Ciao!

this post seems familiar???

I saw X2 as well, and it knocked my socks off. I most say two things. Wolverine rocks and, anyone remember Phoenix?

I can't wait to see Matrix Reloaded, it's gonna be amazing. Miguel, hurry and come out here! This saturday we went to the Philadelphia Musuem of Art. "Degas and Dance" was on exhibit. Breathtaking, I think you would like. Especially his later works.

Supposedly, Fantax is the first fullfledged comic superhero in France. I do remember watching some cartoons of him.

http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com
Here's a link to french comic heroes.

I'm certain every country has its mythical figures, even if they're not as famous as American superheroes. ; )

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure all cultures have mythic heroes. I wasn't trying to imply they didn't. My point is that the comic superhero tradition is -- by most accounts -- a peculiar "American" (but also British, which makes it "Anglo-American") tradition. Oh, and also the Japanese. But there really aren't superheroes in continental Europe of the kind in America.

Funny, though, that the Fantax character is a British citizen fighting crime in the US. Huh. They didn't set him in France. Interesting.

Aaaah...I think you are on to something here! I suggest that the European ideology or mindset in general is very influenced by the Greek and Roman ancestry. In their mythologies, the heros and gods were pretty morally ambiguous. I believe this is because they were attempts at explaining natural phenomena and we all know nature is pretty unpredictable. This creates the difference from the American hero which is usually just Good. Whereas Zeus was a creator as well as a playah, Superman is simply the defender of freedom. While Hercules was a great hero yet doomed by gullibility, Batman defends justice and is never duped...at least, not for long. I think this idea you have, Miguel, could really mean something. I suggest that you make your official induction into comic-book-dorkdom with a declarative essay on the subject of American vs. European heros! You could even use illustration such as a couple short stories we would all like to see: Mercury vs. Quicksilver, Green Lantern vs. Hades, Thor vs. Thor! Cool stuff. Get to work buddy!

Love,
Micah

P-in another post, you allude to some anonymous poster. What gives? Where are their posts and how mean are they?

Greek and Roman gods were written with human traits in mind. Zeus is the all powerful god with a weakness for women (who foolishly fall in love with unavailable married old men), Hera is the possessive mom, Hades is obsessive.
But american superheroes too have human vulnerabilities. Spiderman is ridden with guilt, Batman is depressive and sort of a social outcast, while Superman as Clark tries so hard to fit into conventional weakling middle-class role. Mythological figures and comic superheroes are both portrayed with heroic qualities and human frailties.

Here is the thing, we live in a world where most religions/societies have committed to monotheism. Zeus has morphed into the one and only perhaps. The forces of nature have lost their God/Goddess personifications and this is a sad thing; because we have not kept our reverence or fear in balance and are engaged in suppressing nature, destroying that which we have disconnected from spiritually. With the pantheon of Gods/Goddesses out of the picture the energy of mythos is pre-occupied with superheros - all versions of Hercules in one way or another.

Miguel has made a great insight. The dominant superpower politically, we see the United States creation of the superhero reflecting that dominance in the mythic realm. What isn't understood generally is how puissant a force the human mythos actually is. Human beings REQUIRE the psychological/spiritual structure that mythology provides: our imagination REQUIRES boundaries and "rules." So the dominance of a culture will naturally be reflected in its mythology.

There were thousands and thousands of mythologies before, during and after Greek mythology. Going from one village to another the gods would change. As people traveled or were conquered the mythologies morphed, combined or were "conquered" by the pillagers mythology. The reason we all know about (and are influenced by to this day) Greek and Roman mythology in particular is that these cultures dominated their eras, and their mythologies dominated as well.

Here is the question: if we can understand the source and reasons for our myths, can we tweek them, adjust them, moderate them to alter the culture they reflect?

Most Japanese "superheroes" were made about 20-30 years ago to embody the spirit of what the Japanese felt was the ideal quality of a good person: hard-working, follows the law, always fights evil, etc.

Recently, though, their main characters (in anime and manga) are either one-dimensional characters who "progress" over a severely-restricted path of development or a loser that couldn't be compared to a Frank Miller Batman or Superman. What happened is that the people liked eye candy more than story (porn toons move a LOT of paper and DVDs!) and the development and production has focused on appearance without focusing more on plots and characters that evoke a moral harmonization. When I see Superman do the right thing, I'd like to think that I, too, would choose that path myself, if I had Superman's powers and focus. To be a good lesson, the morality must be tenable and believable...Manga and anime fail miserably at this. I also like to see a whole, 3-D personality and motivation so that I can think of the character as "someone", someone "real". Manga and anime use simple sterotypes or melodrama to exaggerate a few character traits/flaws and the character is finished along with the series. You could see Batman being a real guy because he displays real guy motives and traits...you couldn't see a character from whatever anime is the flavor-of-the-month living anywhere past the end credits of his feature.

It's for this reason that I think Japan is writing itself out of serious superhero comicdom and more into the melodramatic eye candy that is the celluloid equivalent of the pablum that clots on cinema screens here in the US. I basically like the older manga made by Tezuka and Moneky Punch because they evoke a more plausible morality that I can relate to, rather than stringing together flashy scenes with weak dialogue and trite characters that end with the story. Manga is assembly-line produced, whereas a guy like Miller CREATED and GAVE LIFE to Batman.

Hello,

I see a trend with the Superhero realm, in comic books lately. The realism: Making them ordinary Joe's with extraordinary powers. That is all fine and dandy but I don't recall a law book anywhere saying that Superheroes have to be as normal as possible. What is the point? Had I been blessed with exceptional powers, I'd be flaunting them all over the place,"Come on Saddamm, I got a present for you." And, "Osama...check out my ring." You wouldn't catch me holding down a 9 to 5 because if I am running around, protecting and serving, I am going to be compensated. I want the city to give me a place to live, rent free, I want super discounts at every store. I want a check in the mail from the UN, because I will be the only army they need! My point (besides the fact that I'd be too dope for words) is that Superheroes are not us and should not be anything like us. THey should chill in the JLA Watch Tower, consume large quantities of food, invade our airspace with a building in one arm and a villain in the other, and they should ALL hang around until it's time to !POW!CRASH!BOOM! because that is what they are supposed to do. Superman gave up his Clark Kent side for a reason. Heroes can't hide forever.