Graphic Content
By Wally Flores Jr.

You know, when I first started writing for The Collector Times I had planned on looking more at the content of various titles and what made them good and bad. I figured between that and spouting off some of my opinions about comics in general I'd be set and focused. That just hasn't been the case as of late. I've found myself going on various tangents rooted in comics, and what's even worse is that I'm having fun with it. With that said, I'll be honest in saying that it looks like the trend is going to continue. I really do hope those of you reading don't mind the variation and that you're enjoying my opinions and rants. What I have for you this month is a concept that really isn't all that shocking. Marvel wants money, and we are going to be paying the price in money, brain cells, and character concepts. I want Marvel to be successful, really. They have many characters I care about, but how many more bad concepts do the fans and the shops need to suck up? Here are at least three for you. JACK IT UP

The first order of business . . . raise prices on some titles. Yes, the time has finally come for Marvel to bump up the price of a few titles from $2.25 to $2.99. Well, the actual time is in April, but you know what I mean. In case you haven't already heard the titles to be affected are: Agent X, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Exiles, Iron Man, Marville, Soldier X, Spider Girl, Thor, Thunderbolts, Ultimate Adventures, Weapon X and X-Statix. I'm figuring most of you were prepared for this to happen. Not necessarily regarding these specific titles, but that some price increase was going to happen soon. Now, I think the question is if this move is going to actually bring in more money for Marvel in the long run. That's going to change from person to person, but I'll let you know how it's affecting my contribution to Marvel's pockets. Out of these titles I am currently getting Agent X, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, and Ultimate Adventures. I am going to be staying with Agent X thru April, but mainly because I'll be judging the writer taking over for Gail Simone. If I'm teetering on my judgment the price increase will definitely be enough to help me decide on bailing. Black Panther I'm going to stick with until either it's canceled or Priest leaves the title. Captain Marvel I'm dropping as of now because it's not catching my attention and I'm not going to waste my money for the next couple of months just to get sucked into a price increase. Would I keep going if the price was going to stay the same? Yes. I'd definitely take a shot a spending a little more money to judge the book, but now I feel like I'm wasting my time to get caught in a trap. Iron Man is going to be evaluated by writer. I've been going with this title since its re-launch, and while it has been an enjoyable read as of late I could cut it today and not lose sleep. Ultimate Adventures is toast as of today. It's an enjoyable read, but it's not coming out on time and now I'm looking at a price increase. That's an easy decision in my eyes. So let's look at the breakdown for the following six issues of these titles as they relate to the cash in my pocket: Profit = 30.70 Agent X: 8,9 at 2.25 = 4.50, and 10 at 2.99 = 2.99 AX TOTAL = 7.49 Black Panther: 54-56 at 2.25 = 6.75, and 57-59 at 2.99 = 8.97 BP TOTAL = 15.72 Iron Man: 65,66 at 2.25 = 4.50, and 67 at 2.99 = 2.99 IM TOTAL = 7.49 Jeopardy = 17.94 Agent X: 11-13 at 2.99 = 8.97 AX TOTAL = 8.97 Iron Man: 68-70 at 2.99 = 8.97 IM TOTAL = 8.97 Lost = 31.44 Captain Marvel: 4-7 at 2.25 = 9.00, and 7,8 at 2.99 = 5.98 CM TOTAL = 14.98 Ultimate Adventures: 3,4 at 2.25 = 4.50, and 5-8 at 2.99 = 11.96 UA TOTAL = 16.46 As you can see I'm not figuring tax, shipping, vendor, or other costs. I'm talking about what I am shelling out before tax, not who gets what portion of it. So, out of my pocket Marvel is losing more than they're gaining in the short run. In the long run this bump up will cover itself I'm sure. Some folks will stick with these titles and they'll cover a bit for those who drop them. Plus, you can figure that with price increases on these titles other Marvel titles will later follow, though probably not with as much of an increase. Let's face it folks, this move isn't to bring new people into the fold on these titles. At best this price increase is a way to get a bit more money out of some of us before some of these titles are canceled. Oh, and am I the only one who is disgusted by the fact that ALL THREE U-Decide titles are getting increased? Not only did they not live up to the bet of canceling two of the titles (you all knew that was a lie right?), they're actually increasing the price on all three titles. There are others who are known for getting you into something and then jacking up the price. Who are they . . . ? Oh yeah, it's a drug pusher. YOU'RE ALL WET

It's big, it's scary, it's a huge force that's coming for us. No, it's not the population of China. We aren't worried about war with them . . . yet. What I'm talking about is "Tsunami." Yes folks, Marvel has found a way to try and tap into the Japanese media impact on our youth, while not so subtly mimicking the name of Cartoon Network's "Toonami" program. What exactly is Tsunami supposed to be? It's teen angst, humanism, love, incest . . . no . . . wait . . . no incest. I was confusing Tsunami with V.C. Andrews novels. My bad. So, other than the incest thing that is supposedly what Tsunami is supposed to entail. Jemas has said that Marvel wants to go for a manga feel in these upcoming titles that will fall under the Tsunami umbrella. Hey, why not? The Marvel Mangaverse was a HUGE success and readers are very warmly accepting the art of Kia Asamiya on Uncanny X-Men. Are you sensing the sarcasm yet? Good. So, art aside let's say Marvel does get the FEEL of manga. Now, I'm not a manga expert. Heck, I don't even think I'm familiar with the stuff other than knowing people who like it. However, I still think I might be one step ahead of Jemas. Why? Because when talking about cashing in on this manga feel in the titles he connects the concept to the success of Power Rangers, Pokemon and Digimon here in the U.S. If you don't believe me go out and dig up his quotes regarding Tsunami on the net. Again, I am no manga expert, but when I think Power Rangers, Pokemon and Digimon I DON'T think manga. I think kids entertainment, and from what I've heard about manga it's not made with kids in mind. I work with kids folks. Now, while I understand tastes can vary by region, in my area it's all about Yu-Gi-Oh (which Jemas seems to mention as an afterthought) and Dragon Ball Z. Yu-Gi-Oh interest goes from elementary partially thru middle school. It probably goes beyond that but by that time kids have learned to fear having the tar beat out of them for seeming geeky, so I don't see it in the classroom as much. Dragon Ball Z is heavy in middle school and has some leakage into high school. Personally I think kids in high school can wear a DBZ shirt and get away with it because people around them think they must be trained in some kind of martial art or have the capacity to spastically punch for an hour and a half straight. Dealing with either can carry a high element of danger. You want teens to read your titles? Connect 'em with SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can do that, consider yourself set. I know what you're thinking now. What are these upcoming Tsunami titles going to be? Well, you should be able to guess two of them very easily. Think manga, love, teens, heartbreak, and humanism. Yes, that's right folks. With those elements in mind how can you not immediately think of Namor and Venom? OK, so I'm getting a little carried away with the sarcasm now, but with this concept it's tough not to. In addition to Namor and Venom the other titles that will released are Human Torch, Sentinel, Runaways, and Mystique. Descriptions are available on the net, read them at your own risk. WHO YOU CALLING "HOMO"?

No, I'm not being some kind of insensitive jerk with that heading. I'm using 'homo' with its Latin meaning, which is 'human.' Why? Because in case you haven't heard mutants aren't human. As I'm sure you all know Toy Biz Inc. is owned by Marvel, and they were in court working on what Marvel seems to be heavily obsessed with as of late, which is making money. The case? Whether or not the X-Men are human. On January 3, 2003 Judge Judith Barzilay ruled in a U.S. court of law that the X-Men are not human. So how does this ruling save Marvel money? First, you have to understand that any figures that are considered to be human are classified as "dolls," while nonhuman figures are "toys." See, I'm entertaining and educational. Anyway, the difference between the two financially is that in the mid 1990s Toy Biz had figures imported to the U.S. from China. Back then dolls coming into the U.S. were subject to a 12% import duty, while toys only carried a 6.8% import duty. Neither of those duties exist anymore, but if Toy Biz could get a court to rule that the X-Men, and many other Marvel characters, weren't human they could get a reimbursement based on the past difference of the duties. They got their ruling. At what cost to the fans though? This decision hasn't been well received by the fans of the X-Men. If Marvel is lucky, people either won't hear about their desire for this ruling, or that they won't care that Marvel wanted it. I'm far from being an X-fan, but Marvel's desire for this decision does disturb me. I understand they want to save money, even if Tsunami makes it look like they still know how to waste it. However, one of the strongest underlying themes of being a mutant in Marvel is that you ARE human, just a different kind. Now we need to take this theme with a grain of salt. Heck, let's be honest. You have to accept this theme covered in chocolate while plugging your nose just to keep yourself from gagging from the nasty taste. Marvel has stated that the X-Men are still human beings, but if they obviously don't believe it why do they expect us to? If they want to come out and say the X-Men aren't human then they need to do it. What Marvel has done completely undermines much of the work writers of the X-books have done in the past, currently, and in the future. Most importantly I think Marvel has really undermined the support of fans of the X-Men, especially those who believe that the X-Men carry a message of equality among humans. Will I still read Uncanny X-Men? Yes, but I really feel sorry for Chuck Austen because he has worked at bringing back a humanism to the team that I have missed for so long, and Marvel has basically spit in his face. There you have it folks. It's not even the end of the first month of the year and Marvel is doing its best to get a running start financially. I know it's a business and businesses have to make money to keep working, but they need to start asking themselves if the sacrifices are worth it at some time. If Marvel is willing to bleed extra cash out of fans, peddle new concepts based on dated concepts, and discard character foundations without blinking what's next? I'm scared to find out myself. How about you?

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