In Defense of Comics

When certain people discover that I read comic books, I get a variety of responses, such as: "So, what do you mean, like, Charlie Brown and Garfield?" Yes, this was actually said to me. Another of my favorite responses comes when I talk about "Superhero" movies. I get the scrunched-up-face-smirk/grimace look followed by "Isn't that a comic book movie? Those movies are SO dumb." I find it amusing that these responses usually come from one of two sources: First, girls who wear FAR too much makeup, and second, those who belong to the Talledega Nights/Superbad/Anchorman crowd. Yeah, COMIC BOOK movies are dumb...riiiiiiight. Anymore, I won't even mention the fact that I wouldn't mind expanding my writing career to include comic books or graphic novels. I'm not embarrassed. I just don't want to deal with the headache.

I must admit, some of these responses are justified. Hollywood was not always good at bringing comic books to life on the silver screen. Sometimes it's still not very good at it. (The Fantastic Four movies, the 3rd Spiderman movie, The Hulk, the list goes on). Still, I find that when people call something stupid it is usually because they didn't understand it, or they have absolutely no experience with it. This is true when it comes to comic books. I'm curious to know how many people that think comic books and their cinema-counterparts are stupid have actually ever READ a comic book. My first guess would be, not too many. Or at least, they've never read the RIGHT ones.

It amazes me in this age of mixed-media and freedom of artistic exploration that comic books are still seen as the black-sheep of the literature family. When comic book writers are shunned from academic circles, confined to "Children's Literature" at book fairs, and consistenly overlooked for the most prestigious awards. I ask you, why are comic books not considered a legitimate storytelling medium? Why are they different from any other method of storytelling?

Let me ask this: Can a painting tell a story? Can a photograph? One has only to look at any number of paintings and works of art to know that images are perfectly capable of telling a story. The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Adoration of the Name of God. The School of Athens. American Gothic. If one but takes the time to look and look DEEPER, these are incredibly telling images.

And there is no need to ask if books, songs or poems tell stories. Even if it is just a simple passage of dialogue. Dialogue was the traditional method of learning and teaching among the ancients (something I believe would benefit the modern generations greatly, were it revived in education institutions). Plato and Socrates, two of the most influential thinkers in history spread their ideas solely through dialogue.

So if images can tell a story, and words obviously tell a story, then why is the combination of images and words suddenly cast out among the bastard children of literature? Why does this combination nullify literary, philosophical, or cultural significance? Why is a comic any less capable then a folk singer strumming a guitar, a mural on a wall, or a poem in some dusty volume? If anything, this combination of words and images should only increase its potency and potential to expand and inspire the imagination.

But beyond that, certain people scoff at the idea of superheroes, and I honestly have no idea why (Besides the idea of grown men running around in tights...I will cede that battle). What it comes down to, no matter what the media, is the story. Does the story draw me in? Does it inspire me? Does it make me feel that all too rare sensation of a very real possibility of epic things happening within the world?

The Greeks had their legendary heroes. The Romans had their gods. The Britons had Arthur and his knights. The Celts had the Fae. Literally every culture from every period built around themselves a unique set of myths and legends that inspired them, encouraged them, awed them, and ultimately spoke to the inner parts of their hearts and invited them to look at the triumph of what is best in humanity.

So here's my point: Comic books are American Mythology.

What is Superman and his Kryptonite if not a reflection of great Achilles and his heel? What is Batman and Gotham except the mythical struggle of one or a few men battling to defend their city and their home, just as Hector and Paris?

Virgil had his Aeneas.

Homer had his Achilles and his Hector and his Odysseus.

We have Superman. We have Batman.

We need them.

We need these stories, because they reflect the best of us, and the worst of us. These archetypes are essential for us to explore the meaning of what exactly we are, and what we are capable of being.

America has succeeded in creating its own personal mythology.

It's time it was embraced.