We're not sure if we hate our heroes.
Even though they may save the day, stop the mugging, or end an evil android tyrant, we despise our fictional protectors. In the past several years from DC Comics 'New 52' to Netflix's Jessica Jones and Daredevil TV series, we have came to a crossroads of what our four color gladiators really meant to us and why we care. Does the ideals in 'Civil War' or 'Batman V Superman' matter ? Why our we willing to even take a movie that seems to celebrate nostalgia and heroism like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and tear it down ? Because we don't know if we hate our heroes.
I was deconstructing when it wasn't cool
Amazing Fantasy #15 Published: August 10, 1962, introduced the world to Spider-Man. Not only did we get a spiffy new origin story, but a hero with real problems, someone Stan Lee and the writers after him could have triumphant one panel and have his soul crushed the next. Although the intention during this period of Marvel Comics was to bring relatable heroes to the masses, it laid the foundation for what would be the next big thing in comics, realism. From then on, Marvel's Distinguished Competition would try to emulate their rivals take on things from Green Arrow's side kick Speedy being a heroin addict to Bruce Wayne's romantic struggles, making the capes and tights crowd became a hallmark of comics from the Silver Age up through now. However, over time the sandy grittiness seemed to have some sugar in it. Some characters killed during this era never seemed to stay really dead, loss of fictional fortunes came back. And politically charged stories gave way to the big super-villain fight the very next issue. The seeds for deconstruction had been planted and soon comic books would change forever.
It's the 80's , welcome Moore, Morrison, and Miller
In the 80's the remembrances and angst of he 60's and 70's wee wearing off. Vietnam was over for most of the country, we were emerging from a recession and had the Communists to blame for everything. Superheroes had become easy access from supermarket comic book stands to Saturday morning cartoons. Frank Miller of Batman and Daredevil fame and Alan Moore, who had written for 200 A.D. ,a British comic magazine and Marvel's UK imprints believed they could step superheroes up a notch.With advent of Marvel Comics the Punisher and DC Comics more violent heroes such as The Vigilante and The Peacemaker becoming the norm it wasn't long before Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Moore's The Watchmen would become part of comic book history. In Miller's books, Batman has gotten old, angry , and more violent. Not as restrained as in his earlier years , The Dark Knight , is more vicious, even resorting to guns, blades, and possibly killing his enemies through out the four issue run. In Moore's Watchmen series, heroes are treated as more problem than solution, from sociopathy to nihilism to narcissistic delusions and executions of grandeur, Moore's heroes are as mixed up or more mixed up than their adversaries, and with President Richard Nixon in his third term, they become the world's worst, last hope from nuclear Armageddon. He also got Batgirl shot, and The Joker made scary again. Incidentally Zach Snyder who directed both Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, directed the theatrical version of The Watchmen (2009).
Grant Morrison, a Scottish writer who was writing for 2000 A.D. and other British publications wrote the DC Batman graphic novel, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. In it we see Batman broken, scared, and bloodied, and his worst adversaries depicted in ways that would make Adam West cringe, He soon later began writing DC's Doom Patrol series and traded heroics for surrealism and occult themes. Heroes were deconstructed , torn apart, and smashed. At the end of the 1980's we also saw the dial-a-death of Robin , The Boy Wonder, which allowed the readers to decide the second Robin's outcome, and the 1989 Batman theatrical film. With Jack Nicholson's manic Joker, and Michael Keaton's understated Batman, we saw what a stylized superhero film could be when taken a little more dark and serious than The Superfriends. We saw how a comic book property although shrouded in controversy could emerge. And then came Image.
Spawn of ugly: Image comics arises
In the 90's a group of disgruntled Marvel Comics artists and writers left and started Image Comics. Titles with odd, darker, angrier heroes like Spawn, ShadowHawk, and The Savage Dragon appeared. Hyperviolence, profanity, and plenty of sexual overtones could be found at your local comic book shop. Spawn became an animated series on HBO, and became slightly more extreme, and Savage Dragon was given a limited try out on the USA Network. Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn began mass media and marketing of his characters and along with his workmates, saturated the 90's market. During this period to of the biggest old school shake ups in the world happened: The Death of Superman and Batman: Knightfall. During the 90's we saw that costumed characters morals cold be relative and still sell books, but the characters we could never replace went away. With a dead Kryptonian, and a vigilante with a broken back, other characters were created to fill the void Although it didn't last too long, we knew what the comics companies were capable of, and we didn't like it.
Super cinema and the not so 'New 52 '
As super hero cinema became more common, and the tech era emerged, publishers felt it necessary to change with the times. And although the demographic landscape changed, comic book heroes that once inspired became targets for derision. In ‎Action Comics #775 (March 2001), Superman faces off with a super-powered team called The Elite. In the story the relevancy of superheroes with an outdated code of morals is taken to task , and the Elite, which are basically super-powered hoodlums, are applauded by the public. Superman fakes his own death to fake everyone out, then proceeds to use humane, tempered, and sneaky tricks to stop the bad guys without breaking his rules. What should have been a template for how modern heroes can work , a few years later we get the New 52' from DC Comics, in which long married characters like Aquaman and Queen Mera and Lois Lane and Clark Kent are wiped away. Superman becomes a jerk, and becomes the ultra violent Wonder Woman's boyfriend. Batman is eventually replaced by Jim Gordon in an armored suit with bunny ears, and Billy Batson , the former Captain Marvel goes from having a pure heart to a kid who's 'not perfect'. In other words, our heroes are now no longer those we look up to for inspiration rather those who we want on our level, heroes as messed up and as unsure as we are. The seeds laid by Moore, Morrison, and Miller take root and stay to shape DC Comics. However, Grant Morrison does help to recreate the multiverse concept at DC and reintroduces some of the fun and wonder of the Silver Age books. Marvel takes the idea to completely redo most of it's characters to appear more diverse and 'with it', however, not all character replacements are as well written as they were before, and former side kicks and partners to our heroes are relegated to legacy hero status rather than being their own characters. Although some of Marvel's changes were well received, some seem to have been done mostly for shock , rather than actual story telling. However, the new line of Marvel movies tell a different story.
Old Shell head, SHIELD, and the Arrow
In 2008, the first Iron Man movie debuted and be the same. Taking a cue from it's Silver Age and 80's roots, Robert Downey Jr. owned the role of Tony Stark and his armored alter ego. introducing the foundation for the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU, and the organization known as SHIELD to movie goers, Marvel had a bonafied hit and franchise ready to go. Following up with sequels as well as Thor, Captain America, and Avengers movies, and a tie in Agents of SHIELD TV show, heroics became something again to be cheered with the real world implications of being a hero used to lift up the characters rather than tear them down. On the opposite end the CW's Arrow, borrowed heavily from Christoper Nolan's Batman led, Dark Knight trilogy, Oliver Queen was a dark, vengeful, spirit that was trying to save his city and wasn't afraid how to do it, it seemed heroics was to be sent back to the dark, dusty, closet of grim, gritty, deconstruction, that is until mid season two when a CSI from Central City, Barry Allen, played by the agreeable Grant Gustin, was hit by a bolt of lightning, and bounced off of a shelf of chemicals, due to a particle accelerator explosion in his home town.
My name is Barry Allen, you know the rest..
When The Flash hit the airwaves, not everybody was sure what to expect, however, the lighter tone and fun of the series quickly became infectious. Although Arrow still held onto it's darker roots, the influence of The Flash was easily felt. Hearkening back to an earlier era of comics, both shows crossed over and even introduced others. A spin of series Legends of Tomorrow was also brought forth on the CW, and even though stakes got higher on ABC's , Agents of SHIELD, it tried to keep hold of the humor it introduced since season one. During this period , though, The Man Of Steel, Superman's relaunch movie was released to mixed box office and reviews, also , the first angst ridden season of Daredevil , became part of the Netflix originals line up. Both film and series went the route of grim, gritty, faulted heroes, and wearing a costume became a deadly, serious endeavor once again. Also, the film which is the epitome of deconstruction, Hancock was released, This Will Smith vehicle brought us a drinking, swearing, train wreck of a superhero who needed redemption, some manners, and a breath mint. Recently, however, the debut of CBS's Supergirl, has brought back Silver Age shenanigans to the small screen and possibly the most peppy superhero show imaginable.
And then what happened ?
With the advent of social media, and the ever expanding army of critics-r-us, it has become fad and fashion for a cynical young public to bash both the serious and the super stuff in our comic book movies. And with such heavy hitting hero movies as Superman V Batman and Captain America: Civil War, the criticisms have hit a fever pitch. Indeed, even unreleased films such as Doctor Strange and Justice League are already being cut to shreds by the public. The aforementioned Batman/Superman movie has been panned by critics and those who want to be criticizing just for likes and follows. And as the criticisms roll in , we are given such release as the grim and gritty Netflix /Marvel collaborations as Daredevil season 2 and Jessica Jones. To see the effect our harshness takes one has to only look at the current DC animated offerings such as Justice League: War, Batman vs. Robin, Batman: Bad Blood, and the upcoming R-rated animated adaptation of Alan Moore's Batman: The killing Joke.
Where does it go from here ?
With the release of the irreverent, R-rated Deadpool, Marvel/Fox took a gamble that stabbing fun at themselves would be a gamble and it paid off. Unfortunately, the studio powers that be have mistaken an R rated success for good movie making. As fans we have a responsibility to ensure our heroes in print and in celluloid continue to be the heroes we need, and maybe even the ones we deserve. Unless of course we want everything torn down, but once it's all deconstructed what do we do next ?
This...
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