Its always been about waking the people up. First it was showing the people an ideal version of themselves. Then it was about showing the people a version of themselves who had quibbles but never gave up. Then it was about showing the people the kinds of monster people can become when their moral character was neglected. Now? Its about showing the people they’re seen. Showing them we understand each other and can have solidarity.
Comics aren’t just woke. They haven’t just always been woke. They’re an alarm clock ticking down to our collective awakening
I knew exactly what video that would link to before I clicked. Great video, glad to see someone else reference it.
Certain people are inherently superior to the common masses, who are powerless before the conflicts between these great men.
woke
Supervillains consider themselves to be superior to the common masses. Superheroes don’t see it that way. They see their power as a tool to help those who weren’t as lucky as them. The superpower lottery is a vehicle to tell the story. The moral is about how those powers are used.
I’m actually not making a comment about how the characters in the work view themselves at all. The entire premise of the genre is the “Great Man” view of history. That certain people, through ability or ambition, stand above others and define society by their actions. The difference between superheroes and villians isn’t self-image (which is frankly irrelevant) but that villians want to use their “greatness” to change things, while heroes want to maintain them.
In history, sure, the idea deserves criticism. But in fiction this archetype is called a protagonist and its very different to tell a story without at least one. Is Sherlock Holmes an example of Great Man theory? Most people are not as gifted as he is. What about Robin Hood? I’d argue that these characters share a lot of traits with Batman and Green Arrow respectively, so why is one ok but not the other?
As for the status quo thing, I honestly don’t know what to do about that from a storytelling perspective. “Guy who shoots lasers decides to enact social reform” is an odd pitch.
I mean Nietzsche was kind of woke. Fuckin, there is an argument to be had that slave morality is what we’d calll wokeness today. The whole Ubermensch thing just kind of feeds in to that.
Henlo yes where can I find a picture of this lovely floppa
