Character witnesses: At Broken Frontier, Graeme McMillan (no permalink) presents a conversation between Power Man and Iron Fist about comics criticism and the "mainstream":

"The idea that mainstream comics, or corporate comics as Alan David Doane calls us, are either multi-layered works of genius or else worthless is a lazy dichotomy that ignores mainstream tastes and needs. Every medium has a mainstream which isn’t cutting edge or, occasionally, even intelligent entertainment at all, but is entertaining nonetheless. Both of us were created without any great artistic intent, the kind of thing that Doane took offense at in his column. We were created as quick cash-ins for what was popular in the larger mainstream culture at the time but, despite the lack of any 'higher meaning', we still were entertaining and popular enough to enjoy over 100 issues of our original book, and countless revivals afterwards."