Time and again, I read this comment from the smarter people working in comics today. Repeat, these are the smarter people in comics. It runs something like this: 'The survival of comic books will depend on a bigger variety of genres. There has to be mystery, fantasy, genuine sci-fi, straight fiction, romance, and comedy.' Why? "Because most people don't like superheroes"
And that's exactly where they're wrong.
People love superheroes. I can't count how many lunchroom conversations I've been in where the topic of superheroes comes up, and here's the thing: every one has an opinion. Every one. (And Guess what? No one's favorite hero is Animal Man :( Too bad. ) Not only that, but everyone has reqasons fo rtheir favorite hero. (Most of the opinions are dumb, but hey, that's the nature of superheroes.) Know how many people are waiting for the Spider-Man movie? Yeah? You too?
If people dind't like superheroes, why would they make fun of them so much? It's a whole category on Whose Line is it Anyway! Think of how many local yokel businesses have mascot superheroes or superheroes in their commercials. I think this is the best proof that people like superheroes.
The general public likes superheroes, just not as much as comic fans. Nobody knows Aquaman or Hawkeye or Thor. Hardly anyone knows Green Lantern or Iron Man, or even Captain America. There's Superman and Batman, and there's Spiderman and the X-Men. So Superheroes are blown all out of proprtion in the fanculture. It's no surprise that dozens of superbooks out there clutter up the stand for outsiders. But people like superheroes, so that's not the main problem. Seems to me there're two likely reasons.
People of a genuine reluctance to read comics. (It's the format itself.)
or
(People like superheroes and) We aren't doing them right. This brings up a point for me. When you see a genuinely new take on superheroes, support it. (This shouldn't be too hard, there aren't that many out there.) People whine about new books becasue they're just another spin on superheroes, when the real reason they avoid it is becuase it doesn't feature Wolverine (or whoever their favorite character is). New ideas need support, at least a runthrough in the store. The solution to the first problem is muddier. To change perceptions, take a different approach. Graphic Novels, new page sizes, different covers, whatever. To change perceptions read yer funnybooks proudly. Talk about comics read them in public, and don't be a geek about it. The industry's best chance for growth is interesting comics fans. So, in conclusion...
There are two problems. Is there anybody doing anything about them?
