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Topic: Ten Reasons You Shouldn’t Be WRITING Superheroes (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:34am | IP Logged | 1  

(1) You come from screen writing, and think writing comics is just the same.

(2) You think the civilian guise is much more interesting than the superhero.

(3) You think having superheroes say "fuck" is "sophisticated".

(4) You think being assigned to a long established title is an automatic mandate to blow everything up and start over.

(5) You think the characters should serve your stories, not the other way 'round.

(6) You think Batman is "crazy".

(7) You think Superman is a "boy scout".

(8) You use the characters and stories as therapy.

(9) You pepper your stories with "jokes" (usually at the expense of the characters) to amuse your fanboy friends.

(10) You've "always" thought superheroes were stupid (and have often said so), but they sell better than your own comics, so you're in it for the money.

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Jeff Patterson
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:44am | IP Logged | 2  

One cannot emphasize reason # 2 enough!

This recent trope is much like a lot of recent TV science fiction which is labelled as "superior" or "thinking persons" Sf because it deals with "what it means to be human." I, for one, have well over 40 years experience at being human, and I think I've got a pretty good handle on what it's about.

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Juan Jose Colin Arciniega
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:48am | IP Logged | 3  

Mr. Byrne...with that list you can exclude almost all the "new comic writers" in the medium!!!
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John Byrne
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:49am | IP Logged | 4  

I know, Juan! Believe me, I know!
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Joe Zhang
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:52am | IP Logged | 5  

This thread will sure get the fanboys out of the woodwork. 
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Kevin Brown
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 8:58am | IP Logged | 6  

Re:  #2.

Personally, I don't think Clark Kent is much more interesting, but I do believe he's AS interesting....  There needs to be a balance.

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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:03am | IP Logged | 7  

Clark should definitely be interesting in his own right, but if he is even as interesting as Superman, something is amiss. A Superman story should be read with anticipation of the moment Clark transforms into his super powered alter ego, not with any chance a reader might think "Gee -- do we have to go to Superman now? I was enjoying what Clark was doing!"
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Rob Hewitt
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:06am | IP Logged | 8  

I agree with all you've written-makes sense.

Probably the only character who is as interesting to me in and out of costume is Peter Parker/Spider-man.

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Jacob P Secrest
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:07am | IP Logged | 9  

I've had that happen, that was with the old Daredevil comics, don't get
me, Daredevil was interesting (in fact he's always been one of my favorite
characters, and I mean from the beginning, not just post Miller*), but the
melodrama was just very engrossing, which is why Stan is, has always
been, and will always be "the Man".

*By which I mean I am a fan of DD prior to Miller, not that I was a fan of
DD prior to Miller, I wasn't even born!
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Robert Last
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:08am | IP Logged | 10  

I don't see anything to disagree with on that list. All good points.
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Eric Doyle
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:24am | IP Logged | 11  

It's a shame that this list exists, many years ago I don't think any would be true.  Now it's all too common.  Great points.

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Matthew Hansel
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Posted: 12 April 2006 at 9:31am | IP Logged | 12  

I can safely say that I can write superhero comics!

MPH

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