"Comic book" is often used as a synonym for "retarded" or rather -- well, I think what people are referring to are -- I was reading "Essential X-Men." There are stories where Magneto attacks the X-Men. Why? No reason, really. He just does it so that there'll be a fight scene to play to the fetishistic adrenaline blitz that superhero fans are looking for. And I think when people say "comic book" in a derogatory fashion, they're referring to the idea of stories that exist solely to provide some form of absurdist violence or power fantasy without any real logic or genuine personality behind it. And that isn't... you know. That reputation is not wholly unearned.

At the same time, I like to think that superhero comics have come a long way since then, offering civil rights metaphors, galvanizing messages that inside all of us are heroes, that the best way to pass through the world is to explore and try to understand everything there is -- and basically offering a myth and legend that no other genre has to provide.

It's fine to be hurt by the derogatory term of "comic book," but it would probably be better to a) understand it and b) show that there's more there than what might be immediately obvious.

For instance, I didn't buy David Lloyd's Kickback because of the lettering. I liked the art and the story looked promising but I just couldn't get over a couple of horrendous moments in lettering.

I'm looking forward to the collected Franklin Richards, good to hear it's coming since I'm a trade reader.

Part of the reason comics are considered a low form of art is because of perception. That was the point of this article. Nothing more.

... Honestly, Chris, I don't know what to tell you. I like you. Never met you, but your lettering is excellent, and anyone who thinks lettering isn't a careful, painstaking art should see a John Byrne book where he does it himself. Or they should see Marvel books when they did mix-cased lettering before you helped them figure that out properly. I like your Franklin Richards stuff. I've enjoyed "Desperate Times."

I guess what I would like to say is -- get over yourself. Geez. Take pride in what you do, you big pansie. You keep people sane and amused when reading the idiot guides. You produce enjoyable artwork that children and adults enjoy. You make stories understandable through arranging the dialogue clearly. Be proud. I like your stuff. But so what if I don't? You know what you're doing, you make a valuable and worthwhile contribution, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either very ignorant or very stupid.

Chris,

That's just disgusting. If you'd been a team mate of mine, I'd have made Wizard's EIC your personal body slave for the weekend.

I was expecting (and kinda hoping) for a write-up about how challenging lettering really is and why it OUGHT to be more appreciated.

Agreed that I would like to read a column from Mr. Eliopoulos. I think he's lettered just about all of my favorite books for as long as I've been reading, and it's a viewpoint on the industry that has never been really explored.

I published a web comic awhile back and getting decent lettering was an enormous problem. I'm not sure we ever really solved it, but it was an eye-opening experience. Ever since that I've found myself paying a lot more attention to lettering techniques and how they affect a story.

The big events in mainstream comics these days are geared to die-hard comic book fans. Civil War, which garnered alot of press outside of the comic book bubble is not an easy comic to jump onto.

Further, the new stuff that is coming out is not geared towards kids at all. I expect that within the next ten years comics are going to find that they have even fewer fans in their twenties, since right now they're not being caught while they're young.

Books labelled as "kids stuff" are the key to making this a thriving industry.

If we compare comics to other media like movies, television, or the internet, the comic industry comes up very short. Comics don't have as broad a range of genres, and they definitely do next to nothing to appeal to different age groups or demographics.

I sincerely hope that your Franklin Richards work is well recieved, and wins over some young fans.