Last week Bonnie noticed that there's a mangaka cafe in Japan – a cafe with the usual food, drinks, and internet, but also spaces and resources for artists to work in. Of course, you know me – I had to speculate on if this might be a good idea in the United States/North America.
Comics and Manga
What The World Needs Now Is Thor
What the world needs now is a hunky Asgardian beating the crap out of people with a hammer.
Ok, actually this is what Superhero films and the superhero genre need. After seeing the previews for the Thor movie, I'm not only enthused about it, I think the film has the chance to get Superhero movies out of a rut.
There have been many Superhero films over the last few decades. Many have been quite good and artistic, often with excellent actors. Chistopher Reeve's Superman was excellent (and a fun film). Nolan's Batman was dark and noirish and well-done. The Rami Spiderman films were pretty good (early on at least) and had excellent casting – I'd in fact say Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus was amazing. There's a lot of good stuff out there.
It's just it always seems to be the same stuff, over and over.
The Subscription Age
You ever get a magazine subscription – and sometimes read it? You still renew it you know . . . just in case.
Or maybe you get comics in a pull at a comic store. You buy them, and might even read them.
Or a book club.
Or . . .
Well you get the idea. We all have experience with subscriptions one way or another. However in an age of eMedia, DLC games, and the iPad-ness, think about what kind of subscriptions you're going to see.
I think we're going to see a lot more subscriptions in the future. Your business models, your publishing models, and your estimates on profitability are going to need to keep this in mind. If you're writer, an ePublisher, a game developer, this will be a factor.