A Bit Of A Rambling One Today
I’m damned glad, sometimes, that I have the equivalent taste and discernment of an eleven-year-old. Steven Grant’s latest column at CBR, amongst other things, has got me thinking about, for want of a better phrase, “art” comics. I hate to frame this post in these terms, but you-know-the-kind-of-thing-I’m-talking-about.
The “indie” scene is something of a niche interest, with creators making little money, certainly in comparison to people working on “mainstream” titles (and I’m sorry for all the quotation marks, but that’s the accepted terminology even if it is all a little ridiculous). And I feel sorry for them. It can’t be much fun to put your heart and soul into something and not have it appreciated, and if I was a fan of only that kind of thing then I’d get pretty frustrated, too.
A big chunk of the comics I buy have always been super-hero stuff, although recently there’s been a lot more that fit better in the “other” column. Even these largely fall into SF/Fantasy/Horror/Crime though. There’s very little real-world based stuff. It’s not that I don’t like non-genre work, it’s just that it doesn’t tend to be my first choice. It’s the same, really, with books, TV, and films.
It’s probably not completely accurate to say it’s all based on a kind of arrested development. Sure, if it’s a Saturday morning cartoon that has giant robots in it I’m almost guaranteed to like it, but I kind of liked Raging Bull too. I suppose I’m less enclined than some to bemoan the hideous and shallow state of modern culture, which isn’t to say I wouldn’t like to see something that’s more Serpico than National Treasure once in a while. Partly it’s because while there’s an argument to be made that movies have gotten dumber (or rather, that there aren’t as many smart films out, as there have always been dumb movies), television has gotten a hell of a lot more sophisticated. The Wire is every bit as real and engaging as anything filmed for the big screen in the 70s.
Also, I can’t help but feel that things aren’t as doomy as is widely predicted, and that’s because the way people create, deliver and discover things are changing radically. Take music. I am absolutely the guy who whinges and moans about how much better pop music was in the 60s compared to today. But while in times past I was limited to what was chosen to be distributed by big labels, or by the limited reach of small-time indie (and there’s that word again) labels, now if I wanted to listen to nothing but psychedelic Spanish arse-flute Reggae, not only am I likely to be able to turn up a website devoted to it but also an enclave of artists specialising in psychedelic Spanish arse-flutery and all the rivalry, backstabbing and innovation that goes with that kind of thing.
Large media conglomerates, whether they’re DC, Paramount, EMI or whatever, will always be engaged in nothing more than wealth accumulation, and homogenisation of popular culture is simply the best way for them to do this. But with the advent of networking resources of the 21st Century, added to how easy technology makes home production of damn near anything these days, we are no longer limited to what is distributed by these corporations. It is a climate where niche interests thrive- just look at the success of the Penny Arcade webcomic, something the majority of the Western world have never, ever heard of, but has generated well over a million dollars in charitable contributions from a previously untapped fanbase. It wouldn’t surprise me if their actual non-charitable earnings haven’t surpassed the same level.
By exploiting the subdivisions that aren’t worth the notice of big companies, it is possible to pursue these niche interests. Millions may not flock to low budget art-house anything, but there is an audience out there, one that can be reached through non-conventional media. We may not be quite at the point where the delivery system is completely accessible to the audience yet, but we’re getting there. But there’s no point moaning about how these niches can’t compete with a big company. The simple fact is you can’t compete with them. So you’re only real option is to take yourself out of the game and find a better way.
