Musing: How Comic Books are Treated in the Media

I know a few things about comic books.

I know that comic books are stories with sequential art. I know that comic books tell a wide variety of stories and work in many genres, both in fiction and non-fiction. I know that there are comic books geared towards children, there are some geared towards adults, and some that try and be all ages.

I know that the general consensus is that comic books are for kids or nerds, and I know this isn't true. I know that it will be a hard fight for the industry and it's fans to gain respect. I know when people mis-characterize comic books it irritates me a mite.

I've never read BuddyTV before. I have comic books in my google alerts so I've become aware of them. I'm just curious is to how influential they are. Especially when they write things like this:

I raise this question because the comic book industry is a breeding ground for the “knock-off”. I'm no comic book expert; I dabbled when I was younger, have enjpyed a couple graphic novels, but haven't read or owned an actual comic book in over a decade. Comic books, to the best of my knowledge, have grown stagnant.

Oscar Dahl, the writer of this piece, makes several claims about comic books in his discussion of the hit (and fantastic) TV show Heroes. There's nothing wrong with that, Heroes is very comic booky.

However, to say that the comic book industry breeds knock-offs and has grown stagnant is, if not out right false, very mis-leading as to the reality of the situation. Comic book writers can be, and are, amazingly creative and push through a lot of new ground in exploring the world and the human condition. If I had one available I'd pull up a very well said Grant Morrison or Alan Moore quote to refute this assertion.

The New York Times, again, in reference to Heroes, makes an error in regards to comic books.

“Lost” is at heart a science-fiction thriller, while “Heroes” is more of a comic book, but both genres have a similar appeal: they provide an alternative society for those who don’t fit comfortably into their own.

Aside from the unnecessary slamming of Science Fiction and Comic Books, there is the mistake in language. This is a minor gripe, but it's one that I think leads to a large misunderstanding between comic book fans and everyone else.

Comic books are not a genre. Comic books are a format. Science-Fiction, Horror, Suspense, Romance, even Super-Hero; are all genres. Comic books are more like books, plays, movies, or radio. Comic books are most associated with the Super-hero genre, but I can't imagine that the Times was referring to that in regards to Heroes, which is a drama.

I think if the media were educated as to the material, especially now that's becoming more of a presence in the public realm, certain biases could be eroded.