Predictions In The Era Of Timewave Zero

I had thought about writing a follow-up to the "Predictions About The Comic Book Industry I Made 5 Years Ago" piece, but then I figured it was very tactless to just make a stark list like that and then say, "well I'm done here, have a nice day." Instead, here are some conversation-starters.

Contemplate how much technology has changed from 100 A.D. to 1800. Do the same for 1800 to 1900. Then contemplate how much it's changed from 1900 to 1930. Now contemplate how much it's changed from 1930 to 1950. Then 1950 to 1970. 1970 to 1980. 1980 to 1985. 1985 to 1989. 1989 to 1992. Now compare how much technology has changed from 2010 to 2012.


Now calculate how much it will further change in five more years. If you honestly believe that regardless of these rolling shifts in our technological paradigm, comics will still be more or less the same -- or that any of the everyday actions and notions and goals and methodologies or systems of exchange will remain in an arrangement that you find familiar -- then you are simply wrong.

(Look up: Singularity, Timewave Zero)

I can really just stop here. Mini-forecasts about things like which character is going to do what, or whether comics will stay vertical vs. horizontal in format, page counts, digital interfaces, corporate takeover, blah blah blah. These are tiny tiny things, relative trivia. You need to think bigger than that.

I was also going to say a bunch of idealistic stuff, but why even bother? I'm just going to ride the wave; if I see you there, I'll say hello.