Sincerity

Recently in an interview with Rolling Stones, writer Grant Morrison said this, when asked if he thought Superhero comics were in it’s death spiral:

“Yeah. I kind of do, but again, you can always be wrong. There’s a real feeling of things just going off the rails, to be honest. Superhero comics. The concept is quite a ruthless concept, and it’s moved on, and it’s kind of abandoned, the first-stage rocket.”

Alright, this is there I get back up on my soapbox… Okay, Grant? The problem is not superheroes. The problem is stupid writing. I can’t sit here and say you suck, because you did write one of my favorite comics of all time, All-Star Superman… But you did also write Final Crisis, which was a turducken of a comic event if I ever saw one. Seriously, over two years of build up and crossovers, just to have Superman save the universe by singing a ‘super song’? Dude, that was the conclusion to the Smurfs Christmas special.) Sometimes, creators make crap. It happens. It’s okay, it’s not the end of the world. Did you know the guy who wrote ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ as well as ‘The Princess Bride’ is also the same writer who wrote that horrible movie ‘Dreamcatcher’? Not everything we crap out is gold. Sometimes we just fart and it’s unnoticeable. And sometimes, it’s a silent but deadly type, where we don’t notice it at first, but then it builds up like a plague. And sometimes, we hatch a Tyrannosaurus Shit that just needs to open the windows and air the whole place out before we die of methane poisoning. We ALL do it, and sometimes we’re ashamed of it… But you know, we’re not supposed to blame the toilet.

Almost every decade, someone ALWAYS talks about how superhero comics are dying. They don’t remember the late 70’s and early 80’s, which was worse. That’s like saying because album sales are down for record companies, therefore rock music is dying too. While I don’t deny there’s been a severe lack of decent rock bands lately, (Seriously… Chickenfoot?!) it doesn’t mean there’s not an interest. People still like superheroes, and always will.

Sometimes you want high quality. And sometimes you just want stupid but pretty. But above all else, you want SINCERITY. That’s what it’s all about. Do you ever wonder why a movie as bad as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did so well? Why people keep seeing the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, even though they’re just getting worse? Why people go see stupid Saw movies every Halloween, even though it’s the same damn plot?! The answer is easy. It’s sincere. They’re honest in their advertising. Nowhere in any advertising for the third Transformers movie were you even slightly lead to believe that the movie was going to be anything more than just mindless explosions and action. Not once in Thor or Captain America did the audience suspect it was going to be anything more than shield slinging and hammer smashing comic action. The Final Destination movies make a crapload of money for several movies, because it was just a mindless excuse to kill douchebags in horrible and ironic ways… And it has never pretended to be anything but that. And if it happened to be more than that, it was a happy surprise.

Hell, with comics, why does Rob Liefeld keep getting work? He draws like crap and he can’t write… But you know EXACTLY what you’re going to get in a Rob Liefeld book. If that’s what you’re wanting, you are not going to be disappointed! Even with the good stuff! Do you know why All-Star Superman was such a hit? It embraced the notion of the Silver Age of Superman, from wacky time traveling, to robot Supermen, to alien sun-eaters, to super formulas that grant powers for 24 hours… It was so honest about how silly and cool it was. It didn’t lie to us. And that’s it. That’s the secret.

BE HONEST.

Don’t say your comic is going to change the way people read books. Just tell them what it is. This was the reason people are upset about the loss of Batgirl… She was one of the few honest comic characters. Superheroes aren’t the problem. It’s trying to turn them into something OTHER than superheroes that’s the problem. And no amount of lying to yourself will change that. Think about it. Remember the second Fantastic Four movie, how people were pissed about Galactus the storm cloud?  Really, was the giant cloud any less silly than a giant dude in armor? Or the constant finagling over silly costumes and origins? Or the recent Superman movie pics, which carries over to the comics too. The big controversy is over the classic Superman‘s costume, because it was stupid and corny. Let me get this straight…

THIS is unacceptable and stupid for the average new audiences for Superman.

"Gawd, it's just soooo gay looking! Who can take THAT seriously?!"

THIS is cool and not stupid for the average new audiences for Superman.

"The lack of underwear now makes him less silly looking."

I believe we have found the problem. All these changes are just superficial changes made, to hopefully trick someone into thinking that a superhero story isn’t a superhero story. And THAT, my friends… Is not being sincere.