Comic book gimmicks must mean big bucks for the publishers. Why? Because they continue to use them in order to sell comics! I used to hate gimmicky story lines within a comic book. I thought the notion of
Sales are low! We need a hook to get more readers!
was a cheap move from a writer too lazy to think up something clever.
One gimmick in particular was The X-Babies. The first time I saw them on the cover of X-Men #46 I remember thinking “This has to be the lamest ploy EVER, in an effort to get more readers! Who is going to read this junk?!”
I spent today researching specific characters and events within the Marvel Universe for my next pitch (Gotta do my homework!). So, I found myself reading Uncanny X-Men Annual #12 where the X-Babies first appeared and to my surprise, I liked it!
Of course I’ve changed my opinion of the X-Babies and the use of “gimmicks” within comic books. In fact, I don’t even like using the word “gimmick” because, as a writer, it’s degrading to my creative writing process. It’s such a vague word and besides, I don’t know what constitutes as being a gimmick anymore.
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