I have been asked that questioned many times, sometimes more politely and sometimes far more…aggressively. The last time this query was posed (politely), I had to stop and think. I no longer knew why. I realized that many of my initial reasons were no longer valid or were never accurate in the first place. Something had changed in the comic industry and in myself.

In 1985, a friend suckered me into the world of comic books (and I have never forgiven him). At first I ridiculed him for having such a childish interest. One short year later I was considering it as a possible career. Then, as now, superheroes ruled the comic universe. My interest in superheroes, however, didn't last long and soon I discovered the plethora of independent comics that were just beginning to appear. I didn't know it then but we were entering what I now think of as the Renaissance of Comics (or at least the most recent one).

With books such as THE ONE by Rick Vietch, WATCHMEN, SWAMP THING, and MIRACLE MAN (originally MARVEL MAN) all by Alan Moore, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller and many more, my understanding of what comics are and what they could be, began to broaden. While most of these books, with the notable exception of SWAMP THING, dealt with superheroes, I did not view them in that light. Underneath the surface of light and dark, there was a realness and depth to the characters that I had never before encountered in comics. The stories dealt with psychological, sociological and political themes, they went in directions that I had never seen a "funny book" even begin to take. I now know that there have always been books on this level and, indeed, on a higher level, such as MAUS by Art Spiegelman, which won the Pulitzer Prize when it was finally pulled from the depths of underground publishing and recognized by the literary world (who, in their arrogance, thought they had discovered something new.) The difference was that these books did not disappear into the ten-cent bins of forgotten comics. Instead, they gained popular recognition. Suddenly it became "okay" for mainstream editors to take risks, to delve into deeper issues than who their hero was going to fight this month. The independent publishers gained momentum and we started to see hundreds of new books hitting the shelves. This, in turn forced the major companies to take even more risks just to stay competitive and that eventually led to many of these types of books being collected under various imprints like DC's Vertigo. Dave Sim, who had been diligently producing his monthly book CEREBUS for a long time, finally got some deserved mainstream recognition and became a leading spokesman for self-publishers and the independent market. Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean appeared on the scene with such fantastic works as VIOLENT CASES and SIGNAL TO NOISE (their best collaboration in my opinion). Later, Gaiman would produce the now famous Sandman series and Mckean would produce the less famous but brilliant book CAGES. Thousands of new readers were being drawn to the art form, comic stores and distributors were popping up everywhere, and every month there seemed to be something new to please my artistic eye.

Previous to this time, comic artists were without question the worst paid members of the entire commercial art field. This, slowly, began to change and although we are still grossly underpaid, comparatively, the comic artist can now make a living (almost). This increase in pay brought new talent to the market and inspired others to produce better work. It brought about better printing and coloring and the very fact that the printed product appeared more professional gave the art form legitimacy. Comics finally came to the attention of the American people. The rest of the world has always seemed to have a great deal of appreciation for the graphic novel while America has continued to view comics as merely comical children's material; disposable and worthless. (Maybe that is because, immediately following World War II we burned massive piles of them in an orgy of hate reminiscent of the Nazis and imposed an absurdly unconstitutional Comics Code on them that savagely castrated the art form.)

I have heard many people downplay this Renaissance of Comics. They say that the independents flooded the market (which did happen but never to the degree that it out-weighed the good that they did), that the price of comics has become too high (all I can say to that is, you get what you pay for), and that comics began to take themselves too seriously (as if every comic book should be nothing more that a great fight scene). One of the most profound examples of this mentality is reaction to the first "Death" mini-series by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo, DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING. Time and again I have heard the statement that it was a pretty book but nothing happened. "What do you mean?!" I would ask amazed, "Everything happened!" Death must spend one day as a mortal to understand what it is that she takes from the living. Because she lives only one day, she cherishes all that existence offers and in her short time as a mortal she appreciates life far more than most who live eighty, ninety years. What a fantastically beautiful story. To simply dismiss it by saying "nothing happened" is offensive to me. This attitude, expressed by fans and creators alike, is saying that comics should never leave their infancy that they should never grow or change, that they should always stay in the boundaries of disposable art. Would anyone make such a claim about a novel containing such concepts? No, because novels are considered legitimate literature and are allowed to explore adult themes.

In recent years, comics have hit hard times. In a clandestine attempt to corner the market and create a monopoly, Marvel set off a chain of events that lead to the destruction of the comic store distribution market. We went from having over 100 comic distributors servicing North America to only two, then to only one. This caused terrible strain to be put on the local comic stores, wiping away any discounts that they might have had, resulting in thousands of stores being closed. This caused the fan base to be savagely curtailed, thereby causing hundreds of books to be canceled, thereby putting thousands of comic book writers, artists, and editors out of work. (Marvel alone has had to fire over 600 of their employees all told). Ultimately, over ninety percent of independent comic companies have been forced to shut down, effectively destroying whatever good came from our renaissance. For those who feel that I am being too hard on Marvel, please understand that they were not alone in this but they did light the match that burned the comic industry. Consider that in one year Marvel went from being on top of the comic industry (even making the cover of Forbes Magazine, who listed them as their number one stock pick) to bankruptcy. Since their bankruptcy Marvel has changed hands several times, there have been at least two CEO's since the one that started all of this, and every editor that I once knew at the company is gone. Marvel has been forced to reinvent itself (as have the rest of us) and it remains to be seen if they will simply pick up where they left off or if they have learned from their mistakes. Once again, editors are timid of change and risk, instead choosing to fall back onto familiar ground; the superhero comic. Unfortunately, the public hasn't bought into the superhero as they once did. The market is in a state of flux and nobody really seems to know the next move.

But this isn't the darkest time comics have faced, there was a time not so long ago that was blackened by bonfires, propaganda films, and a Code of Comics - all in the land of the free. The history of comics, as with the history of the world, is a great wheel and it will turn. Perhaps it has already started. Some independent companies have been popping up and staying in business longer than a week. Alan Moore is making waves again with a line of superhero comics reminiscent of the Watchman. Along with Eddie Campbell, Moore did manage to finish FROM HELL, perhaps the finest example of what comics can be since MAUS (a truly remarkable work, highly recommended.) USA Today even ran an insipid article claiming that people were becoming addicted to comics (again). These few glimmers of light give me hope and perhaps that is the answer to the question of "why". I have always had more of a love for what comics could be rather than what they are. I am not saying that superheroes should be abolished but, my GOD, is there room for nothing more? The Graphic Novel combines two great art forms, literature and illustration, to create something entirely other, something truly unique; and in that, they are boundless.

That's why!

Jason 'Temujin' Minor is a comic book artist who has done work for Marvel, DC, and Vertigo.

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