Broken Frontier

(The Prerequisites is a special series of columns, which runs once a month in place of the usual installment of Advocating Comics. In these columns, Steve devotes some time to highlighting two graphic novels that represent some of the best the medium has to offer. One graphic novel is in the superhero genre, while the other explores one of the many other diverse types of stories being told in comics today. These graphic novels are ones Steve feels could aid you in your attempts at comics advocacy, either by broadening your own horizons by introducing you to something you have yet to read or by providing you with examples of works that would appeal to mass audiences of non-comic readers to turn them onto the potential of the medium.)

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The media attention comics have received in the past few months, ranging through such diverse forms as commercials on MTV and articles in The New York Times Magazine, has brought about heightened awareness among those uninitiated into the world of comics. People are sitting up and taking notice of comics, some for the first time since they were kids and some for the first time ever. In short, this summer seems to be a perfect time for comics advocacy, and it would be to our advantage to strike while the iron is hot, to really reach out to these people and show them what comics are capable of.

Being then that it is summer, it would perhaps be to the advantage of anyone seeking to educate people about comics to take a hint from other forms of entertainment popular in the summer. The summer months have long been known for valuing one form of entertainment in particular, namely the “popcorn movie.” Each year, new records are set at the motion picture box office, only to be broken the year after that. People flock to the movie theaters in droves every summer, ready and waiting to be entertained.

Thus, the summer blockbuster could in fact be particularly helpful to the cause of any comics advocate. All it would require would be for an advocate to simply look at what people seemed to be fond of in the movie theaters and then promote something similar from the realm of comics. By receiving cues from the movies, comics advocates can tap into those topics of conversation that people are already buzzing about, can feed into stories people are already familiar with. (In fact, one such movie tie-in—the connection between the political content of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Demo #7—has recently been mentioned in this column.)

One obvious example of a film ready-made for comics advocacy would be Spider-Man 2. It is doubtful that anyone could go into this film unaware of its comic book origins, since the character and the comics baring his name are so well known. The character’s long life in many forms have made him a cultural icon, yet his roots remain firmly planted in the world of comics. Moviegoers go into the theater knowing that what they’re about to see is based on a comic, and that foreknowledge automatically makes them more accepting of those stories.

Thus, to best appease those who’d like more material in the same vein as the film, it would be wise to recommend Spider-Man: Blue, Jeph Loeb’s reimagining of old Stan Lee stories from the ‘60s. This miniseries, now available in trade paperback, perfectly captures the same emotions as the film. Rather than focusing solely on the antics of Spiderman, both the film and this comic put the spotlight on the man under the mask, Peter Parker, and the burdens he bears.

In the film, Peter is conflicted because he wants a normal life and his role as a superhero is getting in the way of that desire, and that same underlying wish can be felt in Spider-Man: Blue. The story unfolds as the Peter Parker of the present day looks back on the innocent days of his youth, wishing he had had more time to simply enjoy his life rather than fight crime. But the latest rampage of The Lizard or the Vulture always seemed to get in the way of his friendships with Harry Osborn and Flash Thompson, his romances with Mary Jane and Gwen, and thus, like the Peter Parker in the film, he must learn to reconcile the two aspects of his double life.

In that regard, it is the perfect read for a Spider-Man fan just now getting into the character. It serves as an easy bridge for the new reader between the young character seen on the movie screen and the older married man in the comics today. Also, being told mostly in flashback, the story is free of much of the burdensome continuity that can make many comics inaccessible.

On the other hand, Loeb’s tale is a throwback to an earlier era in the character’s history, a simpler time remembered fondly by many Spidey fans of days gone by. It captures the feel of the era beautifully with an obvious fondness for the Lee/Ditko source material that is truly heartfelt. No older fan of Spider-Man can look at this story without feeling a few hints of nostalgia.

Much of that feeling of nostalgia can be credited to the beautiful art of Tim Sale. His work on this book is at times so reminiscent of the artistic styles of the time period that you almost feel you’re looking at pages by Ditko, Romita, or Buscema. For proof, you need look no further than the covers of each of the original issues, which serve as chapter breaks in this book. Each one is a pop masterpiece and could easily be at home on a gallery wall beside the great artists of the era.

Less obvious examples of comics that relate to films tend to work as well, for they take the film viewer by surprise. It is always interesting to see a person’s reaction when you suggest to them that if they liked some piece of historical fiction or some biopic, they might try a similar comic. If this information has indeed caught them off-guard, you can see through their widening eyes and almost read their minds as they think to themselves, “There’s a comic about that?”

One movie released this summer that can capture that same shock value of having a comic tie-in would be the film Troy, starring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Colin Ferrell. Having been released early on in this movie season, this historical epic has long since come and gone from most theaters, but it is still fresh in the minds of many viewers. Therefore, any fans of that film, or even those who had simply heard about it and decided to wait until video, might not believe there could be comics that tell the adventures of the Trojan War. However, their disbelief will be shattered when they are told of the brilliant book Age of Bronze, by Eric Shanower.

Age of Bronze is a detailed account of the Trojan War, from its earliest days to its final battles. With this book, Shanower is attempting to separate truth from myth, to get at the heart of the story’s real-life basis through painstaking historical research. Gone are almost all references to the Greek gods which most people associate with the story. While the characters in the comic may believe in the power of Zeus, Shanower wants to show that this war was a very human battle that did not feel the hand of divine intervention.

It might seem odd at first that a book like Age of Bronze that prides itself on its attention to the details of the time period might ride the coattails of a summer blockbuster, since Hollywood has never been known for its historical accuracy. However, much of what makes the comic appealing is that it is a myriad of genres rolled into one. The first storyline to be collected, A Thousand Ships, is full of political intrigue, dramatic character interactions, and tons of romance. Friendships are built and empires destroyed by the impetuous decision of Paris to kidnap Helen, the wife of Meneleaus, and take her for his own. Meanwhile, the film’s biggest draw—the action of battle—is amped up in the comic with greater conflicts and much more tension, both in A Thousand Ships and the second storyline, just recently released in hardcover, entitled Sacrifice.

The sheer craftsmanship Shanower has put into this book should convince anyone who even glances at Age of Bronze that it is superior to Troy. Shanower balances literally dozens of characters deftly, never allowing any one character to be in the spotlight too long, so that you can relate to them all at any given moment. They are all so well-rounded that their personalities almost spring off of the page. Readers relish in their triumphs, anguish over their heartaches. Shanower’s skill as an artist can be seen in these characters as well, in his ability to make characters who come from the same family line look just enough alike that we can see a resemblance while just dissimilar enough that we can tell them all apart.

While these examples of comics that relate to films stand out from the crowd, we must, however, be wary that we are not hitching our wagon to a dead horse. If a film bombs, we should avoid any mention of similar comic material so that people do not prejudge the comics negatively. We do not want comics to carry the stigma of a film that people already hate. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid pushing any collections of Ed Brubaker’s run on Catwoman onto the unsuspecting public at present. While these comics are outstanding, people will be reluctant to accept them, being unable to see past the images in the media of Halle Berry scantily clad and wielding a whip (as well as the universally bad reviews the movie has received).

But careful comic advocates can find themselves sitting pretty this summer. With a little help from Hollywood, comics have a good shot at gaining some new readers this blockbuster season. Anytime we have an opportunity to draw on people’s already established interests such as we do here, we should grab the bull by the horns, hold on and enjoy the ride as long as we can, especially since we need all the help we can get.