Comic Books have given us deep intricate stories. From The Killing Joke to the Phoenix Saga, we have been given works of true talent. Sure, people think because there are pictures the stories couldn’t possibly be as rich as To Kill a Mockingbird or Huckleberry Finn. I refuse this though. There are many great lessons that comics have taught me over the years. Freedom, true freedom is worth the greatest sacrifice. Standing for ideals is necessary for the progress of humanity. Discrimination in any form is wrong. Isn’t the reason for any good story is to teach us truths of life? Comics present modern day parables with imagination and flare so that a reader who needs more than four basic variables can still find the story stimulating while sating that hunger for advanced comprehension. With all of that said, it has become apparent from the bastardization of comics from media that these stories and characters which so many have come to cherish over the years have been put through a meat grinder to turn them into the same regurgitated garbage that Hollywood loves to feed the masses with to promote the goals of shallow capitalism.
There is a formula that started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show was a huge success and that was because we hadn’t seen anything like it up until its release. Since then, everything we have seen have been like it. Smallville, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Arrow, The Flash, Ironman, Captain America and Thor are just a few examples. How do they fit into the Buffy mold? The exact same way every Adam Sandler movie, aside from Punch Drunk Love, does. The protagonist is quirky and can’t really succeed without “a little help” from their friends. Secondly, there has to be a love interest . Now for most of the story the protagonist goes through the struggles because they haven’t turned to their friends who make the solution simple in the end. In fact, in most cases if they would have just taken their friend or lover with them into the trial then the story would have been successful from the beginning.
This mechanism actually perpetuates a social norm in believing that an individual can’t change anything by acting alone and must rally support to make a difference. It also supports the idea that the individual is valueless unless they have this large group of friends and a lover, and that is the singular way to achieve anything (being liked). It is much like the initial statement but there are some key differences. This wouldn’t be terrible if it media wasn’t saturated with this concept. Individuality and creativity are the essential building blocks to true innovation. These stories completely deny such a narrative of doing the unpopular even if it’s correct because the individual believes it is correct.
So why? Why are the stories which complex minds enjoy compressed into this horrible format? Why is everything so stale? The reason is to manifest a desire; a desire for friends and sex (AKA: to be liked.) This originally, was of little importance to the geek world. They were an untapped market. In addition, comics were losing readers as they got older. The variables had to also become relatable to a wider range of people who couldn’t grasp the original depths of these stories. I had always asked myself why the most interesting shows were cancelled. It dawned on me that what I enjoyed about those shows the most was the complexity of the science involved, even if it was fiction. It challenged me to think in deeper terms and that for most people isn’t as attractive. Geeks and Nerds have a desire to be challenged and if learning anything new is involved we are much more inclined to enjoy it. We want to look outside the box of the conventional.
So people are unclear as to why we complain so much about the media surrounding our favorite titles. This is why. We know the intensity and depth of the stories involved and we pray to Thor and Diana each time that the studios will be able to sate our appetite. It’s also extremely insulting when the characters are so far removed from the source material that they aren’t even recognizable. While most people have their indulgences, geeks and nerds are very particular about them. We have waited for what has seemed like an eternity for a cinematic translation of our literary loves and nothing pisses us off more when they are not treated with the same respect as any other literature.
To address what I said in the beginning about the Buffy formula. This is how it applies to some of the titles I mentioned. Let me take the time to say those where just a FEW examples and others apply too. Take Arrow for example, Ollie has this support team that has no basis in the comic counterpart and it’s overly inundated with sexuality. Ollie would be completely lost without his team and anytime he does anything without his team he gets himself into trouble. The exact same thing is true with The Flash. Now look at Captain America. He has the support of the Howling Commandos and Agent Carter, or he has the help of Nick Fury, Black Widow and Falcon. There is no solo play for Cap. The one thing about it though Cap has strayed away from being overly sexual. Even Thor, the loner of the Avengers, NEEDS Jane and her crappy group of bumbling scientists.
Another aspect of all this that I just briefly touch upon is the campy, tongue in cheek humor. It’s awful and often distracting from the story but it is ALWAYS a part of it. I don’t remember an iteration of Tony Stark, in the comics, that was such a goofy idiot as he is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. With all this said, it is really my own observations and has been on my mind for some time. There seems to be a disconnect here between people who want to be entertained and those who want to be stimulated. I was offering this up so that perhaps I could generate some understanding of us who are overly critical of the movies and shows that portray our favorite characters. Hope this is gives some insight. Thanks for reading.