Decade of Dullards
Same Old Sloth Thang Goin' on...

Somewhere along the line we got sated and then jaded.

Supposedly, my generation (late 70's) is the last generation that'll read comics in their current printed form. Could be true...but I doubt it. It's certainly not going to be because of the computerized versions of comics.

If you think about it though, computers were supposed to eliminate a hefty percentage of the paperwork in the world, and that's yet to happen. In fact in addition to paper hard copies, think about all the telephone book sized tomes and the horde of magazines all devoted to computers. The hilarious thing is that before you even cracked one of those bad boys open, much less actually read any of it...just like that computer you just bought, it's obsolete. The funniest part is that it's not even computer programmers getting into those things. Many of them are just for joe average to just learn how to switch his computer on. So, the end result seems to have been that we ended up with just as much if not twice as much of the paperwork.

That's sort of a side note.

Another factor is that people these days are materialistic to a fault. They wanna own something for their money, something tangible. In a similar vein: Have you ever tried to read a novel on your computer? I've done it a couple times, and whoa buddy, it'd best be a short read. Until they come up with a friendlier presentation, better ways to keep your place, and a screen that won't eventually cause your eyes to begin bleeding. Also, part of comic book collecting is the comic itself. Right?

Somehow it's not the same to have a digital file folder full of .jpg's as it is to have a box full of old comics.

This how ever brings me to my point, which is way off course at this point: what's honestly worth collecting in comics these days and why?

The truth is....not much.

To me, comics are in a lull. The artwork, which is now all wonderfully digitally enhanced, has gotten sloppier and less inpired. The writing...well, there are a few shining stars, but for the most part it's not even good enough to be rehash. And what's available? I grew up with Spider-Man, the X-men and Bat-man (and I like them all), but we don't need twenty different titles for each of them Like anything it spreads it thin, and brings it all down.

More truth is...that's not really my point. I just haven't talked about comics in a long time.

My point really is that everything is like that.

Hell, I bitch about movies all the time, so we'll try not to go there.

Music's an obvious stab. If you're not a radio or club fiend, then there's no way to keep up with the constant barrage of ever chaging faces and songs. The funny thing to me is that it'd be pointless to bother as most of that music is interchangeable and forgetable to start with. Back to my point above about internet comics, it also seems like this internet music trading isn't going to be solved any time soon either. Music seems to be the one contradiction to my theory on physical ownership. Audiophiles of course still want the art and the liner notes and whatnot, but Joe Average just wants background noise pumping out of his i-Pod. The other thing is that internet trading also allows people to get ahold of rare and out of print tracks and albums. The only solution I see is if the record companies drop their goals in profits, refuse to pay the ridiculous fees for advertising, packaging, and promotion, drop their prices, and work on developing lasting talent. They're not going to, but I'm sure a step or two in that direction might help. (Another percentage too is picking up acts based on talent rather than grabbing a bunch of cute kids and packaging crap.)

Some of you might ask: "Well, what about TV?" Thanks for asking. I don't include it. Nothing has ever been more driven by money, advertising, and corporate backing than TV. Well, at least in a creative sense. There are a few blips here in there of actual intellinge, wit, and creativity...but far too few. I'm not one of those "TV is the Great Evil" nuts, but it's had more harmful effects to my mind than most people think. Check out Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman. It's got a few eye-openers in there. (Some of the reviews on Amazon claim that he was wrong pointing to all the book stores that have popped up, and the wildly growing spread of the internet for information exchange. Well I worked in one of those stores, so believe me when I tell you that most people buy and read crap not the classics. As for the internet...well, half the reviews on Amazon feature anything but the King's English. Not only that, but there are plenty of lackluster spots for mis-information. Look at my little summary on this page. This is, after all, my chance to put 'facts' on the net.)

Don't get me wrong, movies have got a lot of that stuff too. To me though, more movies, even a lot of bad movies, have come closer to art than most TV programs.

Well, alright, TV's a part of that lull to. If you think about it, TV, being akin to literature and movies, was all about stories once upon a time. It was just another medium to tale a tale as well as communicate some news, and sometimes simply entertain with some stand-up, song and dance, or musical performances. Well nearly all of that today has been replaced with "reality" shows. I'll admit that I've got some entertainment out of them, but my question is: "Is this like any 'reality' you've ever lived?" I don't recall ever being whisked to some castle to woo some ditzy wench who may or may not be a multi-billionaire. And you only have to watch a minute or two with Paris Hilton or that Hilfiger kid to realize that they're anything but in touch with reality. To me, all it is is the pretty people version of that crap that used to parade on TV screens on Springer and Rikki Lake. (Talk shows should have to be the only evidence used to permanantly darken and lessen the artistic value of TV.)

I wrote one the other day pointing out that if you wanna look for any trend indicating a lack of vision, talent, or a insightful new idea look to the Broadway producers of Spider-Man: The Musical. I imagine that Bob Fosse and Rodgers & Hammerstein have to be doing an Olympic level gymnastics routine in their graves for that one.

Do I even want to get into fashion? No. But take a look around. I mean, at least when it was really 60's or 70's oriented you could sort of see what's going on. Now it just seems to be a wild amalgamation of stuff that doesn't really look that good on anyone. In fact, I see a lot of folks here in the greater LA area who seem to pride themselves on accentuating the hell out of all their negative features. There's got to be somewhere left to go in fashion other than full on nudity or full on burkas for everyone.

There's all kinds of other categories to go over beyond these more pop culture based ideas. Art is another field that seems to be languishing. I went to a lot of grad student art shows in the last couple of years, and my hopes weren't exactly raised. Granted, art is something that can or has to develop over an artist's lifetime, but most of the greats at least turned out some inspired stuff before they hit stride. Then there's graphic design, a field I've grown more and more loathsome of as time has passed. Once again, like comics above, it's a field that has allowed computers to render it sloppy, lazy, and way, way, way copycat. Of course, it's most prominent vehicle for display, advertising, is not known for being terribly innovative. (And if it's TV commercials, then forget it.)

Continuing on that vein of thought, think about car design, and how boring it's gotten. Not only do car companies copy each others' new vehicles so much that you can no longer tell who makes what, all the long running models have just become powerfully blah. Again, I think it's arguable that it's computers' fault for the lack of fun. Director David Lynch made a comment in an interview that all the science that's gone into computer design elimnates the possibility for cool effects on cars like fins. I think he's right.

In the beginning, I said it was because were sated and jaded. More aptly, I think were bloated and jaded. There's too much media and too much demand for media to allow talent and creativity to catch up. It surrounds us constantly. TV's, advertising, music, are often running all day long in a lot of workplaces. Fashion was usually dictated by work, but has fallen from true haute couture as the days of suits and ties are largely gone. Once upon a time, these were all luxuries to be enjoyed after work or on weekends. Now it takes real effort to get away from it.

Most people who allow themselves to be innundated with all the broadcast bullshit just don't take the time to be a discerning customer. You've got to filter what you take in. It's your choice. Too many people I know will just sit in front of a TV no matter what's showing. I may watch a buttload of movies, even too many bad ones, but at least I pick and choose when and what I put into the machine.

I don't want to get into religion, but today's topic was similar to a conversation I was having with a friend of mine. At one point it went church-y. What we basically came to recognize is that half the reason there's so much fighting between various religions and then in-fighting amongst themselves is that no one takes the time to figure out their spirituality for themselves. Most of them have a similar if not the same message and/or principles, but everyone is convinced that just their side is right. Unfortunately the don't stop there, but instead decide to beat the "hell" out of anyone who doesn't agree. This lack of search within oneself to find values for just oneself is much like the above. People will often take what's placed in front of them without questioning it, and often they want it done that way. "Just tell me the rules, and I'll try to follow them."

The best part is: wasn't modern convenience supposed to give us so much more time for this sort of thing like studying and meditating and whatnot?

Now it seems like no one ever has time to think about anything they're doing, learning, or consuming. Well, how is that some guy 200 years ago had all kinds of backbreaking work and chores to perform from sunup to sundown, but, I'd be willing to bet, still had some Plato and Shakespeare memorized and was fairly in touch with his spiritual side. I'd say that transplanted into this world he'd be amused by all the pop culture crap at first but would eventually tune it out, but I don't believe that's true. He'd end up just as numb and dumb as the rest of us.

I'm hoping in ten years I'll have more optimistic news.

Enjoy all the useless crap.

Cheers.