|
|
Who's Who In the SBCU Update 2003
In his dreams Alan
Donald is a multi-award winning writer of comic books,
animation, theme park shows and rides, children’s books,
novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan
writes this column, which has been described as more than a
lifestyle than a weekly column. He used to write SBC's All The
Rage.
PAST
ARTICLES
Alternative
Covers: Threat Or Menace Tuesday, November
11
How
To Break Into Comics Tuesday, November 4
What
Comic Book Taboos Are Left? Tuesday, October
28
Diamond
- Saviour or Satan? Tuesday, October 21
Does
Hollywood "Ruin" Comics? Tuesday, October
14
MORE |
|
|
New
Characters vs. Old Characters
By Alan Donald Print This Item
This week’s
question comes from Cody who thinks “the premise is pure
genius” behind the column. Cody got to thinking about this question
following the Panel’s question in regard to minority characters;
this got Cody thinking about the creation of new characters.
Particularly mentioned are War Machine and Quasar, comics which
apparently didn't last very long or sell very well. In any case the
question is:
“What is the hardest part about creating a
new character, and why is it that these new characters have such a
hard time sticking in universe's featuring older characters?”
Peter David: “Because
fans are simply not interested in putting long term personal
investment into characters who haven't been around for thirty-or-so
years. Fans look for reasons to buy titles featuring long-standing
characters; however they look for reasons to drop titles featuring
newly minted characters. It's not that they're doing it consciously,
but I believe they'll give MUCH shorter leash to characters they
don't know. They're much more interested in seeing new and different
twists on characters created prior to 1970 than characters of more
recent vintage.
Creating new characters is easy. The *only*
hard part is sustaining interest at a time when the natural tendency
for Americans is to have trouble focusing on anything for an
extended period of time.”
Devin Grayson: “Creating a
new character isn't difficult at all, it's a great joy. The
complication lies in the second part of your question; how do you
then integrate this new being into (if we're talking about
mainstream super hero comics) as great as sixty plus years of
continuity? There's often a natural resistance built in on the part
of the readership, who are waiting to see guest appearances by
familiar, beloved characters they've already invested in. As a
reader, I have no patience for "life-long best friends" suddenly
popping up out of nowhere to serve a story arc or brand new villains
that are granted knowledge and gravity they haven't earned. That
said, sometimes nothing is more exciting than an intriguing new
character. As with all things, a lot depends on how well and
respectfully the new character is developed. A brand new best friend
who gets kidnapped or killed is a throw away plot device, a lazy
attempt on the part of the creator to up the stakes for the hero.
But a carefully conceived supporting cast can be incredibly
rewarding -- look at Tim Drake, or the new Batgirl. They're so
integrated in Batman continuity now that it's sometimes difficult to
remember they haven't always been there. They developed naturally,
and were given time to carve out their own roles in the Batverse.
Technically, too, there's an exposure issue. A new character
has difficulty catching on if he or she isn't seen regularly, but
unless creative teams other than the one that invented him or her
are encouraged to and interested in using that character, the new
character's exposure is going to be limited. I sometimes feel
hesitant to use a character that I feel "belongs to" a colleague,
but in mainstream ventures, it might actually be better for the new
character if we did, in fact, all share.”
Terry Moore: “I'm
sitting in the bleachers on this one, but I have a theory that
classic hero characters rely on make-believe and modern characters
tend to be a bit more realistic. We just have to accept that while
Superman has the beef to beat up a train he can also defy gravity,
and not only defy gravity but actually propel himself somehow, from
hover to Mach 3 plus. And that while he's flying at Mach 3 his cape
doesn't strangle him from the torque of flapping at three times the
speed of sound. And that when he flies at mach 3, his hands aren't
3,000 degrees faranheit like the nose of a military Blackbird, and
they don't incinerate the falling Lois Lane that he catches as she
falls from the roof of the Daily Planet, and that she didn't have
the usual major cardiac event during the fall. Etc., etc. None of it
makes sense. Wolverine and SpiderMan looks positively common by
comparison. The modern Nightwing and Batgirl read like dark young
vigilantes until you put them with Superman or any of the other
cosmic-able heroes, then they just become sidekicks. Batman is just
Bandit to Superman's Johnny Quest, despite Frank Miller's special
gloves. I know, Batman's not a new character, but I couldn't pass
the chance to compare the Dark Dork to a dog. :)”
Alan
Grant: “The hardest part of creating a new character is coming
up with something which will endure over time. It's relatively easy
to create new characters for one-off stories, but ongoing characters
demand a level of complexity that's hard to achieve.
To a
certain extent, comic writers/artists fall into two groups: a small
number of those who create lasting characters, and a much larger
number of those who interpret characters created by someone else.
There's a large amount of overlap between the two camps, of course,
but generally speaking there's truth in the division. John Wagner
and Pat Mills, for instance, actively dislike writing characters
which they haven't created themselves. I'm the opposite--I find
character creation so difficult, I'd rather give my own take on
already-created characters.”
Mike Collins: “It's
the 'been there, done that' aspect of creating new characters.
Particularly if we're talking Super Hero universes. What new powers
can you give a hero, what unique character trait? Avenging dead
parents? Done that.
Serving your country by dressing up in
the flag and bashing the Bosche? Done that.
Feel the
overpowering need to channel your wealth into fighting crime, while
you recover from a defective heart? Done that. Gifted with powers
by radiation or an alien/magical/extra-dimensional entity? Done
that.
In the Marvel Universe, Stan and Jack, and Stan and
Steve created individual characters that gradually came to know each
other. It was a buzz when Thor flew by Spider-Man the first time...
it was exciting, fresh.
Now? You've got to imagine you'd bump
into one super hero or another standing in line to buy groceries in
Marvel NYC.
So what's the solution? You can tell fresh and
new stories, it's the trick of finding the angle to make it work.
Ironically, this very aspect of over familiarity is what helps drive
a book like Powers or Astro City that start from the premise that
heroes are everywhere, and takes a different look at living in such
a world.”
Alonzo Washington: “The
reason it is so hard to launch new comic book characters is because
the old ones have the media & major entertainment corporations
on lock. Meaning promotion, licensing, distribution, familiarity, TV
& movie deals all go to the comic books like Super Man, Bat Man,
The Hulk, Spider Man, etc. Hell, you could never read a comic book
or go to a comic book shop and you would still know these
characters. The new characters have to have something extra special
to get them attention and most of them don't. My 11 year old
character (Omega Man) gains a lot of mainstream attention because he
addresses a lot of controversial social issues. Moreover, it's a
Black comic book that produces high quality work. OMEGA MAN IS NOT
supposed TO EXIST! Therefore, he gains a lot of attention. New
characters & comic book publishers have face the Super Monopoly
that DC & Marvel has on the comic book world. They get all the
deals and they are everywhere. They don't want to see new characters
make it. So every time you pick up new comic books with new
characters hold on to it. It may not stay around. The mainstream
companies ever have problems launching new characters. Sure the
comic book geeks except new super heroes, but it take a lot of work
to get the mainstream to accept a new super hero. Most of them have
Super Man & the others on the brain. Look at how long it took
the X-MEN to make it to the mainstream. They came out in the 60's
and did not become mega popular until the 90's. It's not easy being
a super hero.”
Evil Rick Shea: It's all been done. Even though there
are some new and exciting ideas and executions lately, it's hard for
new characters to stick, because there is very little left to create
that doesn't bear at least some resemblance to all the great ideas
that have come before. Books like Y the Last Man, Fables or Empire
are all great twists on premises that we may have seen
before.
With rare exceptions, people want more of something
they're already aware of or used to, rather than trying something
new that may bore them to death. I think Jessica Jones from Alias is
the most interesting new Marvel character since Wolverine or
Punisher (their only two major icons not created in the sixties),
but we'll see if she stands the test of time.
Alan Donald: “Remember
this: SBC reserves the right to edit questions for reasons of
consistency and inclusivity.? It’s at the bottom of every issue
of The Panel and guess which idiot forgot about it when it
came to sending out this question. I haven’t created any new
characters for any comicbook company yet and I feel my answers would
be too fanboyish here so I’m afraid I have to bow out this week.”
Summary: Quite a range of thoughts and ideas this
week. One thing the Panel seems to agree on is that it is fairly
easy to come up with a new character but the hard part is keeping it
going. Or keeping any character going…
This Week’s Panel: Peter David (Captain Marvel), Devin
Grayson (Nightwing), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Alan Grant
(Batman, Judge Anderson), Mike Collins (bloody loads…just one? Ok,
Judge Dredd) and Alonzo Washington (OmegaMan), Evil Rick Shea (prop
Famous Faces & Funnies)
Next Week’s Question: “ Since Jewish people pretty
much created every superhero out there, how come there isn't a
single title that stars a Jewish superhero?”
Big Shout: The Panel need your questions so email them
into me at: [email protected]
Previous Questions: Check out the message board where
I’ve put up a list of every question the Panel has faced so far
(neatly linked to the column it appeared in) to inspire you and let
you know what to avoid.
SBC reserves the right to edit questions for reasons of
consistency and inclusivity.
Have the Panel
gotten it right? Have your say on the hot topics of the day at
the Panelology
message board.
news
| reviews
| interviews
| small
press | boards | advertise
| privacy
| contact | home |