From: rnmg1200@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (A Lady and her Walrus)
Subject: Re: Team Titans #1's (Was: Re: Valiant sucks)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 19:55:41 GMT

In article <1992Aug29.151511.20814@queernet.org> rogerk@queernet.org (Roger B.A. Klorese) writes:
>In article <BtqIH3.3nz@news.cso.uiuc.edu> rnmg1200@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (A Lady and her Walrus) writes:
>>If they had published it as the first few issues, as someone else suggested,
>>then the covers would be different, the main story would be different, and
>>there would actually be a POINT besides making money.
>
>The main story *was* different.  And each #1 cost the same as if there had
>been no common story at all.  What's your problem?

I don't have a problem.  I don't even buy Titans anymore (a looong time 
ago, the only comics shop where I lived stopped stocking it, and that was
that.  By the time I got back to civilization :) I was way out of touch on
the storyline, and now I'm glad of it.).  I do, however, believe that
this was a cheesy gimmick, even moreso than the X-men ripoff...er...multiple
cover idea.  It just doesn't make sense that DC would stoop to the level of
printing multiple copies of a book (and yes, I remembered the covers were 
different *after* I posted...duh *slaps forehead*) that used to be one of
the greats.  It smacks of commercialism, and downright dirty pool.  One of
the main problems DC has right now is living in the shadow of its "big
brother", Marvel, and every attempt they make to emulate them (the TT
multi-whozit, Deathstroke's new look, the "new image" idea) just sinks
them deeper and deeper into the muck.  

But look at it the way it was advertised:  MULTIPLE COVERS!  COLLECT 'EM
ALL!  ETC!  ETC!  and so on and so forth...this is the sort of thing Marvel
did with the new X-men book, and the kind of hype (although not on the
same scale) as Youngblood got, and it really rankles.  The books may have
actually been worth the price as you say, but DC definitely could've gone
about it another way instead of taking the easy way out; they could've made
the origin stories into, say, the first few issues of the run, with the
Total Chaos storyline as a backup.  Not only more tasteful, but more
likely to draw potential readers into the story.  "Hey, this electric dude
looks cool.  And wait, there's a second story in here, too...not bad."

Maybe my "problem" is that I can't stand gross commercialism.  Maybe its
just that I'm a screaming knee-jerk liberal who can't stand to see big
money win over the little guy.  I dunno.  I'm just sick and tired of the
whole "gimmick" trend, and its GOT to stop.  I can understand why you
thought TT was worth the money, and for you it was.  But for me it was
just another gimmick in a long line of same, and all buying it will do is
encourage more of them.

Although, if as you say it was fairly well done (I will now check again,
having only read two of them), then perhaps other books will follow the
same trend. "This gives us some small cause for hope, does it not?"

As an aside:  Apologies for the rather inflammatory nature of the original
post.  It was written early in the morning after a looong night of helping
my SO (She's the Lady in the fingername) study for her graduate qualifiers,
which will decide if she gets a doctorate or a masters in her chosen
field (astronomy).  She's taking them as I write this, so any good wishes sent
would be highly appreciated.

The Walrus