Dear Jim,

    I think this is possibly the greatest time in history to be over 15 years old and reading comic books.  Never before has there been such a proliferation of material for an older fan.
    As a father of two young boys, however, I've got to say this:  Never before has there been so little for a younger reader.  Nearly every book is a part of a larger picture.  Virtually nothing is self-contained.  Books are either all setup, or all fight scenes.  Books that were, traditionally, aimed at a wide audience--Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Fantastic Four-- are now incomprehensible to somebody not already familiar with every facet of those characters.  And that's a bit scary, I think.
    Traditionally, superhero comics have been for all ages.  And while I'd never argue that there should be no superhero books aimed at older readers, I do think it's a shame that none of them are currently accessible to younger readers as well.
    Why is it that we're so dead set against making comic books accessible to all ages?  Why are we focusing on an audience that is the least likely to start reading?
    How can we expect to grow this industry if younger readers can't get started at a time when they're most ready to start?  The combination of pictures and words make comics one of the best tools a parent can have to get children reading on their own.
    Why are there no superhero comics for my children to read?

Erik Larsen
Writer, penciler, inker of
The Savage Dragon for 97
issues in a row

Jim McLauchlin's response...

    A fair point.  I learned how to read from comics, which I guess explains why I still call people "True Believers" and say "Zug-Zwang!" to this day.
    Some would have you believe we're in a different era now.  Anything that's accessible to kids is kiddie stuff, and has the stink of death about it when it comes to sales.
    Others say that accessible books and new readers are critical to building a future.  The two viewpoints seem to be at loggerheads with each other.  Any other thoughts out there?
    Gee, I've been doing this column for eighty years now and that's the first time I said "loggerheads."