LogFAQs > #891897232

Large, because it means more support for the things I like. While sharing things with a few fans is fun and all, you need more people to get movies, games, and merchandise made instead of it just being limited to being a book, comic, show, or whatever. Granted, you also get content dilution as a result so... it's a mixed bag.

Come to think of it, though, the larger the community is, the less likely it feels like an identifier (partly because there's a sense of ownership with more niche things). Yes, I'm a fan of Batman and Pokemon, but it doesn't feel like it means anything because so many other people are fans and, due to there being so much content available, I technically only engage in a relatively small amount of everything out there. So despite consuming as much or more content than I have from other franchises, I would be considered a casual fan when that same level of attention in other franchises would make me a more serious fan.

Krow_Incarnate posted...

Large enough that it doesn't fade out of existence and no more games/whatever are made.

Small enough that it doesn't get tainted by mainstream tastes and tendencies.

Yeah, that's a good middle ground, I suppose. However, because each thing can have its own continuity, mainstream doesn't automatically hurt it (other than smaller residual effects like souring people on the original source material or crashing a brand because it temporarily became unsustainable).

Batman is a fantastic example of distinct continuities because the films, shows, and comics are rarely connected and you have alternative versions in each. And when the adaption takes heavy liberties, it's usually surprisingly good (The Batman, for instance). By contrast, Marvel has the pretty terrible approach of trying to change the comics to match the films to cash in on their popularity so, if you hate the films, you're being hurt by stuff which leaks into the comics. (Granted, DC *has* done this as well as times. Mr. Freeze was revised based on his B:TAS backstory (although it's an improvement) and characters who get over well on their shows wind up appearing in comics, most notably Harley Quinn.)
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