Comics are cathartic for me. They conjure up images of the impossible. It is a fantasy that strikes at the heart of social and political change without even trying. It bundles escapism with reality--and does so elegantly and masterfully. It is an underappreciated art with very few equals. I am hopeful that the film industry can revive the crippled comic book industry by injecting some cash into its dwindling coffers.
It is such a fascinating industry, and it would be an incredible shame to have it lost to capitalism and poor support. I am a creative writer at heart, meaning dusty ol’ tomes are my bread and butter, but being uttered, I have read some of the most innovative literature and viewed some of the most stunning pieces of art within the pages of a comic.
We have literary giants among us, but they get overshadowed by the misconceptions of the masses. Comics aren’t for kiddies anymore, kiddies. They’ve grown to encompass American culture and thus cultures across the globe. They hit on hard topics before society even recognizes them as a ‘hard topic.’ They’re cutting edge, and almost everyone seems interested (due to the films), yet like most-things Americans they tackle it with apathy and feigned knowledge.
Comic books have the amazing ability to bridge the large with the small. They find context within chaos. At a personal level, I rely on them. I find personal solace within the twenty-or-so pages of glossy awesomeness. They are nuggets of escapism. You can devour the by the truckloads or read one or two between coffee breaks--revelatory moments captured in mere minutes.
I’ve been a bit behind on comics over the past several months, and it has been my own undoing. I’ve let my greatest hobby slip away from me as-if it were nil, and I deeply regret it. I’ve yet to crack an issue of “Age of Ultron” and I am more than a month behind on all of my comics, but my goal is to catch-up and begin producing strong, well-structured articles--to get a conversation going, again.
I was busting out several articles a week without a sweat, yet now I can barely get one out a month. My personal life has been tumultuous to say the least, but in times of strife we should all fallback on our greatest loves--partners, family, and the arts.
At the writing of this I have a wall of comics to my left, a head full of ideas, and a heart finally ready to get back into the game. From henceforth, I intend to be a bit more personal. I’ll be writing my usual comic book news and reviews, bit every once in a while I’ll throw an editorial piece this way to let you know what is going on either in the industry from an opinionated source or about my life and comics from an incredibly opinionated source.
Cheers,
A.R. Schultz
A.R. Schultz
(SOURCE: On Comics.)
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