tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33311991.post8542445035560553241..comments2024-01-02T07:48:42.623-05:00Comments on Comics And...Other Imaginary Tales: Death and Comics – The Week Not in ReviewJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00352163584546054887noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33311991.post-66781444211463404132013-05-06T17:06:08.453-04:002013-05-06T17:06:08.453-04:00You are right, Matthew, death is rampant in comics...You are right, Matthew, death is rampant in comics, just nothing that means anything to the characters for the most part. And having limited time does force one to prioritize. Much of what you said reinforces why I wish the cape and cowl set addressed death and made it "real" for the characters as it adds more depth and truth to the characters. <br /><br />Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00352163584546054887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33311991.post-26092341198927702092013-05-06T16:36:55.437-04:002013-05-06T16:36:55.437-04:00John Byrne did a great job handling death in his G...John Byrne did a great job handling death in his Generation series. Sure he had immortality too, but when a character really died, it was gut-wrenching and there were long lasting repercussions. The problem with some comic deaths is that they are often meaningless in terms of the purpose (sales gimmick or can't think of a decent story). Ronnie Raymond should never have "died" or been turned into a drunk. Jason was a good replacement for Firestorm, but when you throw away a character with potential, then someone is bound to come back and want to reuse them. Barry's death and Kara's had real meaning and significance. <br /><br />In some ways comics have been rife with death. Whole universes disappear in a blink of an event and all that came before comes rushing to a "dead" end. It doesn't matter if they're reanimated in another universe or update, what was before is still gone. I don't really like change, but I can see the need for it sometimes. Still, I don't want to see Bruce die prematurely. Then all his struggles are for naught -- Although, if you do keep the death real, then you get the nice Flash legacy and influence. I wouldn't be who I am today if my father had lived to rear me as a child. <br /><br />I love Spider-Girl in that we got to see the continuing story of married Peter and MJ. There was legacy in that book too. But when it was finally cancelled (hiatus), they didn't kill her. We just stop the story and leave the potential for more.<br /><br />I think these types of posts are always appropriate, Jim. We're comic readers who live in the real world and its the real world stuff that strengthens our connections to one another. Ever since Pam and I realized we weren't going to have any more children, I've been really feeling my mortality. I hope I have decades left, but chances are I'm over the half-way point. I want to cherish the fleeting things of life (like making Batman masks with my son) and re-prioritize things that don't really matter in the grand scheme. I'm glad I have an assured hope of a continued existence, which gives me purpose day in and day out. There IS more than just this life and that's good, because this life is very short.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03894454259041852707noreply@blogger.com