This World is Not Enough

The longest-running hobby in my life has been collecting comics. Although there have been ebbs and flows in my enthusiasm, comic books have provided me some forays of the imagination. If you walk into most bookstores, the divisions are clearly marked. Comic books even seem to have a section (well, graphic novels, anyway). But when you read a comic book, you can find yourself reading almost anything: science fiction, criminology, humor, fantasy, astronomy, philosophy, history, horror, mystery, etc. Even if you think you know what it is you're starting, you may find yourself immersed in something unexpected. Unfortunately, comics will follow trends. These days, death and dismemberment seem to be much more common in these books, even the titles for which I've held a particular loyalty. The editors will say that is what sells. But it does make me wonder if these artists are just selling out. I think they're sacrificing creativity for an easy way out of dealing with a character.

Obviously, this is not only seen in comic books. If you watch television shows, you'll see things there. The last movie I saw was prefaced with at least half a dozen movie previews that featured scenes of gore, torture, or imminent death mingled with some blatant objectification of women with absolutely no attempt to disguise it. I intend to see none of those films. When we open the newspapers, browse Internet news sources, or listen to NPR, the war that our great current administration has waged offers us daily reports of atrocities. It's not just in our 'entertainment', it's in our reality.

In everything, we should be striving for something better. There is no doubt that what is better is different from person to person. But we owe it to ourselves to try to improve things and look for better outcomes rather than aiming for destruction and annihilation. I would love to issue a challenge to writers and artists to resort to greater creativity and to utilize greater thought in order to avoid constant death and violence. If a character, person, or group of people are to be shaken or left to 'never be the same again', maybe that change doesn't have to be because someone was killed or maimed. I would issue a challenge to editors to support that. I would also love for our country's leaders to aim for better solutions for conflicts.