That's right, Scott Hinze and Oliver Tull have launched an IPTV show aimed squarely at the comic industry, and they're calling it, appropriately enough, Fanboy TV. Scott and Oliver have been doing Fanboy Radio/ for a few years now, and have garnered some success with it, so they're branching out.
I'm simultaneously pleased and baffled. Pleased, of course, because the mere existance of the show suggests an improved state of the industry as a whole. Baffled because... well, I've heard Fanboy Radio.
Don't get me wrong -- I think FBR does an excellent job with what they are. Especially in lieu of using the term "fanboy" in their name -- it conveys an unbridled excitement and enthusiasm for the comics medium. That's exactly what FBR does. There's no misconceptions about what type of show they are at any level. They are comic book fanboys and they're on the radio.
But what baffles me is why a show like that is as popular as it is. They have on a slew of comic creators which run the gamut from Joe Quesada to Alan Moore to Neal Adams to Scott McCloud to... well, there's a lot of folks there. Which is great, except that Scott and Oliver repeatedly come to the table as themselves, as fanboys. Now I appreciate that in interviewing an Alan Moore or Scott McCloud -- they don't generally associate with a fanboy type of crowd, so it's interesting to see the juxtaposition. But guys like Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada and Brian Michael Bendis... they do this type of thing all the time. I can read/hear/see almost any interview with them and get the exact same thing. So, in that sense, FBR -- and, I presume FBTV, by extension -- doesn't really have anything new or different. More of the same that I can get on Newsarama or Comic Book Resources or any of a zillion comic-related blogs out there.
So, what's the attraction? Why are they more popular than... well, any comics podcast? Seriously. I'm not trying to knock them at all, but I just don't get it.
2 comments:
Hey Kleefeld - Love the blog. Thanks a million for this thread, we're really trying to get the word out. I think what makes us different is all the things you stated (we play ourselves, we get good guests, we LOVE comics) but we were also first in this wave adn probably have the most experience out of the group of guys doing what's out there. On top of that, we use live technology as a cornerstone of our programming. The 'interactive' nature of both Fanboy Radio & Fanboy.TV is what makes it very different on paper. This is an element that all future entertainment venues will be forced to embrace more and more.
There may be more ways we're different - we're very vocal about our opinion, we love our guests but try to challenge them and we design our programming to be inviting to both the core and general audiences... but I think a lot of shows to some of those things.
Anyhoo, we're just trying to spread the word that comics are really, REALLY good again and the water is just fine - even with fanboys in the pool.
Thanks for swinging by, Scott.
The interactive piece you mention is actually quite noteworthy, as I think about it. I've never listened to FBR in anything other than as an after-the-fact podcast so, for me, the option of calling in is non-existant. But for those who can/do listen, that certainly would make FBR more attractive than, say, Joe's Comic Book Podcast or what-have-you.
Thanks for the enlightenment!
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