Hello Cadets! It has been a turbulent weekend with the devastation in Japan being as it has been but I think that maybe a little distraction can be good for the soul. So rather than post a typical Marvel vs. DC comparison or debate I would like to point out something both are guilty of, resurrection. Between Superman, Jean Grey, various X-Men, and Jason Todd a.k.a. Robin there is a slew of superhero deaths that are never quite final. A few deaths are blatant and frequent, such as Deadpool but others leave one asking questions such as "why bother killing them at all?" and "What was the point?" Well there are a few theories, some which go as far back as the 1890's.
The first and foremost reason for this trend being outside pressure. The finest and most clearcut example being Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who famously killed off Sherlock Holmes in 1893. By 1901 Sherlock Holmes returned in 'Hound of the Baskervilles' and here is why. Sir Doyle wanted to focus on other projects and career aspects and he had grown rather tired of writing the adventures of Holmes and Watson, so rather than have Sherlock die a peaceful death of old age or even the less honorable death of an addict he gave him a proper hero's sendoff. It was due to public outcry that Sir Doyle brought Holmes back for more adventures despite his strong objections and lack of interest in the character by then.
Such pressures are still present whenever a beloved superhero passes, most recently found with the death of Captain America. The story seemed posed to put the original Captain America down for good but due to public outcry he was recently revealed to not be dead but transported to a different dimension, which seems to be a popular trend to offset the obvious death of a major character, mostly found in Marvel storylines. While a brilliant idea the first time I feel that they either need to start sticking to their guns on character death or come up with much more inventive resurrections.
Now let's take a look at DC, typically DC is strangely okay with killing off characters but the resurrection trade has become a staple in their stories that involve character death. First and foremost was the death of Superman. His death was a heavy blow in the comic world and left everyone wondering what would come next. The writers tried various replacements for the story but realized that they were lacking in what it is that made Superman so endearing to kids and adults alike. After a hiatus and even more attempts to fill the boots of the Man of Steel the writers decided to bring back Superman, which brings me to the other reason for temporary death; inadequate replacement. It's extremely difficult to create a timeless and iconic character and even harder to replace them. Since then DC has seemingly refused to kill another major icon without an adequate replacement in the works.
Lastly and possibly the biggest reason lies in the consumer. Fans of Deadpool know that short of being put through a juicer, Deadpool is impossible to kill for long. That being said let's look at Marvel's favorite group, the X-Men. I dare you to just stop at five characters that were iconic and stayed dead. That being said there is no money in killing off the characters that were the staple of a decades old series. When buying an X-Men comic it is expected to see Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Professor X. Realistically the few of those who were killed in the series never stayed dead for long as it was all for shock factor. There are alternate reality stories that take place after a few main characters' deaths but have almost always been serialized alongside the regular X-Men series. One plus side to the Marvel universe was the birth of Mavel Zombies, which killed everyone for once. Not only were the stories filled with the standard gallows humor but it was also a brilliant way to capitalize on the booming zombie trend in pop culture.
Overall both Marvel and DC are guilty of shock-factor killing of the beloved characters in your favorite stories but let me ask you a couple questions; would you rather have a character go out in a blaze of glory or have the stories grow stale with age? Also what do you think of the overall lack of ability to kill a superhero? Is it because the writers have grown too fond of them as well or is it all for the love of money? Please post your thoughts on my facebook group The Litter-ati at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_188729431163726&ap=1#!/home.php?sk=group_188729431163726&ap=1
As always it's a pleasure to get feedback and please don't hesitate to join in on polls or group dicussions. Also, as a reminder, please donate to Red Cross or any other group of your choice assisting with the tragedy in Japan. This is War Kitten, signing out and reminding you to.... what? No I'm..... You first..... Nevermind.
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