I read this comic from start to finish a few days ago, and it got me thinking.

It started with a small premise:

Why is it that films, anime, comics and most other forms of art seem to always be better when they are shorter?

My answer to this question was a process:

First Answer: Because the artist(s) had something to say, said it, and that was it. No extensions or expansions, no retconning to allow the next seasons story to make sense, nothing. One and done.

Second Answer: The fans are actually at fault for not being able to accept a piece of art as is without wanting more. Fuck the fans.

Third Answer: It's really more the inherent nature of Capitalism, fans like it, so give them more. So instead of allowing to work to stand on it's own, it has to be whored out, modified, extended, explained, extrapolated, and eviscerated until the original idea is gone. Capitalism fucks up art.

Fourth (and Final Answer): Really it just boils down to the one thing that I do remember from my art classes: Art has to be for Art's sake. It is an abstract idea, but one that can be immediately sensed when you see actual art. When you read a comic, play a video game, or watch an anime sometimes it just clicks: This is Art. Taking a mainstream example:

The Matrix.

The first film was groundbreaking. It came out in 1999, the height of technophobia with the Y2K Bug looming overhead. So the content was perfect for the general feeling of uneasiness in relation to computers. Also the film itself was superb. No one had ever seen anything like it before; it's moral lessons were profound and the stunts were unreal. The audience was completely smitten (myself included). It will go down as a very well done modern art piece for all of those reasons.

But wait, it wasn't enough. We wanted more. So the market responded. Two more films were slated and immediately put into production. The films came out, and the feeling of "art" was gone. They felt forced, and strangely manufactured. The stunts were still good, but didn't seem like they were as innovative as the first movie. In short, they sucked.

This isn't to say that you can't have a piece of art that is spread across multiple pieces. Kill Bill and Lord of the Rings come to mind. Both were split up. But the difference is that it was still one complete thought.

The lesson? Support actual art and not manufactured crap.

Hmm... that sounded really pompous and it's a pretty unrealistic unrealistic goal to begin with.

So I guess the lesson is to support art when you can, and keep the guilty pleasure crap to a minimum.

...you know, that still sounds pompous, but I don't give a fuck.