The United Kingdom seems to have a complex love-hate relationship with comic books. This isn’t limited to the likes of Alan Moore or Garth Ennis either; one notable critic on social review website Goodreads shares a view that less emotionally realistic comics are inferior. All except for the less corporate depictions of paragon characters like Superman. Which is kind of ironic as UK’s premiere heroes are genuinely flawed people lacking introspection. So what is it about Brits and how they look at comics that set them off?
The Uber Brits Creators
Alright it goes without saying that when people talk about British people and comics, Moore is the first to come up. Moore’s relationship with corporate media is highly contentious thanks to how backstabbing it is. Some of his most notable work in DC like Watchmen are the biggest thorns in his side. In some of his earliest comic work before and during DC, he tries to express things creatively. Even while working under pseudonyms, his encounters with editors trying to suit a narrow audience gets to him. With how corporate comics try to appeal to the majority of comic fans rather than be flexible he pushes himself away from it altogether. Now he’s attempting a truly independent TV show where he and his collaborators retain all of the rights.
The corporate nature of comics seems to get under the skin of a lot of Brits. This includes the Irish Garth Ennis whose views on superheroes practically matches Moore’s. The original The Boys comics goes out of its way to show how corporate capitalism warps superheroes beyond their humanitarian roots; even if most of it revolves around grotesque parodies. Not that it takes away the point, most corporate comics relies more on A-B-List IP recognition, crossover events, and trying to imitate past success with those characters rather than keep to the spirit. Even the Monarch of Weirdness, Grant Morrison, left Marvel because they didn’t allow him/her to get creative after New X-Men.
Paragon Superheroes vs. Gritty Gunmen
That’s not to say that all Brits hate superheroes, just about every one in comics are Superman fans. With recent Superman movie plans on hold over “irrelevancy” nows a time to talk about this. Superman is a very difficult character to interpret and write despite his universal appeal. There are numerous arguments why Superman is relevant, but the overall reason comes from his humanity. Despite Clark Kent seemingly just being a disguise, this everyman is everything that completes Superman. By focusing more on the “Man” than the “Super”, readers see a superhero grapple with life like the rest of them; because life is worse than any supervillain.
And then there’s the other end of the spectrum; while Superman represents an ideal, British heroes both in stories and real life are defined by perseverance despite obvious flaws. Characters like Judge Dredd and Dan Dare are defined by acts of duty towards a greater purpose. While Dredd’s purpose is over-the-top satire of American entertainment and politics, Dare is a display of chivalry and strategy. Compare this to Grant Morrison’s early creation Zenith whose great power leaves him devoid of responsibility. Even in the bleakest of times, a good soldier willing to put himself at risk reaches many people.
How Brits Show Americans Up
On the same ground of Zenith, characters like him and Tank Girl are very much anti-establishment figures. These satirical takes on alternative lifestyles bring out a focus on creativity over stale structure. Thanks to British Copyright Law, many of these stories take an open to interpretation route. While companies still own the IPs, the creatives retain the rights to create and publish without too much oversight. Because what better way to show devotion and beat expectations than getting creative? Now compare that to mainstream American comics where those situations are strictly conditional. Remember how many decade spanning gaps it takes for X-Men or Hulk runs to be interesting?
The British Invasion practically gets an embodiment in Pat Mills’ creation Marshal Law. Marshal Law combines superheroes with the experimental/satirical art styles and dutiful side of British comics as a way to clean up. The beginnings are a story of inner turmoil satirizing both of its elements; superheroes begin as an ideal to follow that are impossible to achieve. With fans often stuck in the past or like the Marshal, in a state of self-loathing over something they once loved. Because even Mills ultimately falls into the corporate traps as the series’ rights go through publishers.
Licensed Too Shoot
In recent years the ultra-violence from popular gunmen gets a reexamination. In the Dredd comics despite the satirical nature of their universe, the characters openly realize that they live in fascist dystopias. Even the people who popularize this shoot first mentality Mills and Ennis step back and focus on other stuff like children books. Ennis in particular tries to puts character above his dislike of superheroes in The Boys: Dear Becky. Because despite all of the criticisms against superheroes, it’s a poor excuse to glorify another kind of violence. Some of the most creative comics to come out don’t just follow trends or what works, they’re an exploration of why comics still work.
So Why Are Brits So Cranky About Comics?
Comics are a medium where everyone involved becomes a part of the story. As for why so many Brits are against mainstream comics like superheroes, it’s because of how corporate they are. With DC, Marvel, 2000AD, and even Britain’s international publisher Titan under corporate ownership it gets hard to get creative. Fans want to go into commercial work to turn their brains off but the quality among them varies like a trend conveyor belt. Because while major publishers will admit their faults, it’s another thing to make necessary changes when their profits are still good. Which is why the creatives take personal responsibility to present comics in more experimental ways. Because to the Brits, perseverance and duty matters more.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.