Adding to the Myth

As a minor follow up to my post on the lack of imagination in many forms of entertainment, I would like to point out three really nice moments in comics to me that represent a nice addition to what was already there.

First is Alan Moore's revelation of the Swamp Thing is a plant and not a man changed into a Swamp Monster. This change in perspective changed the character forever and made him into the best Swamp Monster ever done in comics. He kept the core of the book and altered it ever so slightly and gave us a whole new view.

Second was Grant Morrison's Robotman. He presented to us the true horror of being a brain trapped in a metal shell. No feelings. He has no sense of touch and is removed from the world in a terrifying way that was always there, but just never explored.

Last is the current Legion of Super-Heroes and Dream Girl. Brianiac was trying to revive Dream Girl and has created what appears to be a true Dream Girl. She is either a ghost that only Brianiac can see, a true girl, a psychoses of Brainiac's or something else. But we now have taken a "Dream Girl" and made her into what her name implies. True to the character, but now we see the world in a different way.

This to me are examples of imagination. Adding to the myth and making us see something in a different way. Rewriting the stories from before and adding cute and updated twist is not my idea of great story telling (see Ultimate Spider-Man), it can be fun and entertaining, but ultimately (pun intended) empty.