Whither Comics?

Look at the power of art. Now look at the power of the written word. Now imagine a media that combines both; that’s comics. We have the power to create and communicate in ways that no other media can; that’s why comics exist! If another media could do what comics do, then comics wouldn’t be around. Unfortunately, we very rarely find people pushing the envelope, exploring the depths of what comics can do. When these people come along (I think of Alan Moore, Chris Weir, Scott McCloud), they are hailed as visionaries; why shouldn’t we view them as the new standard? Why shouldn’t these “visionaries” be setting the tone, and dictating the new expectation level? Why are the comics that really do well what a comic should be doing considered the exception, rather than the rule?

This art form needs critics. It needs self-respect. Now, I know that people within the industry have a respect for the industry, but that’s not what I’m talking about; by self-respect I say that people within the industry need to think that they should be doing what the “visionaries” do. It shouldn’t be an aspiration; it should be a starting point. This is where the importance of critics comes in; when an author writes a bad book, literary critics aren’t going to forgivingly say, “Well, not everybody can be Shakespeare.” Hell no! Critics are going to let the author have it! If a musician puts out a crap record, critics aren’t going to let them rest on the laurels of their previous achievements; critics will wonder where in the hell the talent went, and make jokes about the artist for weeks. Well, where’s the harsh criticism in comics? And don’t you DARE say Wizard; Wizard hypes a comic because it will sell. And then, because Wizard hypes it, it sells. I have yet to see a well-thought-out criticism of a comic in Wizard. I have yet to see a “reviews” section in Wizard that will come out and say, “Don’t pick this one up; it’s just not worth it.” And furthermore, one voice is hardly a fostering ground for thoughtful critiques; if Rolling Stone had the end-all say in music, then you wouldn’t need magazines like Q, Spin, CMJ New Music, or any of the other half a bazillion music mags out there; the more voices of criticism, the more sides of an issue can be considered, and the more insight into that issue we’ll get.

The Real World

So these are the ideals. But where does the practical application lie? Comics as a medium, people like to say, are “hurting”. The industry is “down”. Do we think we’re the only medium that has suffered thus? Rising costs, a down trend in consumerism, these are problems faced by every other medium out there. And they all have learned some of the same tricks to get by. Look at the novel market; people are reading less, books are more expensive, there’s a fear that the internet will replace print media entirely…and yet bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders are still going strong. And it’s not just expansion into other markets; these stores are still dominated by book space. How? Well, in fiction these days, you have two different kinds of books: those that are brilliant expressions of the art form, and those that are geared to sell.

Stephen King, Clive Barker, Sue Grafton, Tom Clancy, these are names that will sell books. Few of these mass-market books, however, will ever have the depth of characterization, subtlety of metaphor and theme, or deft innovation of plot device that mark great works of fiction. At the same time, however, there are authors like Dave Eggars, Chuck Palahniuk, and Helen DeWitt, who are pushing the boundaries of fiction, writing brilliant modern masterpieces, and fulfilling their own roles in what fiction and prose should be. Have you heard of all of these authors? Not to assume anything about your reading habits, but it’s less likely you know all of them; it’s likewise incredibly likely you know all of the authors in the former list.

What is happening in fiction, then, is that books from authors in the first list sell like wildfire; a new book by Stephen King will be a hit the day it’s released, and will likely be optioned for movie rights before it even goes to print. The publishers can then use the money they make off of the pop-culture mass-entertainment books, and use it to publish the works of high art. And when those works of high art gain some recognition (i.e. a movie deal or something else that will get people to buy them), the publisher gets another little boost; but rest assured, the only way these books get published in the first place, the only way they have that chance to stand on their own, is through the money gleaned from the literary equivalent of Lucky Charms.

Need another example? Try the music industry. Britney Spears is never going to push the boundaries of music as an art form. Limp Bizkit will never reinvent the rock music genre. But guess what? They sell. Big time. And with CD costs on the rise, record companies will put out anything that will sell, just to get that money. But what about the high art? Tori Amos, Built to Spill, Steriolab, and even Radiohead will never have the Top 40 prestige and sales of the new N’Sync record. Even at their peak, they will never receive the MTv and radio heavy rotation that the new Beyonce single is going to get. But they can put out their influential, cutting-edge music which will push the boundaries of their chosen genres and influence a whole new generation of musicians. In this way, entertainers like Enrique Iglesias, Puddle of Mudd, or Smash Mouth become huge successes, and provide companies like Interscope Records the financial stability to take chances on artists like Beck, who eventually come to be hailed as visionaries in the field. Again, however, without the financial successes of mass-marketed crap, Interscope could not take chances on albums like 1994’s Mellow Gold.

This, then, is how comics can survive; how comics must survive. All of that mass-marketed crap? The special editions with foil covers, the blatantly exploitative company crossovers, the stuff hailed by Wizard solely because it will make money? Let it come out. Even better, let it come out and be blasted by the legions of intelligent, scholarly comic book critics, but let it come out all the same. Let droves of thirteen-year-olds with expendable income and twenty-somethings who still act like they’re thirteen buy these books right into their fourth, fifth, and sixth reprints. Plaster the names of Joe Madureira, J. Scott Campbell, and Michael Turner all over books which will be continuously reprinted even after they’ve been collected in trade paperback format. And then, let companies as big as DC or Marvel, or as small as Top Shelf and Slave Labor Graphics take the money from these commercial exploits and funnel them into the art. Let that highly illustrious breed of true comic hold itself to the standards set by Alan Moore and Scott McCloud. And when these works of high art gain some sort of mainstream recognition—a movie deal, action figures, a spot on the New York Times bestseller list—let us be ready with warm smiles and welcome arms as the rest of the world realizes that, in comics, they have been missing not the drivel they see plastered everywhere, but the rare genius combination of word and picture of which no other medium is capable.

In this new market, it will be very difficult to get work as a comic creator. One must be either infinitely marketable, with a flashy style and a mainstream sensibility, or brilliantly visionary and thoroughly talented. The returning strength of the comics industry will not mean a sudden rush of available jobs, akin to the rush of the early 90’s. Good, I say; for too long comics have been considered something anybody can do. This is true, insofar as anybody can play an instrument or anybody can write a book. Anybody can do these things, yes; but not everybody can do these things professionally. Part of that self-respect as an industry mentioned earlier is the realization that talent is something rare to be recognized and cherished, and comics are something to be done only by those worthy of the medium.

The Internet

In every form of mass media communication these days, there is the wild card factor of the internet to consider. Everywhere, people are realizing that, instead of waiting for fame and fortune to find them, they can publish their own art on the web. Fledgling writers, musicians, and yes, even comics artists are using this new medium to get their message out to the world. Some, like Scott McCloud, view the internet as the future and savior of comics. I disagree; while the internet is a new aspect to the comic book world, it is no more savior of comics than it is savior of music, writing, movies, or animation. The internet is a great way for an amateur to get his work out in the open, in hopes of being picked up by a company; this is the same for filmmakers, artists, and musicians. The downside to this aspect, however, is that quality control is nonexistent; those people who overestimate their own talents and skills in every media have just as much access to the web as the visionaries who will push the media forward.

And so, while the internet functions as a great place for amateurs to hone their skills and get noticed, professional companies will still function to weed out the unworthy. By publishing to meet the still-present demand for physical product in comics, music, movies, and books, companies will continue to market both mainstream-accessible pop, and high-art vision. Another great function of the internet is in marketing capabilities; Crossgen was the first company to provide comics on the web, and it’s a great way to draw fans of some books into becoming fans of other books. And in those places where the internet functions to get a creator’s name out to a previously unaware public, internet publishing should be lauded as a powerful tool. But never mistake the tool with the user; the internet in and of itself will never save any media, let alone comics.

Retailers

Comic book stores are an odd sort. An idea not even 30 years old, they seem to be generally run like tables at comic conventions; the dealers horde the expensive “rare” items for large sums of money, stock whatever has come out that particular week, and fill the rest of the shop space with a combination of anything leftover deemed to be of low value, a random and usually poor assortment of graphic novels, and miscellaneous merchandise—action figures, lunch boxes, posters and the like. And though these strange shops have not been around too terribly long, there are already some who say their time has passed; and who would blame them? All over the nation comic shops, hit hard by the slump in the industry and inability to keep pace with rising costs of rent and utilities, are closing up shop. New upstarts have it even harder, trying to break into the business against the aforementioned odds while also wrestling with difficulties getting distribution contracts and building a loyal clientele.

Again, some inspiration can be drawn from other markets. First and foremost, I am going to suggest something which is going to be met with resistance from a lot of people: large corporate chain ownership of comic stores. The mom and pop stores are fine, when they work, but a large corporation with multiple outlets has the financial stability to weather the rockier periods in the market while maintaining a quality level of product and selection for the consumer. And better situations for the consumer means better situations for both retailers and publishers; all sections of the market can benefit from the move to retailer chain outlets. This idea is already beginning to work on a small scale in cities like Boston, Massachusetts. Retail comic book chains like New England Comics and Newbury Comics are growing in size. While people outside the more immediate Boston area are unlikely to have yet heard of these chains, don’t be surprised to see it as a growing idea in the future.

Secondly, the traditional approach to stocking a store needs to change. The increasing emphasis on the trade paperback, or “graphic novel”, allows readers to pick up entire past story arcs in ongoing series, as well as complete stories from limited-run series. Stores should place an emphasis on stocking these trade paperbacks, so that any reader can pick up any story at any time. This is akin to a bookstore, where a potential customer can walk in and pick up any book by their author of choice, not just his or her most recent published work. The same happens in the music market, where a wide variety of albums are available at all times, from groups both past and present. Retailers should keep a stock of current periodical publications, and a strong attempt should be made to keep these issues in stock until they have been collected in trade paperback format. In this way, if a current issue of a monthly book catches a reader’s interest, he or she can go back and pick up the story arc from the beginning; this encourages readership of new books. This idea is already growing in strength; Crossgen’s Forge and Edge compendiums are coming out monthly, collecting back issues to keep readership coming in. And Marvel’s Ultimate line has been exemplary in its regular publishing of trades, which are helping make this line one of the consistent top-sellers every month.

Merchandise is a great addition to a store; after all, it’s these expansions into other media that really give a successful comic its financial reward. But merchandising should be an augmentation to a well-stocked comic book store, and should not be the main focus of that store. First and foremost, retailers should stock comics and graphic novels; after a well-rounded stock is filled, extra space and money should be put into comic-related merchandise. Again, a larger corporate chain will be able to keep a better stock of both comics and merchandise, but smaller operations should really view action figures, models, t-shirts and the like as supplementary, and not essential wares. Consider a large book retailer like Borders; a large location will contain books, periodicals, music, movies, coffee, even stationary and greeting cards. Smaller locations, however, do not attempt diversity of product on such a wide scale; a small Borders outlet or Waldenbooks location will have books, periodicals, and sometimes a meager selection of music or greeting cards; in these small venues, the proper emphasis stays on the books.

The Road From Here

All of this change, if it happens, will not happen overnight. Nor do I really even fool myself into thinking that all (or even any) of my suggestions will be taken into account. But the change, if and when it does start, will start in shifting attitudes throughout the industry. Publishers need to take into account the standards to which they hold their books and creators. Retailers need to focus on their structure and aims. Readers need to be aware of the entire picture, and the role of their dollar within it. As ideas and attitudes shift, the practices and policies within the industry can and will change as well. The comics industry is suffering from growing pains and a temporary slump right now; to right the course of the art form, certain changes are inevitable; by looking at the big picture and treating comics with the seriousness and respect they deserve, this change can be for the better of comics as a whole, and not just a quick-fix bandaid which will leave the industry in worse shape several years down the line.