Monday, June 18, 2007
Where Did the Fun Go?
Kristin and I just finished the work of ten strong graphic designers. The experience left us leaner, meaner, but significantly reduced the monetary albatrosses (albatrossi?) around our necks.
Now that we’ve laid our burdens down, it gives me time to properly mourn the loss of Steve Rogers, America’s fighting Sentinel of Liberty.Many have made comment about what Cap’s death means. Some see it as a brilliant political allegory. Some see it as a ham-fisted attempt to make a political statement that is at odds with the ‘history’ of the Marvel Universe. While I can see points in both areas, it underscores a belief I’ve had for some time.
Comics are no longer fun.
The superhero world is a peculiar place. At one time, it served solely to entertain. You can see this everyday in the blogs of those that celebrate the wonder and optimism that comics used to have. But as comics grew up, matured, and came to mirror current world realities and societies, it lost the fundamental ability to entertain and to speak to a child about what the world should be. It became a dark place with imperfect heroes and a looser and looser definition of right and wrong. Seriousness and angst replaced lightheartedness silliness and devil-may-care attitudes.
This trend isn’t limited to comic books. You can see this progression of adult themes in what are fundamentally children art forms everywhere. Animated movies cater more and more to teen audiences, and rely on veiled adult humor and scatological humor for laughs. Cartoon shows even more so – when was the last time you saw a show on the Cartoon Network that did not rely on that kind of humor? I think Foster’s is the only hold out on the network of the lighter fare, and even it has its moments. And video games? Mario seems to be the only title I can see that retains the magic of seeing the world through a child's eyes, and I for one am tickled pink at Nintendo's ability to dominate the concole marketplace.
So as all mediums move to more mature audiences and decide that edgier and gritty is better, the beauty and wonder of their worlds is disappearing. Life is not made solely of angst – it needs the lighter moments to feel real. Personally, I could care less to see comics where characters are brutally killed – Impulse, anyone?
Who’s left in comics that represent bright-eyed, boundless optimism? Superman lost it years ago. Spider-Man too. Even the second-stringers who could be relied on to give this viewpoint have disappeared. Impulse – aged, matured, and then brutally killed. Speedball? Now he’s a walking razor with nothing but angst.
Now Cap’s gone.
I know, of course, he will be back. It's a temporary thing - heck, Steve said in the Last Avengers Story several years ago that death would only "maybe" end his never-ending battle. Nevertheless, his death does mark a decided shift in the editorial policies of Marvel, and in perhaps the reading preferences of its readers, that presage a new future where the four-color world of comics will be replaced, by a more, muted, ambiguous palette.
It began with Civil War: Frontline #11. Sally Ford, a reporter that works with Ben Urich at the Daily Bugle, chastises Captain America for not being in touch with the modern American, and that he is not relevant to the America of today, since he knows nothing of Americon Idol, MySpace, Paris Hilton, or NASCAR. You can read the whole exchange here.
What's truly astonsihing about this entire diatribe is that Steve Rogers, who has been shown to be an eloquent and passionate debater in other venues, is left without a voice by the writers at this point. And Steve should have put Sally in her place. Sally is being simplistic. The ideals Steve have been fighting for his entire life are those enshrined in the Constitution and the Declaration, and are the ideals which allow her and the average American to do those things she mentions as so important. Super-heroes are not an army, they are a group of individuals that stand between her and legions of threats that would squash her and her city any day of the week if they weren't there to stand in the way. Ford makes a point to say she doesn't have the power that these heroes have - but apart from being a gifted fighter and acrobat, and being able to bench-press 800 pounds, Steve has no super powers either. Sally says she "loves the country that treats celebrities like royalty and teachers like dirt". Why doesn't Cap take her to task for this?
Because the writers don't want him to. Instead, they elect to ignore what makes Steve who he is to make Civil War more than it should be. Instead of an intelligent discourse on what this act would mean to the Marvel Universe, they decided to turn it into an allegory of the Patriot Act and the War on Terror. And so Cap's character is sacrificed to turn him into a living embodiment of the end of the American Dream, and Tony and Reed's characters are sacrificed to make them analogies of the current administration.
Frontline ends with Sally and Ben interviewing Tony and informing him they know he is responsible for Osborn's killing of the Atlanteans in order to keep them from declaring war on the surface world. Incredbily, Sally applauds him for betraying his friends and sacrificing his ideals for the greater good. More surprisingly, Ben doesn't even admonish her or let his feelings be known - instead he seems to meekly accept what she has done, an action I find hard for a man of the ethical convictions that Urich has shown in the past to refrain from.
So where do they go from here? Marvel and DC seems determined to bring their characters into a far more realistic world, to the detriment of those elements that make comics fun to read. And once a comic book world mirrors are world in most aspects, where is the point in immersing yourself in a world to escape everyday life?
Is there anyone out there to pick up the torch?
Leapin Lettuce! There is a bright, beautiful tomorrow.
One final note - my office mates decided to honor Steve's passing with a moving service. Heroes and villains came together to mourn his passing. It's getting me misty just thinking about it.
Labels: Anti-Fun, Captain Carrot, My Heroes Have Always Worn Spandex, Steve Rogers, Unbridled Hope for the Future
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