And, somewhat surprisingly, even the theoretical pre-requisite of being American does not seem to stand. Hollywood icons from Mel Gibson to Mike Meyers to Arnold Schwartzenegger are foreigners. Our home-spun authors still have centuries of canonical European literature stacked against them, from Chaucer and Dante to Austin and Dickens. In fact, the only U.S. venue that in any way limits the inclusion of peoples from other lands would be the American government itself. The presidency requires its candidates to be at least 35 and a natural, not naturalized, citizen.
American purity is a myth and a misnomer.
Hopefully, this is an instance where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Regardless, even as comic books experience a financial crisis with pro wrestling, the Internet, and school killings all nipping at its heels, a creative Renaissance is in progress. That isn't to say that they're aren't a slew of fabulous stateside comic creators and other international talents, but a disproportionate minority of Britons have surfaced at the top of our homegrown business. I also can't say that I know the mechanics or specific train of events that lead to this U.K. dominance, but the evidence is apparent. More to the point, our aforementioned Britons have the Eisners.