There’s the regular scene, filled with high profile super-heroes, and certainly this is the predominant force.  Super heroes are still the financial engine driving this whole birthday party.  But there’s another scene.  –Granted, it is nothing new, but in the last little while it has ballooned significantly. 

Independently published comics have a growing presence.  There’s a definite explosion going on, and it’s very different from the black & white explosion of the mid-80’s, which was driven almost entirely by creators trying to cash in on the multi-million dollar success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  This new explosion is different; for one thing, it’s smaller and more uncertain.  But it is a movement quickly gaining in momentum.  –For instance, I recently attended a convention where the only books in the whole place were black & white indies.  That’s a major first in this industry. 

It’s a weird scene.  Far more comfortable than super heroes, to be sure.  (Less noise and much cooler fans.)  But very weird.  –And that’s entirely due, I think, to things not having yet had a chance to define themselves properly.  And such being the case, only people ‘in the know’ are. . , well, in the know.  Kind of like the early sixties, this movement still has honest intent.  And it is a movement.  Don’t mistake that.  There’s a definite phenomenon to be observed here. 

Essentially, there are a lot of 20-something year olds out there who have finished growing up, and who really don’t like the idea of getting normal jobs. 

Black & white comics are an exercise in sheer creative freedom.  Unlike other types of entertainment, a comic book can be produced entirely by one person with limited funds.  And that’s exactly the kind of freedom the X-Generation has been brought up to want.  None of them are comfortable with the idea of ‘Selling Out’ to big business.  None of them equate individuality with team work.  High school in the eighties was a severely under populated affair.  (Half the lockers were empty.)  With virtually no effort, kids had room to grow up differently from one another and still be taken seriously.  This, coupled with the free and easy ‘self discovery’ sixties inspired teaching methods which were still being used up until about six years ago, a whole generation uniquely unsuited to the reality of today’s work-a-day world was created.  And many of them, it seems, are looking to comics for salvation. 

Of course, most are not going to find it.  The comic book market just isn’t big enough to support this many creators.  And most of them don’t have anything particularly significant to write about.  (That is, nothing more than, ‘Jeez, I’m 20-something, bloody depressed, and I hope this comics thing will pay my bills because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t work out.’) 

This is the face of the new wave in comics.  And despite how it sounds, I believe there’s a major up-side to it.  Major. 

While most of these new creators are destined to have their pipe-dreams fold down around them, some of them will make it; those who have the three golden rings:  1) Something to Say.  2) The Ability to say it well, and  3) the Know How and Determination to make themselves heard. 

Never before have comics attracted so many young artists who don’t want to draw Spiderman, all not only willing, but eager to forego a dental plan and a guaranteed income so that they might risk themselves in bringing new visions and new ideas to comics.  It seems clear that the face of the medium is going to change dramatically over the next five years.  And despite the swath of ruptured dreams which will inevitably precede it, the image left over should be a beautiful thing indeed. 

Those who should survive, will.  You know who you are.