I was reading a She-Hulk comic the other day, and it got me thinking about lawyers in comic books. (For those of you not familiar with She-Hulk, she’s not just a super-hero. She’s a super-hero lawyer.) There really aren’t that many lawyer comics when compared against some other entertainment media. Not that I’m looking for any, mind you. I get plenty of lawyer entertainment from the personal injury lawyer adds on late night TV. Oh, and the divorce lawyer ads, and the medical disability lawyer ads, and the medical malpractice lawyer ads, and the… well you get the point.

Movies and television (especially television) are always full of attorneys. We have shows about district attorneys and shows about criminal defense lawyers. Usually these shows are dramas, but they are occasionally comedies. Clearly the consumers of American entertainment like stories about lawyers. If the lawyer-show-watching demographic is so large and attractive to television producers, then why isn’t it more attractive to comic book producers?

I believe that genre diversity in comics is a good thing. It promotes a healthy industry. But maybe the problem is that good lawyer stories can make more money in other media. Lots more money. Let’s face it, given the opportunities, if you have a great idea for a super-hero story, you are going to turn to comics, but if you have a great lawyer story you are going to turn to television. However, comics do allow for more niche story telling, which could allow for more geographic diversity in comics. Instead of everything happening in New York, you could have a story about a lawyer in California. No one has ever told a story about high-powered defense lawyers in California. Oh, wait. Ok, instead of California, how about Florida? Or Texas? Or Illinois? Or Ohio, Michigan, or New Jersey?

Although I doubt I’d add it to my pull list, I’d like to see “The Adventures of Fred Slick: Personal Injury Divorce Medical Disability and Malpractice Lawyer” show up in Previews. Then we can get started on those hospital drama comics that we’re sorely lacking in.