Leave the $5.99 on the dresser

I’ve come up with an analogy, my friends, and I dare say it’s a good one.

I was trying to think, what is it that has been bugging me so much about comics lately? What can I put my finger on that encapsulates so much of the disillusionment I’ve been feeling about new series, new directions, new costumes, and new whatevers?

And two things come up most often – out-of-continuity stories and special treatment given to rockstar talent. And these two regularly overlap.

It makes sense that they do. If you’re going to bag yourself a rockstar creative force, you want to showcase that talent to make as much money as possible. And often to bag such a talent, you have to clear out a whole section of Chuck E Cheese or McDonald’s so that they can have as much room and as many toys to play with as they want.

But hold – the playground analogy is not the profound one I wish to make.

Rather, it is that comics writing gigs are like relationships. And while editors used to play the role of good friend, wingman or matchmaker, they are now playing the role of pimp.

I admire a writer like Kurt Busiek or Mark Waid. These are guys who have been around a long time. They hop from title to title, lending their talent to the characters’ rich existence. For these writers, their relationships with the characters is like a loving marriage. Their stories – most often – rest in continuity, showing a respect and admiration for what came before them and a commitment and willingness to dedicate themselves to the future of the characters.

Some may say that writers like these are not unlike whores, willing to come and go (no pun intended) from book to book with no long-term commitment. Perhaps, if one examined their careers only on that most superficial level, one could make that argument. But their willingness to respect and contribute to a character’s canon shows a desire to commit oneself to the overall existence and improvement of that character.

Now let’s take a look at some recent creations in the comics world, or as I like to call them, the sluts.

These are the talents who see a character, see a chance to make a cool story, and see an opportunity, so they go for that one-night-stand or maybe keep the character in their booty-call speed dial. They tell everyone how much they love the characters, how they’ve always dreamt of being with them, but really, they want the quick bang without the commitment of having to follow the pre-existing rules of engagement and without having to worry about any awkward follow-ups.

Marvel acquired Joss Whedon. He gets his own X-title. He gets to do whatever he wants. His team exists in their own little realm – not quite out of continuity, but not really in it either. They don’t have to participate in Civil War. The book doesn’t have to come out very often either.

Jeff Smith. He’s wanted to do a Captain Marvel story for years. Some of the characters he’s writing about play pivotal roles in the ongoing 52, but his story is out of continuity. It’s cute. It’s like a Saturday morning cartoon! It’s whatever he wants it to be.

Darwyn Cooke. He got to unofficially fill in blanks between the Golden Age and Silver Age. He gets to do the Spirit, but not even in continuity with that character. He gets to launch Superman: Confidential.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with these stories. I’ve enjoyed Astonishing X-Men and Superman: Confidential for the most part. Yeah, they’re fun. But at the end of they day (or night), they’re meaningless.

I would love to see a company tell a creator that the characters come first. When a company lets a creator have their way with characters, either through a new series or through loopholes like “It’s out of continuity,” it devalues them.

Much as I admire a couple who has stuck it out for decades, I’m always going to admire someone like Kurt Busiek, who can drop in for an arc or two with a character like Superman, tell his story and leave his mark, but not need a new title, a creative loophole or a continuity reset to make it happen. His admiration for the character and ability to work within that is a lot more impressive to me than being able to do anything from a clean slate.