There is a classic moment in “The Blues Brothers” where the band shows up at Bob’s Country Bunker and Elwood asks the lady at the bar “What kind of music do you usually have here?” and she answers “Oh, we got both kinds. Country and western.” I think the view point of some comic readers is similar. I can imagine asking someone what kind of comics they read they’d answer “I read both kinds, Marvel and DC”. We all need to continue to grow and to promote awareness about the diverse options in comic books.

In an earlier post I examined the growth of the super hero genre and the growth of the comic book medium. When I talk about growth in the comic book medium I’m mostly talking about growing in diversity. The way I see it there are three forms of diversity in comic books: publisher diversity, artistic diversity, and genre diversity.

Publisher diversity includes a wide array of options. Sure there are the differences between Marvel and DC, but there are also the differences between all of the independent publishers. Publisher diversity also includes differences in format. We have more choices then ever in monthly comic books or collected trade paperback (TPB) reprints. If you like the TPB, then you have a huge assortment of options from top quality hardcover reprints to small digests. Another major form of publisher diversity is between traditional American style comics and Japanese style manga.

Artistic diversity covers all of the elements of comic book creation. Some people love to complain about the “decompressed” or “writing for the trade” style that is very popular in comics today, but I think it just represents the growth of the medium. There are many comic books that offer a variety of writing styles. There are a growing number of styles of art being published as well. I find it particularly exciting to see the amount of artistic diversity showing up in mainstream super hero books. You can even find diversity in coloring. The tools that a modern comic book colorist has at her disposal are allowing a whole new dimension of artistic diversity to develop.

Genre diversity is probably what most people think about when they hear the term “comic book diversity”. Comic books are still dominated by the super hero genre and likely will be for many more years. But there are so many other types of stories already being told. Books like Usagi Yojimbo, Y the Last Man, Criminal, Jonah Hex and Walking Dead clearly show the amazing potential of the medium and the ongoing growth in genre diversity.

One thing that comes with growth in diversity is that nobody is going to like everything, and that’s ok. By and large I think that all forms of diversity are vital for the comic industry to grow. But there is one big downside. There is such a thing as too much choice. With so many titles being published in so many different forms and styles, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to get. The industry needs some ways of helping people connect with the comic books that are right for them. This is a big problem with no clear solution

But I’m working on it.

There is a classic moment in “The Blues Brothers” where the band shows up at Bob’s Country Bunker and Elwood asks the lady at the bar “What kind of music do you usually have here?” and she answers “Oh, we got both kinds. Country and western.” I think the view point of some comic readers is similar. I can imagine asking someone what kind of comics they read they’d answer “I read both kinds, Marvel and DC”. We all need to continue to grow and to promote awareness about the diverse options in comic books.

In an earlier post I examined the growth of the super hero genre and the growth of the comic book medium. When I talk about growth in the comic book medium I’m mostly talking about growing in diversity. The way I see it there are three forms of diversity in comic books: publisher diversity, artistic diversity, and genre diversity.

Publisher diversity includes a wide array of options. Sure there are the differences between Marvel and DC, but there are also the differences between all of the independent publishers. Publisher diversity also includes differences in format. We have more choices then ever in monthly comic books or collected trade paperback (TPB) reprints. If you like the TPB, then you have a huge assortment of options from top quality hardcover reprints to small digests. Another major form of publisher diversity is between traditional American style comics and Japanese style manga.

Artistic diversity covers all of the elements of comic book creation. Some people love to complain about the “decompressed” or “writing for the trade” style that is very popular in comics today, but I think it just represents the growth of the medium. There are many comic books that offer a variety of writing styles. There are a growing number of styles of art being published as well. I find it particularly exciting to see the amount of artistic diversity showing up in mainstream super hero books. You can even find diversity in coloring. The tools that a modern comic book colorist has at her disposal are allowing a whole new dimension of artistic diversity to develop.

Genre diversity is probably what most people think about when they hear the term “comic book diversity”. Comic books are still dominated by the super hero genre and likely will be for many more years. But there are so many other types of stories already being told. Books like Usagi Yojimbo, Y the Last Man, Criminal, Jonah Hex and Walking Dead clearly show the amazing potential of the medium and the ongoing growth in genre diversity.

One thing that comes with growth in diversity is that nobody is going to like everything, and that’s ok. By and large I think that all forms of diversity are vital for the comic industry to grow. But there is one big downside. There is such a thing as too much choice. With so many titles being published in so many different forms and styles, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to get. The industry needs some ways of helping people connect with the comic books that are right for them. This is a big problem with no clear solution

But I’m working on it.