Part 2: The Super-Hero’s American Exceptionalism
by Mort ToddEditor: This is the second part of a two-part series. You can read part one here.
The 1970s showed the once-invincible comic book super-heroes to be losers, in attitude and sales. Watergate had disillusioned the super-patriot Captain America with a storyline implying Nixon was the head of a terrorist group. The Captain trashes his outfit and becomes Nomad, The Man without a Country. My 11-year-old mind thought this was ridiculous, as Cap was originally a Depression-era 98-pound weakling until given a Super Soldier serum to bulk up and fight Nazis. It was unlikely that one of the “Greatest Generation” would bail on his country so readily. Even then I realized that this development merely mirrored a hippie writer’s attitude more than staying true to a character’s origins.
Super-heroes became bleaker and even homicidal in the 1980s. The Punisher, a murderous vigilante, has become a top Marvel character. The Dark Knight Returns, a re-imagining of Batman, introduced an elderly caped crusader fighting the corrupt U.S. government represented by a stoogish Superman. Watchmen was set in a dystopic alternate reality where Nixon is still president and the super-group is made up of, among other miscreants, a rapist and mass murderer. It was a transmutation of established super-heroes from the 60s with Steve Ditko’s Objectivist hero The Question recast as the psychotic Rorschach.
Ironically, while super-heroes have become leaders in the Hollywood box office, these films don’t help comics’ diminishing sales. In the 1940s, if a comic didn’t sell over a million copies it was cancelled. By the 80s, the cut-off point was 100,000 copies. Now companies are extremely happy selling 10,000 copies. The only time sales increase is when the publishers appeal to diehard collectors by releasing a title with multiple variant covers, and they gotta have ‘em all, or a new first issue of a popular character. Comic sales are at an all-time low and basically kept alive as merchandise-generators for film and other products. Time-Warner recently moved DC Comics from their publishing stable to the film division. Disney has bought Marvel Comics and it wasn’t for the stellar sales of their publications.
One reason comic sales in general have dropped is because it is a one-genre medium (though there’s still Archie!). It’s as if the movie industry only made westerns and not comedies, science fiction, romance or other types of films. The industry has also ghettoized itself with the advent of the direct sales system. As sales withered on the newsstand (along with newsstands themselves), comic stores popped up with a new distribution paradigm. Copies that weren’t sold on the newsstand were sent back to the distributor for credit. With direct sales the books are non-returnable. They sell a lot less but they’re guaranteed sales. At first a supplement to newsstand distribution, like subscriptions, they are now the main source of revenue.
Lower print runs have been blamed on the usual suspects; television, video games and the Internet. In fact publishers are marketing to the hard-core fanboy, an increasingly shrinking demographic. Stan Lee had introduced on-going storylines and continuity throughout his books. Earlier stories rarely continued and various super-heroes almost never interacted. Anyone could pick up a comic and read a self-contained story with a beginning and end. Now Stan’s continuity has mutated into ridiculous proportions with plot lines crossing over multiple issues and titles. The casual reader cannot pick up a singular issue and enjoy it, let alone understand it. One has to know the convoluted backgrounds of hundreds of characters or it won’t make any sense. There are obviously more people who might want to read comics than just comic geeks, but they can’t begin to unravel the catechism of modern super-heroes. Still more can’t find comics outside of comic book specialty shops and may not dare enter a place festooned with images of veiny, muscled goons lugging weapons and dripping blood.
Super hero movies are popular for the same reason comics used to be attractive. They take you to a world of stunning visuals, exciting situations and heroic characters… unfortunately, the films are now beginning to fall in the same trap as comics. The most recent Batman and Spider-Man films featured the characters as darker, borderline evil, individuals and Marvel plans to introduce continuity to their movies. They will release new films with Captain America, Thor, Ant Man and others and then mush them all together with Iron Man and Hulk in an Avengers film. People who may have missed an earlier episode may not bother to see a later one where you’re expected to know all the characters’ baggage.
Most disappointing in the superhero film trend was Superman Returns. The quintessential American super-hero becomes a metrosexual who ditches his baby mama Lois Lane for an outer space road trip to find himself and it tanked at the box office. The film pointedly refers to him fighting for truth and justice, but it’s not cool to mention the American way. Even the fabled Justice League of America is now termed the Justice League in a nod to one-worldness.
It’s nearly impossible to find a comic that doesn’t star an angst-ridden anti-hero. The end of exceptional American super-heroes is here.
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143 Comments
The only Comics Ive ever read are Hellboy. Dont give a damn about the rest of it…Never will/
That's why I don't read them anymore…nothing to aspire to, nothing I'd like to emulate, nothing I can RELATE to…
They all grew up, and I still remained a kid at heart…
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it's called 'nihilism' and it is our chief export- and learning tool- for the young…
Moral relativism is the prime movement behind this nihilistic enterprise. No one is really right, or wrong, there is no good- or evil, it's all in your 'perspective'.
Lucifer- The Great Deciever- would be justifiably proud of this bunch…
I'm currently developing a comic book super hero deliberately set in the mid to late 30's for the sole purpose of recapturing the spirit of American Exceptionalism. This 2 part piece pretty much explains my disdain for the entire trend the medium has taken, which is sad.
I was a big X-Men fan and I think this is one of the reasons. There was always the guidepost of 'Xavier's Dream' which of course was a stand in for MLK"s dream. Even the darkest X-Men character, was written fairly aspirationally and they pulled no punches about his 'dark side.' Wolverine might have been a pretty dark character, but he seemed to be as aware of this as anyone and always felt he wasn't worthy of being called a hero, and always tried to measure up to the other X-Men. I found this to be quite aspirational actually and this helped me a fair amount to sort of find my own way dealing with what it means to be a man and controlling your base desires.
Probably my favorite moment like this…
The X-Men are sitting around discussing a villain (who Wolverine has killed).. They wanted to question him and Wolverine just ominously says, "I already dealt with him."
Kitty Pryde, then a bouncy teenaged girl, says, "Oh well let's just go to jail and ask him some questions."
Wolvie looks away, and one of the other X-Men just says, "I don't think we can do that…."
Kitty looks blank and says, "What do you mean of course we…" and then she pauses as she realizes what Wolvie has done. And then she coughs and says, "Oh… I see…" And then it pans to Wolverine's face, and they managed to convey what a bastard he thought he was compared to the real heroes in the rest of the team.
That aspect never quite came off in the movies… To me the primary component of the Wolverine character is the desire to prove he's worthy of being on the team in the first place.
Comics are dying, and Deadpool is giving the Eulogy.
What a wonderful write-up. Thx, Mort.
I am certainly not as avid a follower as you. But, I, too, have grown wearied and disappointed by the "angst-ridden anti-hero".
Very sad… I wanna see good guys kicking the crap out of bad guys. But, ya gotta sit through relationship problems, and identity issues, and internal battles with temptation, and dark/dark/dark.
Very unfortunate. My daughter won't ever enjoy a Superman story. And, it's especially disappointing since we finally have the computer-generated special effects to make some AWESOME flicks.
Eagerly awaiting the New Hollywood.
Not surprised that he mentioned "Watchmen". The piece of junk where at the end, the only person who was going to do the right thing was a homicidal sociopath. The heroes consisted of a loose woman, an omnipotent being with no regards to humans, an all-knowing conqueror wanna-be, and a passive-aggressive bore (who was in it for the sex).
As stated above, the heroes need to be heroes something to emulate not to despise. Stan Lee you SOB!
America has become a soft, lazy, pampered, politically correct and morally weak nation. Here’s an updated Superhero who’s more reflective of our society………………..
http://i38.tinypic.com/2z7mtqe.jpg
Deconstructing the Super-hero (as happened to the Western hero) seemed inevitable. The decline of Comic books as a medium seems ordained in an age where video games vie for the spare time of the adolescent. Isn't Lara Croft , et al..actually the new "Superhero". And you can be them in a viscarel computer world.
Fantastic it's I'm-a-Super-Hero-because-my mommy-said-so-cuz-I'm-the-best-Man!
Thor never let me down. He was mostly fighting super natural this and that on another planet. Mostly.
Some what recently he moved Asgard to Earth to protect it and learned that it's not right to lord over people and cater to their every need. You have to let people live their own lives. Yeah, Thor.
An LBOM Reprint: : Now only 75 cents
Beginning of the end – the day when comics went from 10 cents each to 12 cents each in the early 60s. I stopped buying soon afterwards.
Marvel – I never 'got' their vibe of 'books on steroids'. DC for me.
Last few decades – big-ass panels, too much 'art', too much 'story', too much introspection and 'relevance'.
I still have a few of my books from the late 50s and early 60s suffering from excessive amounts of needless Scotch tape and shaky cover-to-staple ratios. Frigging beatniks are still in play!
I read Sgt. Rock at the barbershop, but never bought them much.
Astro City is worth reading and an excellent homage to classic comic book heroes, even if you don't get the inside references, and Kurt Busiek only lets his left-wing fews slip out a little.
I've never been a fan of comic books, which is probably Rob Liefeld's fault. However, I think The Punisher and Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns are getting a bad rap here. They are great characters with great stories, where the heroes have to fight against modern day politically correct sensibilities as well as evil villains. The stories themselves are just tremendously more dark and gritty than they used to be, but even in DKR Batman still refuses to kill the Joker.
As for Watchmen I dunno. I still loved the story, and despite the idea that Nixon would still be president they didn't really dig into him as badly as the movie version did. Rorschach is pretty much just the Punisher but with a weird mask, he only kills the truly deserving, the kinds of people who would have likely gotten the death penalty, and his story of his first killing is a good example of it. The way other people react to these events are very believable as well.
I'm not gonna defend comic books because again I don't read practically any of them, and the things they did to Captain America are especially shameful. So let's focus on how horrible Rob Liefeld is.
Another excellent example of traditional good guy superheroes and conservative family values is the movie The Incredibles.
I'm not sure the recent Batman film, Dark Knight, is such a bad example. Batman IS a good hero, albeit a tough son-of-a-bitch who dishes out the justice the beyond-the-fringe villains require, including the mob.
He knows people deserve a much cleaner hero, but for now he's gotta be the guy who treads into dangerous waters… allowing us to remain more pure.
Of course, I certainly agree with the broader point. It looks like comics are killing themselves without realising it.
In both Dark Knight Returns and Watchment, Ronald Reagan is the villain (in Watchmen, Nixon is used as a proxy for Reagan). A better example of dealing with similar issues in a respectful manner to just about everything (including traditional heroes and religion) is Kingdom Come, in which it is Louis Lane killed by The Joker.
You know, I'm not a terribly religious person. An agnostic, but raised Catholic. But sometimes I can't helpl but think the same way – Lucifer, Father of Lies. The old saying that even the Devil can quote Scripture. The way Lucifer is said to make you think what you are doing is fine, but it's not.
It's actually a little creepy, because when I see Pelosi, Schumer, Reid, Frank and the rest of that bunch (and Obama even, though I hate to suffer from any kind of derangement syndrome), that's what I think about. I think about them doing the Devils work, maybe not in any literal biblical sense. But they lie and twist things and they claim they are working for good, but it's obvious that what they do is no good. That it's all against liberty and I can't help but believe more and more that if there is a God, liberty is his #1 rule – individual liberty is the best state for humankind as it is the most respectful of human life, and frankly all life on Earth.
Thanks for giving me the creeps!
The superhero will never die. Only bad comics, stupid publishers and the careers of hack creators.
"The end of exceptional American super-heroes is here."
And Mort Todd is late to the party. It's BEEN here for over twenty years. Comics have developed into a mature, multifaceted medium where writers are free to express a wealth of unique viewpoints on issues ranging from religion, politics, ethics, science, and technology. Let go of the nationalist fantasies and embrace the era of self-awareness.
And what's this about comics being " a one-genre medium"? Clearly you've read WATCHMEN and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, a mere two titles out of the HUNDREDS they've published since 1983 – HELLBLAZER, PREACHER, DEATH, SANDMAN, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, SWAMP THING – with nary a "veiny, muscled goon" to be found.
There's a reason I eventually gravitated towards independent comics. I'd much rather read Mike Baron's "Badger" or "Nexus", Bill Willingham's "Elementals", James Hudnall's "ESPers", not to mention books like "Astro City", "Hellboy", "Dynamo Joe", "Grimjack", and "Jon Sable, Freelance." And yes, I know some of these haven't been published in a long, long time but then it's been a while since I was in a comic book shop. They were much better written and much more interesting than the formulaic stuff being turned out by Marvel and DC.
I stopped buying DC completely when they did the storyline where Green Arrow joined a group of anarchists who were running around blowing up firearms manufacturers to protest the Second Amendment. And I got so tired of the various X-Angst books.
you don't have to be religious to believe in evil…
And this is Lucifer's domain; the domain of the fallen. We are trapped here trying to figure out how to return to the True Creator, and are lied to by all the politicians AND the religious leaders. Their goal: slavery of both body- and spirit. However, we have an escape clause. That of righteous and principle. Fear not, dear Lady- for your thoughts and actions will determine your destiny.
No matter what the evil minions do…
The "they" I referred to in the previous comment being VERTIGO – DC's alternative imprint and publisher of TDKR and WATCHMEN.
Batman in DKR and the Dark Knight movie is all about exceptionalism. They are men who live in a world that tolerates evil and they rise up to oppose it. They stand for justice and righteousness. They dont view America as wrong, but as an ideal that should be fought for and preserved.
holy crap i just read that Mort Todd worked for Marvel and elsewhere in comics/animation, which makes his myopic view of the industry all the more flabbergasting.
What killed comics, in my opinion, is that the storylines are a little too long and a lot too confusing. I've meant to pick up on the Justice League story arc in which Martian Manhunter goes nuts and fights Plastic Man, but hunting down what issues I need to buy exactly would require honest to God research.
That's just ridiculous.
I'd like to take a moment to recommend what I believe to be the finest single comic book of the last several years: Joker's Asylum: Penguin. The Joker's Asylum series was, on the whole, fairly forgettable, but the second issue, which focused on the Penguin's psychology, is such a rich character study that it borders on Shakespearean. Most contemporary comics style their villains as victims or morally-ambiguous freedom fighters, and Joker's Asylum: Penguin starts in a predictable way, but escalates into a nuanced debate about the authority of nature over nurture, and a not-so-subtle rejection of the victimhood mentality. I wouldn't normally single out a single issue of a comic for recommendation, but this is such an underrated gem that I can't resist an opportunity to discuss it. The art's nice, too, particularly in its unsettling fish-eyed interpretation of the Penguin.
Um, not to pick nits but "Batman: the Dark Knight Returns" and "Watchmen" were originally published in '86, about 8 years before DC's Vertigo imprint was established in '93.
Good article. The best point you made was that comics need to appeal to the casual fan and span more genres. However it's disheartening that people think all there are to comics is superheroes and this article kind of perpetuates that myth. It's one thing to talk about the history of the superhero in comics and quite another to confuse superhero comics making up the entire industry. There are plenty of non superhero comics out there both in print and on the internet not to mention manga which are no less comics just because they come from Japan.
it's not about America; it's a matter of morality, which may or may not fall in line with traditional american values. it's funny to consider the issue Todd takes with the issue of a character's self-awareness when Batman ALWAYS had a psychosis, Tony Stark ALWAYS had a drinking problem, and Superman was ALWAYS a fascist tool. its no surprise that comics – an underrated barometer of the cultural mindset – ditched the jingoism of the 40s and 50s and turned inward after the one-two gut-punch of Vietnam and the Nixon administration. for the "hippie writers" to ignore that shift would be a move not only irresponsible, but ignorant.
And right you are! I'm riffing on memory, so my bad.
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Interesting point of view Mort. Food for thought.
I think a lot of this comes from that original Crisis story from 1985. After that origin stories were retold and redone again and again. The only one they really couldn't do that to Batman, but they did as much as they could to every other hero. I used to collect GI Joe, until they moved from DDP to IDW publishers. At least when it was published by DDP they retained the continuity from the Marvel series from the 80's. When they went to IDW publishers, it was a whole new beginning for the story and the characters. Everything that came before doesn't matter, so I dropped that title from my collection. So far they can't screw up Star Wars comics because George Lucas wont let them.
I think a lot of this comes from that original Crisis story from 1985. After that origin stories were retold and redone again and again. The only one they really couldn't do that to Batman
Well, it's a comic strip not a comic book, but you can always follow The Mighty Tubularman (http://www.tubularman.com). He's no Superman, but he's all-American and proud of it.
Wouldn't really consider Vertigo too far removed from super hero comics. And all of the titles you mentioned above (though not too sure about Transmetropolitan) have indeed featured "veiny, muscled goons" on their covers… except in Swamp Thing's case they're roots not veins. I'm talking about other genres like crime, romance, western, etc. Any attempts that have been made are mostly super hero cross-over version. Thanks for your comments.
SWAMP THING = viney muscled goon
Watchmen, The Dark Knight, and Kingdom Come all have a place in the exploration of the superhero myth, but they have been copied so often, even by their own creators (read Waid's Irredeemable), and all of the wrong elements (just the defect without the motivation) packed into subsequent comics that publishers don't realize that real rebellion in comic books now would mean letting a superhero be super heroic.
The Justice League of America featured an issue recently that was 32 pages of bickering between second-tier heroes about their dalliances and the power structure of the team. Wake up, editors. The only people buying these comics still are waiting for you to get back to featuring heroes battling villains. Excelsior! How about it?
Like I said under the first part of this feature, Matt Fraction is doing well currently with Iron Man. And Robert Kirkman has a good thing going with Invincible too.
Read the graphic novel: Superman, Red Son.
It is equally ignorant for the current crop of writers to deny the staleness of 40 years of comics' (and left leaning pop culture) reaction to Vietnam and Watergate. So many of the comics talked about across these posts were written as reactions against those things as well against Reagan and Thatcher in the 80's.
Many readers find much to fear in the Shepard Fairey Soviet propaganda iconography and apologist foreign policies of the current administration. There is a lot of traction there for writers and artists willing to take the Left to task (with the fervor with which the Right has been lambasted in the popular culture for many years now).
The short answer is that publishers don't make comics like they used to because we don't make kids like we used to. And we are all the poorer for it.
As I started reading your comment, my immediate question *was* Well what will define the next superhero? And then you answered it for me. It's the players themselves that are at the center of the story. Even in MPGs with dozens of avatars running around in the story, every individual player is their own superhero. Everyone becomes "god-like" and are able to do anything they want, building up all sorts of powers and abilities to control other people or just wreak havoc. What a mind F*#%!!! But they need to remember that there's always that Kryptonite of some sort just around the corner.
You can, in fact, blame Stan Lee for part of the beginning of the downfall of comic superheroes. After all, his creation of Spiderman, was by his own definition, an attempt to create an anti-hero type character. Peter Parker is a loser, who can't hold a job, can't keep a girlfriend, and as a superhero is alergic to cats and runs out of web fluid at inopertune times. He wanted an anti-Superman, and he got one. Then other writers jumped on the bus to create flawed, angst-ridden heroes and away we go.
The mention of Watchmen is a bit misguided though. The book was written as a deconstruction of the superhero mythology, much as Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven was a deconstruction of the glamourized gun fighter.
I stopped reading DC and Marvel comics altogether due to the whole continuity thing. It's fine to have a long drawn out story (Jeff Smith's "Bone" and Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" both did this quite well), but I don't wanna have to buy Aquaman # 77 and Flash # whatever just to figure out what the (insert 4-letter word of your choice here *) happened between this month's issue of Superman and the last month's issue.
I'd have to agree with Paul about perpetuating the myth that all comics (except Archie) are superhero comics. Different wording in certain parts of this article would improve things tremendously. Also, I fail to recall Batman doing anything evil in "The Dark Knight" unless you count dropping that mobster from the building. I say that Batman was in the right because the guy had vital information on the Joker and he wasn't going to give it up voluntarily.
* I'm going to use the word "room". That's a 4-letter word, right?
But which of him is giving it?
I have been reading comics since I could first read. In fact most of my love of reading came from wanting to read the adventures of my favorite 4 colored heroes.
I grew up reading about them in the 70's, and followed them all the way through the grim and gritty fad up until a couple years ago, when I just couldn't find anything really enjoyable out of the storylines.
To me, Punisher is still just a villain. Someone for Daredevil or Spiderman to beat up. Wolverine used to always go through the inner struggle to remain in control and NOT allow himself to just wade in blood.
That isn't what the current crop of writers want anymore.
And don't even get me started on talking about what they did in the Civil War storyline. A really really POOR attempt to bash Bush that was poorly written.
I miss the joy I used to get from reading about Super Heroes.
Guess I should be happy that I at least save my money now.
Your point, about that moment when the comics went all introspective and dark back in the 60s, hit me in a way that happens too often. The realization occurs and slaps me upside the head, and I say "I wish I had been just a little more aware back then."
I felt the same way as you about the change in tone. I saw the "propaganda-istic" nature of what was being dealt to us, but as an 8 or 10 year old, I just didn't understand the possible outcomes available to them by subjugating certain aspects of children's minds. I just knew that I wasn't liking it and so I stopped buying.
JohnBeresfordTipton has obviously never read SWAMP THING.
The superhero will have to be redefined. Everything else is business.
I was at an audition just this afternoon and I heard two other actors talking about a movie they had had a role in. Your description of those 32 pages of bickering and infighting were based upon these two's experience with the producers and other ATL types on that production. It's like that's what is being dealt to the youth, so that's how they know to lead their lives and do their business.
Boy do I feel your pain. I keep collecting, hoping that the diminishing returns will reverse themselves. Right now I have over three years of Justice League of America not worth the paper they're printed on. I think Kirkman's Invincible still has some of that joy. Civil War was definitely hollow. Joss Whedon's turn on Astonishing X-Men really pleased me, but Warren Ellis is sucking the life out of that title right now, aided by the flat art of Simone Bianchi.
Mr. Todd these are the obvious, non-superhero Vertigo titles I can name off the top of my head. They're seminal books and characters.
CRIME: David Lapham's 100 Bullets, Neil Gaiman's Sandman Mystery Theater
ROMANCE: Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Charles Vess's Stardust, Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living
WESTERN: Garth Ennis's Preacher, John Albano's Jonah Hex
PS before you go lumping Swamp Thing in with the other "veiny, muscled goons" you should actually pick up the Vertigo books and read them.
i can't deny that there IS a staleness in the mainstream and pop culture as a whole seems to be atrophying.
and as liberal as i am (which really isn't all that liberal), i can't help but roll my eyes when writers take easy potshots at conservative rhetoric. at the same time, correllating the work of shepard fairey to soviet propaganda or parading around the latest conservative meme vis-a-vis "V" like anyone else to the left of the right actually gives a damn seems just as retarded.
Well in all the Myths, the superman/god has to have a weakness of some kind, other wise no one can relate to them.
A one-genre medium? Have you read comics lately? Sure you have superheroes, but you also have comedy, horror, science fiction, philosophy (seriously, Action Philosophers!), mythology, war, about 10 different flavors of fantasy, and a whole spate that don't seem to fit any one genre (Fables, Jack of Fables, Lucifer, Herbie, etc.).
He forgot to mention that Spider-Man made a dael with the devil to trade his 20 year marriage for his aunts life. And now he's turned into an irrespnsible jerk who sleeps around.
I correlated Fairey's HOPE poster to Soviet propaganda posters on account of the single word message, lone figure, the screenprint style, and Fairey's own stated views and influences. To be fair, our own WWII propaganda posters used the same inks and techniques for some campaigns, but I find the one bold word and single leader figure thing to be more prominent in the communist stuff.
The V meme is heady to an audience that feels under-served by entertainment for a long time now, though latching onto it may indeed seem retarded. Openly conservative themes can only help the advancement of popular culture right now because it is in sore need of that essential conflict. No one to the right of the left gives a damn about yet another story of the evils of capitalism and the military industrial complex.
"The casual reader cannot pick up a singular issue and enjoy it, let alone understand it."
This is why I don't read American comics. I LOVE superheroes, but I have no clue what the f*ck is going on. So I read manga. I pick up a graphic novel, # 1 of a series, and read to the end. It's very easy. ^__^
I read comics on regular basis until the late 90s when I finally gave up. In my humble view what destroyed the comics in 90s was effort of the industry to turn everything into special collectible item (how many alternate foil covered bagged issues did I own?) and the transformation of the heroes into either amoral violent jerks or whining weasels (this is called angst in trendy circles) there were some bright spots like KIngdom Come, but Alex Ross drank the lefty Kool Aid. What's funny is that all of the successful superhero movies are throwbacks to the classic hero but I think it's too late for comics too get the message they've goon into the lefty looney land that even dying sales won't help.
Civil War was an interesting idea, very poorly executed. Cap siding with the anti-government forces? Doubtful. He's a soldier.
Great pick. The Incredibles capture the spirit of "super family" comics better than the recent Fantastic Four films (ugh!) and even comics do.
Incidentally, there is a comic book spinoff of the Incredibles on sale now:
http://www.boom-studios.net/the-incredibles-famil...
Invincible is an oddity because its sexual innuendo and "R" rated violence is balanced by a title character who has moral standards and enjoys being a superhero.
Also, the book steers clear of beating readers over the head with political propaganda. (Even Kirkman keeps his political views close to the vest.) Invincible is escapist all the way, which accounts for its amazing longevity in a tough market.
Excellent pick!
By the way, have you read the comic book sequel to the Incredibles? It's just as much fun as the movie:
http://www.boom-studios.net/the-incredibles-famil...
When I was a kid growing up in the 1960s and '70's comic books were ubiquitous. Heros were colorful, larger than life "people" I wanted to be like– role models, if you will. Society hadn't been infected with political correctness yet. Sure, we were undergoing the sexual revolution and the "ism" of anti-establishment. But those things hadn't filtered down to 10 year olds. Comic books were not only at newsstands but nearly every corner drugstore, discount store and market that had a magazine rack, though the comics were usually on "spinners". They had stories that people of practically any age could pick up and enjoy. Essentially, they were everywhere and had mass appeal.
I never set out to collect them, I just never threw them away. Then one day I had something new–car payments– which put an end to my comic book collecting. As of about a year ago my interest was rekindled because my 12 year old daughter is beginning to follow in her old dad's footsteps to be an artist of some type. She loves my old comics so I began to look for a title to subscribe to for her. The more I researched what happened to the comic book industry and what they've done to the characters, the more disappointed I became. Comics have become so targeted to 30-something men with no life that here's not much age appropriate stuff, especially for girls. Except for a limited selection at the chain bookstores, about the only place you can find them any more are comic shops. Of course, the cover price has gone through the roof too.
Thank goodness for Archie! It hasn't changed much over six decades and I for one am glad! Cheesy? Maybe. The word I'd prefer is "wholesome". Another term might be "mass appeal". My kid has subscriptions to five of their titles. The art is pretty good too. As for my return to the hobby, I'm just going to stick with collecting Silver and Bronze age books.
Mort, you wrote so eloquently on the comics, a favorite topic for my creative writing class…much to the chagrin of my old professor. You hit the nail on the head about myriad reasons behind the decline of comics. As a fan from way back, I recall the emergence of gritty, in-your-face anti-heroes. When established characters turned gritty, it foretold the end of comics. But, truthfully, some of the classic characters have always been dark; Batman, for instance.
Ironically, many young people have turned to translated Japanese manga, which can be just as dark, gritty and possessing complicated, migraine producing storylines. But I think that has more to do with the diversity of the genre, something American comics have never been able to duplicate with much success.
Agreed.
Astro City works because Busiek is interested in first and foremost telling a good story not pushing propoganda. One of my favorites was the tale of the heroic clown, Jack-in-the-Box, which is a compelling and subtle (read: not boring and hamfisted) reminder of the importance of fathers.
http://www.popcultureshock.com/cora-week-5-stereo...
Good article, Mort. You've summed up the problem with the comics industry. Nihilism, as well as coma-inducing continuity has been alienating the casual reader for decades now. BTW, to kids today, their DC and Marvel is Tokyo Pop and Viz.
but you're smarter than the average fanboy. These days, the only thing important about Wolverine is his claws, his healing factor, and whether or not he ever came between Jean and Scott. To me Scott was always the quintessential X-Man. He was the one that life kept throwing in the crapper and he kept climbing his way out.
I went back and re-read Watchman about a year ago. It was a poorly written pretentious piece of crap. I can't believe that I was ever impressed with it.
I'm not happy with the way Marvel is handling one (or any for that matter) of the Gods I follow. Wish they'd at least try to be accurate with him.
Definitely. I wish Disney would have explored the world of the Incredibles or of Sky High a lot further. They had a lot of potential that the Mouse is just letting sit there.
Actually I stopped reading Marvel, or giving them ANY of money or attention when they killed Captain America as protest against War on Terror. As far as I'm concerned, I hope that particular publisher goes down the crapper. I now wish them nothing but ill with with good reason.
Comic Book Resources just posted comments by legendary editor Dick Giordano. who is "truly sorry" for starting the "Grim and gritty" trend in comics:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/11/dick...
Talk about great timing.
I always thought that Watchmen was overrated, reading that comic back in the 80s left me feeling very much drained. The fact that people wanted to see a movie version left me dishearted.
Are you kidding me? I'm as conservative and pro-Bush as anyone, and never ever took Caps "death" as a protest. Brubaker clearly intended for what happen to happen regardless as part of Red Skull's plan. The fact that is was worked into Civil War was just – for them – a convenient happenstance. I mean, he returned last week! Yes, the Skull is in his body but you know that won't last. Was Civil War a statement? Perhaps, and Mark Millar has made no secret of how he feels about American politics. But at the same time he is also the creator of Ultimate Captain America who said the line "This A don't stand for France!" Jingoistic? Yep. Done on purpose to be ridiculous? Probably…but that is not the reaction it got. No Captain America was killed to show the Marvel world just how much we need him being who he is. I do not believe for a second Ed Brubaker used his death as a protest of any kind. He had a story he had been developing for years and that was just one element.
Back in 1973 Ditko proclaimed the comics medium dead, and offered DC's reprinting of the original Captain Marvel material as proof.
Is it just me or have comics become nothing more than Large breasted women in skimpy outfits(or dominatrix grab) fighting armoured clad super ninjas? It's gotten to the point that if I see another bikini clad bimbo with a samuri sword on the cover Im going to puke.
That's not the line that was coming out of Marvel at the time. They were talking about how it was such a 'brave" statement about the War on Terror.
A few years ago Marvel took one of their western titles Kid Colt and made him gay, I thought that was just overkill to be more PC.
I remember that. I didn't have a problem with them doing that if they'd done it with some actual taste- like some of Cap Iverson's work. But they had to make him into some kind of flaming queen. It turned my stomach- and bi.
Well, he's the best there is at what he does… and what he does isn't very nice.
The comic book industry has moved to a anti-hero as the hero since I don't know when. What they dropped was morals.
In the 90's the bad girls bursted onto the scene with Shi, Lady Death [personal fav, Hughes/Chaos! era] a woman who wouldn't let a curse from Lucifer stop her.
But the mid to late 90's also marked the rise of the "outlaw" comics, ones who didn't follow the comic code authority
The worst thing that has come from all of this, kids don't read comics anymore, and the English language suffers. If you hear a word, you may not know how to spell it in order to look it up, but in a comic, its right there in front of your eyes. Don't know what it means, grab a dictionary.
This is just sad. Especially from someone who's worked in the industry(sour grapes, perhaps?)… but is obviously too hung up on their own politics and "how things used to be / American Exceptionalism"(thinly-veiled code for white male dominance) to let the genre grow and evolve. The "graphic novel" and the increased depth and quality of works like Watchmen revitalized comics and raised them from escapism to art form… Give me Superman: Red Son and Watchmen any day.
No, American Exceptionalism is not code for white dominance, and thinly veiled accusations of racism don't hold water any more. You want to debate the merits of what's being said, great. But coming in here and calling names is unacceptable and is the last resort of someone with nothing really to say.
American Exceptionalism is about the country that in 200 years carved the greatest civilization this world has ever seen out of a wilderness. It is about a people who saved the world from first the tyranny of fascism, and then from communism. (actually there's not much difference between the two, one only being a milder form of the other) It is about a people who have done the one thing no other people on Earth can claim- we have taken men from this planet and put them on another planet and then brought them home safely again. NO other people can say that.
It is a nation that even today with its economic downturn that people are screaming to get into. Not because of our social net (Britain has one where people never have to work) and not for our government. They are coming to America for opportunity, the American Dream. The left wants to denigrate that, to pull it down to being "Just like everyone else". Well we aren't just like everyone else. We're better. To quote a great American, "this Lady may of have stumbled, but she ain't never fell."
Seems like that village idiot in the White House is doing everything he can to fix that though. Accusations of racism are just a joke, and a sad joke on those who make them. It shows the lack of a thinking mind, and a simple zombie who does what the mainstream media tells them to.
Yes, the graphic novel has done wonders for the industry. Kingdom Come and God Loves Man Kills are among the best pieces of literature in ANY genre ever put out. However, Watchmen was drivel. It was moral equivalency and situational ethics on parade. It was over written and pretentious. There was no need for all the prose- it took away from the story instead of added to it. It was an excuse to preach to the audience about the moral superiority of the author's point of view, while in the end he was showing his characters as having no morals.
If you want to refute this concept, I'm willing to discuss it. However, if you want to come in here and call names and accuse people of racism, I'm going to simply laugh you off as some wet-behind-the-ears student who has no idea what life is all about.
When you need a freakin' wiki just to keep up with who's-who and what's-what in modern comicdom, it's time to let it go. Need an example? Hal Jordan. Need another? Tony Stark. And let's not forget the inevitable turnover at these comic producers, leading to the even more inevitable retcon and/or reboot of popular characters. All it takes is one new director and suddenly Peter Parker is gay and swinging around in Versace and high heels, crusading against Prop 8 and "fundie Christians". Moral ambiguity is now pretty much standard fare in these new comics, not to mention this strange obsession for mutilating the "heroes" at every turn. Several years ago, I made the mistake of flipping open what looked like a neat reinterpretation of that sad hero Aquaman only to see him struggling with some baddie who had shoved his hand into a pool of piranha…the next panel showed Aquaman clutching a bloody skeletal hand, stripped of its flesh. The dude who can talk to fish loses his hand to flesh eating fish. That's what you want to run with? Really? Then there was the whole "ripping out Spiderman's eyeball and eating it" thing…that's something you want your 12 year old seeing…or the "Hulk rips Wolverine in two" thing, stretching that whole "healing factor" horse squeeze well beyond anyone's capacity to rationalize…in essence, it seems that the guys producing this utter crap are interested in one thing; tearing apart "heroes", physically, mentally and morally. Excelsior my ass.
Superheroes aren't "heroic" anymore. It's that simple.
I've mentioned it before, but anyone looking for a GOOD comic book story, with great action and the argument over good vs evil needs to go pick up the "Sinestro Corps War" by Geoff Johns. Long story short, Green Lanterns, who are powered by will, vs. Yellow Lanterns who are powered by fear. Between panels of people kicking the crap out of each other, it asks a very simple question – how much freedom would someone give up for security, and is it worth the cost?
And the question is answered by the bad guy, who's entire purpose in launching this galactic war is because he wants to show everyone it's worth giving up your freedom and living in fear to keep people safe.
To me, Geoff Johns is the best writer today (along with the aforementioned Brubaker) because he knows why people read comics – the heroes and the villains. His story are a bit violent, yes (the current DC storyline, "Blackest Night," involves the dead heroes and villains coming back to life as quasi-zombies), but underneath it is the reason we should love comics – guys in spandex beating each other up.
I don't disagree. I just want to point out something though. That last line is extremely homo-erotic when you think about it. I'm cool with that. To quote Amanda Waller in an issue of Suicide Squad, "…boys in spandex… hmmmm"
"it asks a very simple question – how much freedom would someone give up for security, and is it worth the cost?"
I hate this type of crap! A comic book is posing this question? Who cares? How about just the Green Lanterns (sorry to hear that there is more than one now) have told the 'Yellow Lanterns (whoever they are) to stay the hell out of 'Lantern City' and when they don't, they kick their asses.
"And the question is answered by the bad guy, who's entire purpose in launching this galactic war is because he wants to show everyone it's worth giving up your freedom and living in fear to keep people safe."
Sweet Jeez – some frigging bad guy is preaching to us now and showing us his philosophy of living? Good God, no!
I hate that crap.
"where writers are free to express a wealth of unique viewpoints on issues ranging from religion, politics, ethics, science, and technology"
I must have missed the pro-life comics. The anti-global-warming-cult ones? The pro-evangelical ones? Heck, the pro-America ones. Oh, I don't doubt there may be some tiny, independent publisher who puts out a couple of hundred issues a year who covers these. But from the Big Two? Or any major label?
I'm wondering where the diversity of viewpoint is, because from my perspective, the Big Two are doing everything in their power to get rid of it.
I wouldn't get too attached to V. After all, Disney fired the creator the week before it came out after trying their best to hamstring it (conditional order, reduced to 4 issues, the same stunt that killed Lost's ratings). I don't doubt the obvious politics played a major role just as they did with neutering 24.
Why would anyone inflict more Millar on themselves voluntarily?
Don't forget one-world liberal writers who voted for Obama and trashed America. I'm seeing a lot of anti-American sentiments in most recent comic lines, sad to state.
awesome link.
the problem is not that there aren't any heroes, it's that they are passe and don't market well. Being a real hero is hard dirty work that's often boring. People want to be heros, read about heros, see heros, without any of the hard work. Look at the parade of swallow nothings that Hollywood puts up on screen and in music. Marketers tell them what demographic to aim for. Writers tell the what to say. Cherographers how to move. Audio eng gives them their voice. Graphics air brush the cellulite. There're all false, and the public can't get enough of them, until they get bored and move onto the next big thing.
How well do you think Audey Murphy would market? Sgt York? Hell he'ld be one of those bible clinging rednecks! Do you think Pres Lincoln would stand a chance with the MTV crowd? In a world being built on moral relativism, an American hero who knows he's right, and what he stands for, is considered closed minded, niave, or possibly even a bigoted xenophobe. After all, if you don't agree with us, you must be a racist.
The comic medium ain't dying, just the American comic medium. Manga has displaced it for many folks (or supplemented it). Why? Many reasons are possible, broader genre appeal for one. Many folks are claiming that American Comics have more than super-hero, this is true, but they're all oriented towards the "heroic" end of the spectrum. Magna, meanwhile, ranges from the classically heroic to the simple slice of life. From action adventure, to romantic comedy. From kid friendly to clearly adult. They also tend to be more black and white in their vision, there are good guys and bad guys, and often the good guys are clearly good. Plus, due to most manga's self contained nature, if you want to follow one series, you just have to get that series, making entry into it much easier than getting into comics.
No response yet.
That's the equivalent of saying "you win"
Seriously, excellent response.
I always felt Nixon was Nixon. If Moore wanted Reagan what was to stop him from putting him in?
Nixon is a horrible symblic substitute for Reagan because he is a different person with a different personality (and presumably, different ways of governing). Nixon was used probably for the same reason he's in Futurama: the symbol of an uncaring, power-hungry politican with enemies found ridiculous and outdated by typical of leftists of his generation.
This is one of the reasons I still turn to the old standbys like Conan, Red Sonja, and a lot of the fantasy titles out there. They still strive to over come "evil" and bring about a better life for others.
The problem I had with Dark Knight was having Batman walk on the edge of the law. I'd like my heroes intact and law abiding, thank you very much.
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
James 2:19
The comics, like almost all forms of entertainment, are a reflection of the culture. The culture is rotting from within and the "graphic novels" are just illustrating it, so to speak.
BTW, a nice little read to help figure out how we got here is a little book called Ten Books that Screwed Up the World it is a succinct , partial, explanation of how we got here.
Actually they already did it with the SW comics when they moved to Dark Horse back in the 90's. The original Marvel series isn't considered part of modern continuity.
Also most of the stories are finite and do end even if they go on for years and many volumes. You know an end is coming and so you don't feel like your investing your time in a soap.
" Even the fabled Justice League of America is now termed the Justice League in a nod to one-worldness. "
No, you are wrong. The Justice League of America and Justice Society of America are two current series running with America attached to their title.
Batman and the Punisher aren't superheroes, they're vigilantes. "The Dark Knight" was the best live action interpretation to date of the character. (You must like the Adam West Batman better.)
Don't blame the characters, blame the writers and the industry which is run by left leaning individuals. Geoff Johns and Ed Brubaker are the only two writers who's work I currently enjoy to read. (I enjoyed Grant Morrison's All Star Superman run as well.)
Superman will always believe in Truth, Justice, and The American Way. He just needs to be handled by writers and an industry that feels the same way too.
Sky High was also excellent, in my opinion.
From Wikipedia, citing published interviews (that square with what I've read and heard elsewhere):
1 big thing missing about the demise of the super hero genre is the lack of artistic talent. The women have breasts so large, no one could do the things they do much less walk. These artists do not attend the traditional art schools, or even the ones dedicated to the ART of comic books. I saw an interview in which top artists, from marvel – I think, got their training in fashion design school. Excuse me, but what the heck is going on. I draw cartoons and got my education from reading and studying Marvel and DC, 1950s and 1960s. Today's version are a slight step above the Adult magazines on the newsstands.
But world-conquering supervillains LOVE to hear themselves talk. This truth lead to one of the best jokes in "The Incredibles"
Hi Republicans. I'm here to oppress you!
But what does pro wrestling say about 'merica, huh?
I'd like to point out that the extremely socially conservative Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency- and the resultant Comics Code Authority -are what slaughtered comic book sales in the first place. Marvel's new approach spiked sales, which is why the fiscally conservative people running the companies allowed it. The increasing whininess and ineffectuality of superheroes is not just a result of Evil Liberals(TM), but also a case of "Following Market Trends," the core tenet of The Holy Free-Market Capitalism. Nobody is blameless here.
Also, at the absolute height of his popularity in the 1940s, there is no denying whatsoever that Superman was a New Deal Democrat. The reprints will cost you less than $20 a volume, if you can spare the time to read them from your busy schedule of being persecuted.
@jdb1972
Actually, Issue #7 of the now cancelled, but acclaimed series, Icon (DC Comics), had a pro-life message.
For convenience's sake, you should buy the first trade paperback of the series on sale now:
First printing: http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=13...
Second printing: http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/graphic_novels/?gn=12...
Bit of trivia: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a fan of the series.
It's great to see a bunch of 'rugged individualists' complaining about how unfair the comics are.
Yeah, they did keep Cyclops down. The movies never really let you know what a soldier he was in the face of all that adversity.
Rip Ford, Man that takes me back. You just named many of my favorite titles……"Badger" turned me on to First comics. Glad to know I was not the only one reading them.
All I am reading here is WAAAAAAAHHHH!
So you don't see a problem with a shrinking market for comics, with a shift away from clear heroes to anti-heroes, and with the fact that the industry as we know it will be dead in twenty years if things don't change?
It's great to see a "rugged individualist" happy with the status quo.
Interesting article. Would have been more interesting if it had some facts to back up your suppositions.
A few points:
You mention comics being a "one-genre medium". Even if you discount the hundreds of amazing indie comics that are on the stands every week that fit into the western, horror, crime fiction, sci-fi, historical biography, or autobiography genres (too many to mention here but a few great indie titles that are currently on the stands include Wasteland, Hellboy, Stumptown, the true crime and historical biographies stories of Rick Geary, Larry Gonick's History of the Modern World, Scott Pilgrim, and many, many others), you're either forgetting or ignoring the fact that both major publishers constantly publish numerous worthwhile titles that are of the non-superhero genre.
Marvel has an established "Classics" line that creates graphic adaptations of such literary classics as Moby Dick and the Wizard of Oz. It also publishes noir, comedy, and horror comics on a regular basis, even though the economics don't always warrant it. At DC, the obvious example is Vertigo, which has been publishing world class non-superhero graphic stories for 2 decades (Sandman, Transmetropolitan, Pride Of Bagdhad, Scalped, House Of Mystery etc are only a few of the interesting and always challenging books that they produce). If it was truly a "one-genre" industry, these major companies would not waste their time producing such decidely non-superhero titles.
The montly Justice League comic book hasn't been called "The Justice League" in over 12 years.It's been either JLA or Justice League of America since '97.
Superman Returns did close to $400 Million at the box office world wide. Maybe not what Warners had hoped for, considering it cost somewhere between $200 and $300 million to produce depending on who you talk to, but I don't think the film industry is so strong that it can ever claim that a $400 million BO is a movie that "tanked".
You're also ignoring the trade paperback market, which is one of reasons why story arcs have gotten more complicated over the years.
I have no problem with you not enjoying superhero comics anymore. I don't love most Marvel or DC hero books that much either. But if you truly have confidence in your hypothesis, then you shouldn't don't need to exaggerate your facts to prove it. The current comic industry is the smallest it's ever been. It also currently has the most diverse and dynamic range of titles that have ever been produced. If you can't find a single comic being produced today that you enjoy, it's because you're not looking hard enough.
You want to know what's killed comic books? How about $3.99 an issue. When I was a kid, I could buy 5 comic books a week on my $3 allowance. They were good impulse buys. Drop a couple of coins, get something to read. No one is going to impulse buy a $4 item no matter how heroic you make the main character.
As a teenager in the 90s I was into comic books. I can tell you that the anti-hero trend was driven by consumer demand. Who is the coolest X-Man? Badass Wolverine. No kid actually likes Cyclops, the goody-goody, rule following leader of the team. Marvel quickly saw that anything with Wolverine on the cover sold, Venom became so phenomenally popular they made him into an anti-hero (and ruined the character in the process), and yes, the Punisher was phenomenally popular. The Dark Knight is widely regarded as saving Batman, who at the time was best known from the cheesy live action Adam West tv show.
But the era of the anti-hero has largely passed. The Punisher dropped off in popularity long ago. Wolverine is still cool, but he's become a lot less feral and a lot more human.
You're absolutely right that Superman Returns just wasn't a good movie. Spiderman 3 completely botched the Venom storyline. As quickly as you dismissed it, it really is video games and the internet that are killing the comic book medium. There's also a loss of critical mass; as circulation dwindles, prices rise to stay in business, which drives away potential new readers (kids).
Continuity can definitely be a problem, but "monster of the week" stand alones get pretty dull. Minimally a storyline needs at least some sort of character development and plot arc. Marvel has actually addressed this exact problem to some degree with their "Ultimates" reboot of a lot of characters. Superman, Spiderman, Batman and the X-men all have decades long histories. Rebooting popular properties allows a distillation of "core" character values without being so bogged down by past continuity.
One final thought: Michael Bay isn't a successful director because he tells good stories, but because he makes movies that sell well to international audiences. The Free Market has dictated that a blockbuster must have international appeal to turn a solid profit. I'm sure you'd love to see more USA! USA! chants, but push that too hard and you risk turning off the international audience, which is a huge part of the profit base these days.
GREAT post, CobiWann. I was looking for someone to say this before I wrote it.
I agree with everything you said — especially that Johns is the best writer today. His other Green Lantern works should also be mentioned: Rebirth and Revenge of the Green Lanterns are great examples.
He deals with such themes as foreign intervention, and in being intellectually honest, one naturally sees why its necessary. If I remember correctly, there's also Russian and Chinese antagonists.
Good call. I even think Superman Returns made just as much money as Batman Begins.
Tim — Michael Bay m's films are more pro-American than anything being made. Heck — even some leftists call his films "jingoistic" which means "patriotic" in liberalese. That's how I know he's on the right path.
The military gives Bay unparalleled access because he's so friendly to it. In Transformers, for example, the American soldiers are the clear heroes of the story — not the robots.
So, Tim … I can pretty much hear the USA! USA! chants as I watch his films.
Marvel in the 1960's was one of the best comic companies mainly because Jack Kirby, a WWII veteran, was the main creative force behind them (he was also a co-creator of Captain America). He left after Stan Lee sucked any and all credit away from him and broke promises for Kirby to have some creative freedom he actually was accredited for. There are those that swear Stan Lee was the reason for Marvel's success however, look at what he created after Kirby left. Absolutely nothing. Today they have this fool Quesada totally destroying all of Marvel's characters to the point where they are not recognizable from their 1960's hayday.
I was always the biggest Marvel fan in the 90s and I wanted to work there. But it's sad what thecompany has become. They (meaning the EIC and a couple of the writers who go to do whatever they wanted) did this big thing a few years ago called Civil War and it was AWFUL! Certainly some people suggested it was that they were trying to do something like the Watchmen. I've never had the pleasure of reading Watchmen but they've turned these characters into bizarre versions of themselves Iron Man was a big government tool who got to do whatever he wanted. Captain America started a war under questionable, and Spider-man… well, they just turned him into the worst human being alive. WOrst yet, none of their ideas really translated into a decent story where 'every issue was supposed to end on a shocking cliffhanger.
By issue 4 they had run out of ideas, Thor came back from where ever he was and it wasn't him. Later Captain Marvel came back and later on you found out it wasn't him. Man, it was really awful. Marvel's still the top company besides the fact that it puts out stuff like that. After Civil War I only read X-Men (which itself was given a bad idea as a backdrop) and the Incredible Hulk before I finally felt that the books were too overshadowed by these ridiculous ideas that in the past wouldn't even be considered.
YOu could never do a Captain America Comics #1 cover today. You couldn't do without a sense of political irony or if the books creator likes Obama so much that when he one he put Obama on the cover punching out Bin Laden. That was just sad, especially now that his pole numbers are down. I think comics are becoming too much of the things that are lessening the movie industry, afraid to truley talk about certain things without a group think mentality that already puts them in a box. The heroes in Marvel's Civil War weren't heroes at all. They were bad people, poorly written, and faint impressions of the characters they used to be. The worst part I felt that the EIC and his two favorite writers had given up on actually producing good original material.
That was, what, 1993? There are kids driving now who weren't born when that came out.
Looks like you are going to have to avoid traveling to a Japanese bookstore, then. Or at least the manga section of your local library. Of course, that just means more for me.
I'd have to reccomend PS238 and Nodwick as a helpful treatment for people suffering from Bad-Comicitus. Very nice.
I've got a few ideas on how comic books can help themselves:
1.Spead out into other genres. One major reason that Japanese manga has become popular is that is has many different genres for people to enjoy.
2.Ditch the nihilism. Try to recapture the spirit of wonder,joy,and patriotism that infused the early superheroes.
3.I had a look at some of the European supercriminals that are around. I've got a great idea for any comic book writers or artist reading this. Look them up here or on Wikipedia or elsewhere,then have your own versions of these criminals come to America to do their evil. Fortunately,they are foiled by whatever superheroes you choose to go up against them. What do you think of that?
I tried to infuse much of the classic elements in my "Sgt. Rock – The Lost Battalion". There is no PC sentiments involved in my series whatsoever and I stayed true to the character while paying homage to it's creators — but most importantly I wanted "The Lost Battalion" to be a entertaining history lesson that would move people to research and learn about the true events of the Lost Battalion and the heroes of the US 141st and 442nd RCTs. As a comics professional, I am constantly sickened by the left-wing spin attributed to these wonderful characters.
Thanks,
Billy Tucci
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091110-Billy-Tucc...
Huh…I'll see if Amazon Marketplace has it. I DO hate the whole "victim villain" thing and it'd be refreshing.
I don't think all comics are dead, just mainstream superhero comics…exactly for the reason you mentioned, JervisTetch. I've been trying to collect the issues from the Superman Red/Superman Blue arc from the late 90s and it's just getting stupid. Rather than just buying a certain # of Superman issues, I have to buy Superman, Teen Titans, Aquaman, Steel, etc.. Essentially, it's that whole "research" thing you mentioned.
It's a brilliant money-making scheme (makes sure that people keep buying all these titles they wouldn't normally buy just to get the whole story) except for one thing that Mort pointed out: it only works on hardcore fans and they are a shrinking demographic. Unfortunately, to change it back into simpler stories that don't span multiple titles, it would require a dramatic paradigm shift for both companies. The only way I think they'd risk that would be if they were on the verge of absolute bankruptcy.
American superheroes’ exceptionalism…
Mort Todd, a veteran in comics and animation, writes a two-part entry on Big Hollywood about the changing depiction of superheroes…
Rob Liefeld wrecked so much that I gave up on comics except for stuff like Zombieworld and Hellboy. When I was growing up, Wonder Woman was a great role model. I hate to even look at the book because I'm afraid she's been turned into a total PC jerk or something…
Great post and link, Billy. I just pre-ordered your book. The purchase is made easier by your assurance of treating the history without PC revisionist spin. WWII stories about the Nisei or Tuskegee Airmen are heroic tales with some rough truths about them, but so many contemporary storytellers focus on guilt mechanisms or they grind axes instead of letting the heroism carry the day. I'm very much looking forward to reading your book. I am excited for you that you got to walk those sites in person and hope to do so with gratitude myself some day. I also hope to see more from you here on Big Hollywood. Sign this guy up, Andrew Breitbart!
I don't know why it was so, since it was proudly proclaimed in almost every issue and I just didn't see it. But finally I put the pieces together when I started to play the latest game based on the "Dark Knight". As I progressed thru it, the feelings I had deep inside me became clearer and clearer…
Batman is Nuts. Lacking much in the noggins. rattling some screws loose up there!
Here is a capable man with many resources trying to "balance" the world by putting away the nut bags and regular crooks of his town. Doing it for decades regardless of the different continuities. As I dealt with the goons in that game, I passed -as of this writing- Hundreds of innocent Dead people… Hundreds died by the Joker's hand or by proxy of his many underlines. It has also mentioned that Batman has captured the Joker several times in the game and if what I see has happened before at almost the same scale. Joker could be accredited for Thousands of dead people in that timeline.
Thousands!
What does the "noble" "brooding" "hero" do about this? His swears on his life that he will Capture that dastardly face painted rascal and "forever" put him into a jail cell!… Again! He even did that after a female civilian is Murdered right in front of him! How far can joker push it? Does he have to murder a million to raise the eyebrow of the "dark knight" or even the entire government body to consider that despite the fact that the man is utterly mad, it might be more prudent to execute him? Truly; what is the cap here?
Three million? The entire population of America? Bruce Wayne is completely insane and I think he goes thru the effort to put the Joker back in the box to calm down the populace till later on when the Joker gets out, all those murders he does Again, will surprise the forgetful people once more! I've stopped playing the game because I fear I might see more insanity created by that insane caped moron.
1. There are plenty of genres that comics books are spread into. There are fantastic comics being produced every week in pretty much every genre imaginable, including westerns, detective stories, romance, sci-fi, historical biographies, etc.
2. To describe all modern comics as being "nihilistic" is as misguided as saying all early superheroes were "patriotic".
3. Using real life dictators or even versions of them as villains has been done numerous times in recent comics.
For any comic book fans or writers,I have a great idea for a supervillain for any superhero or heroine to beat. And I got it from a Japanese anime. It's called "H-ll Girl." I saw it while it was on IFC. The main character appears to be a typical Japanese schoolgirl,but she's an agent from Hades. She helps people get revenge on those who did them wrong,but they pay a price for it. They themselves also go to Hades when they pass on themselves. I think she might be the perfect inspiration for a supervillain that the younger heroes like the Teen Titans or Supergirl to do battle with.
I don't know how the fans of the anime or the original manga or the creator of the manga itself would feel about it but I think it's a good idea.
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