How does Comic Vine justify their reviews?

I know this certainly isn't the first time I've made a thread dealing with CV, and both with the current time and fear of their wrath I'm going to be pretty lazy with this post so I'll just keep it to the point and see what it leads to later. I ask this because after reading Batwoman #4 and then reading through Sara's review, I am completely baffled how this shit scored 5 stars. The fact that Flamebird gets her shit wrecked by some random goon when she previously took on Deathstroke, being the unstoppable machine he is currently and before she dies she gives away vital information to such a typical archetype bitch leaves me to find this the ultimate level of CAPE COMIIIICS. The only thing I thought was done well was the fantastic art. I'll wrap things up with one final question: what the fuck is with Comic Vine making me waste my damn time believing I'm reading gold when they hand out 5 stars every other review?

@chocomuffling: Just like video games, am I right?

You're going to upset the users on Comic Vine and cause a civil war. Do you realize what you've done?!

different people like different things, who knew?

@CaptainCody: Hey, thanks for spoiling what happens in the book. Seriously, nice job. At least put some kind of spoiler tag the next time.

Also, man up. You're clearly in the wrong place, ranting about the comic book website on the video game website, so if you're really all that furious and ranty and AAAAAAAAAAAARGH that you believing that you were jipped out of $2.99 (+ tax) because you don't agree that people who may or may not actually share your thoughts and interests about comic books actually think that a book is really good, why don't you go complain to them or their so-called "wrathful" denizens?

Do you actually trust individual reviews, especially those on personality-driven websites like the ones at Whiskey Media, to be be-all, end-all authoritative grades that apply to absolutely everybody's interests? If so, then that's really too bad.

I'm sorry if I came off as an ass here, but you spoiled the book for me, so now I'm kinda peeved at you.

And for the record,

Look, here's the deal:

Star Wars fans will always give high ratings to anything that's related to Star Wars. It's because they're Star Wars fans. There's really no other way to put it. Shitty Star Wars movie? Bam, 5 stars. Star War tea cozy? Bam, A+. Star Wars lightsaber tampons? Bam, recommended purchase.

Now:

Replace "Star Wars fans" with "Comic Vine Crew" and "Star Wars" with "Comics". Your mystery should now be solved.

Star Wars lightsaber tampons? Bam, recommended purchase.

• Start own comic reviews site
• Give whatever review score you think is fair
• Have people disagree with your reviews in the forums
• ????
• Profit?

i gave up trying to understand sara's logic a long time ago she flip flops a fair amount but ive noticed she seems to bias towards strong female characters that show little skin in this case batwoman (which makes sense being a comic fan who is a woman)

And posting this on Giant Bomb makes sense how?

@lord_canti said:

i gave up trying to understand sara's logic a long time ago she flip flops a fair amount but ive noticed she seems to bias towards strong female characters that show little skin in this case batwoman (which makes sense being a comic fan who is a woman)

And that's why I don't read comic book reviews...anymore. Something about comic book reviewers that just irks me. Can't really explain it.

@RsistncE said:

Look, here's the deal:

Star Wars fans will always give high ratings to anything that's related to Star Wars. It's because they're Star Wars fans. There's really no other way to put it. Shitty Star Wars movie? Bam, 5 stars. Star War tea cozy? Bam, A+. Star Wars lightsaber tampons? Bam, recommended purchase.

Now:

Replace "Star Wars fans" with "Comic Vine Crew" and "Star Wars" with "Comics". Your mystery should now be solved.

This isn't true at all, and Star Wars is the perfect example. Even hardcore Star Wars fans hate the prequel movies. Look around the merchandise forums to see people complaining about cheap collectibles and other products. Look at the whining about how Old Republic doesn't fit into the Star Wars universe or the amount of them who still refuse to watch the Clone Wars, because it's a "kids show".

The more serious someone is into something, the harder they are to please.

You are aware Comic Vine has forums too, right?

@ImHungry said:

And posting this on Giant Bomb makes sense how?

"because video games" - Ryan Davis

How does Comic Vine justify their existence?

How does Comic Vine justify their existence?

@EuanDewar said:

@GunslingerPanda

How does Comic Vine justify their existence?

By being somehow the most popular comic book website out there. Like it or not apparently people really fucking like them.

That isn't remotely true.

@EuanDewar said:

By being somehow the most popular comic book website out there.

Pretty sure that's actually ComicsAlliance (who also have the superior podcast). I don't mind Comic Vine, though. The wiki is quite useful, and they have some good features. I just ignore the endless why/what if? articles that can all be answered with "because comics".

I don't know, why don't you go ask over there?

So... Let me get this straight. You're complaining about a comicbook review here because you are afraid of what the guys/gals over there would think?

Cowardice even over the internet, I'm impressed.

@SpikeSpiegel said:

You're going to upset the users on Comic Vine and cause a civil war. Do you realize what you've done?!

Let's do this thing!

First of all, I would like to thank you for making the crowd here look a lot less nerdy.

Second, Sara is hot, that how she can get away with it.

@Wandering_Idiot: I think Comic Vine actually is the biggest comic book site. It's over 2 times as big as ComcisAlliance according to quantcast.com anyway.

I would agree that any reviewer using a 5-star rating system should reserve 5-star reviews for only the very best material, but at the same time, if "should you buy this thing or not" is the main priority of the reviewer, there's a lot more responsibility for the GiantBomb guys because we're talking primarily about $60 purchases while ComicVine are reviewing mostly $3 ones.

Its worth noting that reviews are relative and that comics suck. Something that ,to an outside person, might look like a 2 star piece of shit when compared to say videogames or movies would be a 5 star god to a comic book person.

I think the more pressing question is; why are you asking this here?

@SoldierG654342 said:

I think the more pressing question is; why are you asking this here?

Have you ever been to the comic vine forums? That place is the fucking worst.

Opinions yo.

Have always avoided Comic Vine's reviews after reading a few of them, don't know what it is about them but they just seem very unprofessional. I read IGN's round up every thursday, find their format easiest to digest, and have yet to notice any bias.

@CaptainCody said:

I know this certainly isn't the first time I've made a thread dealing with CV, and both with the current time and fear of their wrath I'm going to be pretty lazy with this post so I'll just keep it to the point and see what it leads to later. I ask this because after reading Batwoman #4 and then reading through Sara's review, I am completely baffled how this shit scored 5 stars. The fact that Flamebird gets her shit wrecked by some random goon when she previously took on Deathstroke, being the unstoppable machine he is currently and before she dies she gives away vital information to such a typical archetype bitch leaves me to find this the ultimate level of CAPE COMIIIICS. The only thing I thought was done well was the fantastic art. I'll wrap things up with one final question: what the fuck is with Comic Vine making me waste my damn time believing I'm reading gold when they hand out 5 stars every other review?

Do you realize what you've done!?

@Wandering_Idiot: According to Alexa ComicVine beats ComicsAlliance in every metric in the last 6 months with the exception of a couple days in September when CA had a spike in traffic.

For the record, I don't ask their because, if you refer to my previous CV thread, their forums are shit. Crazily enough, we have this place called Off-Topic so here I am.

@ahgunsillyo: You were the type of wrath I was expecting. By the way, I spoiled this issue because it was shit. When you can summarize an issue in 2 sentences theirs something wrong.

@mcderby4: You're also another CVer probably so you're coming off a little bias. Regardless, it was a joke and I do not care, I don't post on CV because I can't stand the people on them, stop getting off topic.

@CaptainCody: Hey, you know what a good idea is? Try asking the people reviewing the comics themselves on their own boards rather than coming to Giant Bomb and bitching about it, hiding away so that you can't be called out with the "it's called an opinion, and if you don't like it, that's fine...you don't have to" de facto answer that would come along with it!

= D

Oh no youre going to start the beef with Comic Vine again.... 
 
and that weirdo that keep signing off with his initals is gonna post here 
 
TB

@CaptainCody: Wait... so, you think that the reviews on Comic Vine are shit, and you also think that the forums on Comic Vine are shit. So... why do you still go to Comic Vine?

Surely, it can't be for Tony's photoshoots of action figures.

@ahgunsillyo said:

@CaptainCody: Wait... so, you think that the reviews on Comic Vine are shit, and you also think that the forums on Comic Vine are shit. So... why do you still go to Comic Vine?

Surely, it can't be for Tony's photoshoots of action figures.

Only for the photoshoots, I don't think the reviews are shit just some of these 5 star reviews are out of place for mediocre comics.

@CaptainCody: Yes, I'm at ComicVine a bit here and there, but that doesn't mean I'm locked down into it. I just find it funny that you would bitch about something so insignificant on a video-game oriented website, where the majority of people could probably care less about how a comic book is reviewed.

where the majority of people could probably care less about how a comic book is reviewed.

@SpikeSpiegel said:

You're going to upset the users on Comic Vine and cause a civil war. Do you realize what you've done?!

That already happened!

Wizards

Its worth noting that reviews are relative and that comics suck. Something that ,to an outside person, might look like a 2 star piece of shit when compared to say videogames or movies would be a 5 star god to a comic book person.

@DystopiaX said:

different people like different things, who knew?

Holy fuck what a concept!

@EvilTwin: i can shoot things in videogames though.

Who the fuck is Flamebird.

You'll get your shit wrecked by some random goon (no homo) if you get all up in Sara's grill again, Captain Punk! Mwa ha ha ha haaaaa!
 
How was that? I don't read a lot of comics.

Hey you guys, Sara is a pretty lady, and that's the most I've ever cared about comics.

@MariachiMacabre said:

@DystopiaX said:

different people like different things, who knew?

Holy fuck what a concept!

Big Rigs 10/10.

@Jimbo said:

You'll get your shit wrecked by some random goon (no homo) if you get all up in Sara's grill again, Captain Punk! Mwa ha ha ha haaaaa! How was that? I don't read a lot of comics.

Perfect.

@mcderby4 said:

@CaptainCody: Yes, I'm at ComicVine a bit here and there, but that doesn't mean I'm locked down into it. I just find it funny that you would bitch about something so insignificant on a video-game oriented website, where the majority of people could probably care less about how a comic book is reviewed.

I've answered your first point several times. Secondly, good job on trying to improve CV being that you're part of the community.

So is Sarah Comic Vines Brad?

I think the real question is why can't we have threads like "Last Post Wins LoL!!11!!" or "Whats going through your mind right now" here on Giant Bomb?