Everything You Know is Wrong Pt. 2 - Death & Comics

Ah, Death in Comics. That perennial hot button issue sure to whip any red-blooded fanboy in a frenzy. Talking about Death in Comics is about as dangerous as yelling "Naked Jessica Alba Photos" in a crowded Comic Convention, so I'm going to proceed with caution here and urge you to do the same. My platform is simply this:

Death in Comics is fine and dandy. It's you who's fucked up. I mean that in the nicest way possible.

I think when it comes to these kind of debates, the best thing to do is take a step back from the realm of comics and have a look at storytelling in general. We comic readers tend to suffer from a bit of the tunnel vision from time to time. A little perspective is probably in order.

But first, a story:



Meet Isis and Osiris. A couple of well-meaning Gods who wanted nothing more than to rule their ancient land in peace. Things are going pretty well, too, until Osiris gets murked by Set (his own brother, no less). Set not only kills Osiris, but then cuts him up into little tiny pieces and scatters them throughout the world.

The End.







I'm just kidding, of course. The story continues. But imagine if it hadn't? What a shitty story, am I right?

What actually happens is, Isis then travels the world collecting her lover's pieces (talk about your ride or die chick) and with a little help from her friends, brings Osiris back to life. They currently live in Palm Springs with their three beautiful tabbies and occasionally hear from their son Horus, the Sun God.

Now, wasn't that better? I think so.

My point is this: Death and resurrection have long been cornerstones of myth. From Osiris to Persephone, Elijah to Lazarus, Jesus to Superman, and so on and so forth, this theme of rebirth just seems to pop up all over the place. It's a story that's been told for centuries, and continues to be told today. In comic books, in temples, and even in nature. Every year Winter comes along at the same exact time, and every year Spring is sure to follow.

But you mean to tell me that the minute Hawkeye catches a bad one that suddenly enough is enough? Come on now. Let's get serious.


Okay, maybe I'm being too broad. No one is saying that death is a bad storytelling device, right? It's just that death has gotten out of hand in comic books. Fair enough. Let's shift the focus back to comics, so I can tell you why you're still wrong.

More and more, I find that fans are clamoring for a stringent "Dead Means Dead" policy. I can understand why. It's very direct sounding and it rolls off the tongue nicely. It's the sort of thing that looks good on a T-Shirt. Something we can all get behind. Well, I can't. Not entirely, anyway.

Consider this: If dead always meant dead, then who would we be left with today? I contend that most of your favorite superheroes would have been long gone before you were ever even born.


Sorry, kids! That's it! The End! No more Superman stories! Dead means dead, after all! Hope you held on to those back-issues!

Now see, that's no fun, is it?

Is this truly what you wish upon future generations of comic book readers? A world with no Professor X? With no Green Goblin? With no Superman? Kind of selfish, don't you think?

You know who I blame? The comic book guys.


Moi?

Yeah, you.

The long-term comic reader.

Those cynical bastards who have been reading Spider-Man since Amazing Fantasy #15, and cry bloody murder anytime they come across a plot thread that vaguely resembles one from 1974. They've been there and they've done that. (Ironically, most of them have never been anywhere near there and they have most certainly never done that.) They're bitter and they're jaded, and have been in the game for far too long to recall a time when a costume change or a return from the grave was cool as hell.

Superhero comics are, for the most part, like an amusement park ride. Thrilling little jaunts that exhilarate our inner child and ultimately end up right back where they started. Sure, there are plenty of twists and turns here and there, but the course is pretty much set and nothing ever really changes. And on some base level, we all know this to be true. Much in the same way we know that Charlie Brown will never kick that goddamn football, and the Coyote will never catch that goddamn Roadrunner. He'll just fall off that cliff and keep coming back. The only thing that allows these rides to continue to captivate us is our willingness to allow them to do so.




If you're tired of the ride, maybe it's time to stop blaming the ride.