Saturday, January 17, 2009
Comic Art
SO BAD, THEY'RE GOOD
As we continue to examine the world of bad guys, we will turn our attentions this bi-week to Solomon Grundy. A character it is impossible to actually pin down. Grundy has been everything form a mindless hulk (yes, that does sound familiar, doesn't it?) to a criminal scheming mastermind. He is almost as old as comics, as you can see here his original appearance dates back to the Golden Age. He really cannot be killed - he's a reanimated corpse, so go figure - and he has shown up in more titles fighting more super-heros than almost any bad guy in the DC Universe.
Solomon Grundy may be one of the most "popular" recurring bad guys in comic history - certainly in the DC Universe. My question is - "Why?" There is no character there, no back story, at least not a stable one, and he has morphed into so many things so many times, that there really is no central core that defines Solomon Grundy. He is whatever the current creator wants him to be.
Which, frankly accounts for why he shows up so much - he is the perfect plot device for a heroic comic book. Comics in which Solomon Grundy appears are not about Solomon Grundy - they are about the hero. He is a foe with sufficient power levels to challenge any hero, even hero teams, stretching them, challenging them, basically giving a writer exactly what he needs to develop his heroic character(s) without actually getting the in the way an eclipsing the hero, ala Darth Vader.
Which raises an interesting question. If there is a Marvel analog to Grundy it would be The Hulk. The Hulk has been through more changes than a stripper. But the Hulk books remain quintessentially about Bruce Banner and his alter ego. There is, of course, that whole transformation hook thing that spells the big difference between the two characters, and explains why in the end, the Hulk must be a heroic figure, we like him too much.
But my real point is that comparing these two is an exercise in the writer's art. Grundy may be the perfect plot device in character form, all things the writer needs at anytime. The Hulk takes a very similar basic formula and makes it interesting enough to become a central character.
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Current event - for the record - there is no news here. Characters of this bent have existed before, though never as a title character, at least in the US. Heck there is a Doctor Who (in the current BBC series they are making the contention that he is a super-hero) spin-off show on BBC with gratuitously gay scenes in it. It's just Stan Lee trying to generate heat and sales. Best response? Don't buy.
As we continue to examine the world of bad guys, we will turn our attentions this bi-week to Solomon Grundy. A character it is impossible to actually pin down. Grundy has been everything form a mindless hulk (yes, that does sound familiar, doesn't it?) to a criminal scheming mastermind. He is almost as old as comics, as you can see here his original appearance dates back to the Golden Age. He really cannot be killed - he's a reanimated corpse, so go figure - and he has shown up in more titles fighting more super-heros than almost any bad guy in the DC Universe.
Solomon Grundy may be one of the most "popular" recurring bad guys in comic history - certainly in the DC Universe. My question is - "Why?" There is no character there, no back story, at least not a stable one, and he has morphed into so many things so many times, that there really is no central core that defines Solomon Grundy. He is whatever the current creator wants him to be.Which, frankly accounts for why he shows up so much - he is the perfect plot device for a heroic comic book. Comics in which Solomon Grundy appears are not about Solomon Grundy - they are about the hero. He is a foe with sufficient power levels to challenge any hero, even hero teams, stretching them, challenging them, basically giving a writer exactly what he needs to develop his heroic character(s) without actually getting the in the way an eclipsing the hero, ala Darth Vader.
Which raises an interesting question. If there is a Marvel analog to Grundy it would be The Hulk. The Hulk has been through more changes than a stripper. But the Hulk books remain quintessentially about Bruce Banner and his alter ego. There is, of course, that whole transformation hook thing that spells the big difference between the two characters, and explains why in the end, the Hulk must be a heroic figure, we like him too much.But my real point is that comparing these two is an exercise in the writer's art. Grundy may be the perfect plot device in character form, all things the writer needs at anytime. The Hulk takes a very similar basic formula and makes it interesting enough to become a central character.
Technorati Tags:comics, comic books, comic art, bad guys, solomon grundy
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Current event - for the record - there is no news here. Characters of this bent have existed before, though never as a title character, at least in the US. Heck there is a Doctor Who (in the current BBC series they are making the contention that he is a super-hero) spin-off show on BBC with gratuitously gay scenes in it. It's just Stan Lee trying to generate heat and sales. Best response? Don't buy.
