According to Matt D. Wilson: “Certain generations of comics readers remember their favorite runs as especially long, and the comics of their youth being particularly focused and author-driven. But the truth is that long runs have always been pretty special and fairly rare. Now, maybe the short runs are getting shorter.”  (“Perception Vs. Reality: ‘Long Writer Runs’ At Marvel & DC,” comicsalliance.com, January 23, 2014). Is this a problem? Ultimately, we want to read good stories. So if authors are not able to offer us any, it’s normal that an editor will want to replace them. But a replacement author will want to make a mark, and will often resort to high concepts to strike the imagination (Juliet Kahn, “Putting the Sidekick in The Suit: Black Captain America, Female Thor, and the Illusion of Progress,” comicsalliance.com, November 24, 2014). But these ploys will rarely grab us like the original, or have continuity with the essence of the character. The downside is that this leads to sudden changes in a character’s personality. But an author who has the luxury of being able to work on a title for many years can develop ideas much more patiently.