artform of the comic book
almost midnight
The artform of the comic book is in a garbage state. Many people with a vested interest in such matters would have you believe that we are currently experiencing "a new golden age" to quote several writers, but don't believe the hype. Corporate comic books think they're hot stuff right now because the emphasis in the creative process has shifted gradually from the penciller to the writer. The reality is that instead of corporate comics all coming off like they're created by people who read nothing but other corporate comic books, they now read like they're created by people who watch nothing but corporate movies based on or inspired by corporate comic books. Alternative comic books, that is to say comic books NOT published by an entity specializing in superhero material, were and are still created primarily by angry and/or dejected loners whose subject matter is, essentially, a celebration of having chosen to take part in a marginalized sub-culture that they talk themselves into believing the rest of society is either too stupid or low-brow to 'get'. Much of their activity is still carried out in reaction to the corporate stuff. They're happy enough that they've got their picture in the paper, but they can't figure out why despite the attention, still no one gives a damn.
The comic book landscape today is different than that of years previous, but different does not always mean better. Today, you would no longer be able to point at a teenage male with pimples, excess weight, and no girlfriend and point him out as an accurate representation of the comic book audience. You could at one point, but you can't now. If you wanted to be honest about the comic book reader of today, you would need to point at the grown man in his thirties, the skinny fellow who thinks that he's plenty cool, it's the rest of the world that's lame. He's the guy who spends the whole party yakking your ear off about what a bitch his ex-girlfriend is (they broke up three years ago) while all you wanted to do was pass him in the hall on your way to the fridge. Either way, might his martyr act regarding why he can't get laid, or his lament over why his life isn't what he wanted it to be, be just as much of a deterrent to a truly mainstream audience as years of convoluted superhero backstory were believed to be?
Today I paid a visit to one of Toronto's premier comic book shops. I went in fully expecting to part with some of my money, but absolutely nothing looked at all interesting. How many more Batman stories are there to tell? I've got fond memories of 80s cartoons too, but I already paid for them when I was eight or nine, thank you very much. Maybe it's not the books, maybe it's the scene. It's plenty disheartening to be greeted at the entrance by someone who has seen what I've been doing since the start but refuses to look up from her hands (or his computer, Mr. You-know-who-you-are) when I say hello. I felt something in me change today, looking around and thinking "I'm trying to be a part of THIS???" A decision was made today that will forever alter the course of this project and all of you who have been supportive these last few years are going to be knocked on your ass. 2005 will be a big year for Sean Ward Productions. Stay Tuned.
