This is a question that just occurred to me: should comics be in the same kinds of discussions as The Great Gatsby or The Lord of The Rings, as in, the kinds of books you can just dissect and talk about for hours? Take for example, the ending of The Dark Knight Returns. For those of you who haven't read it, here's a brief summary of the ending: Batman faked his death and burned Wayne Manor to the ground, and then went into hiding with Robin, Green Arrow, and the various gangs that followed his ideals, albeit in a more violent and ruthless manner, to train them as his "army". So the question is raised: Is the hero triumphant? After all, Batman is still alive and well, training his successors, but he has to remain in hiding for the rest of his days (and he will, because The Dark Knight Strikes Again never happened), and all his friends and loved ones think him dead. This seems like something that could spark a discussion about what it truly means to be "Triumphant", but the fact that it is a comic book we're talking about could make some people think that no, comics are kid stuff, mindless magazines that you can't even consider as great literature. I personally think that regardless of weather or not the medium has a visual component, if it's a book that raises questions and is written well, it's great literature. But that's my two cents. What are your thoughts?