NOTE: Apparently some of you need to be reminded that posing scans of
entire copyrighted stories is NOT ALLOWED.

=====================================

Oops.  Sorry about that.

As far as superhero comics, here is your true Trinity.

These characters should be "brands" requiring fairly strict artistic perimeters.

Their iconic status requires a kind of formula of story-telling, but no more "formuliac" than a Sherlock Holmes or Tarzan yarn. Meaning, they are more limited by their basic integrity as icons, but their adventures can span any type of story genre. You can have a Superman Horror story. You can have Batman Bodice Ripper (you can). You can have Spider-Man Political Thriller. You can do absolutely anything with these characters, since their core integrity is so perfectly balanced.

So even though I don't fault anyone for their interpretation art-wise of Batman, I agree 1000% that comics need a firm entry-level icon such as these to sell comics, period, and then to "introduce" the rest of the characters of the company.

It's why I think the death of MARVEL TEAM-UP, DC PRESENTS starring Superman, and BRAVE AND THE BOLD starring Batman, all had such importance. The team-up titles gave readers a chance to see the icon and to experience a new character they'd never seen before.

I'd even say the critical failure of superhero comics in general might be directly tied to the demise of the team-up book with these icons.

The team-up titles should act as the most accessible titles on the market. Darwyn Cooke and Palmotti/Gray in recent times have demonstrated how to produce a successful comic around stand-alone or two-part tales. And Mark Waid was writing his team-up book of stand-alone stories meshed with ongoing subplots for momentum's sake (well, he flubbed it with a limp denouement, but everything can't be perfect).

What happened to the writers/artists who could legitimately produce solid, entertaining "short fiction" on a 30 day rotation?

I mean, it's true the team-up titles weren't exactly the best comics I ever read back when (though my favorite Batman story was in B&B)...but they were almost always entertaining.

I almost feel like it's a challenge that no one's ever successfully met over a long period. I'd think the team-up titles would be the perfect comic for a writer/artist to get involved in...the whole universe of characters, PLUS the BEST characters the company has? Where's the rub? It's gluttony of the good kind.