The Bullpen

[legion of daves]

But the brand has nothing to do with the product I'm consuming be it comics, television, movies, food...  All that matters is I like it.  Sure, money will come into play, but that's not the deciding factor.  For me.

You're pretty high on DC right now.  That's cool.  You're enjoying what you're reading.

Life's to short to impose limits.  I'm restricted in plenty of places.  I'm not doing that to myself.  Not when it comes to entertainment.  I've been brand loyal.  I think I'd rather branch out and be medium loyal.

this is kind of the view i have.  good comics are good comics regardless of the company that produces them.  you don't like brevoort? that's fine, you're allowed, but the ramblings of an employee doesn't change the quality of comics that comes out of a company.

[Julian Lytle]

I get that.

But the brand has nothing to do with the product I'm consuming be it comics, television, movies, food...  All that matters is I like it.  Sure, money will come into play, but that's not the deciding factor.  For me.

You're pretty high on DC right now.  That's cool.  You're enjoying what you're reading.

Life's to short to impose limits.  I'm restricted in plenty of places.  I'm not doing that to myself.  Not when it comes to entertainment.  I've been brand loyal.  I think I'd rather branch out and be medium loyal.

I can see that. But for me, and that really means for me. If I pay for that comic that is telling the story to buy that comic which in turn tells those people that I accept, expect and endorse that behavior. And I can't do that. I don't do it in other forms of entertainment.
I don't buy R.Kelly music (it may be good but he won't see a dime from me)
I don't watch Roman Polanski films now (do your bid son)
I don't buy Ralph Lauren products (he said some things about hip hop/black youth culture and his brand)

Not buying things is the only way to voice my dislike. It's the only weapon that I have. I can good stories from other places.

[David]

but the ramblings of an employee doesn't change the quality of comics that comes out of a company.

 

Even if that employee is a major DOOSH.

[lugaru]

I can attest that he is correct.

I work for an online dating site and every time we take away a free feature or change something people FREAK OUT and start calling for boicots, posting on blogs and complaining to their friends.

And every time there is a boicot we need extra people to handle that much traffic and work... it always has the oposite effect. All of a sudden hundreds are making new profiles, visiting the old profile they forgot about or even forking over cash for a suscription because of renewed interest.

[Doug!]

Is he still wearing the tiny pill-box hat?  You'd think he made enough money to buy an adult sized hat since he's the Executive-whatever-the-fuck now.

[ThePatheticClub]

Hopefully I won't slide this discussion into one about branding but being a designer I do know that brand does affect consumer decisions especially when it comes to products of equivalent quality and value. A minority is probably immune to it but generally brand perception affects consumer choices.

Coke and pepsi are very close products but on the rare occasions I drink pop I choose pepsi because the brand resonates with me for some reason.

But anyway, this is becoming a very minor sticking point so I'll leave at that. 

[Dean S.]

If I want to get a masculine version of Y&R and GL I got WWE holding me down twice a week plus Tough Enough and PPVs. This isn't to dis what you are saying but superhero books haven't felt like a soap opera in a minute. Most shows can cover what some of these guys tell in a couple of episodes (two days). It take a comic 6 months.

I agree with you that wrestling is like a soap opera, but I still think there are a lot of similarities between daytime soaps and comics.  I had a girlfriend in college (early 1990's) who compulsively watched this stuff and I found they were kinda enjoyable, but quit watching them in ~1992 or so when we broke up.  But, every once in a while if I'm at home and I happen across Y&R its the same basic plots going on that were there 20 years ago.  There are little wrinkles, but the major themes are just the same.  And, that's why I think they're kinda like comics. 

Heck, even the soap actors/actresses seem ageless.  Some of those actors have been on these shows for ~30 years and don't look much older.  Again...like comics.

[Jordan]

Everything and nothing at all.

Why did Michael Phelps lose a bunch of endorsement deals after he was caught with the wacky weed? Did he have a hand in creating those products? The companies bounced him because they didn't want to have their output associated with a person who engages in an illegal activity. Like it or not, a vocal employee is akin to a spokesperson. They become a face of the entity for which they work. Brevoort is one of the few faces of Marvel. When he speaks, we're instantly aware of who it is he represents.

Marvel better muzzle Brevoort fast or hand him a mop and bucket to keep him busy because the dude isn't doing his employer any favors. If I'm going to throw money at an entertainment company -- and we all know how many options are available to us in that department -- I'm going to contribute to one that's smart enough not to allow an asshat to speak for them.

Guilty by association, right?

Vince, aren't you the one who always says that the art should stand on it's own?  Thats how I feel about Marvel books and Brevoort; if the books are up to snuff, I'll buy them regardless of his being a dumbass (though in this case I think he's probably right).

[Dean S.]

Vince, aren't you the one who always says that the art should stand on it's own?  Thats how I feel about Marvel books and Brevoort; if the books are up to snuff, I'll buy them regardless of his being a dumbass (though in this case I think he's probably right).

And...Brevoort is only offensive to a portion of us folk in the "online community".  We're so small that it probably has a negligible effect. 

[David]

Coke and pepsi are very close products but on the rare occasions I drink pop I choose pepsi because the brand resonates with me for some reason.

That's understandable.  I prefer Coca-Cola over Pepsi.

Partly because of this:

But mostly because it tastes better.  Pepsi's way to syrupy for me.  And I get a kick out of searching for that 'perfect' Coke when I eat out, looking for that special place that mixes in the CO2 just right.  When I do decide to indulge in soda, that is.  If I ask for Coke and the server replies "is Pepsi okay?" I ask for flavored tea or water or anything else.

Oh, but yeah...  Yay, comics!!

[jdudley]

 
This topic title gives me the image of Brevoort calling a press conference simply to make this announcement.

Marvel is simply doing what marvel DOES and it is exactly why Marvel fans buy Marvel comics. Brevoort simply isn't skilled at conveying that message properly—obviously.

It's funny to me how the comic-reading community seems to grow more childish as that same community is actually getting older: lots of temper tantrums! Being in someone like Brevoort's shoes would make the behavior of the online community very frustrating but he was definitely an idiot for voicing that frustration as he did.