COMICS CULTURE SHRAPNEL from CBEM 310

Proof of Existence

It is worth noting that I am typing this from the safety and comfort of my own home, due to a newly installed computer I received from my cousin. It's used; it was probably going to end up with a pick-ax in it. But it serves my needs, and I am grateful. Incidentally, I'm also typing this on an ergonomic keyboard, which completely screws the way I type so forgive the occasional spelling error.

Anyway, I am grateful. Just like last week I was grateful for the comics industry in general. Still am. I am also considering publishing my own book, written and drawn between several talented friends and me. I can draw somewhat, though I think I'm a better painter, which doesn't say much. I'll work something out, which shouldn't be too hard considering the free time I will be burdened and bored by. Summers do start to bore me after a while, so I will hopefully undertake this project.

I suppose it would do us all good to undertake a project this spring and summer something that would hopefully do the comic industry and ourselves some good. There's always the prospect of cleaning out our comic boxes and giving stuff to kids, as our good editor always suggests. Hook 'em while they're young. Why does this strategy only seem to work with the tobacco industry? Maybe we should make comics bad for your health... like they cause cancer or something. With the one in a million chance they'll give a reader superpowers. Yeah, there's a selling point. Geez. The sad part is that I'm sure it would work. People have this propensity to do what's bad for them.

So maybe we should self-publish only because of the possibility of failure. Print thousands of copies and spend all your money. Be offensive and annoying and just plain bad. Ruin yourself financially, ruin your reputation. Because heck, there's always a chance of success. And if otherwise, well, at least we tried. At least we did something to justify our existence.

I wonder if I want to be known as a reader of comics. Not a writer or artist, but simply a reader. What do I leave behind? A large collection of books, memories of things I never did, and a list of dangling plotlines.

If comics are so important to us, perhaps we should make it something lasting. Get involved. It's more fulfilling.