Why pandering to the fanboys is pandering to everyone

Why pandering to the fanboys is pandering to everyone

When you make a movie for those of us who are hardcore fans, you make a better movie

Editorial Opinion
By CheckmateComics - Dec 01, 2012 02:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: Checkmate Comics Blog

Marvel’s The Avengers is the third highest grossing movie of all time, on a global scale, so I’m going to ask an obvious question; “Why.” Don’t get me wrong, the Avengers was a brilliant movie, but there are more factors that went in to making The Avengers a success. Without a doubt this is because Marvel marketed the movies to fans, and not just to the general public. In the not too distant past, when comic book movies were made, they were marketed to those unfamiliar with the characters, but over the years, companies seem to have learned that they should be marketing these movies to people who are already fans. If you treat the fans well, they are more likely to spread positive word of mouth, drawing in future fans. A portion of these new fans will check out the comic and the whole cycle will start over.
      Comedian Lewis Black said “We always feel better in anticipation. You don’t think about something and think “Aw, it’s gonna be shitty.” NO! You say “This is gonna be the greatest weekend ever! Sonuvabitch!” The anticipation of an event builds and adds to the event itself. Now, let’s look at the lead up to the Avengers movie. Thor, Captain America, two Hulk movies, and two Iron Man movies. This is a lot of build up for such a major picture, and each has spawned its own series upon that (With the exception of the Hulk movies). But the anticipation machine goes even deeper than that. Hidden in each movie are a number of Easter eggs, the holy grails of geekdom. These hidden gems reference bits of the past that fans can pick up on and discuss with like minded friends, or people on the internet. However, these Easter eggs are also a reward. Subconsciously, aficionados will feel that their fanaticism is being acknowledged and rewarded. It strikes a cord with the viewer, reminding him that he is part of a community. That’s why it works so well. That brief little flash is a common thread that releases a flicker of good feeling.
      In addition to respecting the fans as a community, the movies have to respect the source material. Without this, the people who love the comics will most likely pick apart the movie, spreading negative word of mouth, and turning people away from the film instead of drawing new viewers in. On the other side of things, if a film is respectful to a beloved source, community will praise it. New viewers will be drawn in, fans will be happy, and more leeway will be given to future films. Now this is not baring companies for making new and interesting adaptations of a character. Batman for instance is a character of many different portrayals, and the campy Adam West Batman is just as valid of a character as Christian Bale’s Batman. That being said, an unusual version of a loved character will face a great deal of resistance, and any character changes need to be important to the story. The mythos of a character or characters is built around a history that took decades to solidify.
      Michael Bay’s changes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit a wall of resistance because a group of aliens is needlessly contradictory to the classic origin story. The 1980′s TMNT story, however was beloved even though it was different from the dark and gritty Laird and Eastman group. The lighthearted turtles were still the beloved characters from the comic book, even though they were modified into their kid friendly forms. Good writing is about both psychology and history, and few people know these aspects of a character like a true fan. When characters are retooled and reworked in movies, some of this is lost and, perhaps only subconsciously, the fans will pick up on it. So, while writers and directors may complain about having to appease the fan-boys, its that same group of devoted followers that keep the characters true to themselves, making every new iteration better. After all, the fans are just as responsible for the creation and life of the characters as the writer.

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Minato
Minato - 12/1/2012, 5:19 PM
Good write up and I agree
The movies just have higher quality when respect is given to source material.
GuardianDevil
GuardianDevil - 12/1/2012, 5:45 PM
Good article, I agree when they give proper respect to the comics, the movie always turns out better. I mean look at those X-Men films...meh...
yourdaddy
yourdaddy - 12/2/2012, 8:19 AM
scott pilgrim. end of discussion.
comiccow6
comiccow6 - 12/2/2012, 8:53 AM
"Comedian Lewis Black said “We always feel better in anticipation. You don’t think about something and think “Aw, it’s gonna be shitty.”"

Except for Grif. RIP. Great article.
MrCameron
MrCameron - 12/2/2012, 10:30 AM
I agree with everything SotoJuiceMan said. I hate how all the fanboys always bitch about movies like Nolan's Batman trilogy and The Amazing Spider Man that make some changes to the mythos and are all like "but that didn't happen in the comics". They are freaking movies, not comic books, and sometimes it's best to change some things in order to make it more marketable to the general public. I mean look at Watchmen: it followed the comic almost exactly and was a box office dissapointment, while Nolan's Batman trilogy is one of the most successful of all time.

To quote SotoJuice man, "Comic book fans need to understand that a movie always comes first, making sure its marketable, able to view, and ensure success."
Minato
Minato - 12/2/2012, 11:33 AM
I dont think this article was meant to say that they must stick to strictly only comic book events. Nolan, Raimi, Webb, Whedon all payed respect to the comic counterpart and created their own stories and that is fine. My problem is when writers and directors don't read any comics and make something up off what they believe the characters are without reading source material. This is evident in the treatment of Green Lantern, SHoeMakers Batman, and the Wonder Woman tv show that was canceled.
HulkinOut
HulkinOut - 12/2/2012, 2:09 PM
Yeah, ive been saying for the longest time now that hardcore comic fans take the fun and creativity out of the film makers control because they constaintly nit pik and complain about the dumbest things.(ie. Superman not wearing the corny red underwear.)
At the sametime, like hush said, sometimes it seems filmmakers dont even bother reading over the source material and try andd sell us garbage. Then they wonder why their film tanks.
fortycals
fortycals - 12/3/2012, 7:48 AM
Heres the thing. Once you get away from a panel to screen adaptation, you get into the realm of artist interpitation. Two different people can read the same book and take away from it two different things. Certain things are important to one person and not the other. Now have those same people write a book report, and I bet you they would be way different. You cant make everyone happy so the goal should be what makes the most people happy.

Easter eggs are another double edge sword. Alot of these easter egg are put in to be a wink to the cb fans. What we as fans do is take them far to seriously. Take the x men movies for example. Beast was thrown in X2 or X1, as an easter egg. He was still human looking. By X3 he was blue. Then back to xfc he was blue long before X1. Now fans scream continuity error. The xmen movies have alot of these. What were supposed to be nods to the fans but the fans rip you apart when the easter egg messes up continuity.

The Cbm world is full of them. What about Capt half built shield in IM2. They never explained that one. The next easter egg f up is going to be the infinity guanlet in odins vault. If that never comes up again I wonder will the cb fans scream. I personally dont mind the easter eggs, I just dont take them as seriously any more. As a matter of fact Ive never taken countinuity errors in general to seriously. They screw up in the books all the time, and its never stopped me from reading.

All things aside, I just want good movies. I dont care if you go for 100% faithfullness or a F the source adaptation, as long as its good. Trying to please just fans or just the general public is stupid. You try to make a good movie, first and for most.
CheckmateComics
CheckmateComics - 12/3/2012, 11:45 AM
@SotoJuiceMan
Winter Soldier, Knightfall, Identity Crisis, Quiver, Marvels, Hush, Dangerous Habits, Death of Gwen Stacy, Long Halloween, Ultimates, Days of Future Past, Civil War (Multi-Film Epic), Age of Apocalypse, Judas Contract, V for Vendetta, Dark Knight Returns, and Dark Knight Strikes Again would all look good on film, and Seven Soldiers of Victory would be an interesting movie, though not a high earner.
Sorry, I did more than 5. These are just my opinion and there are more that I'm sure I haven't thought of.

I do agree with you folks on how Easter eggs can be oversaturated, and can lead to some continuity errors, but I still find it comforting to know the studios are thinking of us.
parkerray
parkerray - 12/3/2012, 12:39 PM
Love that Lewis Black quote. Haven't heard much of his comedy.
yourdaddy
yourdaddy - 12/4/2012, 2:11 AM
@SotoJuiceMan

ugh.

'too many easter eggs'?

really?

stop whining. we're lucky to be having so many superhero films right now. so, be happy with that. instead of incessantly whining about unimportant things.
fortycals
fortycals - 12/4/2012, 8:20 AM
Im not hating on EE, i love them. Its like a inside joke. Im more against us fans taking them so seriously. We see them and build big theories around them like they were a key part to a movie, when it was just the creators saying "Hey I see you" I always have the urge to focus on what the egg could possibly mean down the line when it probably means nothing.
sikwon
sikwon - 12/4/2012, 9:27 AM
Its about balance. Between staying true to the character and adding something new. The same thing with easter eggs, some have meaning, some dont but they are ALL fun. Personaly i think we are in a new golden age of comics and need to get used to the idea of comics and movies supporting each other story and character arc wise. Iron Man going into the Guardians of the Galaxy is a petfect example.
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