Taking Comic Books Seriously

“… perched above, like some nocturnal bird of prey, drawn by the carrion scent of men’s souls.”

No, this isn’t a passage from the newest Stephen King novel. Nor is it from Michael Crichton or even David Eddings.

It’s from Matt Wagner’s “Sandman Mystery Theatre.”

Doesn’t ring a bell, huh? It would if you had been frequenting your local comic book shops.

The days of “BIFF” and “POW” are fading, and comics are now targeting an older audience. At least 30 percent (and rising every year) of comic companies are writing comics for mature readers, according to Comics Retailer, an industry magazine.

“Sandman Mystery Theatre,” first created in the 1940s and brought back to life a few years ago, follows the exploits of one of the first comic heroes. Wesley Dodds has had it with crime. Wearing a gas mask and carrying a custom-made gun that fires sleeping gas, the Sandman helps out the police in post-Depression New York. When this title returned with its modern plot lines, it was one of the first comics to pave the way for more mature titles.

If the 1930s aren’t your cup of tea, legendary comics writer Frank Miller has started his own series titled “Sin City.” This is a dark and gritty series that reads much like a Mickey Spillane novel.

If Miller’s name sounds familiar, you must go to movies a lot. He has written scripts for a dozen films, including the “Robocop” trilogy.

He’s also brought the comics world into the light with his realistic look at what the Batman would be like in the near future if he was 50 and the world was overrun by gangs. Written in 1986, “The Dark Knight Returns” introduces Bruce Wayne as a “deathwish” millionaire who comes out of retirement to take back Gotham City.

The book hits home when it shows the Joker as a national celebrity for mass murder, going on the talk show circuit and signing deals. This is not your typical “punch ‘em” comic. It deals with how people who used to have a say in the world live in a time where their voice is but a whisper.

Frank Miller is part of the reason the Batman movies have been popular. And thanks to his mature plots, movie companies have been looking more toward comics for big screen treatment.

“The Mask” started out as a comic, albeit a little more gory than the light-hearted film. It was produced by the same company that made “Time Cop” from a comic.

“The Crow” was written as a comic by James O’Barr back in 1981 while he was stationed in Berlin after a friend was killed in a drunken driving accident. The movie came out last year.

Peter David, who has written many “Star Trek” novels and has since brought plot lines on comics to new heights, has no problem in keeping today’s heroes in touch with reality. In recent issues of “The Incredible Hulk,” David has had Dr. Banner, aka Hulk, dealing with his friend’s dilemma of having full-blown AIDS. His friend, wanting Banner to give him a blood transfusion, knows full well he might turn into another Hulk, but still wants to try. Meanwhile, Banner must contend with his own morals. Would it be right to save his friend while others die?

David has also touched on wife beating and in the most recent issue, a friend of his wife’s being shot in front of an abortion clinic.

Dave Smith, manager of Merlyn’s comic shop in downtown Spokane, describes the Hulk and other comics of today like this:

“I feel like comics have grown up along with me. When I was 14 or 15, almost all the comics were geared toward that age group. Now, along with the young male audience, comic companies are aiming for a more ‘adult’ audience. Like the Hulk, comics now are more mature not because of nudity or bad language, but more intricate plots, dialogue, stronger vocabulary and detailed artwork.”

D.C. Comics also has endeavored to bring a more adult audience into the comics world with its Vertigo line of comics. These are written strictly for people 18 and over. Last year the company provided free fliers on how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. With absolutely no graphic scenes, Death (D.C.’s version of Death is not the giant cloaked figure we’re always told we’d see, but a woman in her 20s who takes you gently by the hand when your time has come) simply talks frankly about the dos and don’ts of casual sex.

Wife beating was a topic in “Superman” two years ago. In the story, the people who live above Clark Kent are constantly fighting. Soon, Clark learns that the woman has been beaten. Since showing up as Superman would only teach the man to do it more secretly, Clark and Lois try to help the woman by conventional means of support and the phone number of a shelter. In the letters column following the end of the book, D.C. listed a number for people in this situation to call.

A special one-issue storyline in “Batman” centered on gun control and how one bullet can change the life of so many people.

The “Batman Adventures” is a favorite of John Waite, owner of Gorilla Bob’s in Spokane’s Northpointe Plaza. “It’s a great book because of its simplicity to tell a story with a really good noir style art. Comics today are much more readable. They touch on things like horror and real-life situations, which are two things that people like in popular literature. Comics have become more of an art form.”

D.C. and Marvel aren’t the only companies dealing with more adult themes.

A self-published comic “Strangers in Paradise” also has shown how someone deals with a friend’s death from AIDS. This book tells about love found and lost from a woman’s point of view, which was considered almost unheard of a few years ago.

Another rarity in the comics industry a few years ago was black superheroes. It wasn’t that the creators didn’t like black heroes, but they were afraid they might not give a good representation of them, according to Comic Buyers Weekly. D.C. has since come out with Milestone comics. This branch of D.C. has comics written and drawn by African Americans and has now brought out other companies to do the same.

The strange irony about comics is that they originated in America, but America is the only country where they are still not taken as seriously as elsewhere in the world.

Comics allow readers to see what the writer had in mind for, say, the hero of the story. If you read “Vampire Lestat,” I doubt Tom Cruise was the first person you pictured. Yet when everyone went to see “Superman,” they saw Christopher Reeve and went, “Yeah, OK, I can deal with that.”

So remember, the next time you reach for a quick read, try one of those “things you used to read as a kid.” You might just be pleasantly surprised.

MEMO: Chris Martin is a Spokane free-lance writer. He works at Merlyn’s and has read comics since he was a toddler more than 20 years ago.