Secret History of EL Comics 11
April 1st, 2008 John Posted in Secret History of EL Comics |
Once again, the EL creators make note that the important part about superhero comics is the superhero. It’s the specialness of that transformation that not only provides the interest and drama but, indeed, provides the point of its existence. In the eyes of the superhero genre, some comic about this guy who does some stuff in the everyday world is not of interest and a regular joe’s transformation into a superhero is really a transformation into an interesting story. The EL creators mess with this idea by exacting a sudden degradation of the superhero identity, in order for us to miss our superhero, in order for the drama surrounding the superhero to point towards the existence of that superhero as being the drama in and of itself. In this way, the EL creators seem to be proclaiming, fiction is a celebration of difference, not sameness, and superheroes are the ultimate reaction against the dull norm. The question begs, though — is this a good thing or a bad thing? Are the EL creators really presenting it as a positive? Or are they lambasting the process, presenting a situation where individual, everyday identity is brushed aside as simply as the third-rate villains that attack the team? The return to superhero identity takes precedence over all other characters and all other concerns. Have we lost our ability, as a society, to react to anything that doesn’t slap us in the face with its dynamism?
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