Comics in a Digital World

One of the positives aspects of digital culture has been a decrease of 'gatekeeping' in many fandoms and communities. Comics can be read quickly and cheaply from nearly anywhere.  Discussion spaces have opened up beyond physical comic shops.  Gender and race, which were sometimes barriers to conversation, are often not immediately visible in the online world. Traditionally, the comic book market was understood to be largely white and largely male.  The exact demographic breakdown of past comic book readers doesn't seem to be available.  Like most mass media, including Hollywood movies and television, white, male viewers/readers were well represented and catered to, while many other demographic segments were less represented . The internet has made many underserved communities more visible. It has made it easier for them to form communities and discuss the issues facing their communities. Female comic fans are one of the communities that have become more visible...

Are comics cool?  Short answer: probably not, but they're also not uncool.  I don't see people purchasing comic books or reading graphic novels at the library to establish how cool they are.  But comics no longer seem to be burning red letters that tell the world how dorky you are (though your mileage may vary).  A few decades ago, if one mentioned that they loved to read comics, or collect them as a hobby, they would likely elicit a host of stereotypical judgments.  If you were a comic book fan, then you must be a basement dwelling, social outcast, with childlike taste in entertainment, this seemed to be the general consensus and this is often how comic fans were represented in the media. The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. These days, however, when I mention that I enjoy comics, most people seem to be at least ambivalent, and often they will mention a recent comic book movie or TV show they enjoyed.  The rise in popularity of superhero movie...