Why Tragedy Should Not Be the Norm but the Exception Part 2

By Snow Drift

Many months ago, Dan Didio said “Heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests. […] It’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside. That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand,” emphasizing how people, to truly be heroes, need to have tragedies and sacrifices in their lives. To him, a person cannot care about humanity without them suffering tragedies over and over again. To him, without tragedy, there is no motivation to save. To him, a hero having a happy personal life is a subtraction of their heroic selves. I personally believe him to be incorrect. 

   

I believe that what many readers, since the humble origins of comics, have found so enticing and endearing about comic book superheroes is not simply their fights and superhuman adventures, but the fact that these men and women are symbols of hope. Superman decided to help humanity out of his own will and love for it. Wonder Woman, also known as Princess Diana, saw that Man’s World could still be saved through peace and love. Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen saw that even the most cornered citizens of the world deserved to live in safety. These people loved humanity and its potential so much that they saw their salvation was worth it. It goes beyond the notion of it being simply “the right thing to do”: it’s about how these men and women believe in the goodness of humanity at its core; that every single human, if given the chance and being guided when needed, can become heroes too. Each person deserves to live, to love, to give, and to receive.

   

For love for humanity to manifest itself to such an extent that Barry Allen would sacrifice his life in Crisis on Infinite Earths, for Superman to do the same when fighting Doomsday, for Charles Xavier and his X-Men to fight for the unity of humans and mutants; it all comes down to their own experiences of love. These heroes feeling that they can belong, that they are loved and cherished by people who will always be by their side, who will always smile at them at the end of the day and say “you did good”, is what motivates many of them to keep getting up every day to fight the evils of the universe. Because we must all remember that these characters, be they humans, aliens, spirits, or machines, still feel. They still experience emotions, from happiness to anger to pain; they still experience loss and loneliness, desperation and hopelessness. For them to have the strength and courage to fight incredible odds every day, they need to be reassured that their struggle has a reason to exist. Lois Lane always being there for Clark Kent to keep him grounded and hopeful and full of love; the Amazons of Themyscira nurturing and loving Diana throughout all of her life, Supergirl and Superboy having found a family with the Kents, Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle, being able to find a home where a family awaits him with pride and love, and the Bat Family, from Dick Grayson to Cassandra Cain to Damian Wayne, finding all of the same in Bruce Wayne, who himself found it in Alfred. In a world where everything is in constant tragedy and suffering, is very hard for an individual, one like any of us, to jump in and proclaim at the top of their lungs that they will save everyone until the very end of time. If they do not have a backdrop, an experience of love and compassion in their own lives, then they cannot see the same in the world outside of their own private lives.

Because these heroes are not gods or the Messiah or anything equivalent to those; they are not people who were born with the purest of hearts, chosen by a divine entity to save the universe from the darkness and evil. These are people who were born to have the same probabilities of either having a normal or abnormal life, depending on their future circumstances. None of them are perfect; they have all done their mistakes and erroneous decisions. Some have harbored prejudice where there was none to be deserved, others have not had the ability to be a proper parent, brother, sister, lover, or friend. However, they struggle to do better and we, as readers, witnessing their development and transformations into heroes are what motivate us to keep up with their lives.

Again, is it bad to have heroes whose motivation is based on tragedy and who keep experiencing it multiple times? No, it is not, nor is it bad for someone to have interest in these type of stories. But if every single hero in a comic book universe is made to be tragic from beginning to end, then this fictional plane of existence will drown itself in the darkness and whatever happens in this will affect reality, for fiction does not exist in a vacuum; it has consequences on the lives of the readers.

All in all, there is an incredible importance for these heroes to have a semblance of happiness in their lives. Some of their back-stories might be tragic or maybe their ultimate suffering will come later on in their adulthood, but to have them submerged into absolute darkness takes away what is essential of their beings.

   

Heroes are not named as such for their capes, their poses, or their powers. Their true heroism comes from not only physically saving innocents, but from also inspiring the same to do better; to fight, to run, and to stand again and again every time they fall, for we all have the strength and hope in ourselves to stare at the darkness and say “No. You may push me, you may wound me, but you will never stop me, for I am strong and live by the power of love and hope.” And so does everyone.  

Why Tragedy Should Not Be the Norm, but the Exception Part 1

By Snow Drift 

Ah, tragedy. You’re misery, you’re pain, but gosh darn it aren’t you so luring. From Oedipus Rex to Romeo and Juliet to Batman, you follow us all around the world, across all of time, giving us an infinitude of stories where men and women suffer and die. And sometimes we love it so much. 

Tragedy has always been a literary aspect for thousands of years that have helped create drama and compelling and memorable characters. And sometimes, within our hearts of hearts, we love to see this side of characters. It’s interesting, one has to admit, to witness the growth of a man or woman from their fall into the metaphorical darkness of misery and despair to their stand as beacons of light for humanity, both in the fictional universe and the real one.
  
However, ever since the birth of what can be called the Dark Age of comics (what many believe began with the death of Gwen Stacy, but that is still being debated), but especially with the explosion that was the DC Comics company-wide reboot, the New 52, almost every single superhero, no matter who they are and where they come from, have a massive pile of tragedy thrust into their lives, with an added dose of the oh so famous “grim and gritty”. Superman’s adoptive parents are now dead; Barry Allen’s, the Flash’s, mother was murdered by one of his enemies and his father was erroneously condemned to life in prison because of it; Hal Jordan’s, the Green Lantern’s, father was killed in a plane crash; Bruce Wayne has had two Robins actually die, including his son; the Amazons are now men-and-baby killing warriors; Buddy Baker’s, Animal Man’s, son has been killed and so on and so forth. 

On and on and on do we see this new tendency to infiltrate tragedy into the lives of our heroes over at DC Comics. Is it bad to do this? Not necessarily, since many heroes may have different motivations for their actions and decisions to fight as vigilantes. Batman and the Punisher are classical examples of men motivated by tragedy, along with Peter Parker with his Uncle Ben, Cassandra Cain with experiencing what it feels like to kill another human, and Helena Bertinelli, the Huntress, with the massacre of her family, these last being based on the old DC Universe. It’s fascinating to see how these characters attempt to right the wrongs of these tragedies and avoid the same events from happening to others who do not deserve it. To see them fight and struggle for these beliefs is enriching in itself. However, among these characters and many others, there is another tendency that follows them around, along with the memories of their tragedies: their happiness, especially the one coming from their loved ones.

Bruce Wayne could have ended up hating the world that he lived in. He could have witnessed the crimes, the injustice, and the corruption of the police and justice system and determined to himself that society was a lost cause; that it did not deserve, or was unable to reach, a future of happiness and peace. But he didn't, because within the tragedy of the murder of his parents, he had the opportunity to witness love and comfort from Alfred Pennyworth, hope in the police from Commissioner James Gordon, joy and innocence against all odds from Dick Grayson back when he was Robin, and so on. He saw all of that and understood that life, and the world, was made up of more than just hate and misery: it had love, it had happiness, and it had justice. 

Manga Review: Ark Angels

“That’s why…we believe every life is equal and precious.” 

By. Aliraluna 

  Sang-Sun Park was born in South Korea on August 9^th, 1974, and is both the author and artist of Jewels/Les Bijoux, The Tarot Café and Ark Angels. Her usual work tends to fall under comedy, fantasy, romance, and drama, but she’s not one to shy away from other genres.

  Tokyopop published the Ark Angels series in December 2005. (Don’t you just miss Tokyopop? Because I certainly do!) The series consists of three volumes starring a trio of sisters. These three sisters, Hamu, Shem and Japheth, are from an alternate version of Earth, and their mission is to rescue the animals that are on the brink of extinction on our Earth. They need to do so in order to save both Earths because the Earths are connected in some way, and if one of them is destroyed, the other ones will be annihilated as well. This being the case, the sisters volunteered to save our Earth because they still believed that goodness exists in the humans. Their powers help them in their mission, because not only can they see the physical form of the animal, but they can also glimpse their souls.

  This leads to the manhwa’s the main messages of how important it is to save and take care of every animal, not just those on the brick of extinction, and to think twice before bringing more harm to Earth. To me, this makes Ark Angels a really unique manhwa, since finding a series with a tangible message is pretty rare. How do the sisters actually save the chosen animals? They place them in Noah’s Ark, which is in form of a whale. But their task isn’t easy, since they have to live as normal humans, going to school, and even deal with fall in love. (Although, for those who don’t like romance, there isn’t much in this particular series, so there’s no need to worry!) The sisters also have magical pets that can transform into transportation devices.

  Want a sneak-peek? Here’s some information about one of the endangered species in volume 1:

 Meet the: Guam Fruit Bat

-          Year: 1968

-          Place: Guam's Mariana Archipelago

-          Gender: Male

-          Story: A chef that specializes in “premium fruit bat” cuisine has hunted down all the fruit bats and is  trying to capture the last one to prepare a special meal for a president. The girls save the last bat, but they have to save his mother too, who is under the “protection” of the chef.

-          Facts:

o   The male bat and his mother are the last one of this species.

o   He's the fifty-fifth son; his family used to be big, with lots of males and females.

o   They can't contain the urge to sing.

o   They eat sweet-smelling fruits.

o   He has grapes in his hair, while his mom has a pineapple.

Rating: 4/5

Enjoy!

 

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - Series Retrospective

By. Temper

  About three years ago, I discovered Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, a concept album released in 2010 by My Chemical Romance (MCR). It quickly became one of my favorite albums, partly because of my love of concept albums, and also because I’ve always enjoyed MCR and their music. After repeatedly listening to the album, I immersed myself in any and all information I could about the concept behind it. The Killjoys and their world became fascinating to me. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Gerard Way, the lead singer of MCR, was going to pen a comic, published by Dark Horse Comics, to complete the story that the album began.

  The first issue of The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys was released on June 12^th, 2013. Gerard Way and Shaun Simmons wrote the series, with a team including artist Becky Cloonan, letterer Nate Piekos, colorist Dan Jackson, and editor Sierra Hahn. The story focuses on four groups of characters. The Killjoys team is lead by the brash and violent Val Velocity, the only survivor from the original Killjoys, and has members such as The Girl, her guardian Cherri Cola, Better Living Industry Pleasure robots Red and Blue, and Korse, the BLI enforcer who killed the original Killjoys

  The series is six issues long and gives the reader a view into the lives of all the aforementioned characters. The story focuses more, however, on The Girl’s story: her coming of age, alongside coming to grips with the sacrifice her friends, the original Killjoys, made to keep her safe, and finally choosing her own path to fight the BLI. To give you additional story details would be spoiling a great read, but Way and Simmons don’t pull any punches, and this can be credited to the fact they only had six issues to work with.

 

 To me this series was a joy to read, and I was excited every time I went to the store to pick up the next issue. The art and coloring are very good, doing an amazing job of contrasting the dystopian desert wastes with the perfectly pristine, mechanical Battery City. Characters are designed as they were ripped straight from the music videos based off the Danger Days album, and everything has a vibrant yet dirty look. Though the action sequences are few, all are beautifully done. The story is smart, carrying a message of growing up, choosing your own way, and fighting for what you believe in.  I really wish there could be more of this series, because I enjoyed it that much. I honestly can't recommend it enough. Even if you aren't a fan of My Chemical Romance or the album or, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is a worthwhile read. Do yourself a favor and give it a shot.

Science Fiction Tropes: Why Do We Keep Going Back to the Same Themes?

By. Survivor8

The first article alluded, as you were likely aware of, to science fiction as a deep, varied, and multi-tiered genre.  Though it may be considered an offshoot of fantasy, it has become a monster of its own right— big and ready to devour the weak. It’s okay, though we’re all weak when compared to it. The beauty of the genre is just how limitless it really can be. Sure, science is used as its backdrop, but the fiction part is where we shove science down a bottomless pipe. All writers can play god with their stories, but science fiction writers turn into malevolent and twisted gods attempting to seek the new and thrilling.

Despite its ongoing and revolutionary  innovations, the genre has a few themes or tropes it can’t shake off. Humanity continuously concerns itself with these topics and are sometimes stubbornly unable to move on. Leading them to pressure the writers, to have the main character save the day or write a spin-off.. Whether you want to write a great science fiction story or keep an eagle-eye out for the next great hit, here are a few ideas that tend to cling a lot.

The Apocalypse and the Ruins It Leaves Behind

Strangely, we as a whole seem to be consistently concerned with our eventual demise. This does vary according to when a story is written (e.g. the Cold War where the population was freaking out about a nuclear winter). Yet, there have been moments where we’re not seemingly teetering towards pressing the self-annihilate button. This was evident during the Bubonic Plague as it is now with North Korea, whose leader constantly threatens to bomb something new with every passing week. Due to events such as this there’s an older generation constantly lamenting the atrocities in their present lives, even though the state of everything was likely no different when they were young.

The fact is? People are not only seemingly-obsessed with the destruction of our society, but as well with its aftermath. When stripped away from our every day needs, how would humanity react? Judging from most stories that run with this trope, usually we devolve into anachronistic cannibalism. The trope remains popular because it’s an easy medium for writers to express how exactly they view human nature. Who are we really, when the smart-phones are gone and the responsibilities are swept under a rug? Short answer: we’re terrible, apparently.

Travelling Through Time

Time is not a thing. It doesn’t exist in a room. You can’t put a leash on it and call it George. It’s figurative at best and confusing at worst. Thousands of years of thought have been put into it, and the most scientists and philosophers can come up with to explain it is a shrug. This is another theme that is only a reflection of human thought.  In short, it’s our obsession with either fixing that one little mistake that cost us something dear (possibly whatever screwed over your new Flappy Bird high score) or seeing what lies ahead of us (perhaps preventing heartbreak or hangovers).

It’s a mix of curiosity and regret that makes us want to time travel. We can’t actually achieve this. If we could, what then? What if nothing can be changed and it’s all predetermined? What if your time travel escapades turn into a Simpsons Halloween episode and stepping on a twig means you destroyed humanity before it even got its start? Considering its immense popularity, maybe you just want to get on that London police box and go traveling with a handsome man of the medical profession. The topic has yet to abate in popularity, so might as well get used to it.

Aliens

Aliens, man. 

How to Start Writing and Improving it, Part 1 of 3

By. D.Fernandez 

Have you ever found a new thing in fiction and just latched on like a virus looking for warmth? I hope the movie Pacific Rim came to mind when you read that. The movie blew your mind, and you walked out picturing whole alternate universes of other fiction favorites, only now with giant robots. Drawing might be a little out of your reach, probably being limited to careful and squiggly stick figures. My stick figures are works of art, if you ask me. It’s hard to convey meaning with them, and stick figure robots don’t look too epic.

Hey don’t despair, anyone can write, you figure. Why, that’s what your totally legitimate copy of Microsoft Word is for! Assuming you don’t have a computer, there's those things, p-paper and, uh, pencil? I’m not sure what those are anymore, but I’m told they can be used for writing. So you set off to give life to your Sherlock fan-fiction set in the Pacific Rim world, but nothing seems to be gluing together. You re-read a paragraph and knowing you can go back an edit it, it just doesn’t seem to come to life.

This is a three-part column, dedicated to giving you budding writers a solid ground with which to start with.  Practicing can improve your style, but just think of all those dramatic and slightly sexual scenes between Holmes and Watson you’ll be able to write soon (while they pilot a Jaeger no less). For this part, we’ll focus on description and your new best friend, a Thesaurus. Take this following example to start with:

            “I’m not sure what to do with my life anymore,” Raleigh said to Mako Mori, feeling confused. He felt distraught at the thought of never piloting a giant robot again.

No, that doesn’t read very badly at all. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it either, or else your eyes would be bleeding. It’s lacking though, isn’t it? How can we turn that into something with a bit more glitter and shine? Read this example:

“I’m not sure what to do with my life anymore,” Raleigh said to Mako Mori. Somehow, with the kaiju gone now, it felt like his life had no purpose or direction anymore. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be at all, not with his whole life ahead of him. Instead of celebrating, he found himself questioning his own existence. How could it be so tightly wound to a giant war robot?

Besides being longer, the difference between the first example and the second one is a pillar of creative writing– telling versus showing. Let’s say:

            Marshall hit the jackpot and won a shiny-new, red sports car. He called his friend Ted, “I won a new red car!”  Telling his best friend isn’t going to cut it. O.K., now let’s take a look at this version below:

 Marshall hit the jackpot and won a new, sports car. He sped down the highway, out the exit, in-and-out a few roads. Then screeches to a halt in front of his friend’s house. Ted, his friend, looked out the window and gawked at Monty, who waved back at him. He went out and both stroked the shiny paint of the crimson car.  That has more impact than just calling and telling them the car is red.

When you write, you have to constantly strive to achieve that same effect of showing with words. In the first example, the reader is told that Raleigh is confused and distraught. That’s not going to hook anyone though. By contrast, the second example weaves you through Raleigh’s thoughts and consciousness. Instead of just stating what he’s feeling, you describe the mess that’s in his head. This is much more compelling than simply stating facts, and is crucial to giving readers an idea of who the characters are.

Let’s take a look at this next example:

Sherlock suspected something was wrong. His deductions were nearly always right, after all. Watson also suspected the same thing; though he lacked Sherlock’s deduction skills, his suspicions could also prove to at least point Sherlock’s deductions in the right direction.

This is also fine at first glance, yet at second glance there’s something slightly nagging in the background. It’s like a woodpecker pecking in the same spot, over and over again at 10 AM on a Sunday morning, like the lazy good-for-nothings they are. While it’s true that language can only give so many synonyms for the same thing, cycling between the same two words will leave readers bored and wandering elsewhere. Here’s where your BFF the Thesaurus, and a little showing come to the rescue. Try this version:

Sherlock suspected something was wrong. After all, his skills in deduction were nearly unmatched, and he was hardly wrong, something he occasionally hated. Watson had similar misgivings himself. Though perhaps not as deft at making inferences as his companion, Watson’s uncertainty nearly always pointed Sherlock’s notions in the right direction, as well as providing invaluable information.

Now, instead of a woodpecker that won’t get a job, you have a paragraph that uses similar words for the same thing. Readers are less likely to get bored, and now you’re a respectable badger, with a full time job and a home.

As with anything though, take it all in baby steps. Practice a little each day, keep a journal (a Tumblr for you hip kids or whatever you’re using), recount everyday happenings, and make them into small snippets. Always revise! Just like that extra shot of rum, what seems like a good idea now might just become a pang of regret in a day or three.