Cronin Theory of Comics
Cronin Theory of Comics – Fan-fiction is a Limited Critique
“It was like fan fiction” is not a good critique of a comic book writer’s performance.
Cronin Theory of Comics – Serialized Fiction Is Judged Individually
I get it, Paul Dini, you think that, when Countdown is read as a whole, then the early lame issues will be transformed into a strong opening in the vast tapestry that is Countdown. However, serialized fiction does not work that way (at least not according to the Cronin Theory of Comics, that is, natch). [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Detailed Plot Synopses Are Lame
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against spoilers. I think that a good deal of comic book discussion pretty much has to involve discussing what goes on in a comic, particularly if the event in the comic factors into the book heavily. To wit, while it was a spoiler, it is difficult to express [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – It Doesn’t Matter If Bronze Tiger Can Beat You Up
There is no doubt that, once you create a shared universe, the Comparative Hierarchy exists. It doesn’t even have to be two titles. It can be just one title with more than one character. If you have a book starring, say, a detective, if you then introduce another detective, the question WILL come up in [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Don’t Compete With Your Readers
I will be honest, I really do not care what writers think about their readers. For instance, you can adore your readers and you can hold them in contempt, it really doesn’t matter to me. The one thing I think you should not do, though, is to compete with your readers over how you write [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Nostalgia/Importance Quotient
Here’s a simple enough equation I have come up with. The greater the importance of the scene in the comic book, the greater damage it does to the story for the scene to be steeped in nostalgia. Nostalgia is not a bad thing, per se. Little geeky touches in a comic that only longterm fans [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Dr. Strange Isn’t a Walking Plot Device
Dr. Strange is a fine character, so I would like for comics, when they use Dr. Strange, to actually USE Dr. Strange. Except for Peter Milligan in the recent X-Statix mini-series (and that was more of a co-starring role than a guest appearance), when writers use Dr. Strange, it seems to boil down to the [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Comic Reviews
As you all may know, the way that I see the blog working, when it comes to reviews, is that we tell you all what comic books we think are good or, in the alternative, tell you why books that were NOT good were not good At the heart of that, then, is the only [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – It Is a Lot Harder To Move From Another Media To Comics Than Is Given Credit
I did a bit on this in 2004 before I started doing the “Theory of Comics” shtick, so I thought it would be nice to rewrite it as a “Theory of Comics” bit. In any event, , I believe that, if you’re a good writer, you’re just a good writer, no matter what the genre [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Last Page Turns Should Be Used Fairly
I don’t mind surprises in comics. I don’t mind “twists” either. One thing that I do dislike, and what I think should be avoided in comics is the use of the last page turn “shocker,” where the last page exists strictly to shock you, not to service the story. These “shockers,” which often get referred [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Don’t Be Self Conscious About Writing Superhero Comics AKA “Why Puny Humans No Write Hulk Dialogue?”
I was re-reading some older Hulk comics the other day from the 1970s, and it struck me, no one writes the “classic” Hulk dialogue anymore. Now, Peter David had an excuse, as his Hulk was not in the vein of the classic Hulk, but that has not been the case for a long while since [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – A Reaction Is Not Enough
here are some spoilers ahead! So I had really been enjoying the Ultimate Annuals, but with the Ultimate X-Men Annual, I think they hit a snag. My main concern was the basic concept of the comic, which appeared to be “Let’s kill off Gambit.” Ya see, I think that is a great example of confusing [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – Good Characters Should Be Written in Comics
Really, it sounds like a no brainer, doesn’t it? When one wants to make good comics, one should use good characters. So if a good character is available, a writer should use it. However, it appears as though there are those who feel that there is a better idea out there… To quote Judd Winick, [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – “Avoid the Big Event”
This really has to do, I think, with the reason why so many writers are doing shorter runs on books nowadays. When you look back at the “classic” storylines, you are likely to rememeber the “Big Event.” Heck, DC Comics, in its trade paperback department, has pretty much acted like they did not have any [...]
Cronin Theory of Comics – “Keith Giffen As Plotting God – Scripting Devil.”
As many of you do, I’m sure, I have a few certain theories that I personally view as truths about comic books. I understand that, for the most part, they are specific to me, but I am egotistical enough to believe that some of them are, in fact, universal theories. The first one that I [...]
