Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2.fluke 9/24/84; site vax2.fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!fluke!moriarty From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: Re: no danger / no drama Message-ID: <822@vax2.fluke.UUCP> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 19:34:06 EDT Article-I.D.: vax2.822 Posted: Fri Jul 12 19:34:06 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 14:52:45 EDT References: <423@carina.noao.UUCP> Organization: The Institute for Criminal Masterminds Lines: 69 In article <423@carina.noao.UUCP> parks@noao.UUCP (Jay Parks) writes: >Comics will never be dramatic. Ah, never ever say never :-). I think rarely would be more appropriate. > So. What are we left with? There is NO DANGER. I think maybe you're confusing Marvel with the whole comics scene. I have to admit, it is AMAZING how many dead Marvel heroes have risen from the dead -- Phoenix & Guardian had the most hoopla about their passing, and their walking around (or soon will be). Warlock's living in his soul gem, apparently not paying rent or income tax. SpiderWoman also has this distinction. As to villains, yah. As many have said, it seems to be the Marvel Age of Death. Only Captain Marvel seems to stay dead But all mainstream comics? Well, perhaps it's how one defines mainstream. I would point to First's Jon Sable comics for making death a very real alternative. Although Sable himself (as the main character) is probably invulnerable (unless his sales go down :-) ), characters around him, very interesting well-developed characters, have died. In fact, one of the very best sub-plots in comics is that Jon, after 30 issues of development, has fallen in love with Myke, his illustrator; and he (and the readers, because these are some of the most carefully drawn-out characters imaginable) is extremely worried that the enemies he has made as a mercenary will come back and hurt her. Yes, I know, this is a conflict as old as Superman; but Grell does this so well that you not only care for the character, but you can see that it can happen. Death also has appeared in Zot (Prince Drufus, though we see the after-life), where it was well-done. I wish I could point to DC, but only Supergirl comes to mind; Abby came back (wonderfully) in Swamp Thing, and lord only knows about Flash. Oh, as to old age, I do recommend the Gargoyle mini-series from Marvel; I thought that did an extremely good reproduction of the fears of growing old, handled very sensitively. So while "melodrama" seems to have a large following, it is not inherently impossible for this to happen in a comic (it has before now -- just came to mind -- Ladner in Master of Kung Fu). And if the alternative press is considered mainstream (I consider it so), this is really not true (although still unusual). I tend to think that the quality of a comic (if it is not mainly humorous in nature) means that drama (and not melodrama) are present; and there are many quality comics out there. > The point behind all this raving is that there IS hope for serious >comic writing. It isn't in the mainstreams, though, it's in the >independents. Whoops! I guess we do agree. Just list this article as "additional justification". :-) "In the end, it will be the insects who rule the earth." -Noted scientist "In the end, who cares?" -Remo Williams "End? What end? You whites will be with us forever." -Chiun, Master of Sinanju If he's not one thing, he's another. ---> Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. UUCP: {cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsri}!uw-beaver \ {allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA