This is my 299th blog, which means two things: 1) Holy shit, I’ve written 299 blogs and 2) the next blog will be #300. That’s a pretty big milestone and one we cannot ignore. A while back, maybe a few weeks or months after uploading blog #100, which if you recall was a rant/review of Spider-Man: One More Day, I was trying to figure out comics that I’d want to review for future big milestones. I decided Spider-Man: One Moment in Time would be appropriate for the 200th blog but there was a comic that I really wanted to review but that I felt deserved an equal amount of attention as those two heinously terrible Spider-Man stories. Then I remembered Civil War, a major crossover for Marvel Comics in 2006. What’s so important about Civil War? So important that I would sit on reviewing it for years? Well it was a major game changer for Marvel Comics that set a particularly dubious status quo for Marvel both in narrative and the way they conducted business. The effects of this book, as far as the storyline went, lasted for the rest of the decade up until 2010’s Heroic Age. In my opinion Civil War is likely the most important storyline from Marvel Comics during the 2000s (House of M would be the other logical choice). So next time I’ll be reviewing the main Civil War book, which was seven issues. However today I’d like to talk about important points that lead up to this crossover so that we are all on the same page when I review it, much like I did with One More Day and X-Men Schism. More useless information after the jump.
This is the same company that put out The Powerpuff Girls.
...the f**k happened?
Now that we’ve reach Beta is Dead’s Fourth Anniversary I think it’s time for a rant. Now normally I would write a comic book rant, probably something about Stephanie Brown or something like that, but instead I think I’ll talk about cartoons. And gender. There’s been a pretty big controversy going around the internet since late November that I’ve been aching to comment on but just haven’t had the time. Well the time is now. If you are unfamiliar with who Paul Dini is (shame on you, by the way) he is the co-creator along with Bruce Timm, of Batman: The Animated Series which is still today considered by a great many people to be the best cartoon ever made. Understand that Dini is a pretty big deal when it comes to children’s television. So anyway a while ago Dini appeared on film director/giant nerd Kevin Smith’s podcast “Fatman on Batman” to talk about Batman. Somewhere during the two part interview Smith goes on a rant about how much he loves the new cartoon Beware the Batman, which Dini has nothing to do with but Smith points out that when the show gets going it’s the only Batman show to match the level of depth of BM:TAS. Then Dini destroys Smith’s life by informing him that Cartoon Network had removed it from the schedule and would probably end up canceling it if it hasn’t been canceled already. And indeed the show was put on hiatus back in October and as of this writing it has yet to have a solid return date (they said January but January is almost over) and have offered up no explanation. But Dini has an idea of what the problem is. Now you can listen to the podcast yourself here (this stuff starts around 38 to 41 minutes in) but I will summarize: companies like Cartoon Network cancel or otherwise don’t renew deep, arc driven shows like Beware the Batman because they attract the wrong demographic; families and girls. But they only want certain shows to be watched by young boys. Let me repeat his: Cartoon Network has possibly self-sabotaged and canceled their shows because they attracted too large of a female audience. That is one of the most f**ked up things I’ve ever heard. More ranting, swearing, and screaming after the jump.
This is blog entry #250 for Beta is Dead. Now I honestly don’t think that 250 is a milestone to throw a party over but I still decided to do something a little more personal and a little bigger than my usual entries. Over the years I’ve take a lot of pit shots at what is known as The Dark Age of Comic Books, or to more specific the 90s. This is also referred to as TheIron Age of Comic Books by people who remember this period a little more fondly than I do. Anyway I’ve decided that, if I’m going to crack the jokes, I should explain why I have a problem with this particular era of comics.
For more info on the other Ages of Comics click here.
We should probably start by talking about the era itself. The range of this period is heavily contested however most would agree it began in 1986. This as the year that two masterpieces came out: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. Both were dark, gritty deconstruction of the classic (i.e. “campy”, “corny”) idea of what it is to be a superhero. They were also both really good, especially Watchmen which is a contender for the greatest superhero story ever told. This was also the year that DC Comic’s mega crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, another beloved classic, was released. The series rebooted the entire DC Universe, cut all ties to the Silver Age and Golden Age and, while not starting from scratch, was supposed to be a more modern interpretation of their world. This was really what this era was shooting for in the following years: a fond farewell to the days where comics were for kids and embrace a more mature, more complex and above all edgier style.
Yeah, that sounds good on paper.
The end of this era is probably the most debated of any other era in comic books. For one many, many people firmly believe that the Dark Age never ended and we’re still there today. However others believe that it ended between 1995 and 1996 as those years saw the debut of Astro City, which was a reconstruction of the good aspects of superhero comics from the Silver Age, and Kingdom Come, which was itself a deconstruction of the Dark Age and the antiheroes that populated it. 1996 was also the year of the Comic Book Crash, which we’ll talk about today. Still others point at 2000, the debut of Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel Comics’ “Ultimate” line. Either way the idea is that by the late 90s the industry had gotten tired of the antiheroes and the dark and grittiness of the times and were moving back towards a more lighthearted vision of what it means to be a superhero.
So now that we know the "when" we should look at the “why”.
Beta is Dead is now three years old and to celebrate I thought I’d revisit an older topic. Recently one of my old articles was floating around tumblr and brought some eyeballs over to the blog. It’s certainly a hot topic and still pretty relevant even today but sadly it’s outdated. Similar its sister article, which isn’t as popular but still just as relevant I’d say, is also out of date due to the events of the past two years. So I figured now would be a pretty good time to pick up where I left off with two of my favorite superheroes, and former Batgirls, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown. Now I feel I covered the details of who these two characters are very well in past articles (here and here) so if you don’t know who they are you can check those out. However if you’re too goddamn lazy here’s the short version of what I previously wrote: 1) Cassandra Cain, daughter of the amoral Lady Shiva, was a martial arts prodigy who was literally bred and raised to serve as the ultimate assassin and bodyguard for Ra’s Al Ghul by the League of Assassins. She rejected this and eventually joined Batman as the new Batgirl. After years of serving the role DC Comics decided to try turning her into a villain, becoming a murdering despot despite being totally against her character, but it backfired and resulted with a public backlash before turning her back to normal. Soon after this she abruptly quit being Batgirl, leaving the mantle in the hands of… 2) Stephanie Brown became the vigilante known as The Spoiler in order to rebel against her super villain father the Cluemaster. She became a frequent ally of Robin (Tim Drake) before a series a events led her to replacing him as Batman’s partner…only to quickly be fired from the role. DC then killed her off in a particularly controversial (and brutal) way while also denying that she was ever truly Robin. After a few years she was retconned back to life and soon afterwards took up the mantle of Batgirl from her friend Cassandra. Today I’d like to catch up with both characters and see where they are now and what can be done for them in the future. If you regularly read this blog you likely already know what became of them during The Great DC Reboot of 2011 and you may also know what I’m going to say. Everyone else may want to prepare themselves for good old fashion nerd rage.
George looks a little under dressed for the occasion
And we're back. Today we'll continue talking about Disney buying Star Wars but things won't be so positive. just because there are good things to come out of it doesn't mean there aren't things that might be cause for concern. Of course it's important to note that it's not all bad no matter what I might be ranting about here. Remember to check out Part One of this blog to reassure yourself that I'm not just being a Negative Nancy. The Cons after the jump.
I started writing this a long time ago but I was distracted by that whole “NaNoWriMo” thing. So technically I’m a little late to the party on this one. Take in mind that I wrote this originally when the new first broke weeks ago.
Honestly I'm mainly upset by Darth Goofy's lack of pants
I assume most of you have heard this but for those of you who somehow managed to successfully be a hermit Disney announced that they had bought Lucasfilms. This includes all smaller companies under the Lucasfilm umbrella, including Lucasarts, Industrial Light Magic, Skywalker Sound and, of course, the entire Star Wars brand. Everything related to the franchise (books, video games, etc.) now are part of the Disney machine and George Lucas no longer has a say in the franchise he created and built his life around. It was sold for $4.5 billion, which I think feels a little low for Star Wars, and it was immediately announced that production of Star Wars: Episode VII had begun with a release date of summer 2015. This may be the biggest nerd oriented news in at least ten years. This is the exact type of news where many nerds go insane over with declarations of “EVERYTHING IS RUINED”. It’s very similar to when Marvel Comics was bought by Disney a few years ago in terms of potential rage, but on a grander scale. And yeah, I too can’t help but raise an eyebrow over this whole mess but I think we need to all step back, breathe, and consider the pros and cons of the situation. Now you might be saying “Beta, didn’t you wash your hands of Star Wars a while ago? Didn’t you basically write a whole blog about it?” And I’d reply “Shut up, asshole.” And afterwards I’d explain that despite some loss of faith Star Wars was still a huge part of my life since I was a baby up until about 1999 and even since then I still maintain a great admiration of the world building that goes into it. I feel that I, like so many other folk to there, have a stake in this development. Let’s weigh the “Good” and the “Bad” after the jump, shall we?
What? A picture of Gwen Stacy alive and without Spider-Man?
What madness is this?!
I imagine that by now most of you have seen The Amazing Spider-Man (at least if you cared about seeing it). The film has gotten mixed reviews but one thing I think we can all agree on is that Emma Stone was a great female lead in the film, especially compared to Kirsten Dunst in the original Spider-Man trilogy. If you’re not a big comic book fan it’s possible that you were surprised by the fact that Peter Parker was eyeing a blonde girl named Gwen Stacy rather than Mary Jane Watson (even Stone admitted she had no idea who the character was before she took the role). Gwen doesn’t show up in adaptations too often, for actually pretty dumb reasons, but the last few years she’s been appearing a bit more. The Spectacular Spider-Man (the TV show) featured her as a main character and I believe is the first cartoon to do that (the only one time I recall ever seeing her was in one episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series and she was way out of character).
Here’s my point: I was so impressed with Emma Stone’s performance (and the pretty darn good characterization) that I started thinking; why is Gwen Stacy not in the comics today. Well short answer is that she’s dead. She died in 1973 after being killed by Spidey’s archenemy the Green Goblin. The death has stuck all this time, nearly forty years; she’s been dead longer than Marvel’s target audience has been alive. Today I want to talk about Gwen, about her character, about why creators are hesitant to use her and whether or not it’s finally time to bring her back into the fold.
Before we get to the good stuff I want to make it clear that I’m still a fan of the Peter/MJ relationship and am far more interested in seeing that restored than anything to do with Gwen. I didn’t grow up with Spider-Man dating Gwen; I grew up with Spider-Man married to Mary Jane. This is just 1) a hypothetical situation that doesn’t mean anything and 2) even if it’s a possibility with the Spider-Marriage looking to be gone for good it would be a bit close minded of me to not revisit this character.
Yes, this is exactly the type of thing you want on your planet
So sometime in the next few days I’ll review the first issue of Avengers vs. X-Men which is Marvel Comics’ latest big crossover. Originally I was going to write today about the events leading up to this book like I did with X-Men: Schism but truth be told I’ve haven’t really been keeping up with Marvel lately and I don’t really know the details well enough to write a whole essay about it. Basically this comic is exactly what its title says: a conflict between Marvel’s two premier superhero teams. Avengers: X-Sanction (Wherein former X-Man Cable turned out to be more alive than we thought and tries to kill the shit out of the Avengers) was something of a lead-in to this series but aside from that I really don’t have the chops to rant about what lead to all this.
Instead I figured I talk about the main source of conflict into his comic. Marvel has stated the series will focus on the return of the Phoenix Force as it comes to Earth to claim Hope Summers as its new host. Now the Avengers think that this is a bad idea because the Phoenix has a history of being pretty goddamn genocidal while the X-Men welcome its arrival and are trying to train Hope for her new role. It’s occurred to me though that the entity of the Phoenix has a long and convoluted history and that anyone reading my review that don’t have any idea what the hell it is. And really, after doing a little research on the subject, f**k the Phoenix!
Oh no! I suddenly can't relate to Spider-Man anymore!
Everyone knows young people NEVER get married!!!!
Last time we talked about Superhero Marriage and I plan on continuing that today. It was going to be one long blog but the length was getting out of control, thus the need for breaking it up. If haven’t checked it out yesterday’s post d so by clicking here. So far we’ve discussed the relationships that ended for one reason or another but for this blog we’ll look into those that have managed to last.
I deeply apologize for the lack of updates in November. I kind of let things get away from me there. Long story short I was participating in (And failing at) National Novel Writing Month and whatever writing I did last month I did for that. Then I was kind of burnt out from writing. Also I got a writing job for Kzoo Music Scene and I have been a bit busy with that as well (But I’ll properly plug that later this week). Then again I didn’t get any comments or e-mails asking about where I was so I’ll go ahead and assume you guys weren’t all that worried.
Anywho if you have in fact been eagerly anticipating the 150th blog of Beta is Dead your dreams have finally come true. Today, as with pretty much all the major and minor milestones I celebrate here, we’ll be talking about comic books; especially the topic of Superhero Marriages.
How long before DC tries to have another "Wedding of the Century" stunt?
If you read my 100th (And 99th) blog you’ll recall that I was particularly bothered by Marvel Comics' decision to retcon the marriage of Spider-Man and his long, long time love interest Mary Jane Watson. While I had several reasons for my distaste one of the bigger cons I had for it was the reasoning behind why it needed to be erased in the first place. Now at the time I didn't think too much of it, aside for my overall disapproval towards Spider-Man comics that continues to this day, but recently I've started wondering if comic book creators have something against their characters being married. Now superheroes have be through divorces in the past and certainly wives and husbands have died off before as well but in one of the more frustrating aspects of the DCnU reboot this past fall has been that DC Comics have removed several established marriages in the hero community. This was no doubt an attempt, or maybe even simply a “side effect”, on their part to re-establish their characters as being younger (And probably “hipper” since as we learned from Spider-Man no superhero can be “cool” and “married”, yuck-yuck-yuck). So the current FlashThe False, well established grandfather Barry Allen, is no longer married to Iris West (Whom he married decades ago), Superman and Lois Lane have reverted back to the Silver Age of Comics where she somehow had been too stupid to figure out that guy she knows in the glasses is also the Man in Steel, and Wally West (The One True Flash) and Linda Park…well I’m not even sure Wally still exists in this new continuity, let alone his two children who have surely been erased.
This has made me think: traditionally how have superhero comics (Particular Marvel and DC since they both seem to be tied to traditional much more than small imprints like, say, Image Comics) treated holy matrimony and do writers seem to actively prefer single heroes. I don’t have the answer to that. But I thought I would talk about superhero marriages in general.
The sanctity of marriage is challenged after the jump.
The DCnU does its best to remind you that Aquaman is awesome
We were solidly in Month Two of the Great DC Reboot of 2011. When I first herd about this big company spanning relaunch I was upset and extremely skeptical, but now after having read a number of the new titles…well, I’m still upset. Yes I admit that I have read some good comics and I know that there are several comics I didn’t read that have been critical successes as well. However I still feel like there are a lot of problems with this whole stunt, and it is a stunt. As of right now I’m sure DC Comics doesn’t care too much about whatever is being said in general (Like, if DC were to read this bog they probably wouldn’t take it any mind) because the bottom line is they killed in sales in the month of September. Of the top twenty spots seventeen were DCnU books, including all of the top five. Compare this to Augusts’ sales where things were much more evenly distributed (But Justice League #1 was still the top seller). Even if a million people went on the internet to declare their hatred of the comics good sales would keep DC motivated to make more of the same. They’re a business and that’s what businesses do. Even so these numbers are still in the short term. Before the new comics came out none of us really knew which ones would be good and which ones would be crap so I imagine most of us just bought what looked good and seemed to gel with our sensibilities. Not every comic in the top twenty was really all that great after all. It will be interesting to see what the coming months will tell for DC and whether they can keep this momentum up now that fans have a better idea where to put their money.
DC rebuilds the JLA with their most iconic characters
...And also Cyborg
I was debating whether or not I should write about this subject but ultimately I figured I might as well as it deals with several lingering issues that I was planning to address anyway and is really the biggest news story in comics right now. It’s going to be a pretty stone cold nerdy blog though, I’m afraid.
So for those of you who haven’t heard (And if you indeed haven’t heard than you must not read comic books regularly) but DC Comics is rebooting the DC Universe following the current crossover “Flashpoint”. Well “reboot” may be the wrong word as DC has been claiming it’s not a proper reboot. Plus all of the details have yet to be made clear. As I understand what’s happening is that DC will be canceling all their titles and starting in September start releasing 52 new titles, most of which will simply be re-numbered issues of their catalogs (Superman #1, Batman #1, etc.). At the same time, apparently due time travel madness as seen in Flashpoint (Though honestly I’m not 100% sure about that), the DC Universe continuity will be noticeably altered although to what degree I don’t know. I’ve heard people say that it’s a full on new continuity and other people say that Batman and Superman are being made drastically younger ala Spider-Man: One More Day and there’s a lot of rumors spinning around the internet. What we do know for sure is that it seems the vast majority of heroes are getting “updated” costume changes. Seeing as I’m of the opinion that massive retcons in general are normally just an excuse to re-use old plots I’m not super into this news.
The reason for this change is apparently to give new readers a jumping on point. New readers, huh? It seems like DC and Marvel Comics are always trying to gain these “new readers” and it always seems to involve revised origins, massive retcons and new #1 issues. I’m not sure either company have ever been really successful in the long term using this strategy but, hey, just because it didn’t work the last few times doesn’t mean it won’t work this time. Or the next time. Or the next time after that.
Pictured: DC's 2009 "Bold New Change" for Batman
New Readers Gained: Apparently Not Enough
I’m trying not to be too put off by all of this since as of this writing I do not know all the details of this new direction and am still months away from being able to read anything (Though I suspect a lot of things will be revealed during the San Diego Comic-Con). Still what little I do know makes me feel like DC is about to make a huge blunder and isolate a lot of long time readers. Plus I feel what I have heard form DC is the same B.S. I’ve hard for years about “Bold New Directions” and “Never Be the Same” and all that noise. For now I’m cautiously pessimistic: I’m concerned but I’ll keep an open mind.
DC also announced that they’d be releasing digital version of the titles the same day the print versions come out. A lot of people are excited about this but I HATE digital comics with a fiery passion so all this says to me is “Yet another step until comic book shops go the way of arcades.”
This is a little late than I wanted but nevertheless we’ve reached the 100th blog of Beta is Dead. I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually reach that many blogs but thankfully things have remained fun for me. In any case I wanted to do something big for this occasion, thus Spider-Man: One More Day. What better way to celebrate the current longevity of my blog than to review one of the most controversial comic book storylines this past decade?
If you haven’t done so already make sure you check out the Nerd Rage #6a from earlier this week where I went into detail about the back-story of the comic. In 2007 Marvel Comics decided to run a storyline in the pages of their three current ongoing Spider-Man titles Amazing Spider-Man, Sensational Spider-Man and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Based on where the comic are now I assume that there were three main goals attached to this storyline: 1) Undo or otherwise downplay all the various and controversial changes to Spider-Man’s nature over the past few years (Including his organic web-shooters and several extra powers he gained). 2) Set up the comics for a new direction and new status quo (i.e. Brand New Day, which also saw the cancellation of the two extra Spider-Man titles while Amazing started running three times a month rather than just monthly). 3) To finally, FINALLY rid the world of that annoying Spider-Marriage that has plagued readers for two decades thus raising the quality of the stories for current and future readers. How would it do that? HELL IF I KNOW IT’S MAGIC OR SOMETHING!!!!!!
One More Day was written by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 and a familiar face if you’re a regular visitor of this blog, and boy oh boy is that man not a stranger to controversial Spider-Man storylines having written Amazing for the last few years (See: “The Other”, “Sins Past”). However this comic is the baby of artist and then-Editor-in-chief Joe “We Don’t Have to Explain It” Quesada, a vocal opponent of the marriage who has seemingly made an enemy out of many fans due to some choice words before, during and after One More Day was running.
Anyway its important to remember that this article is not about whether ending the marriage was a good move or not, nor is it about whether the marriage needed to end in the first place. This article is a review of the comic itself to determine if it was any good not, which is the most important part anyway. That sad I want to point out that Mary JaneWatson is one of the better female characters in superhero comics and certainly one of my personal favorites but she’s constantly a victim of bad characterization from writers who don’t “get her” and often used as a scapegoat for their own limitations (It’s easier to say “Mary Jane is a bad character” than to admit you can’t properly write women). Her exile from the comic books, and eventual demotion, means Spider-Man has lost his most important supporting character and hasn’t really offered a decent replacement. We’re all slightly worse off now.
Anyway enough of that crap. Its reviewing time! Click below for the full review.
[WARNING: There’s pretty much nothing but spoilers after the jump. So if you haven’t read One More Day and would like to you’ll pretty much have everything ruined for you if you click below. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!]
Look, we all knew this was coming sooner or later. All those snide remarks about Spider-Man and his (lack of) marriage for the past year; I was going to talk about Spider-Man: One More Day eventually and since it’s such a hot topic even today I figured why not do so when the blog reaches 100 posts. Of course this isn’t anything new as practically everyone with internet access has voiced an opinion about the comic since it hit stands in 2007 but even so if I went on a rant about Cassandra Cain and no one screamed at me one would think I’d be okay here. We’ll see. So later this week (Hopefully) I’ll be posting a review of the graphic novel that collects the infamous four issue storyline. I can’t claim I won’t be biased , of course, but I’ll at least try to give the book a fair shake .
But there’s a problem. Superhero comic books are tricky in that non-fans who may be interested in checking them out are often confused by the content due to the fact that there’s decades’ worth of continuity to them. So what’s common knowledge for me and my buddies won’t necessarily be common knowledge for, let’s say, an anime fan who usually just comes to the blog for anime reviews. So before we can talk about One More Day we need to talk about what led to it and why it happened. And, because I know that the review is going to be long as hell, I decided to “pre-blog” here so that you won’t have to read a giant novel worth of text next time. We’re swimming in pretty nerdy waters, folks, and I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to avoid the site for the next week.
So I had an interesting take on the superhero character that I had been meaning to share with people for a number of months but it wasn’t until today that I came up with a phrase to articulate it properly. In order to talk about this idea we need to be on the same page about Superman and Batman.
World's Finest et cetera et cetera
Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster as early as 1933 (Or some early proto version anyway) but it wouldn’t be until 1938 that the character appeared in comic book form. Though he was not the first superhero character he became the defining example and was the archetype that many writers and artists based their own creations on: a hero with powers beyond those of the average person chooses to use them to serve humanity, usually in the form of fighting vicious criminals or other post-human threats that normal law officers aren’t able to deal with. So if we agree that Superman is the archetype then Batman is likely the first major, or at least most popular, deconstruction.
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939 Batman was in many ways Superman’s perfect superhero opposite. While Superman was an alien with many superhuman powers Batman s a normal human but the best representation of human potential (Both physically and mentally). While Superman was raised by normal farmers and picked up Midwest sensibilities growing up Batman came from wealth and lived in luxury for his whole life while a the same time having lost his parents at an early age. However I feel the two have since come to represent the two main archetype that the vast majority of superheroes fall under. Both characters are two sides of the same coin, one dark and the other light though this distinction wouldn’t be fully fleshed out for a while in the comic industry. Today both are clearly defined not only in these two but most characters in just about every company that publishes superhero comics. I call them “The Protector” and “The Defender”
Actually there’s likely a third archetype but I’m getting a head of myself.
Superman is the Protector. What defines him the most is his need not only to help as many people as he can but to also be a symbol of hope to the masses. As such the Protector must always be aware of how his actions are interpreted by those he serves. In Superman’s case, being so strong, he must be extra concerned about being seen as an all powerful menace or even a monstrous being who wishes to control the lives of the average person (Lex Luthor’s main motivation is that he misunderstands Superman in this regard). He shows constant good will to help this perception and ultimately is seen as a clear cut “good guy.” Because he doesn’t want to be feared he never (Or at least “rarely”) blurs the line between hero and villain because the moment he does he risks his ability to give his community, his country, mankind, etc. the hope he wanted to instill. There is a strong sense of optimism associated with this archetype.
Batman is the Defender. Like the Protector he too wants to help others but unlike his lighter counterpart he either doesn’t care or at least isn’t concerned that much about his own public image. He wants to defend people for the horrors that threaten them and will do so with more abandon than the Protector. It doesn’t matter to him if people hate or fear him, or ever acknowledges that he exists, so long as they’re safe. He can be seen as similarly villainous as those he fights but as he’s less concerned about giving hope and more concerned about bringing evil doers to justice he is comfortable with that perception. While he doesn’t cross the line between hero and villain he does come close enough to it to be tempted to do so. He’s the Protector’s cynical twin.
Both of these archetypes are equally valid, neither one being better or worse than the other. Although you might have a preference it doesn’t mean the other isn’t still as important. Damn near every superhero since the 1940s have followed one or the other.
Here’s a few traits of both. This is obviously not a complete list but it should give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
The Protector
For legal reasons I must refer to this person as "SHAZAM!"
It's neither his name nor do I care to call him such
-Is usually well liked and trusted by citizens. She makes public appearances, she knows the mayor, she kisses babies. The more powerful they are the more necessary this is since the general public would be utterly terrified of a being that could, if she wanted to, destroy their cities with little effort if she didn’t make efforts to appease them
-Usually works with authorities much for the same reason as above. He may be an agent of the government but usually it’s more like he wants to show good faith by working within the system. Similarly he is more likely to go by the letter of the law so he is not seen as considering himself to be above it
-Won’t use lethal force unless absolutely no other option presents itself and even then still maybe not. In fact often the Protector will likely even go to great lengths to make sure that even murderous criminals survive encounters for a fair trial, even at the cost of her own life. In Superman’s own words “The world doesn’t need a Superman who kills”
-Is usually optimistic about the world to the point that they sincerely believe in concepts like “forgiveness” and “second chances”, although this usually does not extend to beings they considered to be true evil and beyond redemption. Some Protectors are more cynical about this however and need definitive proof that the person in question truly wants to change and even then may still be suspicious
-Can be someone who views the world in Black and White/Right and Wrong but usually they understand the concept of “grey morality”. They simply choose not to live in the that area
-Often the most powerful heroes fall into this. Though the really scary characters are the really power ones who don’t (CoughcoughTheSentrycoughcough). Anyway this tends to make a lot of fans claim the Protector isn’t relatable, but that’s a whole different blog, I’m sure
-Has a defining trait of trying to protect as many people as they possibly can, and in some cases that can be a lot. For example Superman, due to his super senses and super speed, can detect pretty much every mugging in Metropolis and stop it before anyone can get hurt
-Will automatically stop being a Protector is he ever permanently loses his faith in people in general. If he continues on fighting for justice despite this he will become the Defender. He is however unlikely to ever become an Anti-Hero (More on that later)
-Usually has a sense of honor and perhaps fair play, though this could be worked against her if she’s set in her ways
Pictured: A mighty shield
Not Pictured: The Nazi about to eat it
Examples: Captain America is probably the penultimate example of this type despite having no powers. He is, of course, handicapped by the fact that his lives in a more cynical world than Supes. The Fantastic Four, who by in large represent the best the Silver Age had to offer, also fit the bill. Iron Man fits this as well due to his tendency to work as an agent for US interests (Thus proving that this type isn’t all positive), especially after the events of Civil War and The Initiative. Most members of the Avengers tend to fall under this, especially when grouped together. The Justice League of America and, indeed, the majority of heroes in the DC Universe fall into this as well due in large part to the hero community being largely inspired by Superman. Interestingly Batman’s original sidekick Dick Grayson, often known as Nightwing, has more potential to fit into this category than the Defender as he has always been a lighter, more optimistic version of his mentor. Even Batman often slides into his as well (The current Batman INC. storyline may be the most recent example).
The Defender
Grace Choi will kick your ass
-Is usually more concerned with catching criminals than good PR, but the tradeoff is that his reputation tends to suffer. At its worse the media and the authorities decry him as a criminal himself and he must constantly stay ahead of the very people he wants to protect, lest they “bring him to justice”
-Is often either a non-powered hero or a lower powered hero compared to other powerful beings. This is not universal as its not powers or lack thereof that determine the type but rather mindset
-Can be abrasive and unpleasant, though this is not universal. The problem is more in that the nature of their work can deeply affect their ability to properly interact with others. Ironically despite many non-powered characters fitting this type the Defender is usually more likely to lose his humanity during his war on crime
-Can work with authorities but usually not as a whole. They will normally have a liaison with police to help them keep track of what’s going on crime-wise but the relationship is usually unofficial and the person may be in trouble if it were ever discovered. This is usually because…
-Will often break laws to save lives. The Protector can do this as well but the Defender won’t hesitate to do this as often as he feels necessary. Usually this includes something like breaking and entering, assault and of course vigilantism but some Defenders can be guilty of stalking, kidnapping, terrorism, possession of illegal weapons and in some cases attempted murder and/or murder.
-Isn’t a believer in second chances, usually. He’ll likely be very suspicious of anyone claiming they’ve changed their ways no matter how many times they proved themselves
-Doesn’t usually use lethal force, though she can be more brutal than the Protector. While for the Protector avoiding killing is about maintaining the hope/fear ratio many Defenders use it as the line that separates them from those she fight. Sometimes the Defender does indeed use lethal force but it’s usually reserved for those who either really have it coming and she doesn’t tend to kill indiscriminately (As in they may try to shoot the Joker but they probably wouldn’t immediately gun down the goons working for him)
-Is far more likely to become an Anti-Hero (More on that later) but conversely finds it harder to become a Protector as it’s easier to lose faith than to gain it
-Has a code of honor, much like Protectors. Often they are extremely similar, but the Defender may be more talkative about it. I’m not sure why this is
Examples: As Batman is the poster child for this all of the Batman Family fall into this with maybe the exception of Dick Grayson and Stephanie Brown. Luke Cage (Shut your mouth) falls squarely into it as well. Most of Marvel’s “street level heroes” do too, including Daredevil and Moonknight (Who may be a Batman rip-off anyway). Many new characters created during the 70s and 80s fit this description as well, especially if Marvel was involved. The newest Manhunter (Kate Spencer, one of my favorite new characters from the 2000s) is probably right t the edge of the line between Defender and Anti-Hero. Every hero who followed Hal Jordon (aka Green Lantern) on his quest for vengeanceJUSTICE in the miniseries Justice League: Cry for Justice fell into this, despite where they might have been beforehand. The X-Men are certainly Defenders due to their militant nature, outsider perspective, and designation as “outlaws”. Yes, even Cyclops. Hell, especially Cyclops.
Cyclops completes his transformation into "Jack Bauer-Man"
Spider-Man is a weird case. On the one hand I think his ideology is closer to the Protector. He does, after all, greatly look up to Captain America as an example. But his reputation is not very good and he suffers from much of the same civilian backlash a Defender would get. I think it depends on who’s writing him at the time but in general Spider-Man may kind of bounce between one and the other. Maybe he wants to be a Protector but he keeps finding himself as a Defender despite his wishes. Similarly Wonder Woman could be placed in either due to the (Poor) nature her character is sometimes written. However in her case I believe the spirit of her character should mark her as a Protector.
The Third Option
This is my nightmare!
As I mentioned there’s a third option to this. As you’ve probably figured out by now it’s the Anti-Hero. He is the cyclical cousin to the Defender the same way the Defender is to the Protector. Though they may have taken different roads to get there all Anti-Heroes are characters who don’t just come close to the line but regularly cross it. At best they are vigilantes not unlike Defenders who kill opponents regularly. At worst they’re psychopathic monsters who’s goals just happen to involve “fighting crime/evil” and sometimes not even then. The deference between these characters and the villains they fight are either blurred or they just happen to battle some really terrifying creatures. Usually they do not share the same since of ethics as Protectors or Defenders; indeed Protectors will often be unable to work with them. This type of character has been involved in superhero comics since the beginning (Namor, the Submariner) but they rose in popularity during the 1970s through the 1990s. During the 90s creators took this to its logical, but frustrating, conclusion with gun toting muscle men becoming the favored type of hero. Even previously indentfied Protectors or Defenders fell into this trap even if just for a limited amount of time.
I don’t really have a problem with these types of characters in general, at least in more cynical settings, but in comics with established superhero continuity it always feels out of place to me; like they should actually be a new villain rather than a new ally (There are exceptions, of course). If you’re unsure whether yours favorite character falls into this category try answering the following questions:
-Does the character use killing as a first resort, even with enemies less powerful and/or less skilled than themselves?
-Is the character a former villain? Specifically were they a villain for a substantial amount of time of their own volition (As opposed to forced, blackmailed or otherwise controlled)?
-Has a Protector and maybe even also a Defender suggested that the character be arrested for their crimes?
-Has the publisher ever used the word “edgy” to describe the character? How about some variation of the phrase “This isn’t your daddy’s superhero”?
-Does the character use guns as their primary means of attack?
-Does the character perform heroic deeds for a paycheck?
-Does the character fight for vengeance, despite claims of fighting for justice?
-Is the character associated with Satan or an equivalent evil creature? Is he or she associated with hell in anyway?
-Does the character’s name include the word “blood”, “death”, or some sort of negative emotion or violent action?
-If a movie were made of the character would you be upset to learn that it was rated PG-13 instead of R?
-Is the character a Wolverine clone? (Be honest)
-Is the character actually Wolverine?
If you answered “yes” to two of those questions then you character may be an Anti-Hero. If you answered “yes” to three then he is nearly 100% certainly an Anti-Hero. If you answered “yes” to four or more then I’m surprised that the character hasn’t been taken down by Captain America yet.
Just smile and nod. Don't make eye contact
Examples: The Punisher is likely the most obvious example of this, but on his better days he might lightly be able to pass as a Defender. Maybe. If it was foggy outside. Spawn, Image Comics 90s poster boy, is another “iconic” example. The Authority are a particularly brutal example, but then again they’re from the WildStorm Universe and pretty much everyone there is some sort of Ant-Hero or another. Also Ghost Rider and the Spectre respectively depending on who’s writing them. Daredevil’s fall from Defender to Anti-Hero is the main plot in the recent Shadowland story Marvel just recently finished.
Anyway Anti-Heroes notwithstanding the Protector and the Defender make up the bulk of superheroes. They’re the same but the opposite. The yin to the other’s yang. This is how I think about and its easily just opinion. Agree? Disagree? Let me know.
As per the last post I’ve decided to celebrate my One Year Anniversary by writing about my favorite subject: comic books. I debated exactly what topic I should touch on considering that I didn’t want to accidentally alienate anyone by becoming Angry Comic Nerd (Several essays were scrapped before this one, including the Fanboyish “Problems I have with Superhero Comics”). But then I remembered my article about Cassandra Cain and how I, at the time, was worried that some people might assume I had ill feelings towards Stephanie Brown. I love Stephanie Brown and my only issue with her lately was that she replaced Cassandra as Batgirl. It’s not because I didn’t want her in a high profile title like that I just wanted to live in a world where a monthly Batgirl title and a monthly Spoiler title co-existed. I also wasn’t in love with Stephanie’s book for the first few issues, but it seems like most everyone else agree that it’s actually very good. Maybe it picked up after I called it quits. In any case the fact is that no matter how much you or really any one may say differently in doesn’t change the fact that replacing an Asian character with a blonde white equivalent just has unfortunate implications.
But I never blamed Stephanie for it. Plus I was happy that she was getting attention, though after the debacle with her character a few years earlier she had tons of publicity. Yes, despite everything I talked about Cassandra Cain’s unceremonious exit and bizarre turn to villainy that was NOTHING compared to the utter insanity regarding the Death of Stephanie Brown. Oh she’s better now but good grief did DC Comics open Pandora’s Box when they wrote that story. Even today the wounds aren’t all healed but then again this is likely one of the company’s biggest blunders of the 2000s.
Before we talk about her death let’s talk about her life.
The Spoiler is the "Buffy Summers" of the Batman Family
Stephanie Brown aka The Spoiler (Which is actually how I think of her) first appeared in Detective Comics #647 in 1992, created by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle. Her origin is somewhat similar to Cassandra Cain’s in that her father was a super villain and much of her motivation involved balancing out his criminal activities (Also for kicks, because that’s how she rolls). She’s daughter of the Cluemaster, a fairly unremarkable Batman villain from the 60s with a similar modus operandi as the Riddler. After his most recent return home from prison Stephanie was distraught to lean that, despite supposed plans for going straight, her father had once again turned to crime though this time without the use of his trademark clues. Angered by this she began leaving clues herself in the hopes of “spoiling” her father’s plan thus becoming the Spoiler. She donned a costume and began trying to aide Batman and Robin (Tim Drake, the third Robin) though unlike fellow amateurs Kick-Ass and the original Bat-Woman and Bat-Girl she was actually kind of successful at being a superhero; or at least no one nearly beat her to death after a dangerously ill-advised act of vigilante justice…not yet, anyway. She eventually became a supporting cast member of the new Robin solo title where she and Tim began an uneasy friendship that evolved into a partnership that turned into a pretty long romance. This book was also one of the main factors in bringing me back into comics after I quit for bit so I have very fond memories of these two characters as a crime fighting duo/couple. Should DC ever hire me as a writer (Increasingly unlikely due to this cursed blog) I would likely try to bring that relationship back…also I will totally have Dick Grayson marry Barbra Gordon because…why the hell not? [2013 EDIT: I'm over that now. I see no point to it theses days]
Anyway during her stint as supporting cast member the Robin book got critical acclaim partly because of her teen pregnancy. Yes, years before Juno or MTV’s 16 and Pregnant Stephanie Brown had unknowingly been knocked up by a former boyfriend and the issue was heavily dealt with in the comic (Leading to the baby being put up for adoption). The point is that she was an important part of Robin’s success during its run in the 90s and she herself was gathering a larger fanbase myself included. So one would think that, as a crime fighter in Gotham with growing popularity, DC would bring her more into the fold of the Batman books where she would start being used as a larger character rather than a plot device.
Well…not really. Unfortunately it seems that not many people in DC saw the potential of the character at the time. Soon the writers began planting the seeds that would eventually lead to her death in 2004. First was a glimmer of hope in the that revelation that Batman had begun training Stephanie. Which is super cool on paper. The number of female superhero associates that Batman has had in his group over the years is small, pretty much limited to Barbra Gordon and a lot of his direct involvement with her and her training is very much depended on retroactive continuity. Heck, perhaps this could have been the first step to making an official female Robin (I would later eat those words). After he returned from a mission Stephanie lets it slip to Tim that she knows his secret identity. You see during their whole relationship Robin hadn’t revealed his civilian identity to the Spoiler due to his incredible loyalty to Batman and fear that it could theoretically compromise his mentors’ operation. His unwillingness to divulge even his real first name was an elephant in the room for years. It turned out that while the young hero was on said mission Batman had revealed his partner’s true identity (Why? Because Batman is a dick, I guess) leading to some rather serious trust issues between the dynamic duo. So again Miss Brown was more of a plot point to cause conflict between Batman and Robin than a character, but she was being trained by Batman and also begin mentored by the Birds of Prey so things were obviously looking up, right?
Of course not. Spoiler was soon fired by Batman, probably because the writers didn’t have any real plans for her, and he forbade her from fighting crime. Why? Because Batman is a control freak. We’ve mentioned this before. What’s worse was that Stephanie was becoming increasingly shrewish as Robin’s girlfriend looking more like a jealous clingy girl than his partner. After a series of events in his own title Tim was forced to retire as Robin due to strong concerns from his father who had recently learned of his activities. Distraught by this and other issues with their relationship Stephanie broke into the Batcave and demanded that Batman train her as the new Robin…which, by the way, was very similar to how Tim became Robin in the first place but I suspect that DC was trying to make her seem like something of an undisciplined brat for doing it. Against his better judgment Batman agreed and thus Stephanie became the fourth Robin and the first official female one. Now no matter what you say about who should have been Robin at that point the idea of a girl Robin is super awesome. Bruce Wayne cannot possibly have the same type of relationship he had with his previous partners with this new one so this storyline could have led to a completely different dynamic between the traditional Batman and Robin role. The possibilities were vast and the future seemed bright.
A bold new partnership that lasted years-
Then came the day Black Mask took a power drill to her.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Before the Eli Roth-like torturing of one of my favorite characters DC first killed her credibility. After failing to follow orders during her initial missions Batman once again fired her. So she was the fourth Robin for just a hot minute, DC displaying their complete disinterest in changing up the Batman/Robin partnership. To make matters worse Stephanie seemed hell bent on proving that she was an awful and dangerously incompetent character by stealing one of Batman’s SUPER PLANS in order to win his respect, screws it up something fierce, and causes a massive gang war (As told in Batman: War Games). Great, because I love it when my favorite characters are depicted as spoiled assholes who are also morons despite not being nearly as bad in the past. I’m fairly certain that this is all a matter of plot convenience. The writers wanted to kick off this War Games storyline and Stephanie was the sacrificial lamb they chose to use. Anyway the villain Black Mask kidnaps her during all this and tortures her near to death with a power drill in order to get information that would soon elevate his status to A-list villain. So the whole point of this was to make a B-rate villain more menacing? Women in refrigerators indeed.
Despite managing to crawl her way to a clinic Stephanie died from her injuries; her last words before her demise was asking Batman, who had snuck into her room in her last moments, whether she was ever truly Robin to which he replies “Yes.” Though the circumstances leading to her death were stupid, forced, and incredibly violent at least her last panel alive was a sweet and emotional scene, if depressing.
Also not too much long after her death it was revealed that Leslie Thompkins, the doctor who ran the clinic, had apparently let the Spoiler die from her injuries as a warning to Batman about using children in his war on crime. WHAT?! For those of you who don’t know Leslie is a longtime supporting character of Batman who was a friend of his parents and unofficial guardian of a young Bruce Wayne. In fact she’s one of the few people to know about his dual identity. While she disapproves of his activities due to her pacifists beliefs (So strong that she helps anyone who comes into her clinic, even if they’re super villains) she loves him like a son. Well apparently she had lost her goddamn mind here because she basically MURDERS Stephanie to make a point, which go against everything I understand about her character. In the end Batman chases her out of the country and threatens to throw her in prison if she ever comes back into the US or practice medicine again. So basically during this dumb storyline not only did DC kill one strong female character but they also ruined a second one. Bravo, DC, bravo.
Cue slow clap
I’m not sure why DC felt they needed to kill her off at all. Surely she could have survived and the brutal experience could have been just as relevant to the story. Oh wait, I’m being silly. Her death was a one of the driving story points of the sequel to War Games Batman: War Crimes where Batman is (rightfully) accused of endangering children. So even in death the Spoiler is still a plot device. Fantastic.
Her death, while upsetting for her fans, isn’t really the only problem. First of all it was the way she died as it has been accused of being a very sexually charged death. A man murders a teenage girl with a phallic object; I can see where one would get that idea. Another point was that Tim, now back as Robin, didn’t do all that much on-panel grieving. This is probably not as important as it seems but it just would have been nice to see the character more affected by the death of his girlfriend. Hell they wasted a perfectly good plot with him trying to cope with the fact that his rejection of the “Robin” mantle may have led directly to her death. I don’t think that ever happened, or at least not as much as it should have (Conversely Robin fell to pieces a few years later when his friends Superboy and Impulse/(Yuck)Kid Flash/The Flash/Bart Allen were murdered). Plus some fans thought that Batman himself was to blame and even suspected that his recruitment of Stephanie in the first place was a ploy to lure Tim back into the fold.
However the big problem was, following her death, Batman did not put up a memorial in her honor. For years after the death of the second Robin Jason Todd a memorial with his costume has been on display in the Batcave consistently. Fans believed that, seeing as she too was a Robin, Stephanie deserved such a tribute as well. When directly asked why she hadn’t received the honor by fans then DC editor-in-chief equivalent Dan DiDio responded “She was never really Robin” which was apparently DC’s official stance on the subject. And then the internet exploded.
Dramatization
Fans were livid by the casual treatment of the character and cries of sexism were declared. The Women in Refrigerators topic, originally started by now hotshot DC writer Gail Simone a few years prior, once again lured its head. Large amount of websites seemed to pop up not just because the Spoiler was killed and forgotten but what the act meant about gender in comics. So yeah, good job on that DC. After a few years of this in the pages of Robin, once again written by Chuck Dixon, a girl wearing the costume of the Spoiler began following Tim around. It soon turned out that this girl was in fact Stephanie Brown alive and well. Apparently, according to this new retcon, she never died in the first place. Actually Dr. Thompkins had faked her death and smuggled her out of the country so that she could recover in peace. Also Batman, he says, actually suspected as such which is why he never put a memorial up.
Really? This was the best they could do?
Now let’s ignore that this retcon is the clearest form of back peddling I’ve seen in comics since Marvel declared that Magneto didn’t actually kill all those people in New York City in the pages of New X-Men (Look it up). Let’s also ignore that the doctor’s plan was pretty stupid. Why in God’s name didn’t Batman verify she was alive if he “suspected as much.” He practically ran Thompkins out of the damn country with an elephant gun because of what she did. How does a man with a compulsive need to be in control of everything and to constantly outsmart his friends not bother to double check to make sure his FORMER SIDEKICK AND PARTNER was really dead? Was he asleep during his investigation? I’m betting that he did in fact find some evidence that may have implied her death was more than it seemed but basically just said “I can either track down Stephanie Brown or catch the new season of Lost. Meh, f**k her.”
"George W. Batman does not care about women"
Thankfully there’s a happy ending as not only has Stephanie finally gotten a chance to shine as Batgirl it turns out that the reason Cassandra quit so suddenly actually due to orders from Batman in the case of his death meaning he planned the whole thing from day one (Which doesn’t make too much sense either, but we got to take what we can get). And also the two heroes FINALLY came to terms with each other in Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl #1 as Batman has not only given his blessing for her to continue working as Batgirl but has accepted her as a member of the Batman Family, something she has been seeking for eighteen years (Real time).
One day perhaps the Spoiler will return
For now let's enjoy her as Batgirl
Thanks for reading. Let’s make the next year of Beta is Dead even better than this last one!
