By MATTHEW PRICE 

Something periodical comic books can struggle with is an ending. 

If sales are going well, the publisher wants more and more of the character or situation. 

And, in situations where maybe interest has waned, it’s more likely the character quietly fades away, perhaps to be brought back another day. 

But from time to time, like in stories like the Alan Moore-written “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow,” comics manage to say goodbye in a poignant way. In 1986, “Superman” No. 423 and “Action Comics” No. 583 featured the “final story” of Superman, written by Moore, before Superman’s story was restarted by John Byrne in the series “Man of Steel.” With comics, there’s almost always a reboot around the corner. As I write this, a new “Superman” #1 has hit comic-book shelves.  

I don’t know that I’ll succeed on the level of an Alan Moore, but in this column, I’d like to take a moment to say goodbye. This is the last “Word Balloons” comics column slated for The Oklahoman newspaper. 

I started the column in February 2001, after a tryout column that ran in November 2000. I convinced then-entertainment editor Gene Triplett I had enough ideas for a weekly comic-book-themed column to last, I thought, at least a few years. Now, 22 years later, it’s time to wrap up the series. Thanks to Gene and all the editors who shepherded the column through the years, including current Features Editor Moran Elwell. 

I’ve always believed that literacy empowers people, and that comics are a great pathway to literacy. I think children and adults both can benefit from finding new worlds in the pages of comics, and empathizing with the characters within.  

When I started the series, superhero movies and television shows were not the ubiquitous genre they have become in recent years; Marvel was just coming out of bankruptcy and DC’s most recent cinematic exploits had not fared particularly well. 

But, comics were beginning to circulate more in book form, to be accepted in libraries and book fairs, and I wanted to share that bubbling excitement that has led to an explosion of comics culture over the past two decades. Through the column, I interviewed the heads of Marvel and DC Comics as well as industry legends including Stan Lee, Geoff Johns and Todd McFarlane. I also watched the growth of the Oklahoma comics creator community, as creators like Sterling Gates, Jerry Bennett and Natasha Alterici became successful and well-known at their craft. 

I hope over the 22 years of this column, I’ve been able to connect you with some interesting stories – some stories that have made you smile, made you wonder, and made you hope. 

See you in the next reboot. 

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman. He is currently writing on Substack at https://matthewd2t3s.substack.com/