I’ve noticed this trend myself. It used to be, an apparent plot hole was cause for speculation and maybe an explanation that would get you a No-Prize…now, people just complain that the writers and editors are idiots and berate them online. I guess it’s part of the trend where being a fan of something used to mean you enjoy it, and now it means you hate it, somehow.

I think part of it is due to storytelling changes as well — in the days of ubiquitous editors’ notes and heavy exposition, some of this stuff really was more explicit (if hamfisted). I recall an issue of Secret Wars where they had to stop and explain why Professor X had appeared on the planet in a wheelchair he no longer needed, and why Cyclops was back with the team again, etc.

Personally, I’m kind of glad when they don’t take up story pages with that kind of bookkeeping. But to be fair, they could have waited to release last week’s Wolverine & the X-Men issue until after AvX #7, if would make more sense that way.

I’m torn. On the one hand, I agree with what Brevoort says in principle. On the other hand, there have been times when “character is acting weird” wasn’t a story point but just an example having a poor handle on the character. Plus as heavy handed as exposition could be, there’s something to be sad for its use in getting new readers up to speed or even reminding current ones what’s up since presumably folks aren’t memorizing everything they read. I miss editorial notes, too, for that matter. I don’t need the “last ish” ones, but when they’re referencing stories I know nothing about, I’d appreciate the pointer.

“There’s an interesting discussion in there somewhere about how Marvel and DC readers no longer trust those creators enough to figure that questions in the story are raised consciously, rather than the result of negligent storytelling.”

Nail on the head, Marc-Oliver Frisch. Nail on the head.

I think it’s a matter of readers having been burned too many times.

This was less of a problem when I started reading comics mostly because I started reading Marvel Comics under Jim Shooter, who was pretty rigid in what he required from the stories.

And as much as the internet might hurt the general reputation of fans, the same can be said of editors. Fair or not, the level of trust that used to be there just isn’t anymore.

I think part of why comic readers want a answer right away and don’t want to wait until next issue is because they don’t feel like they got enough bang for their bucks. When every month you have questions about this months issue and the answer is always buy the next issue there comes a point where some people will become dissatisfied with that answer.

You m*****f***ers really NEED ketchup to enjoy your fries? Sometimes I forget to put it in the bag. Just stop bugging me and do without. I’m working really hard.

These fries taste like SH**! Of course, I haven’t tasted them yet; but based on these four pictures I saw online these fries are TERRRIBLE!

Tom,

Also, back in my early days of reading comics, I didn’t need hand holding like restarting comics at issue 1 over and over again or changing costumes to match movies. I would pick up a good book, regarding of the issue number and “figure it out for myself.”

just like Brevoort said*

Spoiled brats living in the age of instant gratification. It must kill half these guys to wait a whole month only to be “disappointed” time and time again. You have the power to control this people. You don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it. Unless Marvel, DC or the “indies” figure out how to make a tax out of it.

“You don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”

Given that modern Marvel is selling in numbers that got Bob Harras fired as EiC a decade ago, I’d say a lot of people have already taken this advice.

I don’t really understand the “don’t judge by the preview” statement to be honest.

Surely a preview is put out there to give people a taster of the whole. So if they aren’t finding the taster exciting or interesting then are they really going to enjoy the full issue?

Would they be complaining about judging on the preview if all the comments were positive?

“How’re those newspaper sales doin’ buddy?”

Actually, my local small-town weekly newspaper is selling about as many copies per issue as the bottom half of Marvel’s sales list. Thanks for asking, though.

“I know newspaper sales are in the toilet, but you can’t expect me to believe that an actual newspaper is being outsold by four dollar collector magazines sold at specialty shops.”

Since you are apparently WILLFULLY illiterate, let me repeat: My newspaper is extremely hyper-local. It only covers TWO small towns in our area. And its per-issue sales are STILL competitive with comics that are sold NATIONWIDE.

Prior to “Ends of the Earth,” almost as many people in ONLY THOSE TWO TOWNS were buying as many copies of my newspaper as were buying copies of Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.

Hopefully, your math skills are slightly better than your totally nonexistent reading ability.

… Okay, Dan Coyle wins.

it’s cool.
I like it.