I don't think that writers need to give fans what they want, exactly. They need to write what they want, within the limits of what the market will support. What they should do to improve things, is establish new, cleaner lines of communication between fans and creators, and change the role of editors. Editorially mandated stories aren't always a bad thing. Sometimes creators go off the deep end, and they need to be reigned in. Sometimes they do something bad for the franchise, but good for the story. A good example is Morrison's work on X-Men: good story, bad for the franchise. Editors need to be clearer about what they want and need from creators. Creators need to be clearer too.

I'd just like to see... more professionalism, I guess. The franchise books shouldn't be treated like fanfic, even though they kind of are - there needs to be a distance between WANT and the stories that get published. Did we really need Barry back? Come on. Do what is necessary for the story, not what is necessary to satisfy your desires. I mean, I write fic. If I want to write the same damn story ten times over, that's cool. That's not a good business model, though.

Totally agree with you about progressiveness. I think it's obvious to everyone how insular the comics world is. It's not surprising that creators sometimes just... don't get it. They're in their own little world.