I love comics (Or what's wrong with the industry today)
by Douglas Eugene Rockstead Jr on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 11:48am
My thoughts on the “Comic Book Industry”
I have been a comic book reader for a long, long, long time. I first learned to read at the age of 4 years old. I attribute this to 2 things.
1) An older sister that was learning to read at the time and was willing to come home and teach me (thanks to her desire to become a teacher and eventually she did)
2) My desire to read comics. I loved them and still do.
I was lucky to have a mom that loved comics and a dad that enjoyed them from time to time. The Shadow and Uncle Scrooge and Captain Marvel (Shazam!) are the books I remember him reading the most. As for my mom, she was almost as passionate about comics as I was/am. Both of my parents loved to draw and paint (my dad was a draftsman), and that desire to create was passed down to all of us Rockstead kids.
My dad met my mother while working on the railroad. She was living in Mexico at the time (and yes she was Mexican) and my dad met her while working on the trains that would go in and out of Mexico. He married her and eventually, they moved to the US, but … during that time of transition, my dad was teaching her to read and write in English, to get her up to speed. His genius idea to help her learn? He bought comics in Mexico and the US. The same issues. She would read these books (Identical artwork, but different languages) and taught herself to read and right with the help of comics. The only side affect was that my mom became hooked on books like “El Increible Hombre Arana” and “Los Quatros Fantasticos” … or as we say here, “The Amazing Spider-man” and “The Fantastic Four.” She read everything.
Well as kids growing up, there were always comics lying about, from the ones mentioned above to books like, Conan, The Swamp Thing, House of Mystery, Superboy and The Legion of Superheroes, Namor the Sub-Mariner, The Avengers, and Archie. (There were many more but these are the books that remind me of my mom)
My dad used to read to me as a kid. I have clear memories of sitting in his lap as he read “Dick Tracy” to me from the newspaper, or a Shazam! comic, as my sister and I, who couldn’t read would call him Captain Marbles, and Mary Marbles.
So when my sister started school, she wanted to teach me to read and I wanted to learn so I could read these books on my own, instead of waiting for someone to read them to me.
I read everything I could at that point. I never went to Kindergarten (my dad felt that was a waste of time) and started school in the first grade. I remember having to read to Mr. Reiff (our Elementary principal) to show I could read, even write some words, as well as do math problems. He wanted to put me in Kinder, but I guess felt I was ready for first grade (Except my under-developed social skills). My friend Annabelle has a funny story about how we first met on my first day of class but I’ll let her tell the story, she’s so much better at it. But the point of me saying this is that I was ahead of everyone in the class as far as reading level. I remember Miss Fernandez (soon to be Thompson) constantly telling me to slow down in the reading group. Why am I bringing this up? I believe comics are a great way to get kids to read and learn in general. They must use their imagination, and comics are so enthralling it’s hard to put them down.
I was always learning things through the comics I read. I learned what a Tessaract was. The Speed of light is 186,282 miles per second. Or the Theories behind time travel, or defined more accurately extra-dimensional travel. I discovered the concept of Anti-matter, and faster than light travel… these concepts alone were picked up while reading the comic “The Fantastic Four.” (My personal favorite) Comics had talented writers that did a great job of explaining these concepts in a way that was easy for my young mind to comprehend, and all of this was picked up (except for the Tessaract idea) prior to me entering high school.
Having said that, I hope you understand my love for the medium. Now on to my rant.
I feel that the comic book industry has shot itself in the foot. It isn’t brining in new readers. Some people attribute that to video games, and kids today being more mature, but I think it’s something simpler than that. I believe several factors have affected comics, and they are as follows:
1) Price Point - ($3 to $4 per book) This has skyrocketed compared to other goods and services out there. This is a big issue. I remember as a kid, my dad could put a gallon of gas in his car for a little less than a dollar. Comics? They ranged from 25 cents to 50 cents. You could usually get 3 or 4 comics for the same price as a gallon of gas. So did my dad mind getting them? I’m sure in some way financially it was a burden, but he didn’t flinch and picked them up anyway. Nowadays? I can get a gallon of guess for less money that it costs me to buy a comic. (Usually)
2) Accessibility – I used to be able to walk into any convenience store, gas station, supermarket and pick up a comic. This made it easy for me to bug my dad for a comic when I went into the store with him. Today? I would have to make a cross town trek (more than likely) to the closest comic shop in order to find one. And good luck getting most parents to go out of their way to do that. This isn't a knock on comic shops, just me saying that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
3) Content – Comics aren’t for kids anymore. Well the mainstream comics that everyone reads. I can pick up an issue of Batman or the Fantastic Four, or Spider-man starting with the mid 80’s and going _backwards_ feel comfortable letting a kid read it and know that he wasn’t going to read about someone getting killed, raped or mutilated in the pages of the comic. There weren’t going to be any curse words or themes that a parent should be concerned with. There are still comics out there that are aimed at kids but they are far outnumbered by the comics that are aimed at a more mature audience. This isn't to say there isn't a place for Mature comics. Why is this an issue? The industry is not grooming new readers. Walk into any comic shop and ask the owner the median age of his customer, and I guarantee at best it will be in somewhere in the 20’s. What happens when the readers outgrow comics? Or have other responsibilities to take care of? (for example kids, or maybe something as simple as just paying the rent.)
I feel that there is definitely a large demographic out there that is being ignored, and it’s by far the most important one. The best way to attract them? Lower the price, make them more easily accessible and filter the content for kids.
Having said my piece, here are the comics that I feel are kid friendly. Some may be out of print at this point but you may still be able to find them. Be sure to ask for these specific titles. You don’t want to pick up the wrong book aimed at a more mature audience.
DC Comics
1) Tiny Titans – I love this book. I am currently buying it for my as-yet-to-young-to-read daughter. I feel it’s a perfect starter book for kids.
2) Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam – I am partial to this character as he is my favorite. It was my desire to read the comics about “Captain Marvel” that lead to me learning how to read at an early age.
3) Batman: The Brave and The Bold – Fun comic based on the Cartoon Network TV series with the same name. Definitely a great read for kids under the age of 10.
4) Super Friends –
5) Young Justice – I would say this aimed at kids anywhere from 8-112 years of age based on content. Also based on a Cartoon Network series with the same name.
6) Ben 10 – based on the Cartoon Network Series (Created by the late great Dwayne McDuffy)
7) Scooby Doo
8) Looney Tunes
Marvel Comics
1) Avengers: The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes – Fun booked based on the Disney XD series with the same name. I love the show. I have to add that. Fun book.
2) Marvel: Super Hero Squad – definitely aimed at Younger readers. On par with DC’s Tiny Titans.
3) Marvel Adventures Spider-man - on par with Young Justice. A little more advanced than the others.
Boom Comics
1) Uncle Scrooge – Self explanatory
2) Donald Duck
3) Mickey Mouse
4) Duck Tales
5) Cars
6) Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
7) Darkwing Duck
8) Disney’s Hero Squad
…. They have a lot of books aimed at kids!
There are other independent publishers out there putting out some great books aimed at kids, but sadly, they don’t stay in business for very long. I’m going to list some older books you can buy for kids below:
1) Bone – Fantastic Amazing story. I cannot say enough good things about Bone. I love this book. One of the greatest comics ever written and it actually has an ending. Jeff Smith is a genius and you can’t go wrong with this book great for all ages, and if they ever make a movie, I will be the first person standing in line to see it. Again… I can’t say enough great things about this book.
2) Akiko – Mark Crilley is another genius. This book is great for everyone. Fun and a great story. The hero is a young girl so if you’re looking for something positive for a girl to read (other than watching Disney Princess movies… and I have my issues with that) this is great!
3) Leave it to Chance – I love this book. Paul Smith does a great job with this adventure story. Chance Falconner is the heroine. I bought this book in hardcover years before I ever had my daughter Isabella, on the off chance that I ever had a daughter or granddaughter. This is the type of book I would want her to read. A strong female character and a fascinating story.
4) Pakkins Land – Great adventure Story. I love it. Fun read.
5) Thieves and Kings – One of the best kids/young adult books you’re going to find. It’s a mixture of comic book and text, but a fascinating story with a great mix of “cartoony” and realistic artwork. Great book for a young boy to read. (it is in black and white so it may not appeal to most young readers)
6) Justice League Adventures – If you can find this out of print comic, based on the fantastic Justice League animated series.
7) Batman Adventures/ Batman and Robin Adventures – great book based on the early 90’s animated series (and IMHO - the best adaptation of Batman ever)
8) Superman Adventures – Based on the early 90’s animated series.
9) Marvel Essentials – the only problem with these is that they are in black and white but they are reprints of comics from the 60’s and 70’s that are, IMHO, kid friendly.
That’s enough for now… if I have more to add or more suggestions, I’ll add them to this list. Feel free to hit me up with more suggstions.
PS ( Feel Free to untag yourself, and or comment on this. Just please keep it civil)
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