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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Nostalgia for Today
[Allan] Heinberg sheepishly admits that during his tenure at DC, he, along with friend and colleague Geoff Johns, has been "slowly subverting the DC Universe as it exists right now back into the one we grew up with in 1977."
-From the Pulp, Grind, Manifesto panel at the West Hollywood Book Fair, September 2006
I don't have much to offer as for my own personal reaction to the much-talked about Civil War #4. I liked it more than some and less than others. I am interested, to a point, in seeing other people's reactions to these big event books, though. One thing I notice from those who feel dissatisfied by the current crop of superhero books is that they make it clear, either specifically in their criticisms of current books or in their other writings, that they yearn for past eras in superhero comics, usually the era that reader first became an avid comic book reader. I believe nostalgia is harmless in small doses and one must wary about it if it starts making you suspicious of all change. The talk of nostalgia makes me wonder what discussions of superhero comics will look like in the future, when fans have nostalgia for today.
I don't doubt that in twenty, ten or even five years we see fans will bring up Infinite Crisis, 52, Civil War and New Avengers as examples of comics done right. I don't think people will say this because superhero comics will be any worse, or for that matter better, than superhero comics today. I think people will say this because it is easy to be very fond of the past. Looking back in hindsight you have a better sense of control than you do of your present and ever-shifting future. It's true that a particularly bad trend or comic may stick out. The reason why nostalgia is so seductive is that after reading a handful of comics week in and week out over a period of years what will stick out in your memory will be the books most enjoyed. There will be a sense that everything was "right" then (now) and things are not "right" now (the future). People redefine the past to suit their comfort level and the present cannot compete with that.
The reality is that a company's superhero line is not going to see a rebirth in quality and excitement by pattering its output based on nostalgia, either that of the fans or the creators. I started to become a comic book fan of discriminating tastes in my pre-teen years, the early-'90s. There were superhero comics I actively enjoyed, Astro City and Madman being my favorites. There were comics I realized were just cashing on a trend, "Bad Girls" was something of a phenomenon then, and I knew to avoid. Most comics were mediocre stuff, nothing too great or too bad, and something I enjoyed in passing. Today things are the same. I find a few really good corporate comics, right now it's Daredevil and All-Star Superman. There's real crappy stuff, as there always is. Just as reliable is the amount of perfectly acceptable and unoffensive pulp adventures, which makes up most of Marvel and DC's output. Your enjoyment of these books depends on your tolerance and emotional investment into these respective superhero universes. The only difference I can tell is that event books mean all these shared universes have a stronger editorial influence. For those that are reading superhero comics to follow an entire universe of characters that might make a difference but the individual books aren't particularly better or worse than they were if you compare Marvel or DC's overall output to past decades. It's nostalgia that washes away the mediocre books, or in some cases makes mediocre books seem better than they were, and creates this artificial difference between then and now.
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