Focus groups are part of modern day marketing. Companies use them to test new cereals, toy ideas, and to get a feel for how audiences will react to new television shows. But at the end of the day, how useful are they? Giancarlo Volpe, who has been involved in several animated series, including King of the Hill, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Avatar: The Last Airbender, recently shared a comic on his Tumblr illustrating his experience with an animation focus group while producing Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Initially, Volpe's comic shows he was optimistic about the information he would glean from the group, despite misgivings from executive producer Bruce Timm. The participating kids provided some interesting information, but the way the moderators interpreted their reactions and feedback was ultimately a source of frustration.You can see Volpe's story below, including a conclusion inspired by the recent home video release of Green Lantern: The Animated Series.Via Giancarlo Volpe

Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow her on on Twitter at @Amy_Geek and IGN at alratcliffe