Comic books have been around since 18th-century Japan. Even longer if you look at the biblical story, “Samson and Delilah,” in which the character Samson was blessed with God-given super strength to help him defeat his enemies and achieve a number of incredible exploits. Some historians consider Samson to be the inspiration for several succeeding fictitious figures and characters—Hercules, Thor, and even Superman.

Comic books have come a long way since the days of World War II and the Cold War. In those days, politicians and “concerned adults” were under the belief that comics were rotting the minds of the youth. But like in any medium of entertainment, there are equal handfuls of the good, the bad, and ugly—such is the case in film, television, plays, and video games. And just as it is evident there, it is evident with comic books.

Comics allow readers to lose themselves in a world where heroes and villains, alongside characters who still haven’t shown their cards to be on either side yet, collide with one another in tightly-woven stories with a multitude of complexities. The work that goes into a comic book should be celebrated, not dismissed or ignored, as the development of a comic book is a hefty one. One that requires a collaborative team of creators—a writer, a penciller (otherwise known as a illustrator), inker (also known as a tracer), colorist, and letterer.

Why are major news publications not throwing praise, or disdain, at the works of legendary comic creators Neil Gaiman, Brian Michael Bendis, or Jim Lee to name a seldom few? Why do they refuse to throw out any opinion whatsoever?
My guess is that these sorts of publications are so elitist in their own conceit that they simply cannot see the artistic value of comic book works. And that, to me, is truly a travesty.