Superhero Deconstructions · 8:30am Sep 9th, 2020
This might count as a minor rant, but I'll try to keep any heat from my tone, even if that tone is conveyed by words on a screen. Anyway!
Superhero deconstructions are very common. You can’t sneeze without coming across one. Hell, the Deconstruction article on TV Tropes uses a mock superhero as an example.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We do need to examine the tropes we work with to understand how they do or don’t work so we know how to better use them, depending on the story. But I am a little tired of deconstructions where the “heroes” are barely any better than the villains, just wearing brighter colors and sometimes doing good things.
To be clear, I have no issue with deconstruction of superheroes, just of how ridiculously abundant the idea is.
I would like to se a REconstruction of superheros. Maybe the fictional world DID go through a period of time where heroes were slaves to PR, being utter jackasses in their free time, carefully avoiding showing that side of themselves on camera, but then something changed.
People stopped liking them. People started stepping up and saying "these people are terrible".
Maybe actual decent people start popping up as heroes. Maybe start with tech based heroes a la Tony Stark, who, lacking genetic powers, are able to mimic them through tech, eventually working up to actual super powered beings.
Maybe for one without a blatant Superman expy. I get that it’s Superman, arguably the most recognizable superhero, and in some respects, the first “modern” superhero, but come on. The paper thing Superman expy has been done so many times. So, have the main guy be an expy of someone else, say, Goku, stray from the usual Marvel and DC expies, or even someone using well known powers in new and inventive ways for an original character.
Would certainly be a nice change of pace from constant doom and gloom.
Like Bakugo and Katara, or Alex Russo and Twilight Sparkle?
5351729
Pardon?
5351737
I have no real idea, but that’s My Hero Academia, The Last Airbender, Wizards of Waverly Place and My Little Pony. Decent combos though, I think.
I was dealing with Severe Nausea at the time, so I don’t even remember my logic or that I was typing
5351745
I fail to see how that has anything to do with what the blog post is about.
5351746
I do as well. I have no idea why I commented what I did. I don’t even remember typing it out.
I don't know how the hell I missed this!
But all the same, thank you for saying this. I've really, really grown sick and tired of the deconstructionist trend in our culture, especially towards superheroes as of late. (Especially when it's towards idiots and douchebags who confuse darkness and edgelord cynicism for actual insight, depth of character, or the like.)
Because, and it shames me to say this, doom and gloom is BORING. And more than that, it's self-defeating. Yes, everyone is flawed. Yes, there are bad people out there. But that's no reason to say that people cannot be good, or that they can do more good than bad.
5352821
I kinda want to see a Reconstruction of the superhero genre that DOES start as a deconstruction, but actually does examine the tropes present, not simply "doom and gloom". Yes, the protagonist does work with the government to some degree, but he's still a good person and while he understands that not everyone is, hence the need FOR superheroes, he's willing to give people a chance to be better. He is willing to take lives if there's no other option, but a random mugger is not the same as the fascist dictator of Insert Fictional Country Here.
5353256
I wouldn't mind that either. I was just kind of airing my frustrations with the "dark and gritty = deep deconstruction" tripe out there.
5353328
And I get that. I wonder, could it be possible to do a dark and gritty reconstruction? Like, the heroes are willing to kill, there are criminals, a lot of gothic atmosphere, but it does end well.
5353330
Now that there is an interesting question to ask. The short answer is "probably," but the long answer would involve a lot of careful thought and planning, and resisting temptation to go for shock value or other such pitfalls of dark and gritty.
5353334
Yep. Maybe with a Batman analogue?
5353335
Most likely Batman, Daredevil, or The Question (since he can be rather noir-ish or tough guy-ish, depending on the writer). There's probably a number of ways you could take the concept in - though since Batman is the most well-known and popular example of a dark and gritty hero, probably be best to work with something inspired by him as a starting point.
5353339
Yep. Hell, BTAS was plenty dark to the point where it was drawn on black paper and is usually dripping with gothic atmosphere, but it doesn't suck.
5353345
Exactly. That was a show that understood how to use its characters and setting, and make you the viewer invested in it, and not just go for the lazy or obvious route of a "dark and serious" Batman story.
5353347
Dark and serious can work, as can light and goofy. Often working best when juxtaposed. Hell, Joker is a prime example. Clowns are meant to fail for comedy, being almost childlike and innocent. Joker can be funny, but it's usually at someone's expense or pitch black comedy. But at the same time, you never forget that he's a Chaotic Evil psychopath who regularly abuses Harley, having gaslit her into becoming, well, Harley Quinn.
5353353
Agreed in full. The mix of tones - especially done right - makes for a far more memorable product than a constant parade of laughs or frights. I swear by this quote from Paul Dini in regard to BTAS, where he says something to the effect of, "Too often people either make the Joker a harmless clown, or a total raving psychotic madman, and either one to me just goes too far in one direction to be interesting. With our version of the character, I tried to strike a balance between the clown and the killer."
Really, with Hamill's Joker, he's such an interesting - and memorably frightening - character because he's so eager to ruin people's lives for the most petty and ridiculous of reasons. Look at episodes like "The Laughing Fish" or "Make 'Em Laugh". When you get past the absurdity of poisoning fish to claim a trademark on them, or brainwashing comedians to commit robberies, it's just an excuse to make others miserable for giggles.
Or again, anything to do with him and Harley Quinn.
5353359
And sometimes, he DOES choose to be a harmless clown, just because nobody would see it coming.
5353363
True enough. Hey, very first episode with the Joker in the DCAU, he goes to absurd lengths just to pie Batman in the face on Christmas Eve.
5353377
For no discernable reason other than to annoy Batman and to entertain himself. Then again, 90% of the time, Joker's motivation is "It Amused Me".
5353379
It really is. One of my favorite Joker quotes has to do with the Joker stressing the importance of It Amused Me.
I really wish that the comics would go back to that for the character and stop playing up his For the Evulz tendencies.
5353559
He doesn't just randomly kill people. He randomly kills people if and when it's FUNNY.
5353567
Otherwise, he's just your garden-variety homicidal maniac. And there's nothing funny, or just as importantly, unique, about that.
I remember this one Spider-Man/Batman crossover from the 90s. Carnage teams up with Joker on the assumption that they'll be best of buddies given their love of murder and mayhem. The alliance, initially an apparent match made in (uh, heaven? XD) swiftly falls apart in practice because Carnage just wants to chop and murder people at random, whereas the Joker wants a much more elaborate and theatrical approach.
5354071
The Joker is a showman. And when he tells a joke, it's usually very dark and it's the sort of joke you feel bad for finding funny.
5354073
Exactly. He's a born performer. It's just that his particular stage involves trafficking in the misery of others.
(There's a great bit in the Spider-Man crossover I mentioned where the Joker compares himself to Orson Welles, and then tells Carnage that he's David Hasselhoff in comparison. XD)
5354078
WOW, Joker. That’s HARSH. Not necessarily uncalled for, but jeez, man.
5354082
Yeah, as put-downs go... that's pretty damn hard to top.
5354086
But that further proves my point. The Joker doesn’t have to be cracking jokes all the time, he can be serious, he can get angry or decide to focus a bit more on the homicidal part of his homicidal clown image for a bit, maybe change up his style, experiment a bit, maybe screw with Batman's head a bit, but at the end of the day, he’s the JOKER. JOKE. He’s a clown, a comedian. If the Joker isn’t fun, he’s not the Joker. He's just a murderer with a gimmick.
5354088
Exactly. Varying things up is fine. Problems arise if you just focus on one aspect over everything else. Namely, again, the whole murder thing.
5354090
Precisely.