Comicracy
Is there anything worthwhile to a human existence in making comics?

NO.

When I was young, I used to get inspired by both american comics and manga, which made me dream up stories that would make life seem happier and grander. So the person making those comics made my existence better.

I'd like to think one day I could do the same to others.

Maybe I overlooked someone's post, but I'm surprised no one has brought up this book that covers the question posed in this topic.

It's a pretty interesting read.

Well, lessee....an indictment of comics/comic artists would have to logically take a step further and indict ANY art, music, literature. Does it feed anyone, shelter anyone, yield technological breakthroughs?

No....in fact, the first cave scrawlings was probably just something to pass the night after fire was discovered.

The arts.....it's for people who have too much spare time on their hands after their survival is taken care of.

Who is really to say what's worthwhile and what isn't. What's pointless to one person means the world to another. I just do whatever the hell makes me happy.

Doodling helps you concentrate, so that's a benefit. I saw some science presentation about it once. I can't find it, but I saw it.
Also drawing comes natural to me, if I'm not drawing, something is wrong with me. And the longer the time I spend not drawing the more depressed I get. It's something I need to do to feel whole. And if not feeling like some sort of weird human rug that prefers to lie on the floor and do nothing isn't a worthwhile thing to do, then I don't know what is.

F Y R E 13 R A N D wrote:
Seriously? Why would a comic artist need to justify their existence more than anyone else? We can't all be doctors, police, and farmers.

Overpaid professional athletes, people who make computer viruses and pop-up ads, tabloid writers, the entire Air Miles organization, televangelists... these, and many other more useless parasites, are the people who need to justify their existence.

First of all a comic artist is essenturally an author and an artist. both professions have them bearing their soul for the world to see and judge. We the authors bear our soul by exposing our deepest darkest and innermost thoughts every time we put pen to pad. Artist bear their souls by exposing their emotions whenever they put paint to paper. so i see it as only natural that a comic artist who is both an author and an artist would feel the need to justify their existence a bit more then the regulare burger fliper.
secondly i did not really like that shot at people who make computer viruses. i am a programer and i can tell you a computer viruses can be created on accident. it happens when a program goes funky. if you really wanted to see what happens when someone creates a computer viruses by accident look up the Morse Worm program sometime. if you want to see what happens when someone creates a computer viruses on purpose i will be glad to show you.
As for all of you other poster i have got to say you are starting to become a little deep. author, artist, comic artist are 9/10 times unsure of themselves. you write comics for fun, for yourself, and for the enjoyment of your friends.  nice simple and too the point. no worrying about who else likes your comic. no need to justify your existance. all you need to worry about when it comes to comics is what am i going to have X character do next.
as for that whole we dont live forever deal that that guy posted a few posts back. I am telling you all right now, if it was not for ethics and certain groups of people (any religion group and what not) we could have all readly have a system in place that minic endless life. Through the use of the work of robert white's experiments back in the late 60;s early 70's  and clone technology and some good old engineering slap dash solutions to get around miscommunication between the nerve network we could have miniced imortatlity about 10 years ago. (see we engineers have got this all figured out.)

I don't think it's much of a surprise to find that a group of comic book artists believe that making comics has a social validity to it. Of course, art and culture are a great balm to the lives of almost every person who has ever lived. I think it's arguable to say that comics can fit into that.

Also, as a lot of people said, making comics is often mainly for the benefit of the person making the comic. I can definitely say that writing, drawing, and posting webcomics has made my life better. It's hard to describe the process to a person who doesn't do it themselves, but I feel a great sense of peace and comfort when I am in the middle of working on a page. I don't get the same meditative sensation from anything else I do, and it's hard to understate how much of a benefit it is to me.
 
I also don't see making comics as a manchildish thing to do either. I have two reasons for that.
 
1. Making comics isn't manchildish because a lot of comic book makers are women. Actually, I'm under the impression that female webcomics creators outnumber the male ones at this point.
 
2. C.S. Lewis once said that, as a child, he was ashamed to read fairy tales. He would do so in private and, if he were caught, he would be absolutely mortified. He then contrasted this with him reading fairy tales that he wrote himself to a live audience when he was in his fifties.

Part of maturity is casting off one's fears about social perception. An adult of firm character does not worry about being perceived as lame or childish when they express enthusiasm for things some may consider juvenile. After all, is an episode of Law & Order or American Idol any more sophisticated or lofty than a random issue of Spider-Man? I'd say that it isn't, so any stigma attached to Spider-Man is ridiculous.

Growing up means that you don't care what the cool kids think anymore. 

I take a literary view when it comes to making comics. Comics are just one way to convey a message, and if its your way, then by all means, make a comic. We all need to have a form of expression in our lives to go beyond what we're limited to in our daily processes. That's why some people paint, or write...so as valuable as that notion is to you, that's how valuable you make comic-writibg.

If there were no Newton or Galileo, mankind would still have found out about gravity and the revolution of the planets and things would still be much as they are today. Scientists illuminate existing truths.

But without Leonardo Di Vinci or Michelangelo altering the perceptions of generations, the history of mankind would have been very very different. Artists create new truths.

The OP mentions doctors and paramedics and people doing other important work: Many of them were likely inspired to do what they do either directly or indirectly by some form of art. Others need  art to keep them happy and healthy so they can keep doing a good job.

The point is, everything is connected. Nothing is unimportant to the social ecosystem or it would have gotten weeded out already. The only important question is whether or not it is important to you, the artist.

*I include comics in the definition of art.