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PROPINION: The future looks bright...Come here and I'll show you. I personally know a number of people that take comfort in sitting with a psychic and getting 20 dollars worth of obvious answers and vague speculations about what lurks in their futures. Ancient kings called upon oracles and seers to help them govern. It’s a human thing. I know this because my dog only wonders when his next walk or meal is going to be. Humans want to know what waits for them in the days and years ahead. Well I’ve got my floppy pointed hat with stars all over it. I’ve got my pack of tarot cards. Here’s my crystal ball, polished to a perfect shine and here’s what I see in the WORLD OF TOMORROW (insert that little water ripple that denotes time travel on cheap sitcoms). Feel free to laugh and throw veggies at any point during out trip but please don’t bring anything back with you as it may upset the balance of quantum whatever. There is always speculation about the future and growth of the comic book industry. Well, there is among people who read and create and sell the damn things, the rest of the world is going to have to catch up. Chat room’s buzz and froth, message boards run miles of threads devoted to this topic. A million fans speculate about the future of comics every day. Some say it’s dying, some say it’s burdened by a social stigma, some call for diversity, some say it’s making a rebound and so on. In the future, comics will become more popular and thrive as a result developments in technology, diversity and a global shift in social communication. You think I’m talking specifically about web comics? Nope. You think I’m talking specifically about reaching more people on a global scale? Not exactly. Those things will play a role, but my money is on the inevitable integration of a global visual language. Sounds fancy don’t it? It’s all part of the “Guide to speaking like Reed Richards” collection which is, by the way, not available in our current timeline. Random and seemingly pointless thought: If you see eating utensils on a highway sign you can be sure everyone, even some guy just off the boat from wherever, is going to understand there is food ahead. Already the world is saturated with images that denote specific universal codes, transferring wordless information in the most direct way possible. Everyone instantly recognizes the symbols for thousands of products, services and signs. Take for instance the airline crash instruction card, which is a comicbook of sorts. The images clearly denote what to do in the event of an impending crash. You don’t have to understand a native language to figure out the first thing you do is stuff your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. To participate in society and the workplace in the future, citizens will need powerful literacy abilities that until now have been achieved by very few people. Information overload has been shortening the human attention span and creating visual shorthand and iconographic communication. Instant messaging commercials show entire conversations taking place with symbols and reduced language. As information technology continues to demand faster assimilation, cross platform compatibility and with the global market expanding, images will be the unifying factor. This will only continue as technology increases the flow of information faster and faster. Being literate in contemporary society now means being active, critical, and creative users of the visual languages of film and television, commercial and political advertising--all of which have a common denominator…images tell the story quickly and concisely. Based on this observation, comicbook readers are already at an advantage, their minds used to assimilating words and images and interpreting them with critical thought. In the future comics will be everywhere, in every part of society. While we may not recognize them by modern standards, they will thrive. This will ultimately affect the educational system as well, moving beyond the incorporation of graphic novels in libraries and into classroom situations and as learning tools. Yea baby, comics as homework. Throw away that wordy old textbook written by a dry and uninspired professor. Get ready for graphic novels delivered on hand held electronic readers. In the constant swirl of negative energy and entrenched battles over content, capes and marketing solutions, we’ll see social evolution bring about what you have known for years: Comics are cool. Comics aren’t going anywhere and eventually they’ll be everywhere. Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen. Have a good evening and remember to pick up your copies of 21Down and The Resistance, available at all fine comic shops. Justin --Drops microphone…screams “SEXUAL CHOCOLATE!” and walks off stage. |
