Comics are an incredibly creative artform.

I thought I should follow up the previous post about how much easier new books are to sell than comics with an explanation why I carry comics.

I believe comics are the most creative of all art forms, at least those who are produced on a professional level. Something about the visual mixed with the literary opens the floodgates of wild and imaginative story-telling.

Most movies and books follow some sort of template. You can figure out pretty fast what kind of book or movie you're imbibing.

With comics, you never know.

So I'll make a distinction here. Super-hero comics do indeed have a template (and even here, I believe there is more stretching and warping of the expected than you'll find in most media.) But outside of that, anything goes.

And I do mean anything.

There's a reason that TV and movies constantly dip into comics for their ideas. I think part of it is the very smallness of comics. There isn't as much riding on the average comic. The barrier to entry is low. Wild ideas are not only allowed, but encouraged.

Think about any original movie--it's a huge investment, and you don't know if it will pan out. If it doesn't pan out, you'll lose a ton of money. Same with TV shows and books. So it's safer to make sequels to ideas that have already worked, or follow the same old path a successful book has already blazed.

Looking at the book liquidation lists every week, it's amazing how many clones there are to successful books, especially young adult.

Of course, the same thing happens in comics, but there is also a huge percentage of truly original and out-there ideas, created by individual creators and yet given a chance to shine.

It's a constantly surprising world, and I feel like it has helped me in my own creative life, as an example and a goal.

Comics have nurtured a couple of generations of individualistic thinkers, writers, and artists, and has allowed them to bring their works to the public. There isn't a lot of money in it, unfortunately, and may of these incredibly creative people struggle to make a living.

But that hasn't stopped them. The flow of creativity just keeps coming, and it's inspiring.