Identity Crisis

[42]

So has anyone on the board been reading this series?

It's getting press.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/09/11/superhero.suffering.ap/index.html

[Archon]

     That looks like a really cool idea, to me at least. One of the big reasons that I like Batman over Superman is that the conflicts werent all external, Batman had a sinister side that surfaced from time to time. He wasnt that perfect, immortal hero that Superman was and that made it much more interesting to me. I think this is along those same lines.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I have to say that's a very superficial reading of Superman, Archon. After all, Batman has never killed anyone. Superman has, on purpose. Three of them, to be exact.

[Archon]

     Ok well I am not nearly as far into comics as it seems like some of you are, so I have a couple questions. How did he kill them? Why did he kill them? And how much did it affect him internally?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

He thinks about it all the time. The simplest way to put it is you know the plot of Superman II? That was based on a story from the comics. Except the three bad guys were from an alternate dimension Krypton. Supes killed them because he didn't think he could contain them any other way. It comes up all the time.

the only way you CAN write a superman story worth reading is to make it pscyhological. There's no external challenge he can't just walk through. This is not to say that Batman is NOT full of internal conflict. There's boatloads of that. I"m just saying that Superman has more than you think, so you obviously haven't read much.

[Archon]

    I just like the character that Batman has though, the whole thing is dark and gothic. Batman himself is constantly torn up by his parents death, the cause of his eventual heroism. He faces villains like Scarecrow who prey on his psyche and that is really cool. His opponents dont just make it easy to find them either. They have plans that are a little less straight forward than going into the middle of the city and starting to tear it apart until someone gives them what they want. Additionally, he is a regular person. That is one of the things that makes me like him so much. Superman can toss cars around, Batman actually has to outsmart his enemies to defeat them. But the main point is that I think Batman has much more eating at him than Superman does.

[GorgonlaVacaTremendo]

Well, this argument is really unimportant, since we all know that marvel kicks DC's butt any day of the week.  I mean, arguing about which DC character is the lesser of two evils is about as important as deciding if brocolli or asparagus is better, it's just not that important.  And for the record, Green Lantern is the best DC hero.

[Archon]

Well granted that Lantern has a really cool power, and I like him as a hero, but still not as much as Batman.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

for the most part, marvel's writing really sucks. whenever they try to do a graphic novel with differen tart, the art ends up sucking as well. DC's just a better company.

[GorgonlaVacaTremendo]

Okay, maybe graphic novels, I never got into American hero graphic novels, so I wouldn't know.  But character design by marvel is infinately better in my opinion.

[Fellfrosch]

DC created Superman and Batman, almost inarguably the two most well-loved superheroes of all time (Spider-man is the third in the trinity, though where he sits depends on who you talk to), but since then Marvel has eclipsed them in terms of cool, likeable characters that people identify with. In my opinion. I consider that DC has much better writing, and a greater willingness to push the envelope of comics as art, but I don't think that people connect to the characters as well as to Marvel. I don't know why this is, but that is what I have observed in myself and the majority of people I talk to.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I would say that's a fair assessment. I think it's because Marvel's characters are more human. Even their "invincible" characters aren't so far gone. With a few exceptions. And they're all tormented (again with a few exceptions).

[Slant]

A few notes:

Superman (and Lois) off the three evil Kryptonians in Superman II, NOT III.  

And when Batman first appeared, not only did he kill off baddies (like the pulp heroes he was modeled on) but he routinely packed a gun.  It took years of character  development for Batman to become the Dark Knight we know today.

So, can we PLEASE deal with the topic of this thread?   How does everybody like Identity Crisis?  Who do you think the killer is?  I have my own theory.

[Entsuropi]

Uhm... SE actually said Superman II. And he has not edited his post or anything.

[Fellfrosch]

I'd love to discuss it, but I haven't read any of it.