Posted: 12 June 2008 at 12:05pm | IP Logged | 10
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How should I play (Guest Star) in this appearance?
I have found myself having to ask this more times than I can count. "Who is Batman this month?" "What are you doing with the Hulk right now?" It's supposed to be the stories that provide the constantly changing points of interest, not the characters. The characters should be on model, all the time!
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That is DEFINITELY the major difference between comics of yesterday and comics of today. As a kid I could count on our favorite heroes being the same...only the stories changed.
There is a sense of STABILITY there that any kid can identify with amid the chaotic stories of villains.
But somewhere along the lines, story writing for superheroes went the way of novels where the protaganist undergoes some sort of transformation. Its great for graphic novels or major story arcs but we see so many arcs and and an equal amount of retcons that the clear picture of our hero is now muddy and gray.
The need for continuity also breaks the model. When combining continuity with major transformations in character things obviously get messy.
So we are faced with a dilemma. 1) Do we want to read meaningful stories that effect a change about our heroes? 2) Do we want our heroes to be iconic and never change?
It is possible to fulfill both these criteria but I think for 90% of the writers this is difficult to do.
With certain characters, I've started to accept the fact that of our favorite heroes as archetypes. Batman is one example. He has been written by so many writers for comics, books, strips, television, movies, toys, several cartoons, etc. BUT we all recognize him as Batman because he transcended his hero status and became an archetype. I am equally comfortable with the 1960's campy Adam West Batman as I am with the Batman who is a dark realistic urban street vigilante. In the end, it is ALL Batman. Each rendition captures a essence of the Batman archetype.
I can't say the same for Spider-man, yet...and many of the newer heroes. Sometimes I wish for stories like old but I also understand stories told today. I just hope that writers don't effect major changes that go against the grain of the hero they are writing for the sake of the gimmick.
Wolverine losing his Adamantium lacing felt gimmicky. That would be like Batman not having detective like intelligence....it's such an integral part of their character. Even the campy Batman was a detective. Not to rant without reading but I feel turning the Hulk red is another one of those gimmicks. Can't they tell the same story with Hulk being green?
Sorry for ranting. This is a first for me...mainly I wanted to surface the nature of comicbook superhero storytelling. Thanks for reading!
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