I just got back from my neighborhood cahh-mic shahp.

I went in with the intent of finding at least three or four comics with issues in the high numbers, and I found just that--three or four. Titles like "Detective Comics," "Action Comics" and "Fantastic Four" are chugging along after all these years, seemingly still in their first-volume runs and all hurtling towards their inevitable, respective thousandth issues (which, in itSELF, will bring pandemonium and marketing schemes of all colors to the stands).

Here's my thing:

I can remember when just about ALL the Marvel and DC titles were like that: settled in, allowed to age and not constantly subjected to "reboots" and zero-issues. Where have those days gone?

Honestly, I blame the big "events": "Crisis," "Zero Hour," "Secret Wars," "Civil War," the death of Superman and the like. It was only after you started seeing these huge, sweeping events that a serious case of A.D.D. clearly hit the industry.

EVERY FIVE MINUTES, they're rebooting a title. An Avengers book can't get two years down the road without them starting the whole shit over: "New Avengers," "Dark Avengers (which I think is just a silly-ass idea)," "Mighty Avengers," Avengers-this-that-and-the-third. Got-DAMN, be STILL! Even if I wanted to get back into a title (which I doubt I'd do--I'm more content with collected graphic novels like "Preacher" and revisiting the old 70's storylines I grew up with), I wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting comfortable with a title. The shit'll be CANCELLED in six months, or flipped and retooled into something totally different. I was happy when there was just ONE Avengers title--that was just fine by me.

I flipped to the back of one book and saw that they're starting the Flash over. AGAIN. FOR WHAT?

One given superteam, eight hundred different storylines to try and follow. Then it's over in a year, and here they come with Issue Zero again? Spinoffs and spinoffs of spinoffs all over the damn stands--it's too confusing. Current readers: How do y'all keep up and make the room in your lives for this mess?

Okay, that's it.

No, that's NOT it:

Once upon a time, when these stories would make their way to visual media, the origins and characteristics of certain characters were CANON. They were CONSISTENT with what you read in the books (and I'll even give the assorted "Superfriends" shows credit for that, to a degree). NOW, though?--I can't deal with eight or nine different Batmans. The progression onscreen from Caped Crusader (see: the 60's TV series and all the cartoons leading up to the animated series of the 90's) to Dark Knight worked out--then, they went and clowned THAT up! A bunch of non-canon one-offs and "what-if" scenarios. ONE BATMAN AT A TIME, DAMN!

And the Ultimates. Fuck them, seriously.

One book, one movie, ONE FUCKING STORY for each character and each team. Damn all this alternate-reality shit. I thought the "Crisis" was designed to solve problems like this, but here we go again, I suppose.

I'd like your input on this. No Twitter-shit, either...gimme some complete sentences.

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...white feather wings.

http://thelastdaysofrussell.bandcamp.com (soon - "Election Day on Monster Island")