Wednesday, April 21, 2004
at
11:28 p.m.
|
The reload is almost upon us.
No, not the Matrix, but rather the X-Men. Marvel has been pushing for a big redesign/relaunch of their flagship group of titles and while I must admit that getting Chris Claremont back on Uncanny X-Men and a couple of other nice surprises is great, I'm more than a little worried as most of these changes are almost exactly the way things were ten years ago.
For more on my theory of the evolution of the super hero, ask to read my University thesis.
In essence, it describes the superhero as a cultural icon built for the times in which the reader lives. For instance, Superman was a creation of the depression and a symbol of strength for a country going to war. Spider-Man was born out of the sixties and the self-awareness that came with new eyes and understanding. Spider-Man was a real person most of the time and his problems and his life set him apart from every other hero of the time.
Now it's an age of terrorists, poverty rates and the threat of over-population and technological expansion. Some might argue that ten years is a drop in a bucket, but in terms of super-hero growth and evolution it is an age or more. Therefore reverting, even as a decision on a marketing level, could be disaster.
And I've been there. I realize that most of the plots and stories that I read and enjoy are re-hashed and well worn paths that have been going on for years. But I missed out on all of that stuff years ago when it first happened. Now everything is coming full circle, and there's more than one cancer both editorially and creatively at Marvel.
Maybe it's time to pull the plug?
Or do I have faith that my heroes will endure and decide to see where evolution will take its course?
No, not the Matrix, but rather the X-Men. Marvel has been pushing for a big redesign/relaunch of their flagship group of titles and while I must admit that getting Chris Claremont back on Uncanny X-Men and a couple of other nice surprises is great, I'm more than a little worried as most of these changes are almost exactly the way things were ten years ago.
For more on my theory of the evolution of the super hero, ask to read my University thesis.
In essence, it describes the superhero as a cultural icon built for the times in which the reader lives. For instance, Superman was a creation of the depression and a symbol of strength for a country going to war. Spider-Man was born out of the sixties and the self-awareness that came with new eyes and understanding. Spider-Man was a real person most of the time and his problems and his life set him apart from every other hero of the time.
Now it's an age of terrorists, poverty rates and the threat of over-population and technological expansion. Some might argue that ten years is a drop in a bucket, but in terms of super-hero growth and evolution it is an age or more. Therefore reverting, even as a decision on a marketing level, could be disaster.
And I've been there. I realize that most of the plots and stories that I read and enjoy are re-hashed and well worn paths that have been going on for years. But I missed out on all of that stuff years ago when it first happened. Now everything is coming full circle, and there's more than one cancer both editorially and creatively at Marvel.
Maybe it's time to pull the plug?
Or do I have faith that my heroes will endure and decide to see where evolution will take its course?
Posted by
Parallel
0 comments:
Post a Comment