Comic books are a no-brainer

By Andrew Chung
April 30, 2005

Ah, the comic book. The bastard medium. The medium that isn't even described as a medium, but as an all-encompassing genre.

I remember reading a quote somewhere by writer Neil Gaiman that said something like (I may be mixing up writers if my memory serves me wrong): a work of art entirely written such as literature or entirely visual such as painting, can have a potential for artistic genius. However, when you put the two things together (words and images - essentially comic books) the work somehow degrades itself to an inferior level, no matter what merit that work may have.

I guess the foundation of the above paradox can only be rationalized by understanding that perception may have little to do with reality. But strangely enough, this perception is predominantly unique to North America. In Asia and Europe, reading a comic book in the subway is as normal as reading a novel. In our great continent, on the other hand, it is perceived as a childish past time no matter what the words or art may be saying. It's no wonder that the majority of the population avoids the medium altogether. However, having spoken to many non-comic book readers throughout my life, the answers to the paradox are not quite as simple as a paltry fear of ridicule.

My experience has helped me decide on four significant reasons that the average person will not pick up a comic book.

Number one: Comic book readers have formed sort of an underground society of outcasts. Thus it may not be the perception of comics that turns people away, but the perceived elitist self-proclaimed individualism of its fans.

Number two: Many people simply don't read. You can't expect a non-reader to begin reading comic books. As for those that do read - see number four.

Number three: Availability. Comic book shops today are few and far between, and the lack of popularity over the medium makes it somewhat unreasonable for larger chains (i.e. bookstores, grocery shops, etc.) to carry them. Therefore if someone wanted to try comic books, they would have to make a very active effort to do so.

Number four: The last reason is the most obvious one stated above - perception. But to really understand this perception we have to ask ourselves where exactly did this perception come from? I, and likely many of you, would probably whittle down that answer to two words: Superheroes and Archie. People believe this is what comics essentially are, and they may very well be correct. Superhero comics do dominate the industry and is the largest seller. For me, superheroes are what brought me to this medium in the first place. And Archie, being a lifelong American comic book staple, continues to remain at the forefront of everyone's mind.

So in the end, can anyone really blame people for not reading comic books?

I admit it. I can't. But the early 90s comes to mind where comic books were selling millions of copies. Thus, the potential for the medium to be a widespread past time is there. Right?

I don't know. I mean, it was a fad in the 90s and kids were still reading about superheroes. Superheroes have simply lost their appeal for kids today, compared to all of the Yu-gi-ohs and InuYashas being marketed to the kids. The only readers left are the grown-ups left over from the 90s, me included.

So I, like many other passionate fans, continue to ask, how can this dying industry be revived, and still avoid a second coming of the disposable 90s?

A question, asked too many times to have any significant answers I must say. I can't pretend to know the answers either but I can make an effort in analyzing where the industry has gone wrong.

My point may be convoluted so I'll start with an analogy that may be easier to understand.

Let's say, there was this dude named Bob that everyone perceived as an asshole. Others would call him on it, but he would immediately become defensive and try to convince them that their perception was absurd. However, as the years passed, the people changed but the insults remained the same. As a result, one day Bob finally came to the realization that he was indeed an asshole. Now, he never had any intention whatsoever to be an asshole and is completely crushed that this is the perception that many have of him. Therefore, he seeks to make things right in his life and vows to be a better person. For both his and their sake, where should he begin? Well, I suppose it should begin with himself. Meaning Bob should examine his behaviour around others and identify the cause of others' negative perception, and rectify that behaviour. Alas, the years pass, and while change is not easy he eventually does make progress and now some have even described him as a great guy.

Now let's apply this to the comic book industry. People have a negative perception of comics. We (the fans and professionals) believe that that perception has little merit. We try to convince them otherwise but with little success. Perhaps, like Bob, we should begin to look inside ourselves, as opposed to outside ourselves. Is that to say the negative perception is the reality? No, of course not, but as Bob will never be any one thing, including being an asshole, the comic book is never any one thing as well, including being child's play. But let's be real, superheroes do dominate the racks. And let's face it, they will always be perceived as childish no matter what writers such as Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis do to them. Nevertheless, they still remain the biggest draw. So what is a business-minded person to do? But let's forget the business side of this discussion for a moment. I think it begins with an attitude. The more appropriate question that should be asked is, how do we, the fans and professionals, perceive comic books? Personally, I think comic books are one of the only mediums of art with a potential that has not been thoroughly explored, primarily because of its superhero tunnel vision. However, the works of artists like Joe Sacco and Craig Thompson demonstrate a clear effort to move away from this tunnel vision. Thus, many may share my view. If this is true however, then the works of Mark Waid, Steve McNiven, Brian Bendis, or Adam Kubert may demonstrate a school of thought that superheroes are the only stories worth telling. But coming back to the business side though, money does talk. And superheroes are where the money is (Not a lot of money of course, but the only place where there is money!). So what is the starving artist to do? Forget the food on the table and become some kind of martyr for the betterment of comic book kind? There are clearly no easy answers to these questions.

I guess comic books are not as simple as Bob's story. But still, when I hear creators or fans say things such as, 'comics are supposed to be fun' or 'comics should never take themselves too seriously,' I get frustrated. Are they talking about superheroes or comics? If they are talking about superheroes they are making the enormous generalization that many of them claim to avoid to begin with. If they are indeed talking about comics, I start to think that they sound much like a little girl with a deep-seated inferiority complex. Like a girl who was told her entire life that she could never learn math. So why bother trying? Might as well chalk it up to one less subject to learn, right? Or in this case, an industry that was told its entire life that it was something less than intelligent, so why even bother taking it seriously? Might as well just make it fun, right? This is not to say that comics can't be fun, but I argue against those that say that comics can't be serious. If this is the collective perception of the fans and professionals, it is no wonder we all still remain so focused on reading and creating superhero stories. If the collective perception changed, so would the industry I suppose. But just like a worldwide mutual agreement for peace is unlikely to occur, so is this.

So again, this all boils down to perception. The difference however is that it seems as if it wasn't the perception of others that needed examining, but our perception. What is the overall attitude we have towards our beloved medium? Perhaps, when we understand this, the medium can move forward.

I will simply leave you with a theory by Alan Moore, which he mentioned in an interview. He believed that comic books are the only form of art that utilizes both sides of the brain simultaneously. For instance, painting is a right-brain medium as it involves visual communication, and literature is a left-brain medium as it involves verbal communication. However, comic books on the other hand, involve both, Moore argues. It communicates to its audience with visuals and words.

So what he's saying is that comic books are the only artistic medium that uses the entire brain.

And comic books are one of the least popular mediums in North America.

Go figure.