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| Scarlet
Letters |
| Truth,
Justice and the American Comic Book |
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With
great power comes great responsibility.
--
Peter Parker's uncle, in "Spiderman" |
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When the World Trade towers fell in New York, someone wrote that they couldn't
help feeling betrayed, as though Superman or Batman or some other superhero
should have swooped in at the last minute to stop it.
Such is American culture. Our superheroes always seem to prevent disaster
in the nick of time, riding in when all seems hopeless, righting the wrongs
of the world before the commercial break.
Superheroes are comforting that way. No matter how bleak it looks when
Batman is cornered by that band of thugs, you can be sure some little device
on his BatBelt will rescue him. Superman may have a Kryptonite necklace
holding him at the bottom of the pool, but we know the buxom young woman
in a white dress will rescue him in time to save the world.
This week, Spider-Man joins the long list of heroes to jump off the bright
pages of comic books and into movie theaters. Superman, Batman, the X-Men,
Dick Tracy, Spawn, Blade, Swamp Thing and Supergirl have all kicked their
way onto the big screen, with varying results.
Spidey has been a long time coming, thanks to lawyers, but at least we
have the fun of watching Toby Maguire, a vastly underrated actor. I wish
I could say his excellent, low-key performance of Peter Parker and Spider-Man
could carry this film, but it doesn't.
The difference between "Superman" the movie and the other comic-book movies
has always been the writing. From "Batman" to "Spider-Man," comic-book
movies are big business, with toys and merchandise to boot. We can't possibly
allow narrative flow, character development, strong dialogue, a sense of
theme and purpose or other such concepts that are, ironically, strong in
the comics themselves to interfere with the cash cows of the movies.
A side note: Extra credit should go to "Batman" for having fun with Batman's
unusually colorful array of villains - after all, if you're the only guy
to show up at the party in a costume, you feel a little foolish. (This
line cribbed from Alan Moore the Great. Thank you.)
"Superman" was written by Mario Puzo, who wrote a couple other things that
did well, as you might recall. Its Messianic undertones, the incredible
John Williams score, and of course Christopher Reeve as Superman made for
a terrific movie, the best of the comic-book adaptations.
There was a brilliant column about "Superman" online a few months ago.
I wish I could remember who wrote it, so I could give him the proper credit
for this statement: You cannot properly remake "Superman," because no one
will believe in the fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way anymore.
We're no longer so sure what Truth and Justice are, and as for the American
Way, can anyone define it, or say whether it's a good thing at all? The
newer movie superheroes seem to be dressed up for the fun of it and fight
for the special effects. They save lives because that's what good guys
do, and the bad guys kill because that's what bad guys do. Well, Batman's
got a dark side to him, but that's okay - he's got Deep Psychological Issues,
so he gets a free pass.
But when Christopher Reeve's Superman tells Lois Lane, "I never lie," we
believe him. He never lies. When he says, "I'm here to fight for Truth,
Justice and the American Way," no one laughs except Lois, because we know
he's for real. Anyone else, saying that line at any other time, would be
laughed out of the theater.
And even Reeve couldn't pull it off forever - in "Superman 4," a wretched
waste of celluloid I was forced to watch a few weeks ago, Reeve and his
costars seem embarrassed to be there. Given the writing, I'm not surprised.
(As
a reader has reminded me,Reeve actually co-wrote that movie - I imagine
he interjected the anti-war, no-nukes theme - but the rest of the movie
buries it in horrible dialogue, unbelievable plot twists, characters so
cardboard you could use them for dartboards and quite possibly the worst
blue-screen effects I've ever seen. Reeve still looks embarrassed.)
Among comic book fans, I'm a dilettante, and I know it. I've dabbled, read
a little here and there, and only know "Watchmen" by heart. The real enthusiasts
are legion, and many of them will no doubt email me with the million things
about which I'm wrong.
But comics aren't "Family Circus" in book form - in short, they're not
for kids. Spawn, for example, is not a happy fellow for the kiddies to
watch. "Watchmen," arguably the greatest graphic novel ever, is extremely
dark and sexual in places. The death of Superman (okay, he came back, what
do you want, reality?) was dark and violent. "Arkham Asylum," a "Batman"
graphic novel, still gives me nightmares, and I first read it ten years
ago.
The beauty of the comic world is its ability to foster such great creativity.
The writing is unique and willing to take chances, even willing to hack
off the readers to try something new. The artists find haunting imagery
you'll never see on the big screen. And the fans are so devoted that they
pick up their pens and write their own work, known as fanfic.
Why is it, when they put these costumed heroes to the screen, that Hollywood
feels it must dumb down to the lowest common denominator? That viewers
will not accept a hero who makes decisions that let people die
? That blindingly stupid dialogue ("We'll meet again, Spider-Man!") is
acceptable because it's a comic-book movie? That because your target audience
is comprised of teenage males, it's acceptable to show the heroine in a
wet, clingy T-shirt for a cheap thrill?
I'm putting too much weight on poor Spidey's shoulders. It's a swinging
movie (sorry, couldn't help myself), and will thrill those who have waited
forever for Spider-Man to shoot his webs. I'll watch the sequels - of which
there will be many, I'm sure - and keep hoping for something a little deeper
than the average sidewalk puddle to emerge from the writing and push aside
the special effects.
But I can't help thinking back to the deep voice of Marlon Brando telling
Superman, "They are a great people, Kal-El - they wish to be. It is for
that reason above all, their capacity for good, that I have sent them you.
My only son."
That's writing. That's allegory. That's compelling fiction. That's why
I go to the movies. For twenty years, we've been waiting for something
to make us believe in Truth, Justice and the American Way again. We're
still waiting. |
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Column Credo:
I'd be sitting in a restaurant and someone
would come up and say, "I don't like your column on this or that." I'd
hand him 35 cents. That was what the paper cost then. The refund on the
product. He'd get upset. Well, that's one attitude I have. Today,
it's half a buck. What can you buy for half a buck? Do I owe them something
that will be worth reading a hundred years from now? I don't think so.
Do I owe them something of the quality of Mark Twain? Naaa. Not for 50
cents.
I guess what I owe them is that when I
write something, it's what I think. No editor told me to write it. I'm
not doing it because the Tribune editorial page will like it, or not. So
they can be quite sure that they're getting what I think at the moment.
-- Mike Royko
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