Washington Post Talks Comics

The recent article at Washington Post, “America Saw the Movies But Missed the Books”, tries very hard to tell us why movies based on comics perform so well while those exact same comics can’t generate anywhere near the level of sales. The article spends some time talking about the inaccessibility of comics — characters in comics continue to grow and progress and there’s rarely a good time to step onto the train — but in my opinion the article misses the one real reason why comics don’t sell as well as movies: Comics are an active entertainment medium while movies are passive.

What do I mean by that? Many things, actually. Beyond the obvious — you sit there and stare at a movie while reading a comic involves the act of reading and turning pages — there’s also the act of actually going out and grabbing comics. With a movie you go to the theater, watch the film, and then go home. With a comic you return to the comic store month after month to grab the latest issue. Sure you can just order online, but even then you’re getting a little more movement each month as you walk out and check the mail.

Comics may not require much actual exercise, but between walking around the comic store every month and turning the pages the act of reading comics requires a lot more energy than watching a movie.

We’re a lazy society and that carries over into our entertainment. America, a nation too lazy to turn the page of a comic book and too lazy to read. Welcome to hell, people.