As we come to the close of DC comics DCnU re-launched September campaign, it is a good time as things have calmed a bit to look at exactly how they chose to re-set the classic trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman and re-fresh them for a new set of readers while entertaining old fans. I am not approaching this evaluation as a good versus bad necessarily, rather, I re-read the #1's of the trinity and wanted to see what structure, characterization, and literary/story devices I could pick out in hopes of finding strands I (and hopefully others) can begin to see over a number of issues and story arcs. Also, I omitted Action Comics and Justice League due to the story purpose they serve is a prologue of five years previous to these titles. So....
In Media Res
The most intriguing (or to some the most annoying) thing about the three titles is that they all share the common use of utilizing In Medias Res. Simply, In Medias Res is "the technique of beginning a narrative in the middle of the action" (Murfin & Ray, 2003, p.217). This is an interesting narrative choice on the part of DC as they forgo the obvious trotting out of origin stories and instead choose to work on small hints wrapped in an already existing universal narrative. By being dropped into the lives of these characters and the world they inhabit we are given, as readers, room to question and move around a bit more. Comics are, after all, serialized stories and no different than, from a story/narrative perspective, serialized television shows or novels in a series.
Superman
Superman #1 is built on playing with the idea of metaphor, binary, and mystery in making brush strokes on a very large canvas. The Daily Planet is on its way out metaphorically, as the old model of media is making way for the world of media conglomerates (here the Rupert Murdoch-esque Morgan Edge) who sweep in to "save" old print media models and re-vitalize them for the digital age via the web, video, and multi media devices. A lot of time is spent by writer George Perez in setting up the ties between the idea of the Daily Planet and Superman/ Clark Kent as Clark/Superman is represented as a classic reporter/hero finding footing in a new age.
This binary of Superman/Clark Kent can be explored further by the reader as we have no hints at his origin what so ever, other than that Krypton is mentioned. Here is where long times readers of course throw up a flag and say that it would be confusing for new readers to know what is going on with the character. However, think about for a moment about how most narratives are constructed. How often do novels or movies give you all the exposition on a character right away? The important info we are given as readers is Clark/Superman is recovering from some emotional/psychological issues and that he is battling corruption or some type of ethical/moral wrong that he feels needs to be exposed ( I hope to explore the ethics of Superman soon!). While yes, it is easy to encapsulate a character, and comics often do in the form of a caption on the title page (or the Marvel comics one page re-cap model) give a synopsis, here DC has decided not to, and really for the benefit of the reader. Also, there is enough questions being generated from this issue to propel one onto the next serialized chapter.
Wonder Woman
The most mysterious of the three, Diana ( as she is quick to point out what she wishes to be called) seems to live in London (it is the place caption we are given of her bedroom) on her own (perhaps a nod to Flashpoint, the mini-series that precedes the DCnU), setting a mood, in my mind, a lot like the stories of perhaps a wondering Ronin or Samurai who will go where they are needed. The story unfolds to show Diana is indebted to help the god Hermes (via a central symbol or totem) in a situation that involves other mythical creatures/gods, an impregnated girl, and some type of struggle that Diana is having with her own identity. This is not me just glossing over the issue, as it is very packed with action, but Wonder Woman has the largest drop in of the three, and it makes it the most intriguing (aren't the gods and their games mysterious anyway?). The reader is really left with the question "Who is Wonder Woman"?
Batman
This introduction not only drops us in the middle of a great scene which allows an introduction of a good part of the rogues gallery, but also establishes the psychogeographical importance of Arkham Asylum and Gotham City to Batman, or vice versa. Writer Scott Snyder has gone about crafting the idea of psychogeography in relation to the repeated phrase "Gotham is...".
While there is the brief mention of Bruce's dead parents, here it does not drive the internal monologue and dwelled upon as it had been in the past. Instead we are shown more Bruce Wayne, who is a Paternal figure (the scene with Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne on p. 9**) and a concerned philanthropist. In fact, we spend a great deal of time with Bruce Wayne in this issue. When we are with Batman, we find a concerned hero who is actually in favor of the Gotham City Police Department and the unshakeable Jim Gordon, and works with the GCPD in the form of a crime scene investigation with detective Harvey Bullock. This is not the traditional loner Batman, rather, a Batman that seems to be on a more even keel with his city, its local protectors, and his life (although the cliffhanger is challenging that!).
**Note: Pages referenced for the comics are by actual page counts, not counting ad pages**
References
Murfin, R., & Ray, S.M. (2003) The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, 2nd Ed. Bedford ST. Martins: New York.
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