Tortured Hero Tuesday
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Not that I'm going to continue this feature every Tuesday, but you never know. Maybe I will.
So, here's the story. I watched The Cape last night. Predictably enough, I like it. Yummy hero. Bad, bad villains. Cool explosions and cars. Strong women. All the elements of a great story. And it reminded me of how much I appreciate a tortured hero. I can think back on several of my favorite books and movies. Sometimes the torture is subtle. Other times, like with Vince Faraday[sounds like a soap name, doesn't it?], the torture is obvious. A framed good cop who goes underground. The world thinks good cop is dead. So he picks up a cape and decides to fight the evil that separated him from his family.
Comic books have never been my cup of tea. My kids, on the other hand, have really gotten into them in the past few years. My son read this HUGE graphic, super-hero novel that was at least 300 pages long, at least. So, I picked up a few as well, and found them fun to read. The comics that have been made into movies are also entertaining. For example, Dick Tracy, and Batman. What do I enjoy about them? The villains.
So, here's the story. I watched The Cape last night. Predictably enough, I like it. Yummy hero. Bad, bad villains. Cool explosions and cars. Strong women. All the elements of a great story. And it reminded me of how much I appreciate a tortured hero. I can think back on several of my favorite books and movies. Sometimes the torture is subtle. Other times, like with Vince Faraday[sounds like a soap name, doesn't it?], the torture is obvious. A framed good cop who goes underground. The world thinks good cop is dead. So he picks up a cape and decides to fight the evil that separated him from his family.Comic books have never been my cup of tea. My kids, on the other hand, have really gotten into them in the past few years. My son read this HUGE graphic, super-hero novel that was at least 300 pages long, at least. So, I picked up a few as well, and found them fun to read. The comics that have been made into movies are also entertaining. For example, Dick Tracy, and Batman. What do I enjoy about them? The villains. Why is it that comic book villains are just so darn creative? I love it. They border on science fiction or paranormal. They emphasize the hero's victory because he's just a regular guy. He's not always super-human, like Superman--or he if he is superhuman, his human qualities make him down-to-earth. He often uses his brain, braun... and a bit of magic. I loved the magical element of The Cape.
Take a chance. You might be surprised. I was. :D
