The comic book industry is in trouble. The superhero industry is not. Sales have been dropping consistently and at times drastically. The movies have been steadily streaming netting their share of box office green. The characters themselves are marketable with heavy hitters like Spider-man, Batman, Superman, and Wolverine being seen everywhere despite the rise or fall of their books' sales. Part of the problem is the treatment of the creative talents. During the Golden Age, the publishers were numerous and creators slaved for movie studio style companies whose products were more popular than ever. The 50's brought drought and by the time Smilin' Stan and his contemporaries injected fresh blood into the medium circa '59-'61,  an industry frightened of dying let their talents run with outlandish characters and even more outlandish ideas that had surprising staying power and became some of the most beloved properties. Yet, by the 90's, the cycle had come full circle and once again the artists and writers were being crushed under the boot heel of the company. That's when Image started their minor revolution. Unfortunately, I feel (giving them the benefit of the doubt) the creators who began as passionate seekers of justice became media moguls too. That's kinda why I listen when Alan Moore speaks. He's dealt first hand with a lot of the shady business dealings. Remember when Jim Lee gave him his own imprint and promised he'd never deal with DC? Remember when not too long after he sold that imprint to DC? Business is rarely conducted with honor. Money is considered to be more important than art and human interests. So when big corporate giants like DC and Marvel (via their respective owners of course), talk about dwindling sales, I don't care. They themselves have spent years living by the credo, survival of the fittest. Even going back to the golden age, when DC beat out Fawcett through, not creative superiority, but legal technicalities. I say if they go completely digital, good luck, because the online/digital world is like the wild wild west, and piracy combined with the unrestricted competition will eat them alive. If they choose instead to continue down this path of mega events and callous, pointless deaths, then let the industry die. Let it go extinct the way a concept seen as too bold or dangerous would in the Darwinian fight the sick leviathans have created. The time has come the walrus said, to talk of better things, of paper ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.