A Comedy of Comic Book Industry Errors

Although lacking in popularity for years, the mid-50s through early 60s brought back a
resurgence of the superheroes. This in itself was not bad, especially since I like superheroes. But
as the publishers wanted to cash in on this rebirth, all other genres within the comic book
industry started to fade. The romance comics, the westerns, the hard-boiled detectives, the war
comics and science fiction comics all started to pass by the wayside.

The superhero was being driven by the market forces, which became to exist in the US comic
book industry. Suppliers and consumers alike developed an obsessive preoccupation with
superheroes, which ultimately became a detriment to the medium as a whole. By catering too
much to the limited market of superhero lovers, a much broader audience became neglected. One
analogy presented in the past was that superheroes are like really good desert. We all like desert,
but who can eat it all the time?

Another concern with this market saturation was the aesthetic merits under the weight of the
superhero longevity itself. This was not necessarily the fault of the genre itself, but of the market
upholding its lone cash cow. The very nature of art of storytelling within the superhero arena,
was greatly affected. We all have learned from the time we were young, the fundamental
elements of storytelling. There is the beginning, a middle and an end. The telling of superheroes
defies these fundamentals. There is a beginning, a continuous middle and NO end. The most
obvious (and arguably most drama killing) story telling convention is that a leading superhero
character can not die, at least, not for long.

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