As I listen to friends talk about comic books and authors, I’m struck by some of the similarities to the Methodist itinerant system.
My friends don’t like particular authors. Sometimes it’s writing style, dialogue, character development, or something they just can’t quite put their finger on. They just don’t gel with all authors. There’s nothing wrong with that; you can’t please everyone after all. So my friends run into a problem when an author they don’t like is picked to work on a story for a character or team they love. When this happens, they have two options.
#1) Buy the book anyway. They tell themselves “I love (Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Alpha Flight, etc) enough that maybe things will be ok.”
#2) Wait until a new author picks up the book. ”This author is so bad even seeing my favorite character can’t dull the pain.”
Option 2 might surprise you. If they love that comic title so much, why wouldn’t they buy every issue? Why would a fan ever consider skipping an issue?
They can do this because they know comic book authors rotate. With the major labels like Marvel and DC, authors move from title to title. So often if they’re willing to wait on their favorite title, the author they don’t like will leave and a new one will come.
A similar phenomenon happens in the United Methodist Church. Since Methodist pastors move around, you can count on them not being at one church forever. Several years ago Methodist pastors moved like clockwork every 3 years. The denomination is moving to longer tenures but clergy still move regularly. What this can mean is that church members who have a problem with the current pastor will leave until a new pastor comes and then return. (I’m sure this happens in other denominations but I can only write what I know.)
It feels like the same theory as the comic books. And in some ways it is. However, there’s one major difference. Comic book readers can only make their voice heard through sales. Church members have the opportunity to voice their concerns and try to work out solutions with their pastor. It’s not a perfect system but it’s certainly better for the health of the church.
