Are you a Marvel or a DC
- Thread starter Trekker4747
- Start date
I should clarify that as a kid I was a major Marvel guy. I read Spider-Man and X-Men. I always read Superman and Batman but on a very casual basis. It wouldn't be until I was a teen that I got heavily into DC.
As far as wish-fulfillment fantasies go, I can think of a lot better possibilities than a guy who gets the shit kicked out of him a lot, pretends to have sex far more often than he actually does, has never once in his entire life been happy, and tends not to really make anyone else happier, either.
I'd have to think for a while what the best wish-fulfillment fantasy in super-comics is. Superman's the obvious answer. Also, if you're in a bad mood, as I am, Magneto.
Trekker4747 said:
I suppose, but that applies to basically every superhero, almost all of whom have more to objectively show for it, and few of whom have such unappealing personal qualities.
Your question really extends though to other characters who would fit your description in fiction Myasischev. Why are we drawn to these types of characters? It is an interesting question that you pose. I was serious with my answer of: cool...there is a perceived coolness factor in these characters I suppose. A better question would be why is a psychopathic homicidal clown serial killer so popular?
Well, the need for a good story requires factors that mitigate the wish-fulfillment. Harry Potter gets to go to Hogwarts and Bond gets to be Bond, but people are constantly trying to kill them. Superman is also in perpetual danger, and his personal morals and character constrain him to a fairly modest life.
That said, Batman stories may not make us want to live Bruce's experiences, but they can still make us wish to be like him. After the credits roll, it's fairly easy to say that you'd like the money, the house, the gadgets, the women, etc., without thinking of assuming the responsibilities he does.
Ah, but Batman does it as a mortal.
I don't want to be like him at all. He's a horribly fucked up person with constant misery in his life. It's cool to watch though.
DC all the way!
Marvel sucks! The only character they have that EVER peaked my interest was The Punisher, and he couldn't hold it for very long.
Marvel sucks! The only character they have that EVER peaked my interest was The Punisher, and he couldn't hold it for very long.
Untrue. Batman and Robin can never die.
I can't believe I'm agreeing with Gaith again on something but his earlier comments in the last page ring true at least for me. Indeed...Batman and Robin can never die. I believe this is one of the declarations made by Morrison in the first volume of Batman and Robin.
Interestingly (or not, maybe if you're a total nerd like yours truly), the line actually seems to originate from a Morrison JLA issue. I noticed it reading the trade where the Key puts the League into weird elseworlds-style structured hallucinations, and Wayne's is retirement with Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne Jr. (son of Wayne and Selina Kyle) having taken over the roles of Batman and Robin.
But it's also in RIP. Bad book, it's a fine moment.
But it's also in RIP. Bad book, it's a fine moment.
^ You are right. It is in RIP...I don't recall the JLA line but then it's been a while. I keep meaning on buying the Morrison JLA trades that came out last year. That Key arc is what made me a fan of the run in general. I thought...finally awesomeness!
I really liked the Hyperclan one myself. Not a knock on the rest of his run--it's all pretty great--but I thought that first arc was the best. (Rock of Ages I liked a lot too but it was a little incoherent toward the end. Like, I never really understood how they got from point A--the Philosopher's Stone--to Point Z--Darkseid ruling everybody; I guess it was the Joker messing up the planet? but there's a big middle part missing.)
I agree the Rock of Ages arc didn't seem fully realized like it was missing something. I love the fact that Morrison attempted "epic" cinematic type story lines with the Justice League again. It was among my favourite books and I believe his JLA run is what made me aware of him as a writer in the first place. I wouldn't fully become a Morrison nut as I am now until his New X-Men run (which I know a lot of fans don't like). Marvel has dipped back into that with it's current Schism and the ReGenesis bringing a lot of what Grant touched on back.
It is my hope that when Johns and Lee do their present arcs with the Justice League that we get a return to that epic cinematic feel that the JLA had with Morrison but I dunno...I'm doubting it so far.
It is my hope that when Johns and Lee do their present arcs with the Justice League that we get a return to that epic cinematic feel that the JLA had with Morrison but I dunno...I'm doubting it so far.
I liked New X-Men myself. Granted, I read it with the benefit of hindsight, but I can't imagine being at the time so attached to the bloat of the X-Men franchise that I'd have cared that he was "ruining" it.
The only part I didn't like was his take on Magneto, basically denying anyone their own interpretation of the character and enforcing his own, negative view of him as a consummate villain, something I've really rarely seen from Morrison.
Like, "mad old terrorist twat," huh? You mean like that little bald spoiled dipshit don't-call-him-a-Mary-Sue-it's-magic-guys King Mob, G-Mozz? Oh, right, he found Jesus in the end. Doesn't count!
Other than that I thought it was pretty decent. Not my favorite Morrison work, and a lot of the art is just ug-lee, but it was at least back when he was trying to say something about something. It definitely scanned.
The only part I didn't like was his take on Magneto, basically denying anyone their own interpretation of the character and enforcing his own, negative view of him as a consummate villain, something I've really rarely seen from Morrison.
Like, "mad old terrorist twat," huh? You mean like that little bald spoiled dipshit don't-call-him-a-Mary-Sue-it's-magic-guys King Mob, G-Mozz? Oh, right, he found Jesus in the end. Doesn't count!
Other than that I thought it was pretty decent. Not my favorite Morrison work, and a lot of the art is just ug-lee, but it was at least back when he was trying to say something about something. It definitely scanned.