Fortress Of Fortitude - An Interview

Fortress Of Fortitude I hope you’ll enjoy Marc’s input as much as I do.

Tell us something about yourself

I’m 46 years old, a former journalist who now doubles as a freelance writer, bookseller at Borders and a full-time father.

How long are you into comics?

I’ve been reading comics as long as I can remember, at least since I was about 6 and started reading Peanuts collections and Uncle Scrooge digests. (Of course, I had no idea who Carl Barks was at that time, but I knew good stories and art when I saw them.) My first super-hero comic was an issue of Worlds Finest where Superman, Batman and Robin got their butts handed to them by the Composite Superman. Not long later, I was introduced to Spider-Man and the FF and my interest in super-heroes was off and running. I’ve read Marvel and DC off and on since the early 1970s, usually dropping out for a year or two (or more) when the going gets stupid and/or something else occupies my interest (like music).

Why the blog?

I was inspired to start the Fortress after discovering Dial B For Blog, which I think offers a great perspective on new and old comics. I never thought I could be as creative as Robby Reed, but did think it would be fun to connect with the online comics community. My interest in comics had always been a solitary hobby - I never really knew anybody else who liked them that much - so the idea of finding other fan-addicts out there was (and is) exciting.

What comics do you love the most and why?

I posted my favorite super-hero stories on the blog, but generally I look for imaginative stories and spectacular art. Nothing too particular! :)
I’m not a huge fan of the post-Watchmen approach. I think the grim and gritty, real life stuff favored by most fans and creators these days is a dead-end - a fact I think is borne out by the conclusion of Watchmen itself. While I’m all for complex, adult comic stories I don’t think super-heroes are the best vehicle for that stuff. After all, they were created to punch people in the face, and when you stray too far away from that concept I think the genre loses a lot of its power.

Who is your favorite superhero - why?

Batman, because he’s a normal - if highly accomplished - human who faces down extraordinary menaces day in and out. That’s why I disliked much of the the War Games Batman, because they stripped the character of his humanity and made him a dick. Number two is Spider-Man, because he’s even more neurotic than I am. Three would be the pre-Crisis Supergirl, because she’s an underdog and worries about fitting in and living up to her responsibilities as the cousin of the greatest hero of all.

What you would like to see changed i.e more independent comics, less or more movies , any thing that you like

More variety in the direct market, which emphasizes super-heroes and shoves a lot of interesting product into obscure parts of the store. I’m much more interested, say, in Aqua Leung or the new trade version of Love & Rockets than anything coming out of Secret Invasion or Final Crisis - both of which have an air of “Been there, done that” to me.

Where do you think the comics and superhero industry is going

It’s going to stay a niche industry that caters to continuity obsessed fans because that’s the way the companies and the readers seem to like it best. Super-heroes, meanwhile, will mostly reach the general public through merchandising, cartoons and movies.