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Today's adventure: Can we go back to being "just friends" with the Internet?

Oh crap. Are you still reading this column?

This marks the 22nd installment of my column Beneath the Underdog. So far, I’ve pondered Will Eisner versus Stan Lee, played chess with Scott McCloud, explored the insane dedication of comic book creators, previewed the Eisner Awards, honored the up and coming talent of Hope Larson, championed the inconvenient graphic novel, defended the Nice Guy in comics, offered my It List, contrasted 24 hour comic book day to my 10 year high school reunion, placed comic book critics on the hot seat, interviewed my friends, and announced my Graphic Novel of the Month.

And yet, no major controversy. No heated debates. (Meanwhile, our friend Chris Williams interviews a disgruntled Mac Genius and people come with torches and pitchforks. Kudos to you, good sir.) In truth, I want this column to be a source of encouragement to the people who care about independent, small press, and alternative comics. Not really here to set fires.

However, I thought I’d pose a question: Has the online comic book community eclipsed the comic book itself?

I was thinking about this when I noticed the boom in popularity with ComicSpace, essentially a streamlined MySpace with a focus on the comic book community. It’s a great site. In fact, as soon as I work out my problem with my login (mistyped my e-mail address to receive the authentication code), I’ll be a proud member. I am a joiner, after all. The internet has made joiners out of even the most introverted people. In our effort to connect and network, did the Internet kill the comic book star? Sure, the weekly stash of comics becomes our common language, but is it about comics or about being about comics? Doesn’t that sound like a well rehearsed break-up speech? “I’m not in love with you. I think I’m just in love with being in love with you.”

Numerous comic book creators have a website and a blog. So if you want to read Peter David’s suggestion to impeach the President have at it. Jackie Chan, a porn star? I heard about it first from Warren Ellis. A daily sketch from Mike Wieringo, love it. Follow the adventures of Scott McCloud’s family across America. And not that I’m complaining, these blogs connect us to some of the storytellers we most respect. It’s heartwarming to read Terry Moore’s blog, particularly as he finishes Strangers In Paradise. I’m inspired to look at Jeff Smith’s blog. Kazu Kibuishi’s blog always offers smarter insight than I could hope to offer in this column.

Even without the blogs, we’ve got Rich Johnston’s weekly rumor and gossip column Lying In The Gutters. We’ve got Heidi MacDonald’s The Beat, which I read more often than the regular newspaper. And there’s also the hundreds of online forums all endlessly fascinated with the state of Wizard Magazine. I know, at times, the infamous Bendis board has been a beast beyond any single person’s control. Other times, they’ve mobilized support for comic book creators in trouble faster than even the Red Cross could. John Byrne has used his message board to share all sorts of interesting ideas—like his belief that Latina girls who dye their hair blonde look like prostitutes.

I pose the question again. Do we still enjoy comics, or do we just enjoy being part of the discussion? I’d like to say I love both equally. But considering how much time I spent on my website last month, versus how much time I spent actually writing comics, it’s a hard pill to swallow. We’ve been overexposed, and maybe eventually we’ll find a happy balance between a love of the artform and an interest in the people behind the artform. Perhaps, I’m just being a Luddite. Peter David once said if the Internet was a true factor on the comic book industry, the top ten books would all be Vertigo titles.

Despite my apathy towards creating any, I understand the need for online controversy. It does give us something to read. You know, besides comics.