So I was reading from Shadows of Forgotten Ancestry by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan when I came across an interesting fact regarding evolution. In terms of survival and natural selection, species that are over specialized have a hard time surviving when their environment changes. And I started to think of how this might apply to the superhero genre as we approach a new digital environment in the world stage.
On overspecialization Sagan says:
“Organisms that are too narrowly specialized, that perform exceedingly well but only in a single, restrictive environmental niche, also tend to become extinct; they are in danger of making a Faustian bargain, trading their long-term survival for the blandishments of a brilliant but brief career. What happens to them when the environment changes? Like barrel makers in a world of steel containers, blacksmiths and buggy-whip tycoons in the time of the motorcar, or manufacturers of the slide rules in the age of pocket calculators, high specialized professionals can become obsolete virtually overnight.”
Sagan also goes on to talk about football. Catching the ball is your short-term objective while running with the ball without being tackled is your long-term objective. If you only concentrate on one aspect then you’re not likely to make it down the field to score. There’s an optimum mix that you need to strike between your short-term and long-term goals.
So what does this have to do with comics? Mainstream superhero books might just be the species that is over specialized and might not survive without adapting.
In the next ten years (as we move into a digital, downloadable, Kindle-ready comic industry), American comics will have to compete in the same ring as European comics, Manga, and South American comics because they’ll all be equally available to the consumer (even more than we have now). So I think we in the states have to ask ourselves this question: How will superheroes stand up against all the other types of genres? Soon the separate continents of comic book genres will collide into a digital Pangea. And the question of WHO WILL SURVIVE will be in the hands of the international comic book consumer, not just the American consumer. And ideas like genre, art, style, plot, storytelling and characters will be the mutations being selected for or against.
In other words, superheroes might have cornered the market here in the states, but the competition that we might be seeing in the future could disable it on the world stage. And if superhero comics don’t stand up, then I think it’ll be an interesting realization for the Marvel and DC. Are their comics really good, or are we (the American market) only buying them because we’ve been groomed to read them?
Of course, there will always be X Men, Batman, and Spider Man because we in the states grew up with it. But will our kids still like it? Will our grandkids? By that time I imagine the “claim” to certain genres of comics won’t be associated with different regions of the world. Nor will any ties to a certain style, color, layout, etc.
And if they do survive, then will they survive because they’ve stayed them same? What does natural selection say about a species that can’t evolve in a new environment? It says that they would be dead. So superhero comics, assuming they survive, will likely have assimilated some of the positive aspects of European and Manga books.
Which I actually look forward to. Sometimes I feel like we could use a little shaking up in our mainstream books: both publishers and readers should be more open minded. And don’t get me wrong! As much as I complain about comics, I do have it’s best interests in mind. I love Wolverine so much that I want him to adapt so that he can survive.
And now a bad joke…
In Japan they have comics for everything, including everyday activities like cooking and cleaning. Imagine a story about Wolverine making a casserole and heating it at 350. At least it’ll be cool to watch him dice carrots.