We are fed up with the state of comics today. Everyone talks about the problems of declining readership, inbred ideas, lack of diversity, and distribution of comics. And yet, very little seems to be actually done to change this situation. Some say that the future of comics is dependent upon the Internet. Some say we must recapture the youth market we have lost. Others say that there is no future for comics at all.The FAILURE Manifesto
We believe that there is indeed a future for comics, and yet we also believe that there must be changes made if the art form is to survive. Our beliefs are not all-inclusive. Not everyone will agree with what we are saying. But something must be done to remedy the current state of comics.
Section One: The Art Form
1. Comic books are a valid and respectable form of art and literature. This doesn't include works that are poorly crafted. Just as there are bad paintings or bad novels, there are bad comic books.
2. Comics have the potential to be one of the most powerful forms of self-expression. However, they are rarely used this way. Comic books should be more than just a job. This is art and literature. If desired, a regular job can be found locally and with steadier pay - at McDonald's, perhaps.
3. The full history of sequential art should be shown for what it is. Sequential art did not begin with newpaper strips, but rather with the cavemen. Sequential art is not the bastard child of any media - rather an idea that has evolved along with the rest of art. Comics should be recognized as the link between art and literature.
4. Cartoon art is not the definition of Sequential Art. The history of Sequential Art encompasses everything from painted wall murals to crudely drawn stick figures. Thus the comics of today should not be limited to the simplified realism of mainstream comics. They should range from fully rendered paintings to the simplest cartoons.
5. Comics are visual literature, and as such, the literary aspect must be as emphasized as the visual. Pictures and words should work hand in hand.
6. The artistic style used should reflect the mood and intent of the story. Artists should develop their own individual style, not mimic a "House Style" or the style of a region (such as Japan.)
7. In both writing and art, subtlety is just as powerful as dynamism. One should not make every little scene into a struggle of life and death (refer to Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way .)
Section Two: Subject Matter8. There should be a widely available selection of comics to suit all ages and demographics.
9. Comics for children are important, but only to present children with quality stories, not to bring children into the "cult."
10. Superheroes are dying. They're taking the medium with them. A well written, beautifully crafted, and properly executed superhero story is still a superhero story. The same is true of superhero satires. Let the genre die.
11. Comic books need to stop the nostalgia trip, and start living in the present. The Golden and Silver Ages are over - they cannot be recaptured. Nor should the attempt be made. While they were good for their time, we have outgrown them.
12. Newspaper comics are dying. To recapture the days of the full page comic is impossible. Yet, nowhere is it written that you cannot take these ideas and put them into comic books.
13. The comic format should not be limited to the three-panel strip or the 6" by 10" book. Size is a choice, not a restriction.
14. Comics on the Internet are definitely worthy of experimentation as a new medium, but should not be touted as the "Savior of Comics." The Internet should be seen as another option in format to the creator.
Section Three: Business and Marketing
15. Collection for collection's sake or monetary value is ridiculous. One does not hoard food in the hopes that it will increase in value as the years pass. One eats it.
16. Comic books should not be expected to be periodicals. One cannot always be expected to do quality work on a rigid schedule. Work should be completed at the pace of the artist, not at the whims of a company.
17. Full endorsement and support of the Creator's Bill of Rights.
18. In today's comics, editors have too much control over the material. Comic book editors should be there to assist the cartoonist(s) in creating personal works.
19. The world of comic books should not be an exclusive club. Comic books are not a cult, and interest in them should not obligate anyone to "induct new members." However, an example must be set through good publicity and quality stories so that new readers will be interested for the proper reasons.
20. Comic books are more than an adaptation of a cartoon or a movie. Legitimacy is not given through adaptation.
21. Comic books are not a tool of exploitation. If you create characters, do so without plans of mass marketing.
No more will comics be considered "Legitimate Media's" two-dollar whore. It is time to rise up and leave the Superhero Ghetto.
Manifesto written in May 2001, by Rose Crowe, Antar Ellis, and Drew Weing
Read Jerry Stanford's item-by-item breakdown of the manifesto.