Been meaning to do this since
destro first started the thread. My wife is every bit as geeky and analytical as I am, though she is not an avid comic reader. However, she enjoys learning about them from me because she cares about my interests, and also likes being able to talk the talk with her students (we both teach high school). She has read a dozen or so books I've highly recommended to her but has spent far more time TALKING about comics with me.
(note: I read her the questions aloud and typed what she said as she thought out her responses)
1) What superhero do you find most interesting?
Probably Batman because of the psychology, I guess. I'm interested in psychology, so I'm interested in what happens when you lose your parents at a young age, and for him to go after bad guys as a way of honoring their memory, him taking the figure of a dark bat is interesting to me, especially because he's such a high profile person; his alter ego is the heir of a great estate; he's head of a giant company, and yet he chooses a creature who is a creature of shadows. The tension between the fact that he's a vigilante, but he's also working for justice, so his tale is about the thin line between justice and revenge, and I kind of find that interesting. Even the fact that he's working in a town where the system isn't working itself, so it's the question of should people take things into their own hands when the government isn't doing it's job. It's a fascinating and important question.
2) What superhero team do you find the most interesting?
Probably X-Men. They bring up the fear of things we don't understand, and also for the people who have those powers, there's a question of identity: who are they? It's a power they didn't seek. They were born with it. it brings up the question of people who are born dangerous. If you're a sociopath, and you have something in you that you didn't put there, you're more likely to be involved in crime. You find out a child has that -- what do you do? Obviously, you have to give them their rights, but how does that affect society? So with X-Men, and the mutant registry, it brings up the conflict of the rights of the individual versus the rights of society. It's easy to say freedom of the individual, but if my daughter goes to school with someone who involuntarily shoots energy out of their eyes, I think I have a right to know that. So that's an important question. Also the X-men has some really powerful females, and I respect that.
3) villain?
The Joker. I like the Mark Hamill version best. He seems really silly, but he also seems more benign in that version. To be honest, if I really met the Joker, he'd scare the crap out of me. He's a sadist and enjoys hurting people. I find that fascinating and want to know why he feels that way and what made him that way. I hate versions that make it too simple: he fell into acid and that made him the way he is. I guess I like Harley Quinn -- the doctor who fell in love with Joker while trying to understand him. It suggests there's more to him that we don't know which could cause us to feel the same way. I find that fascinating.
4) Who is the most ridiculous superhero?
Green Lantern is lame, with the color yellow thing, which I think is really stupid.
Aquaman is amusing, but he's pretty useless.
I find it absolutely ridiculous that when a female is a superhero, they put "girl" next to her name. They don't do it for all of them, but Wondergirl, Batgirl, Supergirl. It's annoying and demeans them.
5) Favorite comic or series you've read?
I'm going to make up two categories for this because a series has a different nature to it than a series like V for Vendetta with a clear beginning or end. I love the Sandman series because it's dark, literary, and intelligent. And then V for Vendetta for a limited series/graphic novel because I guess it brings out the question of citizens and what their duty is in society and the idea that we all have a responsibility to watch the government. Government is supposed to be of the people, but a lot of people see the government as separate from them, and V for Vendetta reminds us we need to be vigilant and aware of what's going on, and kind of reminds us there are certain things worth fighting for and dying for. And if injustice is out there, we have to stand up against injustices when we know about them and see them, even at the cost of our lives. There's something we have worth more than our lives. Human dignity can't be taken from you, and we have to preserve that dignity and the dignity of others as well.
6) Comic or series you might eventually like to read?
Maybe the Catwoman series. I never read that. It's supposed to be good, right? I'm also very interested more in graphic novels, and I know there are a lot of good graphic novels I haven't gotten to. I'm open to suggestions from the board, based on what I've said so far, too.
7) Marvel or DC?
I think it just depends on my mood. Dc to me harkens back to mythology and the epic hero. Whereas Marvel is like the common man's struggle, and so I think both are important.
8) If you could change one thing about the comic industry, what would it be?
This is not just comics but art in general, I wish art was more about art than about money. I feel like there's a lot of talent out there that isn't given a chance because it doesn't seem lucrative immediately. Also, everything mainstream is about flashiness. Pictures are glossy, everything's big, and there isn't as much subtlety as it could be.
Also, I really feel as if women have to be treated with more respect in the comic industry. I'm really tired of seeing women crime fighting in clothes that would pop off if they just wore them down the street. Bodies are incorrect, faces are porcelain (not even allowed wrinkles) and their characters aren't dynamic, possibly because males are writing for them. The industry needs to open up for more female voices. Not just writers, but artists. Instead of pandering to the male gaze, it should be about art and quality, not "oh look, there's big boobs. Let's put that on the cover cuz it will sell."
9) Can you name any comic book writers or artists? If so, what do you know about them?
Neil Gaiman. He's also a novelist. I don't know much about him personally. I don't feel like I need to. I followed him on Twitter, but I mostly like his work. People you've met at conventions: Chris Claremont is the X-Men guy, The Scrooge McDuck Guy (she means Don Rosa), Stan Sakai with Usagi Yojimbo. Jack Kirby's a name right? I don't know what he did.
10) Make up your own question
If you could design a comic, what would you make it?
I would design a superhero comic with a young fifteen year old female because I've had many students who are girls and read comics, but I don't feel like they're represented where the character is not half-naked, and whatever powers I give her would be metaphorical for things teenage girls deal with, but not in a cliche way. I'd be writing for a teenage fifteen year old girl audience. And I think that kind of struggle is important for males to read and understand as well. While the protagonist would be a fifteen year old girl, it would be a good story that transcends demographics and is for everyone.
The comic book format is not low brow at all, by the way. There's a lot of potential there, and I don't think people take it as seriously as they should.
(Yeah, my wife's pretty amazing
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