The Problem of Change
"�heroes are starting to become quite the problem. They aren't what they used
to be�or rather they are, and therein lies the heart of the difficulty."
-- Alan Moore (p.1)
The above quote easily summarizes a problem caused by an ever-changing society like our own. Moore continues his explanation in the article, "The Mark of Batman", saying:
The world about us has changed and is continually changing at an ever-accelerating pace. So have we. With the increase in media coverage and information technology, we see more of the world, comprehend its workings a little more clearly, and as a result our perception of ourselves and the society surrounding us has been modified. Consequently, we begin to make different demands upon the art and culture that is meant to reflect the constantly shifting landscape we find ourselves in. We demand new themes, new insights, new dramatic situations. We demand new heroes. (p. 1-2)
In a sentence, Moore is saying that increasing technology and a greater understanding of the human psyche causes the older, classic heroes to become obsolete. This is more simply stated by Mike Gold in his article, "Our Darkest Knight", "�popular culture is a transient thing. What is popular today will be forgotten tomorrow, only to be rediscovered as 'nostalgia' a few weeks later" (p.12). People these days can see the inconsistencies and prejudices put into the classic heroes by their creators, lessening their appeal to the greater masses. Moore also addresses this subject, saying, "The fictional heroes of the past, while still retaining all of their charm and power and magic, have had their credibility stripped away forever as a result of the new sophistication in their audience" (p.2). This new sophistication in the audience inadvertently causes another problem for superheroes: comic books become stuck in a rut. The preconception that comic books were largely for children cause them to be left in the dust by cinema and literature. Moore states:
Whereas in novels and movies we have been presented with such concepts as the anti-hero or the classical hero reinterpreted in a contemporary manner, comic books have largely had to plod along with the same old muscle-bound oafs spouting the same old muscle-bound platitudes while attempting to dismember each other. (p.2)
Frank Miller, an author of many landmark stories in the comic book world, concurs with Moore, stating, "I felt that superhero comics had really been held back by a misperconception that they were just for kids. The comic book world had become so utterly pleasant and safe�" (Daniels, p. 149). Moore believes that the longer the problem exists, the harder it will be to find a solution to this problem. He says, "As the naivety of the characters and the absurdity of their situations become increasingly embarrassing and anachronistic to modern eyes, so does the problem become more compounded and intractable" (p. 2). So, this raises the question that "unless we are to somehow do without heroes altogether, how are the creators of [comic books] to go about redefining their legends to suit the contemporary climate?" (Moore, p.2). Who or what is the solution to the problem of change?
