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You seemed to have missed the author's point. Superhero stories were supposed to represent an escape from the old, adult-focused form of entertainment. Where t

You seemed to have missed the author's point. Superhero stories were supposed to represent an escape from the old, adult-focused form of entertainment. Where they ended up was of course just another form of it. The money quote is: "Wallowing in death isn’t a sophisticated leap beyond the superhero concept; it’s the failure to imagine what it means not to die." You can liken this to the sitcom. Storytellers had to envision a platform upon which an endless number of stories could be told in a particular format, without getting boring. The setting, including the characters, have to remain static. Breaking the sitcom mold doesn't make for an evolved sitcom, it makes for a devolved one. One that brought back all the problems that the sitcom format resolved. Superhero comic books had to appeal to seven year-olds, while still retaining enough in there to keep the teens and then adults they grew up into entertained. You need a story that can live forever, and still remain interesting. The bad guys have to get handled with a minimum of fuss, and understated magic, such as Batman never killing anyone, is an appropriate storytelling device. The morality play, good beating evil, and all the whimsy and silliness that conjuring it entailed, is just part of the superhero format. Without all that, they're not superheroes, they're just story protagonists with special powers that are sometimes heroic. That's the argument the author's making.

Apocryphon 5y ago
Your points are true, but you're responding to a response to a comment condemning superhero comics as infantile, rather than a response to the OP, which condemns modern superhero comics as not childish enough. And I think the latter point is fair but it's just the cyclical nature of the medium. In the late '80s comic books grew up and got all serious with Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and other works that deconstructed the genre. And the early '90s had an unrelated trend where heroes had to be all gritty and edgy, overly-muscular and toting tons of ammunition pouches and automatic weapons. But the genre swung back from the excesses to more optimistic and child-friendly versions. So maybe we're at a moment in history where superhero comics are a certain way. But it's just a trend that will change.
- vinceguidry 5y ago
  Hmm. I think the person I responded to had a pretty critical take on the author's essay, misrepresenting it as "golden values conservatism", when the author made very clear illustrations of what was better about the older CBs. It's not conservatism when the old stuff really was better. To your point about the comic book medium, I think it's worth separating the superhero concept from the format it was presented in. I don't think it would have been impossible to bring superheroes into the 80s and 90s, same as we had incorruptible heroes like Robocop. What makes them kid-friendly isn't the artistry or the goriness of the setting, as author pointed out, both Spider-Man and Batman were borne out of death, it's the undying nature of their commitment to fight evil. When you start messing with that you get outside of the capacity of a seven year-old to follow, relate with, and fall in love with it. Has nothing to do with cutesy graphics.
  - colechristensen 5y ago
    No my response was squarely towards the parent comment not the linked article.

Apocryphon 5y ago

Your points are true, but you're responding to a response to a comment condemning superhero comics as infantile, rather than a response to the OP, which condemns modern superhero comics as not childish enough. And I think the latter point is fair but it's just the cyclical nature of the medium. In the late '80s comic books grew up and got all serious with Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and other works that deconstructed the genre. And the early '90s had an unrelated trend where heroes had to be all gritty and edgy, overly-muscular and toting tons of ammunition pouches and automatic weapons. But the genre swung back from the excesses to more optimistic and child-friendly versions. So maybe we're at a moment in history where superhero comics are a certain way. But it's just a trend that will change.

vinceguidry 5y ago
Hmm. I think the person I responded to had a pretty critical take on the author's essay, misrepresenting it as "golden values conservatism", when the author made very clear illustrations of what was better about the older CBs. It's not conservatism when the old stuff really was better. To your point about the comic book medium, I think it's worth separating the superhero concept from the format it was presented in. I don't think it would have been impossible to bring superheroes into the 80s and 90s, same as we had incorruptible heroes like Robocop. What makes them kid-friendly isn't the artistry or the goriness of the setting, as author pointed out, both Spider-Man and Batman were borne out of death, it's the undying nature of their commitment to fight evil. When you start messing with that you get outside of the capacity of a seven year-old to follow, relate with, and fall in love with it. Has nothing to do with cutesy graphics.
- colechristensen 5y ago
  No my response was squarely towards the parent comment not the linked article.