A Comedy of Comic Book Industry ErrorsWritten by Dave Gieber
Although lacking in popularity for years, mid-50s through early 60s brought back a resurgence of superheroes. This in itself was not bad, especially since I like superheroes. But as publishers wanted to cash in on this rebirth, all other genres within comic book industry started to fade. The romance comics, westerns, hard-boiled detectives, war comics and science fiction comics all started to pass by wayside. The superhero was being driven by market forces, which became to exist in US comic book industry. Suppliers and consumers alike developed an obsessive preoccupation with superheroes, which ultimately became a detriment to medium as a whole. By catering too much to limited market of superhero lovers, a much broader audience became neglected. One analogy presented in past was that superheroes are like really good desert. We all like desert, but who can eat it all time? Another concern with this market saturation was aesthetic merits under weight of superhero longevity itself. This was not necessarily fault of genre itself, but of market upholding its lone cash cow. The very nature of art of storytelling within superhero arena, was greatly affected. We all have learned from time we were young, fundamental elements of storytelling. There is beginning, a middle and an end. The telling of superheroes defies these fundamentals. There is a beginning, a continuous middle and NO end. The most obvious (and arguably most drama killing) story telling convention is that a leading superhero character can not die, at least, not for long. Where is sense of suspense in knowing peril of superhero against super villain, will not last for long. Knowing that to sustain market popularity, hero must return issue after issue. While thrilling, it becomes and unconscious exercise in waiting to see how our hero survives. This does not command drama as that of a character whose outcome you are uncertain of for any given issue. This leaves no ending to an otherwise great story line, and thus a paradox. How could our superhero characters continue, as we would have them, if they were truly to die? Cognitive psychology has demonstrated that memory retention is stronger with beginnings and endings. We wonder then, how can a story be memorable if there is no ending? It can be theorized, that to keep comic books good, and this includes super heroes, they have to ultimately come to an end. It has been quoted before that all good things must come to an end. Would this help to keep comic book industry on a more successful track? This can now only be to speculation of each of us as individuals. Think about what your opinion is.
| | The Most Helpful Piano LessonWritten by Emily Sigers
The most helpful piano lesson I ever had was given when my teacher called a number of her pupils together in a class and actually showed us how to practice. Not told us how, but actually showed us how. I had had other teachers deliver long lectures on how to do it but this was first time one ever demonstrated her method to me with her sleeves rolled up - and nothing up her sleeve! In this lesson teacher memorized a page and a half of a piece which was entirely new to her and worked it out as she would have done by herself. She read it over once to see what it was all about and, without losing any time, she went right to work on first phrase and memorized as she went along. I was surprised at great number of times she repeated over and over again so small a thing as half a measure. When she had gained a working knowledge of whole phrase she went over and over that, trying it in many different ways as to touch, pedalling, and fingering, and upon deciding which was best, she then practiced approved version numberless times until she really knew it in her mind. I had thought that when musicians began to approach perfection they discarded childish things like counting aloud. It was a surprise, then, to hear this teacher rigidly counting each measure. I concluded right then and there that she really had nothing up her sleeve - that there was no magic about it, nothing but hard work and a never-say-die spirit. My great regret is that first teacher I had did not do something of that kind for me. It would either have made me quit then and there or it would have saved years of useless dreaming of royal roads to success and countless hours of poorly directed and misapplied practicing.
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