It's quite amazing. There was a time when I was quite erroneously pilloried for "being in it just for the money" -- nothing could be further from the truth -- yet some of these whiney prima donnas that infest the industry today can talk this way and be folk heroes!

Love of the craft, simply FOR the craft, sometimes seems to have disappeared almost entirely.

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I have read several posts on various message boards where some people have said a certain big name British comic book writer has said several times online that he only works on superhero comics purely for the money. I won't name this creator, but I think that some people might know who I'm talking about.

It's rather unsettling when kids have to be steered clear of Batman or Spider-Man since they have content that may be inappropriate (as someone who works at my comic store told me once).

Before, interest would wane but the content could still be approachable and appreciated years later. Now, I look at some comics and I am reluctant to pick them up since they seem to be catering to a sort of "fan" that I would just as soon not be labeled as.

Maybe I'm getting too old?

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I feel exactly the same way you do. I find myself either dropping or skipping over most of these faux "mature" superhero comics. I just don't find them fun or exciting.

Maybe I'm nuts, but the current crop of 'mature' books inspires me to write and draw (with my limited skills <g>) concepts that I know my children can enjoy.

Maybe this era of doom and gloom will inspire similar folk, and the pendulum will swing.

Hey, I'm an optimist!

Now HOW I do that...I've been searching for that for awhile :-)

Greg and Brian,

My three kids and I have been making our own comics for the last little while now. I write 'em and they draw 'em.

Since everyone is working on their own "series", the other two are always excited to see what the third has come up with. And I delight in seeing how each of these not-so-little guys brings their own unique style of interpretation to the work.

(I bought it on my iPad...how appropriate.)

Edited by Brian Mays on 11 June 2010 at 1:55pm

Rick, about that "maturity" thing:

   I remember the days when I used to frequent a video store, but it was only for the forbidden fruits that I was denied as a teenager.  Looking back at that now, I've realized that it was just me being just another creep going to the back room to see what they offered.  Could that be the "mature comics fan" we're talking about?

   Today, I realize that there are just some things that one should leave out of the narrative, especially if the audience will involve children and their parents.  The scenes being described here are mostly being geared towards the porn booth shoppers, I think.  That's the difference between the "maturity" being promoted in today's comics and real maturity.

   Per JB's response before then, the love of the medium has disappeared.  I'm repeating myself, but it seems that Hollywood scriptwriters are moonlighting there, or at least half of the current crop of comics writers have an eye on a Hollywood career (but little else to offer).  Even the artists have become arrogant little brats who view the characters that they're supposed to be working on as little more than a blank slate to "reinterpret" to their heart's content.  Hence the comment from said British writer above.

Now this level of violence is commonplace and considered tame. To shock, they've had to go beyond this. And now that THAT level is considered commonplace, what becomes the NEW "shock" level?

I got into a discussion with some comic fans stating that there are probably younger readers in there due to related toys, movies, and cartoons. Their desires are going to be weighed when producing the books, and what they like is going to come into the books' content.

A lot of defensiveness and possessiveness became apparent, with some saying younger readers should be relegated to the "kiddie" sections. They don't want children playing with a children's property.

Edited by Brian Mays on 12 June 2010 at 5:24am

The effect there is much the same as what has happened in comics -- fans turned pro who bring to the product the sensibilities of their ADULT lives, not the sensibilities that entertained them when they were kids, originally drawn to the characters.

It's a slippery slope, and one I have stumbled down a few times myself. Ultimately, we (the writers, artists, editors, etc) need to keep in mind that the material isn't meant for "us", as we get older. We need to try to hold on to our memories of what brought us into the fold in the first place. Comic books, as a medium, can contain any kind of subject matter we choose, from sweet and innocent to hardcore pornography, and, indeed, they SHOULD contain everything within that range -- but this is not a mix-'n'-match scenario, where something that starts out sweet and innocent can be turned to hardcore pornography, and back, on the whim of whoever is producing it at the moment.