A few issues ago, Wizard Magazine ran a full-page feature called “Body Count”, listing all the characters who died in 2006 in the “Civil War” and “Infinite Crisis” series from DC and Marvel. They even listed the gruesome details of each character’s demise. And we wonder why kids aren’t reading comics anymore?

Yeah, I’m risking sounding like an old fart, but who’s reading this stuff? (Not Wizard, but the Big Two’s annual events; although I wonder about Wizard‘s audience sometimes too…) In my day, in between walking 12 miles to school, barefoot through the snow, with no TV or indoor plumbing, I actually enjoyed reading about the lives of my heroes, not their deaths. The occasional offing of a character was an event, and it really meant something to me emotionally. Looking at that list, I’m glad I didn’t pick up either of those series; I mean, how depressing to know the companies are croaking these characters en masse, just cause it’s time for their annual free-for-all to outdo the other. Really, what’s the point of killing the Trigger Twins, who may still have a couple dozen fans (assuming these are the same ones I remember from my childhood)? It just ticks off those fans who have fond memories of them. Wouldn’t it be more fun to try to revamp them for a series that might draw in some new readers? Just a thought. Of course, I still miss Earth-2, and Earth-S, and Earth-X, and Earth-whatever-Julie-felt-like-this-month, so what do I know?