Superhero characters: why do we love them?
02-12-14, 04:06 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Superhero characters: why do we love them?
This is something I've been struggling with since the new 52 launched, but I'm curious what others think; what makes you a fan of a comic book character? Is it the cool powers/costume, is it some significant story they've been in, some moment in your childhood that you hold dearly? I think it's some part of all three for me. Some characters like Nova, in the Marvel universe, I just remember seeing his costume design as a kid, seeing that he was part of this big corps and being hooked. I don't think he got a decent story until New Warriors (at which point he was kinda regressed into Kid Nova), and then took off with Annihilation and beyond. Some, like the Legion of Superheroes, I just grew up with, and remember fondly some of the classic stories and characters. Some, like the New Teen Titans, just had an excellent run full of character development that made me love the characters.
It's odd because this is (mostly) work for hire stuff; the original creators had an idea, other creators put their thoughts in, and then somehow through that amalgam I take a snippet of their creation and fall in love. And then it persists with me buying issue after issue of (what I consider) poor creative teams and choices in the hopes that my beloved character comes back to prominence. I think a lot of comic book creators have a similar mindset, being able to guide their childhood favorites. But bottom line the Superman I like is not the Superman that Siegel and Shuster created, nor the Man of Steel that Byrne molded, nor even the Christopher Reeves movie version (and certainly not the current movie version), but some amalgam of all of them, mixed in with stories I see mainly through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia.
There's a post here about a beloved Batman character returning to the new 52. We see that Wally West is returning. At this point, having long divorced myself from DC monthlies due to the New 52, I don't really care. The Wally West that I liked started off as Kid Flash, grew into the Flash role when his mentor went away and made it his own; he went through several remarkable runs under Mark Waid, then a good run under Geoff Johns and became THE Flash. Even when he had twins and was thrust into a minor role because Johns brought back Barry, he was still the Wally West I knew.
This Wally West has the same name, sure. Wildly different powers (presumably) and costume, different origins, no history with the teen titans. Like poor (not) Tim Drake, it might as well be a pseudonym. So if they bring him or Donna Troy or Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Miller back as new characters, it almost doesn't matter to me.
I'm sure people felt similar things with the initial Crisis. And it's not like they don't change characters all the time; Luke Cage, for instance, is a vastly different character now. And unlike a lot of Legion fans, I didn't mind the post Zero Hour reboot of the Legion. But the new 52 did make me sad in that the whole universe (except for GL and Batman) was reset, and they came out the other end looking very little like the characters I knew (don't get me started on that horrid Teen Titans book).
Anyway, for those who are excited about their favorite characters' return in the new 52, I wanted to see why? And I do realize that the stories don't go away, and I'll always be able to go back and re-read, say, Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run.
It's odd because this is (mostly) work for hire stuff; the original creators had an idea, other creators put their thoughts in, and then somehow through that amalgam I take a snippet of their creation and fall in love. And then it persists with me buying issue after issue of (what I consider) poor creative teams and choices in the hopes that my beloved character comes back to prominence. I think a lot of comic book creators have a similar mindset, being able to guide their childhood favorites. But bottom line the Superman I like is not the Superman that Siegel and Shuster created, nor the Man of Steel that Byrne molded, nor even the Christopher Reeves movie version (and certainly not the current movie version), but some amalgam of all of them, mixed in with stories I see mainly through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia.
There's a post here about a beloved Batman character returning to the new 52. We see that Wally West is returning. At this point, having long divorced myself from DC monthlies due to the New 52, I don't really care. The Wally West that I liked started off as Kid Flash, grew into the Flash role when his mentor went away and made it his own; he went through several remarkable runs under Mark Waid, then a good run under Geoff Johns and became THE Flash. Even when he had twins and was thrust into a minor role because Johns brought back Barry, he was still the Wally West I knew.
This Wally West has the same name, sure. Wildly different powers (presumably) and costume, different origins, no history with the teen titans. Like poor (not) Tim Drake, it might as well be a pseudonym. So if they bring him or Donna Troy or Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Miller back as new characters, it almost doesn't matter to me.
I'm sure people felt similar things with the initial Crisis. And it's not like they don't change characters all the time; Luke Cage, for instance, is a vastly different character now. And unlike a lot of Legion fans, I didn't mind the post Zero Hour reboot of the Legion. But the new 52 did make me sad in that the whole universe (except for GL and Batman) was reset, and they came out the other end looking very little like the characters I knew (don't get me started on that horrid Teen Titans book).
Anyway, for those who are excited about their favorite characters' return in the new 52, I wanted to see why? And I do realize that the stories don't go away, and I'll always be able to go back and re-read, say, Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl run.
02-13-14, 01:07 AM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Superhero characters: why do we love them?
Humans have always loved tales of demi-gods, going back to the dawn of recorded history. It's the thought experiment of what happens when people are given extraordinary power and what they do with it. The unique power set and backstory are often critical aspects. There are certain personality traits I am looking for in my favorite heroes. Make no mistake, their visual aesthetic appeal is a huge part of it. Superman is not Superman without the famous insignia and flowing cape.
