Erik Geiger's Blog

In a recent column on Wired News, Literacy Limps into the Kill Zone, Wired's Copy Chief Tony Long decries the state of American literacy. This letter is a response to his use of the phrase "comic-book generation" as synonymous with "post literate society".
Dear sir,
I object to your use of the term "comic book generation" in a pejorative context. You imply that comics books are an example of the decline in literacy, but you don't follow your implication up in your article, making this a cheap rhetorical trick.
While you make many valid points regarding the effect of technology and rapid communication on literacy, your criticism of comic books, even by implication, simply reveals your ignorance of one of the few areas in publishing that has steadily improved in literacy over the last 40 years.
While the bar was admittedly quite low 40 years ago, even a cursory survey of comic book publications over the last 40 years shows that comic books are one of the few areas in publishing where effective story telling skills are encouraged and rewarded.
Do yourself a favor and read any comic book by Joss Whedon, Will Eisner, Alan Moore, Neil Gaimain, Joe Straczynski or Dave Sim. Works by all of these authors are deservedly studied as great literature at Universities around the world. And please don't argue that the inclusion of comic books in university curricula proves your point. You would not be tempted to make such an assertion if you'd read Moore's The Watchmen, Miller's The 300, Gaiman's Sandman, Eisner's Contract with God, Straczynski's run on The Amazing Spider-man, Whedon's work on The Astounding Xmen or Dave Sim's Cerebus.
You might suspect that I'm supporting my argument by citing the exceptions, rather than the rule. Certainly this short list contains conspicuous luminaries of the field, but even among the most prolific, mainstream comic book writers of the last 40 years, such as Alfred Bester, Stan Lee, Gardner Fox, Jim Steranko, Dennis O'Neil and Chris Claremont, you'll find many examples of notable literary merit. Being extremely prolific authors writing to deadlines, they have written works that were sub-par. However, their general level of writing is excellent, and often reaches the sublime.
There are many reasons for the decline of literacy in America, but no valid argument can be made that comic books are among them.
As a professional writer and the holder of a degree in literature from one of the public ivies, I am proud to be a member of the comic book generation.