1. Bruce Wayne Proves That Profits Trump Story
American mainstream comic books are the literary equivalent of Shirley Temple, every attempt has been made to keep the books effectively the same because that is the surest money making bet. The lengths the big two have gone through to keep the books effectively the same in all the ways that matter the most is decidedly unnatural. It makes sure that heroes never triumph and the world never becomes a better place. Is it any wonder that comic books have become darker to reflect the general outlook we have about the world we live in? When did comics stop being progressive? The X-Men have been fighting to promote peace between humans and mutants since their first appearance, to what end? Colossal failure, as Marvel has done everything in its power to maintain this issue in their books with no progress whatsoever. When you think that the basic dynamic between Xavier and Magneto is supposed to mirror the dynamic between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, doesnt Marvel owe it to us to lead the way and show us a world where what those men died for is possible, instead of continually showing us that their struggle was a pipe dream they could never attain? They are making it obvious that a positive outlook on life, on the future wont sell books, and thats whats important, not the responsibility to use the superhero mystique to inspire generations of children, but to sell them books that reinforce their fears and lack of hope. DC and Marvel designed the process of selling comic books, but it should be telling that they stand alone in their industry, the next company to even attempt to do what the big two do on the list is a shell of itself and most of its IPs are now owned by DC. No one seems to point out that doing business like the big 2 is doomed to fail because maybe doing business that was without an installed tradition is a bad idea. The only reason the big 2 are still here is the fact that they have an entrenched fan base that has proven they will put up with anything because there isnt any real alternative. Independent comic companies dont even try and compete with the big 2, there are no other comic book universes to cater to, and if you want the saga your choices are limited. Yes, in small instances the books are enjoyable, but readers are so lost in the manipulation that they dont see what they are missing. Dc and Marvel bank on that, on the fear that if they dont do what they do then readers will end up in a lose lose scenario. The big 2 have spent untold resources convincing readers that there isnt any real alternative to the way they do business, and that they are at the whim of the readers so naturally the reader is getting what they want. However, DC has freely admitted that Jean Paul Valley was intentionally made unlikable so that readers would resist his selection as Batman. Then DC swoops in and says, See? We gave you what you wanted, and you chose our guy. That is manipulation, convincing you that you want something compared to the worst possible alternative. This is not a business practice that readers would support if the big 2 put their cards on the table at the time. Admitting it later is literally slapping you in the face. When private industry decided that they needed to promote consumerism in order to survive, they were convinced by a man named Edward Bernays that the best way to do this was to manipulate the American people. Look around you, this business practice is the status quo of every business on the planet, and comic books are not immune to this practice. This manipulation is evident in every commercial you see, every ad you read and every billboard by the side of the road. Its even become standard practice in American politics. What the big 2 did was use your power as a consumer against you, by telling the same story over and over again because they are sure that that story will sell. So Bruce Wayne is still Batman, Tony Stark is still Iron Man, few heroes die and stay dead, and those that stay dead have a curious inability to sustain book sales. Doesnt it bug you as a consumer, not reader but a consumer, that when sales lag the typical response is to kill and resurrect the character? How many times does a book or universe have to come full circle before you say enough is enough? The big 2 are banking on the idea that by the time you come to that conclusion your children are already regular readers of the same damn stories.