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« on: 30 July, 2016, 03:12:28 PM »
Over the last 18 months i've seen a steady but very noticeable change in my comic reading taste, namely the addition of 'cape comics', which i'd so derided for years before. Maybe it was a cultural distance but I could never get into the Marvel or DC mainstays, and that partially still hold true, however i've found myself accumulating a steady stream of favorable indi and mainstream superhero books...well, 'cape comics' anyway.
And by this I mean, with the restraints of corporate attitudes to 'good and bad' lifted, creator owned cape comics have been able to elevate somewhat beyond what the 'superhero' genre is often perceived as and has brought into the question what defines a superhero comic. Brightly colored and/or intricate costumes? A force for good? A rogues gallery? With each new book I read by an indi writer the more these old hat definitions loose their meaning. Look at Nexus, for example, and Colin made a great point by PM, because despite owning higher powers, it is in fact Horatio who is the 'hero' in this book, whilst the Nexus mantel has been held by several individuals of varying morality (bear in mind I have not read Next Nexus yet), meaning that Nexus can not by all accounts be considered a superhero comic. Contrast that to Zenith, that by all accounts IS a superhero comic, with a superhero protagonist...but is it/he? Zenith is merely a pop brat lucky enough to be born into stardom, lived long enough to let his powers garner him further fame and then squander them on a petty and short lived idol career. He's no 'hero' despite his super powers.
Flipping back into one of the more groundbreaking mainstream titles, Suicide Squad, often labeled as a 'superhero comic' posses among it's ranks very few truly outstanding bastions of justice (Bronze Tiger and Nightshade get a free pass) and instead is populated by super powered amoral monsters, yet combined they've saved the world more times than Batman. So, heroes after all? This can be further extended to Grendel (specifically Hunter Rose), who fights against a drab, oppressive society by living within his own rules, a figure head for rebellion not dissimilar to V, despite being something of a ruthless killer and veritable anti-hero in his own way he's a pioneer to the world he lives in, and their can be no better description to this kind of person than that of a 'hero'...Grendels kind of an interesting case now that I think about it.
Then their are further, increasingly bizarre additions to the genre. Flaming Carrot, for all his insanity and seeming ability to defy definition is most certainly a superhero in both character and comic. The Maxx initially appears to be sold as a superhero book but quickly morphs into something completely different. Then there's poor Concrete, trapped in a world unkind to his skill set, what is he...a superhero or something else all together?
I guess what I was trying to say with all this rambling is, what is a 'superhero', and what defines who is and isn't a member of that Superman led group of icons in a genre encompassing an increasingly varied list of titles and attitudes to the genre.