STRANGE VISITOR Pt. 2
What makes a hero?
This is the question on my mind for years as I wrote my own character, Lazarus, and now develop another, Scratch. If you read the funny books, one publisher says it all comes down to power and responsibility. The other, will power. But, as I watched Rescue Me, I came to the conclusion, one I’ve had for quite a while, that true heroism comes from the darkest shit humanity has to offer. Those “people” who walk the fine line between society and utter chaos.
Our heroes of today are too clean and we’ve outgrown them. Of course, perhaps I’m aspiring too high. Ultimately, these characters are product manufactured for profit. But, once, a long time ago, heroes taught us valuable life lessons. They were more than product, they were living, and breathing people who transcended to godhood because they were challenged by the same things we mere mortals faced everyday, besides the occasional Kraken. They fought against, or with, the same gods and demons we believed in. The walked the same city streets, fought in the same wars. They were we.
In Rescue Me Denis Leary portrays fireman Tommy Gavin, an alcoholic chain smoking asshole who doesn’t even live by the coeds set forth by his fellow firemen, despite that being the only real consistent positive thing in his life. And yet, he risks his life gladly to save total strangers. Isn’t that true heroism? A total asshole risking his life to save someone versus a Kansas farm boy who, by his upbringing alone, couldn’t have gone any other way.
Let’s bring our heroes into the real world.
Marvel is having a major crossover event called Civil War where heroes are fighting each other against a registration act. The crux is, in registering, they lose their secret identities. At its core, it’s just another hero vs. hero smack down, but what if we injected some reality into it, got some hands dirty? Instead of the Civil War being about some registration act, what if it had to do with the war in Iraq? Follow me: The Trade Center comes down, Bush make the big push, and just like the decision split this nation, it splits the Marvel Universe. There are those who not only want to support the troops, but fight in the Middle East. Take it further and maybe they believe in concentration camps like The Siege. Then, take a small group of heroes - because the odds can never be fair and we’re assuming the liberals are the good guys – who believe in turning the other cheek. And, make Captain America one of them. That’s a fucking Civil War I want to see. Just like in Greek mythology, the gods fighting over the same problems facing mortals.
DC just finished Infinite Crisis where three threats, all engineered by the same man were rocking the universe. It was good. Hey, I read and loved it. But, if you’re talking about a crisis on a universal scale, what if the heroes had to band together to stop the fucking Apocalypse? Think about it: the villains are drafted by the by God, their loyalty in exchange for salvation. If superheroes are all about maintaining the status quo, then let them face the ultimate entropy force of destruction that will bring everything to an end. If Superman is all about humans being inherently good and finding their own way with just a little assistance, how would he feel about God wanting to bring them to an end unjustly? Yahweh vs. Superman. Religion vs. Science. The Beginning and End vs. The Man of Tomorrow. You can eve tie it into current event because, if you notice, Bush Jr. is doing some scary shit in the Middle East that is straight from Revelations. Couldn’t you see the Specter or Phantom Stranger figuring that out?
How would they’re hands get dirty? Because these superheroes have to pick a side. They have to pick an ideology in either case and fight for it. How would you feel if Cap fought against the war because it was against what this country stands for, men manipulating a country for their own gain? And superheroes against God – nuff said.
I remember when I was a kid, too young to know the difference between New York and Los Angeles. I would ride in the passenger sit of my mother’s car headed to downtown, looking up at the skyscrapers and wondering if I would see Spider-Man. Because, back then, the heroes lived in our world; but thing s were simple back then. Heroes related through supporting characters dying or getting hooked on drugs. Now we have these insane things and I wonder where our heroes went.
Maybe it’s not about the heroes, but us. The reader, the writers, and the publishers. Comics are one media unlike others that doesn’t hold up a mirror to our faces. Looking at MI-3, I can’t pretend to be Ethan Hunt, because that’s Tom Cruise and I look nothing like him. It’s hard to pretend your Batman when you see Christian Bale. But any 230lbs. fat ass can believe himself Superman when reading a comic.
What do I want?
I don’t want to read about the man with more money than god, traveling the world for training, and returning to civilization to fight crime with advance weaponry and a people to bring to his cause. I want to read about the guy without a pot to piss in, dressing in a jacket and pants, and going out to face down the underbelly of a city all alone. During the day, he’s that guy who cut you off on the freeway, the pedestrian that crosses against the light, the meter maid that wouldn’t give you a break, the customer service rep that gave you too much attitude. But, at night, he’s the one who beat five men to save the five dollars in your wallet.
Maybe it’s all about guts. No one has the balls to write those kinds of stories. Or, no one wants to read them, because that’s too real. Where’s the enjoyment? But where’s the enjoyment in watching the Joker get the shit kicked out of him for the 100th time? In the real world, the Joker would have his ass capped, Lex would be another Enron exec on trial, and Dr, Doom would get “sniped” by a Seal Team (or falsely accused of having weapons of mass destruction and funding a terrorist).
Don’t take this to mean I’m not into superheroes; I love Supes, Bats, and the X-Men hold a special place. They could be better though. I just want to feel that way again, just like I did driving in the car, looking up, and wondering…
JPG.
This is the question on my mind for years as I wrote my own character, Lazarus, and now develop another, Scratch. If you read the funny books, one publisher says it all comes down to power and responsibility. The other, will power. But, as I watched Rescue Me, I came to the conclusion, one I’ve had for quite a while, that true heroism comes from the darkest shit humanity has to offer. Those “people” who walk the fine line between society and utter chaos.
Our heroes of today are too clean and we’ve outgrown them. Of course, perhaps I’m aspiring too high. Ultimately, these characters are product manufactured for profit. But, once, a long time ago, heroes taught us valuable life lessons. They were more than product, they were living, and breathing people who transcended to godhood because they were challenged by the same things we mere mortals faced everyday, besides the occasional Kraken. They fought against, or with, the same gods and demons we believed in. The walked the same city streets, fought in the same wars. They were we.
In Rescue Me Denis Leary portrays fireman Tommy Gavin, an alcoholic chain smoking asshole who doesn’t even live by the coeds set forth by his fellow firemen, despite that being the only real consistent positive thing in his life. And yet, he risks his life gladly to save total strangers. Isn’t that true heroism? A total asshole risking his life to save someone versus a Kansas farm boy who, by his upbringing alone, couldn’t have gone any other way.
Let’s bring our heroes into the real world.
Marvel is having a major crossover event called Civil War where heroes are fighting each other against a registration act. The crux is, in registering, they lose their secret identities. At its core, it’s just another hero vs. hero smack down, but what if we injected some reality into it, got some hands dirty? Instead of the Civil War being about some registration act, what if it had to do with the war in Iraq? Follow me: The Trade Center comes down, Bush make the big push, and just like the decision split this nation, it splits the Marvel Universe. There are those who not only want to support the troops, but fight in the Middle East. Take it further and maybe they believe in concentration camps like The Siege. Then, take a small group of heroes - because the odds can never be fair and we’re assuming the liberals are the good guys – who believe in turning the other cheek. And, make Captain America one of them. That’s a fucking Civil War I want to see. Just like in Greek mythology, the gods fighting over the same problems facing mortals.
DC just finished Infinite Crisis where three threats, all engineered by the same man were rocking the universe. It was good. Hey, I read and loved it. But, if you’re talking about a crisis on a universal scale, what if the heroes had to band together to stop the fucking Apocalypse? Think about it: the villains are drafted by the by God, their loyalty in exchange for salvation. If superheroes are all about maintaining the status quo, then let them face the ultimate entropy force of destruction that will bring everything to an end. If Superman is all about humans being inherently good and finding their own way with just a little assistance, how would he feel about God wanting to bring them to an end unjustly? Yahweh vs. Superman. Religion vs. Science. The Beginning and End vs. The Man of Tomorrow. You can eve tie it into current event because, if you notice, Bush Jr. is doing some scary shit in the Middle East that is straight from Revelations. Couldn’t you see the Specter or Phantom Stranger figuring that out?
How would they’re hands get dirty? Because these superheroes have to pick a side. They have to pick an ideology in either case and fight for it. How would you feel if Cap fought against the war because it was against what this country stands for, men manipulating a country for their own gain? And superheroes against God – nuff said.
I remember when I was a kid, too young to know the difference between New York and Los Angeles. I would ride in the passenger sit of my mother’s car headed to downtown, looking up at the skyscrapers and wondering if I would see Spider-Man. Because, back then, the heroes lived in our world; but thing s were simple back then. Heroes related through supporting characters dying or getting hooked on drugs. Now we have these insane things and I wonder where our heroes went.
Maybe it’s not about the heroes, but us. The reader, the writers, and the publishers. Comics are one media unlike others that doesn’t hold up a mirror to our faces. Looking at MI-3, I can’t pretend to be Ethan Hunt, because that’s Tom Cruise and I look nothing like him. It’s hard to pretend your Batman when you see Christian Bale. But any 230lbs. fat ass can believe himself Superman when reading a comic.
What do I want?
I don’t want to read about the man with more money than god, traveling the world for training, and returning to civilization to fight crime with advance weaponry and a people to bring to his cause. I want to read about the guy without a pot to piss in, dressing in a jacket and pants, and going out to face down the underbelly of a city all alone. During the day, he’s that guy who cut you off on the freeway, the pedestrian that crosses against the light, the meter maid that wouldn’t give you a break, the customer service rep that gave you too much attitude. But, at night, he’s the one who beat five men to save the five dollars in your wallet.
Maybe it’s all about guts. No one has the balls to write those kinds of stories. Or, no one wants to read them, because that’s too real. Where’s the enjoyment? But where’s the enjoyment in watching the Joker get the shit kicked out of him for the 100th time? In the real world, the Joker would have his ass capped, Lex would be another Enron exec on trial, and Dr, Doom would get “sniped” by a Seal Team (or falsely accused of having weapons of mass destruction and funding a terrorist).
Don’t take this to mean I’m not into superheroes; I love Supes, Bats, and the X-Men hold a special place. They could be better though. I just want to feel that way again, just like I did driving in the car, looking up, and wondering…
JPG.
posted by QABBAL at 1:13 AM
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