Well, I figured that since I wrote four articles on what's wrong
with the comics industry today, it's only fitting that I do at least
one article on what's right with the comics industry today. Despite
what some people might say, or might have you believe, there is a lot
that's right with the industry. I know that based on my past four
articles, some of you might have naturally concluded that I'm oblivious
to all the good things that are apparent in the comics industry today.
Hopefully, upon the conclusion of this article, you'll see that's not
the case.
First and foremost, what's right with the industry is the quality
of writers and artists. With creators like Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller,
Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Garth Ennis, Mark Crilley, Brian
Augustyn, Warren Ellis, Carlos Pacheco, Mark Bagley, Andy Kubert, and
others, there's a plethora of quality comics on the market. Sure, we
all know there's a lot of schlock too, but in my opinion, the good
stuff outweighs the bad. If I were simply focusing on the mainstream
comics industry, that might not be the case, but the majority of comics
on the stands are small press books. It doesn't really seem that way,
but it is.
How about bang for your buck? Even though comics do cost a good
deal more now than they did ten years ago, incomes have also grown,
so a comic is still relatively cheap in the economic scheme of things.
Most comics cost around two to three bucks, and when you think about
it, that's not a bad price to pay for half an hours entertainment,
not to mention the fact that you can read the comic as many times as
you want. Two to three bucks doesn't go too far nowadays, and I think
when it comes to entertainment, comics definitely give you the most
bang for your buck.
Finally we come to variety. As I stated earlier, there's a plethora
of great comics on the market, covering a wide range of genres and
appealing to a vast audience. You've got everything from the quaint
adventure that is Akiko, to the raw and gritty Transmetropolitan and
everything else in between. There's so much quality out there, in fact,
that there's always a comic that I'd like to be reading, but have to pass
on. Also, with new standout books like Kitchen Sink Press' The Spirit:
The New Adventures, and Oni Press' Oni Double Feature anthology title,
the influx of quality new series seems to be secured. I also don't want
to forget to mention the resurgence in quality of books from the big
three publishers. DC, Marvel, and Image now have solid lineups with each
publisher having some real gems. DC has great books like Hitman, Preacher,
and Transmetropolitan. Marvel's Heroes Return line is very good, and Image
has some great titles coming out from the various imprints such as Battle
Chasers, Crimson, Astro City, and Stormwatch. It's a great time to be a
comics reader, but there just aren't enough of us! As I emphasized in my
previous four articles, the comics industry just hasn't maintained a big
enough reader base. There was a fairly sizable drop-off in readership once
the 90's hit, and the industry hasn't ever really recovered. However, I
think that with the quality of comics available today, the industry is
well on it's way to getting more people into comics and this ensuring
it's vitality.
