Comic books are an important medium.
I'll say that again, because I don't think you took me seriously. A good comic book engages both sides of the brain simultaneously, and children that read comics seem to fare better on reading comprehension tests. Their imagination is put to constant use, filling in the action between panels. Comics are also the last frontier left open for a creator to spread controversial ideas and still reach an audience. Movies, radio, and television are so expensive to produce, to do so practically requires corporate backing.