PROPINION: Steve Steglin
Mirroring the decline of Popular Music...

Given that my Boondoggle characters have long been ones to rant and mouth off in angry social commentary, it's been suggested that I might be able to do the same, albeit in essay form. I guess we'll see now, won't we?

For those of you who haven't checked out this month's Boondoggle on-line strip here at PopImage, check it out and see how I usually rant when I have other people's mouths at my disposal. The rant of the strip this month is the music industry, and the disappointingly constant and overwhelming rise of mindless sound-alike pop drivel that is taking over the airwaves and the marketplace. I've been told that Michael Stipe of R.E.M. has mentioned sharing similar gripes about the industry today, and has thrown down the musical gauntlet, so to speak, to have anyone contradict his thoughts that the landscape has taken a bleak nosedive.

In comparison, the comics industry sadly resembles the music industry, parallels which became increasingly apparent as I scripted this month's comic strip. It was easy to find a sense of frustration and ire with the deluge of creatively-lacking music today; I feel the same frustration and ire almost every time I pick up a copy of 'Previews.' Granted, it's been a couple of years since I played a role in the independent comics scene, but it's also apparent that while the industry was nowhere near healthy when I left the scene, it's health, both in terms of independent comics and the industry overall, has continued to decline. Every month it seems like the independent comics section of 'Previews' is a bit smaller than the month before, or that it has gained a new selection of books that lack an avant garde feel or genuinely different creative drive, and instead poorly ape either the mainstream superhero drivel that dominates the first half of the catalog or the skimpily-clothed and anatomically impossible soft-core porn that seems to be a constant in the indy comics scene. It's not that unlike the rise of Mouseketeers to the radio airwaves, or the knock-offs popping up elsewhere on the radio dial.

Not that there aren't the stand-out crossover examples in the comics industry, mainly from people who not only bring some 'independent' comics into the hands of mainstream comic audiences, but also have found a way to bring audiences from other media into comic stores. Director Kevin Smith, with his involvement with Oni Press and Marvel's 'Daredevil,' is an obvious example. Another is comic strip artist and illustrator Frank Cho, whose comic-book compilations of his 'Liberty Meadows' comic strip I understand are receiving some acceptance. (I'll give him this credit... the comics scene here in Charleston, SC is very bleak when it comes to independents, and his book has been well stocked at the very mainstream local shop since its debut.) Such crossover activity with other forms of entertainment is, of course, beneficial for both parties involved. Smith's fan base has no doubt grown not only from his continued film-making, but also with every comic book reader who has suddenly gained new respect or adoration for the auteur due to his stints writing comics. Likewise, Cho benefits by increasing his audience from beyond the comic pages and hands of finicky features editors, and the comic retailers benefit by suddenly being the initial source of such compilations, a role usually reserved for the Barnes & Nobles and Waldenbooks of the world.

I've also been impressed by Image Comics' continual showcase of avant-garde independent creators. Honestly, I thought their inception of the black-and-white line would fade over time, as with Sirius' Dog Star imprint and my old stomping grounds at Caliber's Tapestry line. And while I understand there have been constant issues with some creative teams/publisher clashes, Image still seems determined and willing to build their reputation of bringing creators who would normally toil unnoticed in the small press to the attention of mainstream audiences and retailers. As a one-time indy creator, I find that encouraging, especially when one can witness it helping raise the careers of creators like David Mack and Brian Michael Bendis from the black-and-white indy market to such high-profile creations as 'Daredevil' and 'Spawn' or 'Batman.' I've heard criticisms that their success is equivalent to 'selling out.' I disagree... neither has changed their style of storytelling, they're just doing so with choice 'name' characters and enjoying much deserved recognition for their efforts. In short they've crossed over no more than Kevin Smith bringing his View Askewniverse to life in pulp at Oni Press or doing a stint with Marvel Knights. In a way, the success of crossover creators like Mack and Bendis benefit the independent comics scene greatly, as their works with Marvel, DC, and Image may spark mainstream readers to scour the back-issue bins of black-and-whites in search for their past indy comic efforts with books like 'Kabuki' or 'AKA Goldfish'... and hopefully they'll stumble across the realization that indy comics and the small press has its gems as well, and deserves more attention than the latest edition of 'Previews' may suggest.

But, sadly, these success stories and the attention they bring to the comics industry and independent comics are the exceptions to the rule...even pop radio has the crossover success of Blink 182; it doesn't make the rest of the playlist easy easier to stomach, nor does it halt the onslaught of teensploitation or airtime of 'Mambo #5.' "

Steve Steglin, January 2000.

Steve Steglin is the creator of Boondoggle, which runs monthly in the Pi Comics section of PopImage..

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