Don't make me see the truth - The monster is out
Society generally accepts comic books as being "crude, poorly drawn, semiliterate, cheap, disposable, kiddie fare." These misconceptions about comic books began when comics began. Nobody places comics next to such literary pieces as "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Scarlet Letter" or compares talents such as Lewis Carroll and Nathaniel Hawthorne to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Comic books being just for kids are a misconception. Lewis Carroll and Edgar Allen Poe were not accepted in their day. They were misunderstood. Comic books are the same. They are misunderstood and are just as credible an art form as any piece of literature.
The first comic books to have original material started in the 1930's. It did not take long for kids to notice this, being that comics were brightly colored and sold at a child's eye level. This simple and coincidental event led to years of complete misunderstanding. By the late 30's, comic books had been deeply accepted as being just for kids. One of the most important pieces of literature was overlooked in 1938. Action Comics #1 was on newsstands, the first appearance of Superman. Superman ushered in the Golden Age of Comics and the creation of hundreds of superheroes including Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. The superheroes planted the notion comic books are just for kids even more firmly in the mind of society.
By the late 40's, the returning troops from World War II led to alternatives to superhero comic books being quite popular. These comic books had more adult themes: horror, crime, romance, and western. These comic books were not intended for children, but few people figured this out. The popularity of the horror and crime comics led a psychiatrist named Fredric Wertham to attack the comic book medium. His attacks were no more than complete and utter misconceptions. Today his book, "Seduction of the Innocent," would never be taken seriously. There were many wrongs and half-truths. Superman convinced kids to jump from great heights and Robin made little boys want to be homosexual. However, during this time, the beginning of the Cold War, Wertham was taken seriously and due to congressional interference, the Comic Code Authority was born. This had the effect of pushing many comic books underground where they could grow and develop without any interference. It took years for these "alternative" comic books to resurface in the mainstream. When they did, they found themselves "grown up." This was a result of the creator's interest to explore the more complex areas of the medium, trying to elevate comic books to their fullest potential.
Webster's dictionary defines "literature" as imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value. Literature contains certain qualities and mechanics such as format, style, theme, plot, foreshadowing, and irony. These alone will not make a work of writing into a work of literature. The work must contain more than just enlightening words. The reader must care about the character(s). The character(s) must connect to the reader, it does not matter if the character(s) is liked or even if the character(s) is not human, the reader must care and feel a connection to the character(s). The work must also be able to connect with the reader at a higher level. The work must make the reader think, think about the qualities that lie "between the lines" and ask questions that do not exist and have no correct answers. These answers are an important part of what makes writing into literature. The ability to discuss differing answers and not be wrong (or right) is an amazing quality. Simple words causing people to debate their meaning is truly a quality in true art.
Scott McCloud defines "comics" as "juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce aesthetic response in the viewer," or simply put the definition means sequential art. Comic books are a medium not a genre that can express any idea. Comic books as a medium require one element, the hybrid of words with pictures to convey the idea. Comic books are more than just superheroes or funny animals, they include Pulitzer material such as "Maus" and the acclaimed work like "The Sandman."
Often it is difficult to separate simple forms from simple ideas? "The platonic [meaning simple and often childlike] ideal of the comic book may seem to omit much of the ambiguity and complex characterization which are the hallmarks of modern literature, leaving them suitable only for children," but a simple style does not mean a simple story or idea. It only takes a look at the "nonsense" writers of the late 19th century to see that a simple form or story does not mean a simple idea or meaning. Their writings, once understood, had many meanings and complex ideas. Comic books are more than childish words and pictures. It is "possible to effectively use metaphor, irony, foreshadowing, and flashbacks in a comic book" just as classic literature uses these tools. Truly "good" comic books are more than the sum of their parts; they are a harmonious combination of words and pictures where the reader is aware of neither the words nor the pictures, just the story. The cartoon like appearance of comic books leads to some of the misunderstanding, but there is power in the simple. Cartoons are powerful icons. Icons allow the reader to identify and care about the character(s). The reader cares about what is happening in the comic book, they are drawn into it and often want to share this with other people. Discussion happens about what is "between the lines." This is the same type of discussion that literature has, discussion about answers that do not have correct.
The comic book medium has a mechanic that is truly magic. Comic books must rely on the reader to fill in gaps mentally. This function of the mind is known as closure. Closure is what happens between the panels. The idea is best examined through figure A. What happens in figure A is simple. The man with the ax kills the other man. This is wrong. The reader killed the man. Closure is the mind filling in the unseen. What happens in figure A is a result of the reader's mind making a decision based on the reader's past experience. Closure does not happen by conscience thought. It is a level of thought that exists at that higher level.
No matter what can be said about the medium, do comic books belong along side literature and why? Comic books can trace their development through Superheroes. Few have looked at the importance of superheroes to literature. Few would argue that ancient Greek myths are literature. Superheroes are modern myths. Superman was the first leap. Never before in modern fiction was a character seen like him. Today we take the "Man of Steel" foregranted, but when he appeared, it was a spectacular event. The only heroes were pulp heroes, no more than super athletes, but Superman could fly, stop bullets with his hand, and lift trains. Superman ushered in a whole pantheon of heroes. These early days saw the creation of legends, both character and creator, in the medium. There were no established rules of form to follow, unlike other art forms that had rigid structures to follow, such as literature.
The next major development for the myth of the superhero came in 1961. Four characters that had superpowers but they also had something else, humanity, these heroes were the Fantastic Four. They bickered and fought with each other and the youngest cared more about getting a date than being a superhero, though he used his hero status to get girls. The Fantastic Four started "The Marvel Age of Comics." Marvel comics were truly revolutionary. The heroes had real human traits and existed in a world with strict continuity, what happened in one title affected the others. The next step Marvel took is another key point in the evolution of comics. Spider-Man was a young high school boy that got his powers by a twist of fate. He never had any desire to be a hero and used his powers to make money, and only became a superhero out of guilt from his actions. Spider-Man who is Peter Parker connected well with his audience. Peter was an unpopular high school student with few friends and struggled with bullies. This allowed him to connect with readers, both young and old. The story from Spider-Man is not the only significant development. Spider-Man was the first book where the words and pictures were developed simultaneously, neither taking precedence over the other. Marvel Comics did not insult their reader's intelligence. Marvel knew older readers, high school and even collage students, read their books and created their books to suite the older readership.
The next step in superhero evolution came in the 1970's. This was a "try anything" period of time and comic books were no longer considered "throw away literature." "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams and "Warlock" by Jim Starlin are two excellent examples of this. O'Neil's and Adam's work on the "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" series was ground breaking material and the first mainstream superhero title to omit the Comics Code. This series dealt with real issues: racism, drugs, environment, and corporate wrong doing. This was the first time comics dealt with real issues in an adult manner. "Warlock" did for technique what "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" did for content. Jim Starlin made each word move the totality of the art forward. He made sure that word balloons were not oppressive but added to the total artistic composition.
[Starlin] developed a repertoire of personal storytelling gimmicks - symbolism, shifting visual/narrative viewpoints, quick panel progressions suggesting stop-action camera work - that told stories in terms uniquely suited to the comic book medium.
"Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in the mid-eighties brought the world of classic literature and superheroes smashing together in the same work. "Watchmen" has been hailed as the ultimate superhero story. It effectively uses all the techniques of classic literature and takes several readings to effectively convey its messages. After "Watchmen," comic heroes matured and suddenly lived in the "real world" and faced real problems: food, rent, jobs, dating, etc.
The level of acceptance of comic books is on the rise. Books studying the medium of comics have begun to appear in decent quantities. Individuals are recognizing the importance of comic books to our heritage. As early as the 60's, comic books found their way into the hearts and minds of college students and professors alike. Comic books are slowly becoming accepted in our culture and have come a long way since their birth, but have much further to go until they are accepted as the works of literature they truly are.