Scans_Daily

It seemed more like Morrison was responding to Ware's criticism of Superheroes in general, but it went in an uncomfortably personal direction.

Ware's very tapped into the "Fine Art" world and has witnessed first hand the dismissals and belittling towards comics. I'm having trouble finding quotes, but he's spoken on several occasions about how comics are the only medium where most "normal" people expect both a mood (humor) and a subject (superheroes). And that for better or worse the only way for comics to reach critical recognition is to "outgrow" superheroes.

Where he is making enemies is when he says it's for the better! Depending on the quote, he can be pretty down on the subject of superheroes as adolescent wish fulfillment, which understandably rubs people the wrong way! But he also seems to be commenting on the fucked up commercialism of mainstream superhero comics that puts a stranglehold on creativity and has - in his eyes - exhausted this set of tropes.

Morrison seems to be bringing a class analysis into things here, and claiming that Superhero comics are inherently more working class than Ware's work? I think the reservation bits were specifically referencing a current Batman storyline. He seems to have the opinion that superhero stories are responding to lower class issues, and indie comics like Ware's are responding to middle class issues, and that those issues are less valid. Errrrr I cannot start with how overly simplistic this is!! I don't think there's any need to tear down Ware's work to address privilege in comics, especially when mainstream superhero comics are up to their elbows in it.

Well, at least we're having a good discussion here in S_D! :D