Part of this is because artists no longer seek to continue a status quo as it pertains to their art. They have different styles, and want to show those styles. Different styles mean significantly different looks. Therefore the reader is jolted with changes in illustration. Change means evaluation. This is not a plug for conformity, but rather a fact of life in the realm of comics.
In the beginning (my beginning 20 years ago), there was no significant style differences. At least none that this kid noticed. Peter Parker always looked the same, regardless of the book, or artist. Of course that's the way he looked, he was Peter Parker for goodnes sake! Why should he be drawn differently from the way he looked?
Resale wasn't addressed. Who heard of special covers? The best thing we saw was a giant sized issue. This kept focus on the story, not the industry or resale. The story was the thing. Nothing else mattered. Our mothers had their soaps, we had our comics. Maybe if we did care about resale we wouldn't have allowed our mothers to throw out those old comics (but I digress).
Maybe it was there even back then, and I didn't notice it just because I WAS a kid. Those things weren't important to me. I just needed my monthly fix of my favorite superhero. I cared about him, and was anxious to see how he would prevail over the villians in the current storyline.
Today, much of the chatter going back and forth between the readers and the comic book companies, and between readers themselves, has little or nothing to do with the story or the characters. It has to do with the resale value of the premium ultra chromium cover; the fact that the establishment is still trying to censor comics, the art, the writers, the direction of the industry, the competition between the major companies, the up and coming companies, the down and out companies, the way the writers and artists were/are treated by the industry.
Where is the good stuff about the characters? Discussions as to why Super-so-and-so did this, and Such and such-woman did that. Delving into the psyche of the super heroes and their alter-egos isn't as prevailent as it could be. Sure we talk about them, but not ABOUT them. Nightwing is a great example of what I mean. Tons of letters to DC and other readers in general outlined the facts behind why he deserved his own series (which, by the way is terrific), and how misaligned his character has been for years. Only recently (the October DC FANZINE Feature: Nightwing FAQ) did I see a significant amount of work in tracing who Nightwing is, and where he came from.
Maybe the reason the earnest discussions about our favorite characters don't come up as much is because there is a high proportion of readers that aren't kids, and it may be a little embarrassing to have an indepth discussion as to why Batman and Superman are like oil and vinegar (they complement each other, but to get it, there has to be a shake-up). Let's lighten up a little. The internet is a great place to exchange ideas and opinions; and no one has to know who we are. Turn back the clock and talk about the storylines and characters. Be a kid again.
Previous essays of mine fell right into what I've been lamenting. I guess I've lost something too; but I'm trying to get it back.
Note: The title of this column comes from a quote by Dr Frankenfurter in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Fay Wray was the woman taken to the top of the Empire State Building in "King Kong."