Something that was brought up the other day in the comments section was that some people do not trust “big sites” as much. The main complaint is that reviews might be biased in favor of companies that provide them with exclusive content, or that the sites might want to play nice with sponsors to continue the flow of cash.
Which begs the question of how much do you trust us here at The Weekly Crisis. As a rule, we never post straight up PR posts that you might find in other places, and we always try to make our content entirely unique, providing opinions, views and insights into things like news pieces that you just can't find in any other site. Lately though, we’ve been gaining a certain amount of exclusive access (such as invitations to Marvel’s Next Big Thing conference calls, review issues from other companies, and the like), and I thought it would be interesting to see just how much do you trust our reviews, how much you agree or disagree with our points of views, and just how much we reflect on our readership in general.
What I am interested to hear is how much do you trust our reviews, do you pick books based on our recommendations? How about in comparison to other big news sites or other review based blogs similar to ours? What websites or reviewers do you feel more in sync when it comes to the books you enjoy? Let us know all about it in the comments section below (and don’t worry about being brutally honest, we can take it).
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74 comments:
I dont trust most of ryans reviews . massive bias on batgirl , red robin plus the grant morrison reviews ( hate being a stereotype) really reads asthough he dousnt understand it and it gets quite annoying as it always leads arguements leaving other reviews overlooked , bottom line dont post it if its bad it just leads to fighting.
I guess an example of the being paid under the table thing would be ryans new avengers 6 review
Well, Matt has opened Pandora's Box with this one. As a routine, between Tues and Fri I check here, CBR, Newsarama, 4th Letter, ComicsAlliance, Comixology,and Comics Curriculum. Between all of these sites, I figure I get 98% of the major comic news and reviews. This way in preparations for my participation in my bud's comic internet show along with when I hang at my regular LCS, I got a good pulse on the differing opinions.
Now when it comes to Weekly Crisis itself, I won't mince words. I trust the site implicitly. The reason why is even when I disagree with you folks on a book or a comic direction, you present the reasons why in a clear and intelligent fashion. You guys are also not afraid to a bias due to past history. It is quite refreshing actually and I hope you folks continue the good work.
@Daryll: I sure have! We knew this was a possibility going in, and the first comment has already confirmed our fears. That being said, we knew this going, and we still wanted to get a pulse into what's going on.
I'm glad that you check our site among all those other giants of the comic blogosphere. The only one I don't know about is Comics Curriculum. Can you link me?
I really dont like how rokks comic is on 1 of the 5 friends on your site . they are more blogs that gain bigger reader numbers wheras rokks comic gains only about 200 and they are not nice to their readers as they rarely talk to you on the comments section, rokk will use your views and mock them on his podcast , andrenn is incredibally hostile to anyone that has a bad word about image. I know i sound as if im going off topic but they are more deserving blogs that deserve more attention and the weekly crisis could really help them :)
keep up the good work
I trust that you all enjoy the books you review.
That said, having tried a few on recommendations, I simply think Ryan S. has a different taste in comics than I do. I was gonna say bad taste, but that's subjective. I don't think Batgirl, Red Robin, Secret Six,Green Arrow are good books. I thought Batman ROBW was completely awesome. Opinions, I guess.
RKL and I seem, based on his CBR reviews, to have similar tastes to mine. Same goes with Chad Nevett. We seem to think alike.
I still haven't gotten over Kirk's review of Siege 4. He said he loved it, but gave it a horrid review.
Opening up to exclusive content can be akin to a garage band selling out. People start accusing you of things that anyone with a brain would never believe.
I stopped posting over at CBR because the folks over ther seem to think Marvel is trying to poison them with increased prices. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who actually likes comics over there.
I like it here. Sure, we have differing opinions, but that's the fun. Everyone here is articulate in why they don't like something, cept the anonymous'.
I do think folks have bias, but not nearly to te extreme that some think. Past bad work can influence current good work. That's all I think it is.
How many anons do you think we'll get on this one?
Wait! New Avengers 6 was awesome! Blasphemer!
@ryanklindsay I've had to refrain myself from jumping in because "oh twobit hates anonimous posters he should be baned"
@ryanklindsay I just read the comments on the Power Rankings... why do you guys insist on letting those hateful trolls continue to post?
I really dont like the bitching on twitter , its quite hurtful and shows you guys to be in a bad light
Noting when you get a free review copy goes a long way with me (I think that might be a legal requirement or something in some countries).
But it's not like you guys are reporting important world news. When you say you like something, I believe you like it, and may stop and flip through it and consider picking it up if it looks good. Which is about as much trust as you can give some stranger on the internet talking about comics.
Lately though, we’ve been gaining a certain amount of exclusive access (such as invitations to Marvel’s Next Big Thing conference calls, review issues from other companies, and the like),
are going to accept these offers? because I really couldnt see an arguement against you guys being bias
ditto on the friends list help people that deserve it
I dont read ryan Iowans reviews . dont agree with them as do many and he said on twitter that he wont miss reviewing after he starts writing so not much to like there
stop being so tame
http://www.weeklycrisis.com/2009/10/grilled-cheese-chronicles-greg-lands.html
I want you guys to do more critical articles like these . Its really great that big sites like you guys arent afraid to crtitise well you used to
I trust the site isn't biased, just varying opinions. Superboy #1 was a very good issue, Ryan didn't think so, no big deal. Some of the fireside chats might be a bit softball but since they go beyond talking about just the comic but about the creators influences and whatnot I don't mind it as much. Now, if by chance you interviewed an editor with one of the big two publishers and didn't ask them serious questions without letting them spin the answer away, that would be disappointing. Let there be one hard hitting Q&A where we see the editor have to deal with real questions, and have them runaway or blacklist you and show they can't play on a level playing field, as opposed to lobbing soft questions for Cup of Joe/Brevoort/Alonso segments that have a habit of leaving certain websites if the questions get too tough.
Now, if someone says Greg Land is a good artist, you've been bought off. There is no compromise there.
I use the reviews from here as well as another to get a good idea of what my pull list will be. I have a pretty permanent list so I'm pretty choosy. Everyone has likes and dislikes and there are going to be reviews that everyone will either agree or disagree with due to prior opinions of characters, writers, and artists. So get what you get.
I hope people see this entire post, and all subsequent comments, as a great place for us all to come together and discuss (being the operative word). I think every comment so far has been great, and so nice to see so many people add a name into the box, thanks guys.
@beter gifford - if you feel the other reviews aren't getting any light then throw up a comment about them. Be the change you wish to sdee in the world, man. But I have to ask you flat out - Do you think I was paid to expressly give New Avengers #6 a 4 star review on CBR? If so, where did I get the money from, and how much?
@finnesse - why can't we have a friend of the site like Rokk? It's not a place to list the bigger sites,it's a place to list our friends and Rokk is certainly one of them. Hell, my blog is one of the links, and that's just crazy, ha.
@Don Winslow - Yeah, I find I agree with Chad a fair bit, but then sometimes completely disagree with him, but I always value his reviews. And, yeah, I enjoyed NA 6 completely. It's not a Y: The Last Man or Casanova 4 stars but it's just a fun comics as comics 4 stars, definitely.
@Anonymous7 (really, is it that hard to put a name?) - You make it look like those quotes are from me...they're not. Sure, I've probably said some, hilarious, stuff on twitter, but none of those quotes are mine.
As for sites I trust, and frequent - I always trusted this site, hence my joining, and CBR has usually been a good pot for reviews, i find Chad and back when Tim was reviewing would be the ones I knew I'd feel similar to.
I do enjoy 4th Letter purely because it's well written. They're really the main ones I frequent. Newsarama rarely gets looked at anymore, and Comics Alliance has some good content but much just isn't for me, I find.
you kinda dodged the point about if rokk deserves to be there ryan , and which I have to agree with finnesse
@finesse: We talk with Rokk's crew on a regular basis on Twitter. They don't comment much here anymore, but they used to do it more often. I don't listen to Rokk's podcast (just don't have the time), so I would love to hear just exactly where they mock our views.
@Don: Judging by the looks of it, we are going to get a whole lot of comments. Brace for impact! Also, I liked New Avengers #6 too, I don't know what's up with the person above.
@Anonymous: Sounds to me like you have a bone to pick with twobitspecialist (who is a commenter, not a member of the site), so take it up with him. Obviously you follow him on Twitter, so it shouldn't be hard.
Matt I mistyped it was actually Continuum not curriculum. My Bad but here is the site:
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/
It is by Rob Allstetter covering entertainment news relating to comics and animation. Most times they have comic news related to animated properties before sites like aintitcoolnews and superherohype
@Bill: We always acknowledge when we get review copies, usually in the intro so the readers know ASAP. We may slip (we are human, after all), but we do make a conscious effort to let everyone know.
@roger: We have been participating in some of these calls already (see the Hype Machines for Spider-Girl, Osborn, and Avengers/New Avengers from the last month or so). We have been invited to others as well, but we haven't been able to make all of them. As with review issues, we always let you know in the intro where this information is coming from, so you know what to expect.
@owama: Glad you liked the article. The thing about being critical like that, is that it takes a lot of time to create a good, logical argument. Often times (at least for myself), I chose to instead spend that time writing about something that I enjoy and deserves more attention. However, this does not mean that we won't do pieces like this in the future, as a matter of fact I'm working on one right now, look for it later this week or the next one.
@Ken: Our fireside chats are entirely conceived and started by us, where we contact creators that we want to talk with and interview. This usually means that we will go after creators we admire/like. It's just the nature of the beast as it is right now, but our site is always evolving, and if we were to conduct interviews in person, it would be a more reasonable possibility.
@Daryll: Thanks for the link, though the site looks kind of screwed up (the images are all overlaping/off the screen). Is that just me?
And regarding Rokk's site at the bottom: it's not a promotional space, we just put links to sites that we are friends with. It's not a matter of "earning" the spot by merit of what's written. However, if you have a good website, or a favorite blog that you want us to check out, just leave a comment here and tell us why you like that particular site.
what happened to features like the greg land one above . thats really good , no disrespect but seeing that now it makes you guys look tame
What I get from this site (and that I truly appreciate) is that I get a sense of each reviewer's tastes and those tastes seem to be consistent from week to week. My tastes mesh in some areas and don't in others, but I am always interested in reading about your opinions. I will go to the bigger sites for the breaking news, previews and recurring articles like Brian Hibbs' "Titling at Windmills," but I come here because I want to hear what you think about books. Please continue to avoid the traps that others can't or won't: don't post vaccuous press releases masquerading as news, sychophantic "interviews" that are thinly veiled excuses as to why something is missolicited/late/of poor quality, serve as a legitimizing mouthpiece for editorial departments to try and convince us that they have our best reading interests at heart. Call a piece of garbage a piece of garbage and tell me why you think so. But keep showing me why Batman/Spider-Man/Charater X is bad-ass this week and why YOU would buy it. Show me something I wouldn't otherwise see through the Marvel/DC noise. Keep buying your own comics. Don't reccomend I spend my hard-earned money on something if you haven't done the same. By way of example, through being introduced by you to them I have continuously picked up Atomic Robo and Secret Six. Hope I was able to answer your question for you
@mrevans: That is exactly the answer we were looking for, thanks for contributing.
@Jessic the racoon - I think I answered the Q just fine. What I dno't understand is why you think a site needs to 'earn' it's spot as a link and friend of our site. We can be friends with whomever we choose and we definitely choose Rokk. We don't have him as a link because he hits a certain amount of site hits, we link the site because we like those lads, warts and all.
As for Fireside Chats, yeah, they're not exactly hard hitting, i will agree. But I cold call these creators and don't want to then throw a bunch of rude Qs their way because in the end they don't need to do the interview for the site. I could spice things up, sure, but I've only interviewed creators I like/agree with so haven't had much need to be divisive and expose style with them.
As for negative posts like Greg Land, man, I don't like writing that stuff, pure and simple. Writing about negativity just isn't fun and this is supposed to be my fun side project. Sure, I wrote an article once that was relatively negative, and I'm sure something will get my goat once again and I'll write about it, but usually I don't want to write negative reviews or think pieces, it's just taxing and has to be something I really have a passion for. Take the JMS departure from Superman and WW recently, I just didn't have it in me to write a slamming post about that.
But in saying that, I don't feel we should only write glowing reviews. That's not a complete rounding, but the motivation to write an Avoid It review can be pretty low. I wanted to write a big review about Ant-Man and the Wasp, I loved that comic, but just ran out of time. Writing a review about something I didn't enjoy...well, i try not to pick up comics I don't enjoy. It's that simple. I will, probably, however, write a big Shadowland wrap up after the piece, and I didn't enjoy lots of that.
I'm also a little confused by Ryan's reviews. I'm not saying they're bad, as a review is an opinion (and everyone should keep that in mind when reading them), but he's seemed biased on a few occasions. I think his reviews offer a different opinion on a lot of books that we usually see the same opinion over and over. I could agree and disagree with a lot of what he's said.
I do trust the site though, as none of you have "sold out". Even when you receive previews, you're not biased with the book, which is fair to everyone.
I won't necessarily pick a book based on your reviews, but I'll give it another look, definitely. I wouldn't be reading Secret Six, Secret Warriors and some other books that I would have skipped over if it weren't for you guys.
I've always gotten the sense that your reviewers seem to have a bias towards Marvel titles. Marvel seems to get more positive reviews whereas for DC, the reviews are a bit harsher.
There's the small occasion where the site recommends a title highly and I thought it was dreadful (e.g. Knight & Squire). But then I do realize that not everyone's tastes are the same.
@Anon 7 - 3 things:
1. Good job on failing to understand how Twitter works.
2. I'm flattered that you follow my every move. I'm sorry, but I'm just not that into you.
3. Matt's right. I bet you're the one that's always complaining that I'm hostile with the anons, too, when in reality the only one that is complaining here is you. You got something to say to me, do it on Twitter, please. Not here. @2BitSpecialist
hahaha wow you guys are actually doing this? Alright, I'll be honest.
You had a "Moments of the Week" column a while back, and the Flash was in there. Your comment on it was essentially "I'm not reading this title so I don't know how important this is or what it means". I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist. Above it was like, 4-5 moments from a single Spider-Man issue.
I don't care if you're biased, I read the parts I like and I ignore the parts I don't. But yeah, this site is a MarvelMill, absolutely. Which, whatever, it is what it is. I don't read Marvel but I like to know what's going on in it, so I come here for that because that's like 75% of what you all talk about.
So heck, I still get something out of your bias. And I'm sure if you evened the scales it would either be false since you obviously don't really care too much about DC, or we'd hear griping from the other side about the same problem. Can't win with the fanboys, sorry!
Anyway, on topic: I visit four comic sites daily: this one, rokk's, 4letter, and Spider-man Crawlspace. Out of those, yours is the first one I visit. I landed here through The Moments of the Week, and I was hooked. Never once did I think the reviews are biased. Believe me, I also check out videogame review sites, where people are ALWAYS calling out reviewers for supposed bias. So it's not just here.
I like the reviews. It was your reviews that led me to get started on my own comics collection. At the end of the day, I'm the one making the purchase, but it's good to have the recommendations from this site, even if I don't buy every single title that says "Buy It" in it, and I've never felt you guys have led me wrong.
I am a huge Grant Morrison fan who loves Red Robin and Batgirl. I am at odds with the Iowan reviews at times and also in complete agreement. He has been honest since his postings on Newsarama. We all have creators we favor and that's comics.
I hold this site in high esteem. I don't always agree with various writers' assessments of things with which I am already familiar, but I frequently act on recommendations of you guys on books I don't know anything about. Thus far I have not been disappointed.
Hey there.... Very interesting topic. I have a special interest in this since I'm one of the reviewers at Weekly Comic Book Review. I don't think we get quite as much traffic as you guys do, but we do alright and face some of the same questions.
Here's a bigger issue that I face with my own bias: I have met and really like a lot of the creators. Once you know that they are (a) reading your reviews and (b) are really nice people, it becomes a LOT harder to rip their work. Hell, I even pay a lot of these artists whose work I review for commissions and buy their original art pages.
You know what my answer is: I'm not unbiased! I'm not coming at it from a neutral point of view. For example, I just met Bernard Chang at a con this past weekend. Heck of a nice guy and he did an awesome sketch for me. Guess what: That IS going to color my review of Supergirl in a few weeks. Can't help it.
And I'm not too bothered by it either. Just be honest about what bias you have and I think it all comes out in the wash.
Dr Zoltar raised it so I'll address my own answer about Marvel bias. I looked at the Feb solicits and I am planning to pick up about 1 DC book for every 5 I'll be getting from Marvel. That's just how my purchasing habits lie. So when it comes to reviewing things, I guess there'll be more Marvel to write about by pure defniition. Interesting, though, that this week I have two reviews, and they're neither Marvel. Granted, the DC one isn't exactly glowing, though...
When I look at the Iowan Reviews (which sounds like a government scandal:) I notice he picks up a whole stack of DC books. He's easily not biased to one company, I'd say. But this site gets Marvel bias worries and also complaints about Green Arrow being favoured, so I guess it all depends on the specific post you're looking at. Looking at a Marvel review ill look like Marvel bias. Looking at a mixed review won't, so perhaps we need to take all, or as many as we can, posts into account.
But I definitely have a lean towards Marvel in the monthly format, no doubt. Trades go elsewhere, I think.
First & foremost, I think this site needs to stop taking itself so serious. I've stopped reading any of the articles or reviews because on the one hand you complain about comics being too much for adults, then on the other analyze them with a fervor usually associated with the works of Oscar Wilde. I don't get the sense that any of the reviewers here really enjoy comics.
Calling your reviews "controversial" is also pretty offputting. I'd normally associate that kind of hyperbole with Millar or Rich Johnston. Considering Eric has made no secret on Twitter (or here) of the fact that he things Rich is a raging asshole, it strikes me as ironic that you guys so often stoop to the same tactics. Not like a popular comic doesn't make you controversial.
Speaking of Twitter - you guys come off as really obnoxious snobs on there. For as much you complain about snarky comments on your blog posts, you guys are just as snarky on twitter, if not more so. I've stopped following all of you - being a snarky dick about comics doesn't make you unique, it makes you just another one of the herd.
Oh, one more thing - stop complaining about anonymous comments. Not everyone has one of the account choices, & an anonymous name doesn't mean the opinion is any less relevant, especially when I could put any name there I want & won't mean anything.
I like the features on this site. I come here usually each morning (along with CBR, comiclist and comicresources) and then later on in the day if a thread looks good aka when Ryan destroys a Morrison book. Morbid, I know.
I have, in the past, picked up books based on reviews here, like Elephantmen, Atomic Robo and American Vampire. However, I won't read the reviews for stuff I review over at comiclist. So I typically only read the full write-ups after I've finished own my work.
I am unusual because I generally don't like or want the super hero stuff. So Ryan can give Batgirl the highest regards each month and I will never buy it.
For the stuff that does overlap between what I review and what I read here (like GL or Parker for example) I usually find myself in more agreement with Ryan K over Ryan Iowa but I think that's because Ryan K has more non-super hero tastes over Ryan Iowa.
I think the quality in this site is there is something for everyone and their tastes. There is a good mix here and I think the Morrison debate makes it that much more fun.
WC rocks, been reading it for years.
You guys are extremely sensitive when it comes to trolls, beyond that, I check WC daily, no lie. Very frustrated when the reviews come in late!
Keep up the great work!
I guess the question has to be asked...
@A Noun A Mouse - if you aren't reading any of the articles or reviews here then what are you reading? Just the Moments...? Which is totally cool!
@Anon35 - you mention us being extremely sensitive about trolls and I do agree with you a bit on that - but it only just occurred to me why. I guess it's because we like this site, we like doing what we do, and we like the commenters on here. When destructive commments come in here it's 'ruining our house' if you will. We want this place to be a fun community, a place to get our chat on, so we like to keep an active hand in that. I feel we chat with anons and others alike equally - which people must appreciate because they complain that other sites don't respond to comments. I like the personal touch around here.
As for Twitter, that's an interesting observation. I'd say I'm more boring than snarky but I guess it's all in the eye of the berr-holder. I do, every now and then, vent about really rude people. Just like people vent about their jobs or their day. I don't think I'm snarky about comics, that much. But I'm sure some quotes would prove me wrong.
Also, don't forget that the gauntlet is thrown down, everyone, write your own reviews in the comments of the Power Rankings. Really express your case with logic and words. I can't wait.
I love the site; and I agree with most of Ryan's Power Ranking reviews - most. I'm not a big fan of what Morrison has done on Batman. Yes, I get it. And yes, I've gotten it all - I've collected Batman since 1985 and even gotten issues beyond that. I just don't care for his story and since I am a fan, I buy his issues and go along because if I don't, I'll be lost since he's leading the Batman franchise. But I adore comics like Red Robin and Batgirl. They keep me happy and get into the new directions set by Morrison, surprisingly.
I'M WITH CAP!
...wrong promo?
Anyway, I trust you guys. It's pretty obvious you have fun writing for the site. It really shows, and it keeps making me come back.
But I have to say that your reviews don't influence my buying habits too much. No reviews from anywhere else do, in fact. I'm that kind of guy that buys their favorite characters no matter what (some would say I'm the bane of the industry). My pull list is pretty much the inverse of Ryan L's (5 DC books for every Marvel book), and the only book I ever dropped that wasn't due to lack of money was Spider-Man with OMD, and I haven't returned to it since, despite the stellar reviews some of the BND issues got here.
As to who my views tend to align more with around here, it's usually Matt - Ryan L. - Kirk - Ryan S. - Eric, in that order. Sometimes Ryan L. and Kirk trade places.
I found this site when i followed Ryan Schrodt Power Ranking from Newsarama.
I like this site alot: its done in a smart way, cover a lot of cool topics (like moments of the week), give you insights into what you think a comic event will have plus all the articles let you post in a nice simple way.
This site has grown into a community, and i get a better picture of what's going on with comics i dont read , which earns some good points
I never thought i would say this about a site roughly 3 years old, but this site holds a lot of Nostalgia for me. I got back into comics thanks to The Weekly Crisis. It was a moments of the week feature and it featured the final splash page from Sinestro Corps War special. I ran out and picked up that book and have been a regular reader of both comics and this site ever since.
I may not always agree with some reviews or the others, but I respect everyones opinion on every book.
This site rocks, just don't take any more 4 month long sabbaticals and I will be happy.
Its funny as I remember people use to posting their picks in the ranking they enjoyed in the comments of Ryan reviews. I guess those people either stopped coming or they just got lazy to do it anymore. I wish though i could do the same but i lack a pull list as of right now being a college student late on some bills.
Other than that, I love the almost everything the WC publishes out. I'm probably like most other viewers here that this is the first place they come on the net. But as for a bit of critique:
I do miss the Soapboxes. I haven't seen one in forever. It used to be my favorite column on the WC.
Lately, I have seen less pure articles such as the Crossgen retrospective or Revamping the Wildstorm universe on the WC. I mean yes Ryan L. accomplishes much of what we do see and Matt does his best too but lately it just seems to be about only reviews. Which may be the bread and butter of the site but the articles were what made me a true follower of the site.
And Last but not Least: It might be nice to have chat box somewhere on the site. I mean i wouldn't mind chatting with any of you in real time.
That's all i have for right now. I hope i was helpful.
I'll be honest, when it comes to comic books, reviews are usually a non-factor in my purchasing decisions anyway. Most of them come out after I've already made the bulk of buys for the week. There are, however, occasions where reviews might point me to look towards books I wouldn't have considered otherwise, but even then I'll usually at least glance through things before I decide whether I'll actually purchase them.
So for me, it wouldn't matter if there was bias or not anyway, since the only thing I really get out of reviews is someone else's viewpoint on the strengths or weaknesses of a certain comic.
I find that reviews of comics are rather worthless, in that except for a few titles, you basically decide to buy the book months in advance. However, I do tend to agree with Ryan a lot, especially on Grant Morrison. When he writes a straightforward comic like Batman & Robin, he's great, but when he goes into crazy "deep" territory like RoBW, it just becomes a chore. I only read a few sites, but Ryan's one of the few who agrees with me on this.
I usually visit this site, CBR, Newsarama, and IGN for my comic news and reviews. By now I have a sense of what each reviewer's taste is like and how it ranks with mine. I will say that while I don't make my purchasing decisions based on this site, if you guys like a book I'll definitely give it a flip through and may start following it. As for bias, well everyone has one so I don't mind. Just keep being honest with your reviews and write pieces and feature you want to write. One reason I enjoy this site is because it seems like everyone at the Weekly Crisis is posting here because they enjoy comics and they want to have fun with them. Just keep doing that and that's all I ask.
I am actually a fan of Kirk's. Unfortunately, we do not hear from him too often anymore which is a shame since he is the guy who got this party started. He brings the main features like the primers, soapbox, reviews, moments of days and weeks. I think his voice is sadly missed.
The Infamous Anonymous
I think a little suspicion of sites that are too "in the know" is always warranted. For fans of Stargate, look no further than the rift that formed on Gateworld over the newest series. As for Weekly Crisis I have a few comments:
What Do I Like: Diversity. Lots of stuff to keep me interested and many different opinions - there is no "company line" as compared to sites like IGN. This is pretty much the only site for comic reviews that I read and consider reliable. I'm very selective, and I appreciate that WC offers something for all tastes. I also appreciate the Anonymous function and regular updates.
What Do I Agree With: I don't think there is a contributor that I 100% fall in line with on this site, but usually if a review syncs with what I gather from my local shop I'll give something a shot.
What I Dislike: I find sometimes that the final verdict on a review is often at odds with the content. I also find the site tends to focus too much on controversy and less on the FUN of comics. While I highly enjoy the Moments of the Week, sometimes it is overloaded with a single issue.
Other Sites: Chris over at his ISB is very much in tune with my comic preferences.
Like I said the other day, there is bias, but it's because every person has biases. When you ask if I trust you, I answer that I trust that you mean the words that you write. When you say you thought a comic was good, I don't take that to mean I will think the comic was good, nor should anyone take it that way.
I trust that you guys write what you believe. I trust that anytime you promote a comic on this blog, it's because you genuinely enjoy it.
I enjoy coming here because I get an honest opinion and intelligent discussions. A few months ago I stopped going to CBR, Newsarama, and IGN, but I still check this site daily.
I don't buy comics based on your recommendation, but I do enjoy checking out the site because I like the friendly tone of the main contributors (with one exception).
I'll have to be honest here and say that the site I trust the most is Comics Alliance; yes, I know Chris Sims is a Batman/Grant Morrison fanboy, but I feel that his taste in comics show how a fan should be, a guy who loves the good stuff instead of whining about everything else.
Still, The Weekly Crisis is in my second spot as must trusted site; I know the Morrison "hate" gets a bit annoying (though I believe it's more a case of just don't being able to enjoy the ride) and I'll never get why Batgirl is such an enjoyable book, but still, this site is very reliable and the reviews are mostly spot on
A few others have mentioned this, but you guys review what you like and what you buy. Does that mean there's a lot more Marvel content than DC? Sure. Does that work out for me? Well, I'm a huge Marvel fan and have read virtually no DC in my time, so... yeah. If I was a huge DC fan who knew nothing about Marvel, I would probably spend a lot less time on the site, but it's simply not realistic to expect a site like this to review EVERYTHING.
I buy trades. That's it. There's not a lot of rhyme or reason to which trades I buy when, so the reviews I read almost never influence my purchasing. That said, I read and enjoy the reviews here because everyone clearly writes them out of love for the medium. Y'all are fans, that much is obvious. More importantly, every reviewer here makes it a point to refer to specific aspects of the issues reviewed, so the arguments always make sense (to me). I don't at all understand the accusations of bias because reviews are, by definition, subjective. Ryan has a reputation for not digging much of Grant Morrison's work. Um, so? I don't read reviews expecting to see my own opinions mirrored exactly. I read reviews to see what someone else thinks of a particular comic. I also appreciate that all the contributors participate in the discussions and never hesitate to own up to their opinions.
Honestly, I have just one gripe about this site, and it's quite minor. Nearly every article posted could use one more thorough proofreading. I'm an unabashed spelling/grammar nerd, and typos stick out like a sore thumb. Honestly, that sort of thing damages the site's trustworthiness a hell of a lot more than a negative review of a book I happen to dig would.
I also think that some more consistency in the features would be nice. I love Top Ten Tuesdays and I love the Soapbox. It's always a pleasant surprise when they come out, but I wish I could sign on and know a new one is waiting for me.
I generally like the content on this site. I've picked up stuff like Elephantmen and Kill Shakespeare from reading reviews of them on this site.
I miss Kirk's reviews being released on a more consistent basis. Ryan the Iowan is more consistent with his reviews each week, and I like reading them, but I am rarely surprised by his reviews. If its a Batgirl, Secret Six, Avengers Academy, Elephantmen, Green Arrow or Criminal week, guess which book is most likely going to sit atop his rankings?
I also think Ryan is too harsh on some artists. He ripped Frazier Irving a couple months ago during his B&R arc for not having any detailed backgrounds, but Irving left out a background deliberately to focus on the conflict between Joker and Damian. I think Ryan sometimes criticizes the art on comics for what he would like to see instead of what the art is actually doing.
That said, he's entitled to his opinions and he shouldn't set out to be Mr. Popular. I respect that he is consistent and takes time (and $$$) to post his reviews each week.
What I would like to see Weekly Crisis do is to seek out reviewers with opposite tastes. Or maybe have a different reviewer have a take on a book that Ryan or Kirk consistently review. It would be nice to showcase some differences in opinions.
Otherwise though, I think this site is fuckin' awesome. Keep up the good work.
First off, I think Kirk is a Skrull.
Second, do people believe that TWC is an AP/Reuters for comic books? It's a blog where people just talk about what they like. Folks need to loosen up with all the talk of Marvel/DC bias. Who cares? I only read Marvel; I don't want to get into DC because then I'll have another 20 books on my pull list and I can't afford that. Does it bother me to see "Batgirl" at #1 in the rankings or 5 panels of "Superman" in the MOTW? Heck no! It gives me a little slice of what I'm missing. If I don't want to read about what happened in "Secret Six", I skip the review!
Why would anyone think that bloggers are required to offer complete coverage of anything that any reader might find interesting, rather than simply coverage of what the *bloggers* find interesting?
As to recommendations, I've picked up a few comics that I've seen highly rated, the most noteworthy being "Atomic Robo" and "Guardians of the Galaxy". For the most part though, my pull list is based on decades of personal preference.
Keep on rocking, TWC. It remains my favorite general comic blog because it feels more familiar and inviting than a CBR or a Newsrama. I love the fun, light tone that celebrates what makes comics enjoyable.
It's frustrating to see that it seems many people do not understand that there is a difference between "bias" and "preference."
I do not think any one of the contributors has an ounce of bias, but of course I believe they all have personal preferences. Just because our preferences don't align doesn't imply any shred of "bias," which so many commenters claim.
My biggest issue with the site is that I am not always 100% certain who the contributor who created the posting is. Since you've got a growing stable of contributors, you might want to headline the authors' names a bit more (because you're just as important as the article title on a website like this!).
For me, TWC is the site I go to for comics related discussion. I usually grab news from other sites like CBR, IGN, Newsarama, etc., but this is the place I come to for content.
I really have no issues with the site. You guys are all friendly and churn out quality stuff. The issue over the ability to post as anonymous is amusing, especially considering that the majority of forums/message boards out there require you to sign up with a handle. I frankly don't see where the furor comes from when asked to choose a name.
I view the controversy over reviews similarly. Some people just take them way too seriously. I think you need to reconsider if you approach a review as something more than just someone's opinion. I find my tastes matching most with Kirk's and least with Ryan S'. Still, even though I find myself disagreeing with him a lot, I usually peruse through Ryan's rankings, because it's fun to see someone who likes comics writing about them.
I've been reading since... 2008? Crap, I didn't realize Batman:RIP was two years ago.
Found the place in the links of Rokk's site, saw that you linked to Rokk's site here, and felt like the place was a community so I kept coming back. Your site and Rokk's are the only two I read, and I visit each at least five days a week. Can't really say I read any of the mainstream review sites... not out of a lack of trust, just because I don't like the tone.
What I like about this site (and Rokk's) is the tone more than anything - I feel like a bunch of buddies and peers chatting and arguing about what comics they do and don't like. I haven't particularly cared for professional reviewers since back in the day when Wizard got neutered. This place reminds me of being a teenager, where all my social circle read comics (versus my late 20's where maybe only 1 in 10 of the people I know reads comics).
I like the "Marvel Bias" thing... not that I think you're actually biased, but because I respect the lengths you've gone to to counter it... which is, namely, nothing. You shrug, maybe make a half hearted attempt to defend yourself, or do something snarky like change the banner, and then you go on reading the same comics you'd have ready anyways.
But see, that's WHY I read you guys. You're not going to waste your time picking up comics you don't care about just to be PC, or to fit someone's idea of what a "review blog" does and doesn't have the right to do. And you're not going to go through the motion of reviewing something, even if it's Pulitzer worthy, if you don't dig it... you're wasting your time AND our time if you do. We can tell when reviewers are just going through the motions. Hell, that's probably why I stopped reading tech reviews too.
And then there are the comics you hate, and yet continue to pick up every month. And then you write a review about how shitty it was, and you get jumped by people crying "if you don't like it, don't buy it!" and then you go and buy it again next month anyways. And thats because, I assume, despite the current quality of the title there are characters you love involved. And I respect that.
I've been reading JLA since the Hyperclan was revealed as White Martians. To be honest, I think it's ranked somewhere between mediocre and toilet paper since The Tenth Circle. But I keep reading it, because reading the JLA is part of who I am, and I want to be there when the quality shifts again.
Meanwhile, everyone told me if I liked Punisher: Welcome Back Frank and The Sandman, I was going to LOVE Preacher. I thought Preacher was excellent, and very nicely put together. I read the entire series over a weeks or so. But it didn't hold my attention, and as highly as I thought of it I wouldn't say I liked it enough to ever read it again. And I certainly wouldn't bore my friends to tears with a review about it when it wasn't really my thing. Could I put together a well-thought out, unbiased opinion on it? Sure. But it would have been boring as shit.
Just kinda seems like you guys are buying your comics the same way.
You guys aren't getting paid for this. You buy the comics you like and you tell us about it. And I like that you won't change that. You won't make yourself "go through the motions" of reading a comic you don't really dig, no matter who that pisses off. If I want to read reviews someone was assigned to write, I'll go over to a "pro" site. But what I want is a bunch of guys with regular pull lists at their LCS, just like me, talking about what's staying on that list and what's going. So I come here.
Oh, and I like that you let Anon's comment here. Honestly, sometimes it's a pain to log in to an account when I'm reading from my phone.
~ Mike-El
Man, whys everyone gotta hate on DC? I think their starters can go head to head with Marvel any day of the week; Marvel just may have a deeper bench when it comes to interesting characters.
I'm gonna second on the proof-reading. Not a big deal, but I usually print out the articles for reading on the train to and from work or at the gym, so I copy them to a Word doc and run spellcheck on it, and it clears up most of the errors. What does it say about me that most comic book characters names are already saved in my Word dictionary?
I trust wholeheartedly what I see on Moments of the Week, and the comments that are wrtten under each Moment. There I can trust the ludicrousness of some comics and the intelligence of TWC staff to highlight it.
This is my favorite comic site and the first one I visit. I don't pay much attenttion to rewievs, because I get it, that their mostly expressions of your personal pull list, so, we differ there, but I return here for good atmosphere and for the Moments of the Week/Day.
To be honest, I don't "trust" any reviews on any individual site. If I'm not currently reading something and every site I go to (and often more importantly my friends) says that something is great I may give it a try, but I wouldn't give something a try based on one guy's opinion. When your site rips comics I enjoy I don't particularly care because I enjoy them and that is all that matters to me. What other people think of stuff I like is irrelevant. I will admit I don't read a lot on the site besides the Moments and a browse of the reviews since I only read one Marvel book.
While I enjoy reading other people's opinions on comics, I am rarely if ever influenced in my buying habits by what the reviewer says. As nf put it "What other people think of stuff I like is irrelevant." I would add "in my decision to purchase a comic."
You guys must be doing something right as I keep coming back to read your articles.
As for trusting reviews, everybody's got different taste. I'm sure for every review site I visit including this one, I can trust that they are giving their real & honest opinion on the comic, it's just that the opinion won't necessarily be shared by myself. Obviously.
As titles that have been already mentioned, practically continuesly seeing "must read" for Robin and Batgirl is not going to change my mind that these are not must read comics for me. Nor a glowing review for most Marvel titles (I guess I could be labeled a DC guy if having to choose) However I'm sure that's the reviewer's opinion, and that's what he's here for to give it.
Since the TheFourthRail stopped reviewing comics, I haven't had a review site which I felt was close to my taste where I can give a new title they are praising a try and have a big chance I'd like it as well.
If I could give just one advice it would be for a little more variety, as it's very focused on Marcel & DC here. However I can understand when you have to buy the things instead of getting them for review purposes from the publishers, that we're not going to get a bit of everything.
In ending, if you get people that complain about the reviews: you can't please everybody. That's life. I enjoy visiting this site and will keep doing so even if the opinions aren't the same as mine.
Oscar
I THINK THAT WEEKLY CRISIS REVIEWS LOVE FOR COMIS IS AS FOLLOWS:
60% MARVEL
30% DC
5% IMAGE
5% OTHERS (DARK HORSE, IDW, ETC)
THAT BEING SAID, I DO BELIVE IN THEIR REVIEWS EXCEPT THE MORRISON COMICS REVIEWS (I LOVE MOST OF HIS COMICS SO IM NOT BEING HONEST HERE)
REALLY THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST COMIC REVIEWS SITES, AT LEAST FOR ME
ENRIQUE G
I've been coming to TWC for about two years now and I do trust the work and opinions of everyone here. Do I always agree with your reviews? No, but I don't take it personally.
There used to be a comic website I used to go to all the time that I won't name. I liked their podcast and I use to trust their reviews but over the course of this year they've come across as if they're trying to shill Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel, saying how it's been nothing but good since OMD and shutting out any other opinions. I can't trust them anymore.
Now if Kirk or one of the other TWC writers say an issue of ASM is good then I would consider picking it up. Because I trust their opinion and it says a lot about the quality if Kirk likes an issue of ASM,.
i wouldlike you guys to review the planetary trade :)
you guys havent done anything out there like the greg land feature in a while ....:(
I used to read Ryan’s reviews on the Newsarama message board. At the time I was coming back into the world of comics after a long hiatus and enjoyed reading about all the comic books that were available. When he switched over to this site I followed him, and I am glad I did. Though I don’t have the same taste in books as him, I think it is a good thing because I am able to read about all the comics that I don’t buy. It helped me rediscover green lantern (a book I wouldn’t have picked up without the rankings). I am a big fan of the ranking system and I agree with the earlier poster who said that they miss the days when readers posted their own rankings.
I have never worried about bias or had an issue with trusting the reviews.
Since moving over here, I have become a fan of the moments of the week feature. I don’t really care for creator interviews, but I know there are many people who do. I also skip the creator sessions at conventions… I don’t care how the sausage is made. I don’t mind softball questions during the creator interviews because I think it is a forum for them to pitch his/her wares and for people to learn a little bit of the process.
If there is one thing I don’t “trust”, it is the previews. I can do just as well at guessing if a book will be good after reading the solicits based on my own preferences. I understand their usefulness because it breaks down the solicits for those who don’t have the time/willingness to read through them themselves, just not for me.
It is nice to read the comments on here and see other people like this site as much as I do.
personally, I used to mainly read IGN Comics, CBR and Newsarama but after stumbling onto your website(i can't remember how honestly), it has become my main source of comic news bar podscasts. I don't always agree with the reviews (Secret Six and Avengers Academy just doesn't seem to be for me)but I never feel like they are biased towards any particular publisher.
My favourite parts of the Weekly Crisis are the articles and moments of the week.
It just occurred to me that the Previews feature is rather unnecessary some weeks. When only Ryan S. is doing the previews, we end up getting his take on a book twice -- once before he reads it and again when he ranks it. I would prefer a wider breadth of titles previewed, even with just a little paragraph on why the blogger is excited about that issue. The feature works best when multiple bloggers are adding their two cents. (I'm always a little disappointed when I have 8 books on my pull list during a week and only 2 will receive previews.)
I trust the skrulls.
And while I don't always agree with the reviews posted, I do enjoy most of them. The only reviewer that ever really irked me was Eric Rupe.
I don't think Ryan S's reviews are always good, but the ranking is fun. And you have to appreciate the fact that he's covering so many books in one column. And Kirk's reviews were fun to read, when he actually posted them. Everyone else is usually alright.
I liked the reviews here because they came off more as fans talking about books they read rather than professional critics. Ok, that sounds insulting, but it's meant to say that the site has a casual charm. And that's why I don't get why everyone is harping on the integrity of the reviewers.
try and mention older articles , take the land one for instanc3e . it has already started discussion again . posting it up again would again gain signifigant attention . maybe instead of moments of the day( well they havent been every day for awhile) it could be article of the day Im 100% sure that would create great discussion daily
Well, at least one reader likes us over at Rokk's site ;)
I love you guys! I don't always agree with the things you say, and that's ok. I tend to line up with Matt and Ryan S. for the most part. Rarely agree with Ryan L. or Eric, and that's fine, cuz if we all liked the same stuff there would be little need for discussion right? Different strokes...anyway, I started here with the War of Kings primer. Because of you guys, I joined Twitter, which led to my gig over at The Revolution. Guess I owe you fellas one, eh? Not to mention you guys put up with my Silver Surfer retrospective.
I wish I could comment here (and at The Revolution) more often, but since I lack internet most of the time, I usually toss up an article over there when I have the chance and am not able to return to it.
I don't want to use this as a soapbox, its not my site, but I'm unsure what the poster is talking about when he says Rokk mocks their opinions. I've listened to almost every podcast and sure, he gets snarky, but he's just expressing an opinion. Never head him target anyone.
So anyway, here's to the Weekly Crisis! I hope I can get back online soon and comment some more. Here's hoping you guys will stick around with us over at The Revolution as well ;)
Honestly, haven't had time to read the other comments. HOWEVER, here is my answer. I like your reviews. They are your opinions. I either agree with them or I don't. But if I don't I ask myself why. I've been buying for well over 25 years and your site has helped. Keep up the good work.
- Retcon Joe
I trust CBR and TWCs Hype Machine the most. Comics Alliance also has some very good reviews on superhero porn parodies, but thats something else entirely.
Honestly, I don't read Ryan's or Eric's reviews, as I find their tastes to be incompatible with mine. However, though I often disagree with TWC reviews, I feel that Ryan didn't deserve the flak he received the last time. I loved ROBW, the way it tied everything Morrison had done with Batman, but there was never an urge to call for Ryan's head. Its a matter of taste, after all.
Like I said, I don't really come here for the reviews. But perhaps getting the other members of TWC to pitch in their reviews every week would give the needed variety in featured titles.
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