It is this readers observation that the focus of all commercialized comics is slowly but surely changing and adapting to meet worldly and progressive needs. Comic purists, don't fret because this is an immensely positive action! It's like comics are getting a higher education! Tax free of course. What could be better for a current and bubbling generation of readers than new concepts, new characters and more comics. Image comics is expanding their repertoire and quirky subject matter from the 90's brutish action hero style. Oni Press and Dark horse continue to be small giants by releasing strong titles that bring webcomics and horror stories to the shelves next to DC and Marvel. How versatile! Which leads me to the bellowing supernova's themselves. Since their overall creation regarding characters and story can date to World War II, fantastical ideas for better or worse have come flooding out of both companies, really setting the standard for how to make comics commercially desirable and a medium of expression that can even be taught in schools! We are talking about companies that gave us multi-verses and a true marathon style of writing for a character you could have even grown up reading. These companies and writers too realize that change must come. In all honesty, as a personal stance, I have been quite disappointed in the last several years in the majority of story and progression in superhero story lines. I have even gone so far as to cut off my purchasing of pretty much all the titles I had previously bought from both publishers. I wanted new characters to make their way into comics. Ones that, and could reflect the diversity of the country the comics are supposed to take place in. I questioned, why can we have lots of aliens and mutants, but not a whole lot of ethnically diverse headliners, or women heroes that didn't sell a pin-up calender with every panel they were in? I also became very frustrated with the very infrequent or decimal changing of the guard in these books. Marvel can get away with this a bit more since their lore's birth was in the mid-60s but DC publishers just continued a run of characters that have not aged more than a few years since the 50s. The Justice Society had to be pushing 100 years young or more, but did not appear more than 60. I don't care what story line reasons there are, some things have to change.

All this being said, Marvel is taking the reigns in continuing their diverse cast list. They have openly homosexual characters in large events regarding their relationships and even a multi-racial Spider-Man in a well selling title. DC comics are not doing half bad themselves in this regard. Although the "New 52" still raises numerous questions and fore-head scratching sometimes, there are new villains (which certainly makes up the best part of the DC universe in this readers opinion) and therefore new motivation. Focus has shifted even further to say that a secondary character like Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing) is the focal point and drive of Batman's new villains Court of Owls. The Greenlantern world as we know it is severely changing as well. Unfortunately, due to low readership, books on Mr. Terrific and Static Shock (racially diverse characters) have been canceled early on due to low readership. If focus is given to less popular/well known characters of that caliber with sought after writers, a significant amount more change could come to titles like this.

Overall, It is pleasing to see gears moving, things are happening, and people are reading online, on their tablets, and pulling books off the comic shelves. Is there a better sight to see? I think not.

-Except maybe the writers own webcomic getting hits off his unread blog. Eerie PD is ten pages deep. Don't miss it! http://www.eeriepd.com/