h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Is it too much to ask for the writer to spare us his smug condescension regarding comic-book buyers? Apart from the fact that his [or her? - no, probably his] knowledge of the scene suggests a more intimate involvement than this attempt at distancing himself , I've heard it all before. Many, many times. And yes, up to a point, they're true. But then, so are stereotypical remarks about Multiplex Herds, and Bestseller Readers and virtually every kind of music enthusiast in the world, but you don't find those cultural putdowns bandied around with quite the same degree of casual snobbery.

Can I just clear something up for you here? I'm a longterm buyer - I got into the good stuff early on, when I was a kid: I got into Alan Moore/ Frank Miller/ Gaiman/ all those 80's stars as they were starting out, and I rode the wave of 80's success as a teenager, then stopped buying when my favourites stopped doing good work.

I've just started buying again, and found a rich seam of smaller names and interesting oddities from the years I missed. I'll read unashamedly on the tube or bus, but can't summon up any enthusiasm for the bad superhero movies we're currently enduring [ready-made franchises]. So I guess, like many other people that you don't recognise, I'm neither Closet or Fanboy. I'm an educated, experienced reader and my view of/ insight into comics is this :

Comics are like popular music. Lots of them are manufactuerd crap, and lots of talented creators get ground up in the treadmill of producing this crap; but regardless of quality, the issues and ideas they broach can stir up similar levels of idolatry from fans. And also there's some really good stuff, which deserves the appreciation of every intelligent reader with an open mind.

My point, the, is that we comics readers don't need to be dismissed offhand, in such smug standoffish terms AGAIN, when there's an unfair amount of insults directed at us as it is anyway. It's not fair or funny.