Hmm. I think the person I responded to had a pretty critical take on the author's essay, misrepresenting it as "golden values conservatism", when the author made very clear illustrations of what was better about the older CBs. It's not conservatism when the old stuff really was better.
To your point about the comic book medium, I think it's worth separating the superhero concept from the format it was presented in. I don't think it would have been impossible to bring superheroes into the 80s and 90s, same as we had incorruptible heroes like Robocop. What makes them kid-friendly isn't the artistry or the goriness of the setting, as author pointed out, both Spider-Man and Batman were borne out of death, it's the undying nature of their commitment to fight evil. When you start messing with that you get outside of the capacity of a seven year-old to follow, relate with, and fall in love with it. Has nothing to do with cutesy graphics.
To your point about the comic book medium, I think it's worth separating the superhero concept from the format it was presented in. I don't think it would have been impossible to bring superheroes into the 80s and 90s, same as we had incorruptible heroes like Robocop. What makes them kid-friendly isn't the artistry or the goriness of the setting, as author pointed out, both Spider-Man and Batman were borne out of death, it's the undying nature of their commitment to fight evil. When you start messing with that you get outside of the capacity of a seven year-old to follow, relate with, and fall in love with it. Has nothing to do with cutesy graphics.