answer

an answer from Adrian Moreno a comic book artist


How do you feel about the content of comics today?

- There's this very extensive set of genres that go from very stupid to intellectual really. MOst of the titles I seem to observe in the shalves are placed in the midle of these extremes. ALl the big names, with thes uperheroes stuff which can be considered all the same except from their aproaches.
Still all of the sci-fi, fantasy, action and adventure genres sometimes don't do so great when it comes to good stories and they tend to be very dull and repetitive.

How do you feel comic have changed from the past?

- The approach has become more adecuated to the present lifestyles and it has borrowed many techniques from other arts and entertainment strategies. Apparently the stories have become more mature and have achieved a certain level of veracity. The art has stylized so much and yet its artist have become some accurate and precise with the detailing and so many new rendering techniques.
The most notorious of all of the changes with the past however would be how deep it has ground its roots in our present lives.
Never before comics had been so cool as they are now, that simple.

Has any of it changed for the worst?

For the artist it has changed for the better in some aspects because of the larger demand of comics,, the larger demand of artists. Companies have stack an unheard wealth and the whole picture sounds so bright right now.
The downside to all of this as always is how much of the actual quality of all of those books out there is worth being done really.
Even worse is the very sgressive marketing systems and all the greed of the big corporations have shown over the past years
It's not so nice anymore you know?

With comics like the Ultimates do you feel that comics are still for children?

- Absolutely. In fact many that are aimed at older people, and they still have a child- like approach. Again since superheroes are the mainstream there's plenty of that for children.
My final opininion would be more towards the oposite of this question. Could there be more mature comics?

What percent of comic do you think is targeted for children?

Some 40% percent of al the books out there can be read by children and teenagers as well. Well teenagers could read up to some 75% or even more. What bugs me is not how many of the books being published can be read by children, but could they make something else outside superheroes? There are so many other fantastic possibilities.

What do you feel is the future of comic books?

- I hope and can expect to continue growing to really become most kid's and teenagers interest, for a while and after it has to confront either mutation or exticntion
I hope it can achive a greater level of artistry and deepness, because comics today tend to be very square when it comes to content and appearance. Very manipulated you know? Very little expression has been allowed to the actual capabilities of the format since it has always served a massive comercial purpose only. No experimentation ever allowed, so yes, comics are square dull at their majority.