The horror! The horror!

So, I didn’t read Heart of Darkness, but half of my high school english class did and promptly described it to me therefore, I feel like I can use it as it is relevant to the subjects of this here post.

When it comes to the horror genre, I am skeptical and hesitant. I don’t normally enjoy horror films, due to their lack of character development, plot potential and gruesome scenes that only serve to shock. For me, this results in disappointment with a stomach turning, no laughing scenario. BUT in terms of comics, I have had a great experience with this category. Especially The Walking Dead and just as of last week, Green Wake! I read this during the day because the cover scares me, thanks to the artistic stylings of Riley Rossmo. I can tell already that it is well thought out and when it left me hanging at the end, I found myself excited for the next issue and not negatively affected by the frightening images throughout. I think it helps that I think they are beautiful and I am suspended by the story and imagery. There was one moment where I exclaimed, “uuuuahhh” in disgust but it keeps me intrigued, and I find when the written word elicits a vocal response, I am impressed that it did just that. If you enjoy a well written comic and a good scare, pick up Green Wake Issue #1 at your local comic book shop, and use this handy-dandy shop locator!

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Kind of a big rant:

I read this article on Newsarama.com titled, “Experts Ask and Answer: Trauma – What Makes Heroes and Villains?” It’s an overview of a panel at Wondercon and talks about how heroes deal with the violence they experience and seemingly are resistant to psychological trauma like PTSD. There was a question posed to the audience and to the panelists, “Are there any heroes that are healthy?” One panelist, a psychologist, responded that Superman was her “poster person for psychological health despite experiencing trauma.” My initial reaction was, does Superman count? He isn’t human. I realize that the panel was discussing all heroes, but really Superman is a bit different, while raised human, he still isn’t actually human. This could suggest that his coping abilities are better or just different than ours, considering he is seemingly more advanced, in an alien sort of way, than a lot of superheroes. I’m being a little silly and particular but I don’t think this is a great example. This is sort of coming back to an argument that I have heard from friends and family: who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman? Pretty sure Batman beat Superman silly with kryptonite gloves so that answers the question, but before I knew this, I was on Batman’s side, particularly because he is human and I can relate to him more than Superman.

Another thing that bothered me, albeit I didn’t attend Wondercon so I can’t be sure, was that the panelists don’t talk about any female superheroes that have dealt with trauma while staying healthy. If you can correct me, please I welcome it. At least, in the article, female superheroes were not mentioned. And why aren’t they? Is it so horrible to throw in a few females into the mix? We all know they are out there fighting the good fight in the comic book world. I think I’m just tired of hearing about the same heroes, I mean really, come up with some new examples. There is so much out there to choose from.

End of rant.

I’m reading Catching Fire and I’m afraid to get into it. Sometimes I hate getting really into a book or series and then finishing it. It’s sad to come to the end of something, c’est la vie. And so far this book is moving super fast, and I’m not ready for its pace. But it is awesomely dystopian and reminds me of Anthem by Ayn Rand. Also, I didn’t realize that Atlas Shrugged is now a movie and coming out this Friday. I need to read that behemoth. In trivia last week I found out that it is longer than Infinite Jest. I don’t have much more to say today as I want to continue reading, forever. And I just had an idea for a story so I’ll be going now!

Catching Fire artwork