I think that synergy, in most cases, is ruining comics and limiting writers creativity...
- There are examples of good synergy but are very few and most are new characters, places or concepts that don't change but expand a character universe, like Harley Quinn and X-23 (characters), Batcave (place) and Kryptonite (concept).
- Decent synergy for me is the one that changes designs like in Morrison's New X-Men or makes return missing, dead or forgotten characters like Diamondback in Bendis's Defenders.
Bad synergy for me is the one that change the origin and/or personality of a characters like Star-Lord, Iron Man (only personality) or Wanda and Pietro (only origin), an exception is Mr Freeze that thanks to Batman the Animated Series has a really cool origin.
What do you think of movie/tv synergy on comics? can you give examples of good, decent and bad synergy for you?
Jose Nguyen
Literally everything that's bled through the main MU Post-MCU is a result of "synergy". Either to make things more like the flicks (Coulson, Nick jr, Iron "Rhodey" Patriot), or to prepare for when the Big Names cash out (Ree-Ree, Foster-Thor, FalCap). Synergy kills capes.
Ayden Gomez
Are they making him act like Baby Groot in his own series? Because Duggan said that despite the design being like Baby Groot that the way he was writing him as an adult, he was still Groot (and it shows that he's still an aggressive bruiser when he pokes that one Nova's eye out).
It's obvious some of the higher ups are fucking forcing the synergy shit.
Carson Thomas
It's bad and ruins character arcs and plans
Jordan Sullivan
It's only had one issue and I'm not sure which way it's going. Everyone was treating him like a child playing around when the ship was crashing, but I got the impression that he was actually competent and saved them.
Eli Torres
Superman is like 50% synergy though.
Jack Taylor
Jimmy Olsen being a Superman supporting character is the result of synergy with the radio show (the comic listed as his first appearance was retroactively made his first appearance after the show). When Alfred was introduced in the comics he was a portly dude without a mustache. But when the Batman serial in the 40's cast an actor who was thin and had a mustache, the comics changed Alfred's look to match that and it's the primary design people are used to.
Synergy can work but I think in Marvel's case in the last nine years it's not working that well because they sometimes replace something that works with something that doesn't fit right in with what's been established.
Xavier Gomez
Yeah, user? Superman is a bearded dad with a wife and kid in the movies?
I assume you mean stuff like kryptonite and Jimmy Olsen and flying, though. But there's a difference between adapting successful elements and switching over characterization because of 'synergy'. The Guardians of the Galaxy being memelords is bad synergy. Turning Spider-man into a teenager again would be bad synergy.
Jason Reed
>Superman is a bearded dad with a wife and kid in the movies? They're using the New 52 template.
Levi Cook
The movies are using the New 52 template? I disagree. I can think of no elements specific to the New 52 that were followed on by the movies.
The Kryptonian military thing? That's not from New 52.
Christopher Allen
Is there even hard evidence that synergy improves comic sales or box office results?
Adam Ramirez
It depends. But in most cases it gives a small but unnotable boost.
Carter Thomas
>I can think of no elements specific to the New 52 that were followed on by the movies. >What is WW being Zeus' child?
Eli Bailey
We were talking about Superman tho
Kayden Hill
Good examples... and yeah, the big problem is that and when synergy doesn't contribute and is inconsistent.
Coulson for example... he debuted in the 616 with Battle Scars, he was added by synergy but some years later they decided to retcon his origin with one even more similar to the MCU, but that is inconsistent with Nick Fury Jr origin.
Gavin Allen
All the GotG individual ongoings were canceled already... "Rocket" and "I'm Groot" will be canceled too I think.
Cameron Morris
There are a lot of good examples of synergy that don't necessarily involve new things, ever since they started making media based on comic books it's been a thing. And while I think nowadays, because superhero movies are so casualized and dominant in the industry it does curb creativity, I can easily find good examples of synergy from older times. Synergy that changes a personality is necessary when you have an underdeveloped character who needs a stronger characterization that the comics can't exactly do. Pic related, for example
Michael Lopez
Bad synergy is when you reboot the character to resemble the movies, like Guardians of the Galaxy or the New 52.
Michael Nelson
It doesn't bother me. Without synergy we wouldn't have things like Kryptonite or Batman using grappling hooks or other things. It's like anything else, it can be good or bad, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it.
Besides which, whatever the most people think about a character tends to be true. No amount of "but it's different in the comics" matters.
Jack Gomez
But Groot stopped talking years before the movie.
Eli Parker
I miss film/cartoon synergy in the 2000's, where if a superhero was getting a movie, you'd get a cartoon to accompany it, despite barely resembling the movies.
We got a lot of cartoons that way, like GL:TAS, X-Men: Evolution, Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, Brave and the Bold, Legion of Superheros, Beware the Batman, etc.
Tyler Torres
I'm not talking about that, but about him being creepy as "baby Groot" and now he's cute like in the movie... but yeah, when he was "baby Groot" back then he was able to talk.
Nathaniel Gutierrez
Kryptonite is an example of synergy that meta-evolved into something central to the Superman mythos.
Joshua Young
Exactly... I want more examples of good synergy, because there are plenty of bad ones.
Caleb Martinez
Kryptonian crystal tech?
Liam Anderson
Steve Trevor getting a supporting cast when he didn't have one before from characters in the Wondy movie.