or her out of business 'in the interest of the kids.' Thank goodness I haven't met mine yet, and the same for all my retailing brethren. The self-preservation of my business and my being able to take care of my family take precedence to letting any pop culture wanna be express his right to degeneracy in the pages of the 'all ages' comics I sell everyday.
Put it in Vertigo, put it in Max, put it in a Fantagraphics or Oni Press or Avatar title, or any other alternative publisher or imprint you like. When you do that I'll support your right to free speech to the max. But keep it out of the 'all ages' books where it absolutely doesn't belong - or go ply your stories in the skin trade where they belong.
