Independence Day
This is just a quick post to scratch and itch I have been having.
When I was a little boy, I would crawl blurry eyed out of bed before the crack of dawn to watch repeats of very old Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor cartoons, follow by the slightly less old Spiderman cartoons.
They weren’t old to me, I had never seen ‘em before, and I ate it up …along with my giant bowl of Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms. Something about the basic ideas resonated with me back then, and they still do.
Time passes, the world changes and we grow up. But the basic truths of right and wrong are still there, even if obscured by hallow facades and beset by lawyerly arguments and rationals. I blame MTV, but that’s another blog altogether.
I have had the good fortune and privilege of knowing a few real superheros in my time, those at the point of the spear. In the face of all their own bewildering contradictions and those of this screwed up world we all live in, underneath, they look a whole lot like those brightly colored heroes that inspired my summer days.
Which leads me in a serquitous way to an interview with Frank Miller on maxim.com that can be found here. “10 Rules For Being a Superhero”.
Obligatory pic - this is a very old marker sketch I did on piece of poster board. It’s based on cover design from an old comic book.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Ahhh so much to say!!
First of all you are a heretic: DC rules! And I dont tell you that from teenager blind fanatism, bt from my little 6-years-old-myself who loves Superman. As I grew up loved Batman. As I grew up more loved SinCity, but thats another story.
And about the Awesome old bastard Frank Miller… I use to leve him too. That until recent years when he becames a stereotypical capitalist. Maybe he always was like that, but I dont think so.
The interview that you just pointed is the perfect example of the cheap material this guy is spitting lately. Is a cheap, cheesy, stereotyped version of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces
My first shock was not time ago, reading in a interview about a recent Batman saga that he wrote: “-Basically Batman kicks AlQuaeda Ass”. I coudnt believe what I read, Im still in denial. This is not the guy ho wrote Dark Night, Year One, Elektra Lives, Sin City, 300…!!
My inner teenager pray for a scenario where Frank just ran out of money and is contracted by people to say things he dont believe.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Note: reading the Maxim story again, I have to admit the main responsability for the this specific bullshit story is the Maxim’s journalist.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Yup, I have learned to read between the lines, having seen how press “translate” spoken word into print.
I never met Frank, have worked or been at a Con or two that he was at, but never had the opportunity to talk with him, so I can’t speak to his motivations.
I do agree with the general assessment of the “10 rules” in the article. They don’t fit my childhood ideals (I also grew up on the old George Reeves Superman series, and even the campy Batman series), but they are pretty close to the ones I can relate to these days.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I’ll give the story another shot later today. Maybe my Sith anger is depriving me from seeing the good things. Sorry for the sudden rant, btw.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Don’t sweat it, rants are fine and the article is incidental, I just like the 10 rules mostly.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Great article, good rules to live by, makes it a life worth living.