Lou Stadlin
Hampton, VA
Dead Capital
Hernando de Soto's interpretation of frontier America ("Citadels of Dead Capital," May) would be admirable for its simplicity if it did not also distort the record. The capital that was "created" was the untapped, readily exploitable natural wealth of a continent whose previous "owners" were subdued by military force.
The 19th-century laws that evolved to codify extra-legal settlement in the United States arose less from accommodation than from the machinations, philosophies, economic competition, and protectionism of political factions in the developed regions -- particularly the North-South schism.
Even the improvised mining laws that the author praises were notoriously deficient. They allowed speculators to tie up resources, novices to squander them, and lawyers to prosper from a tsunami of litigation that was only partially tamed by subsequent federal legislation. Finally, after laws and surveys made possible the acquisition of title, the frontier experience hovered at a Third World subsistence level until massive infusions of capital, much of it federal and foreign, provided expensive infrastructure and market access.
In order to be useful, historical lessons must be carefully crafted.
John Walker
Coaldale, CO
Tragic Heroes
What a wonderful essay by Brian Doherty ("Comics Tragedy," May). And how ironic: a literary commentary on meta-commentaries on a literary form that has long been regarded with scorn.
I once read a book about science fiction as a literary genre called Science Fiction, Today and Tomorrow. It pointed out that few novels have been acknowledged as both genuine science fiction and serious literature. Yet it also argued that science fiction serves as the morality play of our time. It gives us a safe distance from which to view ourselves, often as a culture.
Superheroes can do that, but they can also provide us with insight into ourselves as individuals. What better way to examine what values should guide us if we could remove all of the fears and needs of survival?
Dale Gulledge
Penfield, NY
I greatly enjoyed Brian Doherty's article. I've read comics since my mid-teens, when I was re-introduced to them through non-mainstream titles like Elfquest and Mage. Along with Watchmen, there were other titles coming out in the early '80s that started breaking the rules about superheroes. These include the first dozen installments of Elementals, which gradually lost its originality as it grew more mainstream, and The Tick, which was devilishly good at making fun of the superhero genre.
But Doherty didn't mention The Sandman -- perhaps the greatest mainstream attempt to break with the standard comic book and push into the realm of literature. I consider it one of the grandest fantasy stories written since The Lord of the Rings. It has the largest following of non-comic book readers ever.
Allen Bagwell
Tacoma, WA
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