This decompression has become too much of a crutch.

Take Superman 677, for example. Here’s what happens:
1. Superman is playing in space with Krypto and Green Lantern
2. We meet the Science Police, who are fighting a big monster
3. Atlas shows up and beats the big monster
4. Atlas demands that Superman show up
5. Superman shows up.

How many times has someone busted up Metropolis and clamored for Superman to show up? Sometimes, it happens on the very first page of the issue. In this case, items 1-5 above could have been done in 4-5 pages, leaving the rest of the issue to tell an interesting story about this Atlas guy and what he means to Superman. Because of decompression, there is no reason in this issue for me to think that Atlas is any different from any of the other threats that have showed up and demanded to see Superman. Thus, I have no incentive to buy the next issue to get Atlas’s story and find out why I should have been interested in the guy in the comic I just bought.

You could say that we needed several pages to get to know the Science Police, but why? Why not tease them and let us get to know them over time. Do we really need to know all of their names and personalities when we aren’t going to see them again for a month and each didn’t get to do too much this issue?

Why does every story need to be a miniseries? It’s not that hard to tell a story in an issue:

1. 5 pages to set up the story
2. 10 pages to develop the story
3. 5 pages to finish the story
4. 2 pages of buffer to use as needed.

I have no problem with taking 2-3 issues to tell something that is really a big story. Beyond that, you’re not writing a story in a monthly, you’re writing a miniseries or a graphic novel in installments. It’s fine for a series of stories to form a longer arc, but you should get satisfaction out of each issue and there should be a good reason why the events in a particular issue take a whole issue to tell.

I think one of the problems is that writers turn in panel-by-panel scripts. Really, artists should be better at telling a tight story visually. The writer should say what each page accomplishes. Then, the artist should use his more acute visual sense to tell the story. Then, the writer should add dialog. Yes, this is the old Marvel style. When the artist and the writer weren’t in sync, you’d get some odd dialog that didn’t fit the story that the artist created. But, when it worked, you got real economy of storytelling.

Some might argue that this approach shortchanges characterization, but you can show character economically with good art and a few well-chosen lines. It’s only when you have an Ed Benes-style artist who depends on generic poses that the characters must talk on and on to get a point across. With someone like Kevin Maguire penciling, you could leave out the dialog easily.

My last post was on how the 1980s were a banner decade for the team book. Since then, I’ve thought of even more team books from that decade, though these might not be as good or as long-lived as the first batch:

Action Comics (briefly featuring Blackhawk and the Secret Six), Atari Force, Avengers, Blackhawk (Chaykin miniseries), Defenders, Justice League Europe, Omega Men, Team America, Thriller, West Coast Avengers.

I’m sure there are even more I didn’t think of in these posts. Even Dreadstar was kind of a team book, with his supporting cast. Then, there are the duos, like Power Man and Iron Fist, Cloak and Dagger, Kitty Pryde & Wolverine.

Not a lonely decade.

Why were the 1980’s a golden age for team books? Think of how many of the greatest team book runs were written then: Alpha Flight, Batman and the Outsiders, Camelot 3000, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern Corps, Justice League International, Legion of Super Heroes, Micronauts, The New Mutants, The New Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the X-Men, Watchmen. And don’t forget the Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters! For the kids, there was Power Pack. Roy Thomas wrote 3 great teams on Earth-2, the All-Star Squadron, the Young All-Stars, and Infinity, Inc.

What was it about those times?

Superheroes are best for comics and comics are best for superheroes.

The comics page looks best with the bright eye candy of super heroes in dramatic poses and bright costumes. Nothing else makes as good use of the page.

Superheroes are best in comics. The costumes usually don't work in real life. Imagine a movie with one of the yellow-suited heroers like Yellowjacket.

Of course, there are lots of great westerns, samurai comics, etc., but nothing compares to superheroes.

Of course, there are great superhero movies, but these are the exception and they are great accomplishments. Also, except for the first 2 Superman movies and Spider-Man, they often make the superhero "more realistic" in look and so dull things somewhat.

Comics ↔  Superheroes

Discuss. Argue.