The Scrutiny Is Getting Out Of Hand
It’s true that comic book movies get more chatter and attention than any other films, except for maybe Star Wars. The superhero news business is an industry in itself and there’s no shortage of information to keep the fans glued to their screens and talking to their friends.
That said, there’s also a dangerous rumor mill that often gets out of control and contains more drama than a whole 10 seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Seriously, a day can’t go by without some crisis or another being reported on and the future of the project being questioned. It’s tiring to debunk some of these ridiculous rumors, since everyone has an “exclusive scoop” and “inside source” nowadays – more times than not, it’s often crap that someone made up on Reddit.
The magnifying glass is permanently on this medium and it’s suffering because of it. The films are being judged differently, reactions are way out of proportion, and the fandom doesn’t exactly paint itself as the picture of mental health with some extreme behavior. It’s unhealthy and risky since all these factors could result in an implosion, because of these unrealistic high standards put on the genre.
In 2018, it might be worthwhile to take a step back and ask if we aren’t setting ourselves up for disappointment by setting unattainable standards for these flicks. Yes, it’s fun to be part of the fandom, but some days we really make Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons look like the archetype for every comic book fan.