>> COMICS > COMIC SOCIETY

Part 1 of 2 - Saving Comics

Regardless of what family members or strange bookstore owners from 80s fantasy films tell you; comics are both books and art. Sure, it is sometimes hard to look past all the spandex clad characters that grace most of the shelves, but even within those tales you can find some serious storytelling. Really, are comics any different from any other form of media? They all fall under the same axiom, 90% of everything is crap. But, it is for that glowing 10% that fans like me continue to push comics as a legitimate form of art. Frustratingly, just as we supporters find stable footing among the art and culture community, the comic industry began a slow decline that very well may point to its demise.

How can this be, you ask? You can’t see a newspaper or entertainment program anymore without someone praising comics for saving Hollywood or a trailer for the next comic book character to grace the screen...

Well, that is the problem. It is the classic characters that are coming to life on the screen. Not the comic. It is also a problem that all those millions upon millions of dollars flooding the studio does not translate into increased sales of a book. Sure, there are a few exceptions, like The Killing Joke or The Watchmen jumping back into the top-seller list. However, those are classics within the industry that long ago proved their worth. No, I am talking about the monthlies (or “floppies” as I am not required to call them) that need the bump in sales. Sadly, it is these floppies that are not receiving the bump. Maybe a few non-fans go to check out what all the hoopla is about, but they often lose interest or are so confused by the decades of tales that they drop it all together. Where does that leave the industry and the small business owner? Same place they were in during the 1930s through today; with dedicated comic fans. Fine, that’s worked for almost 80 years, what’s the problem?

Well, a lot when you think about it.

First, even during the rise of video games in the 1980s, comics didn’t have a whole lot to worry about. The games weren’t all that great (no matter what you tell yourself), and a good comic didn’t cost much more than an minute of game play at Dragon’s Lair. Plus, the 1980s gave us some of the best work to ever come out of the comic medium. We saw the rise of Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and other artists and writers that weren’t afraid to take chances with characters and stories. Writers and artists that didn’t want to write to a preteen or teen crowd. There were professionals that understood comics could work toward a more adult market. They were right, unfortunately, that moment of creative genius also planted the seeds for the concerns comics face today.

We fans are getting older and the people writing and drawing comics are, for the most part, writing for us. There are the occasional Jeff Smiths of the world, whose works appeals to all ages on various levels, but most modern comics aim at us jaded adults that want our heroes dealing with themes we face daily. The only comics that someone would feel safe giving an 8 year-old are some classic reprints from the 1960s and 70s. There is just one big problem with that. Even at a young age, the modern child is far more sophisticated than their previous contemporaries. Come on, these are the kids that watched wardrobe malfunctions and frag into the wee hours of the night on Halo 3. As much as we older comic fans praise the works of Jack Kirby, Gardner Fox, or even the legendary Stan Lee and Steve Ditko team. Those stories just ain’t gonna’ fly with the kids of 2008 and beyond. These are kids that get their humor and culture from YouTube and Nintendo Wii. (Please note, I am in no way belittling modern forms of entertainment. I fully embrace them all).

So, the comic industry did what no other business would ever even think of doing. It just gave up on the kids and moved along. Yes, they still publish some all ages books, but these are often spin-off books of established Saturday morning cartoons, like Justice League Unlimited or Marvel Adventures. Don’t get me wrong, there is some solid superhero storytelling in those books, in fact I’ve enjoyed those books more than the "core" titles on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, those books rarely last beyond the end of a series and act as little more than stepping stones for rising artists and writers. The comic book equivalent of putting in your time in the mail room.

That is okay though, right? I mean, the adults have all the money anyway. Why not write to the ones with the bank accounts?

Not to be morbid, but we adult readers ain’t gonna’ be here forever and there seems to be little attempt at attracting younger readers. Hell, the comic industry only recently realized there are these beings known as women and they just might like comics also. The shock! Of course, they’ve done little to attract these female readers. Apart from the semi-insulting love books that have started to come back. (I might be being a tad unfair, there are many fantastic comic book companies publishing well-balanced and honest stories for both genders. When I speak about the comic industry, I am mainly aiming at the “Big Two”: DC and Marvel). None of these concerns even factor in the fact that the cost of printing and distributing comics has risen at a stunning rate. Going through my collection brought that fact into stark reality. A book I paid $1 for in 1998 now costs me $3.99. Can you think of any other form of entertainment those rose almost 300% in cost within a decade?

That brings us to 2008 and beyond. Adult stories + more entertainment options + broken market paradigm + small (and shrinking) niche market = Grim future.

Is all within the comic industry lost? No, not yet. Tune in tomorrow where I will give some thoughts on just how comics can not only survive, but perhaps blaze a trail in storytelling and marketing.

Something it hasn’t done since two Jewish boys from Cleveland first looked up into the sky and dreamed of the Man of Tomorrow...