[Essay] Comic Books

Written on 17 Feb 2005.

Irresponsible! How could they do this? How could they treat the amazing and multifaceted gems so carelessly? I am betrayed!

My favorite comic company has gone out of business. Dreamwave, host to so many excellent and talented writers and artists, has closed its doors forever. But, you challenge, what’s the big deal? It’s just a comic book.

OH HO! These magnificent pieces of art cannot be slandered by your depreciative claims! Every glossy page was an example of attention to detail. It was an homage to perspective. Each page was something that I would gladly hang and display on my wall.

I admit that I was partial to the subject matter. I collected Transformers when I was a child, and have begun again at the suggestion of a friend. The story lines, while not the most creative, did a fantastic job of delving into and developing the personalities of stereotypical characters. And now that the storylines are so much truncated fantasy, I find myself raising my fists to the sky in melodramatic rage.

They closed for “bad business practices.” They deferred payment to their writers and to their artists. THEY DID NOT PAY THEIR TALENT. And yet, they expected to continue to publish fifteen different comic books every month. Bad business practices, indeed.

I am left with unfinished stories and a determination to do better than they have.