What does ‘real’ have to do with anything? For years we have all heard or made the argument about the ‘real’ story of our favorite comic characters. Well Jack, I’m here to tell it to you like it is: There is no ‘real’.
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
…Albert Einstein
Reality is what we all want, but it is an impossibility. It is for dreamers and poets and let’s face it, that is what we really are when we boil off all the fat. And why not be dreamers? All I need to do on a Saturday morning is turn on CNN or look at the newspaper to know I would rather be reading a comic or watching a movie. It is okay to want to walk in the dreamer’s dreamworld during our waking hours. And we get drawn into the dreamworld. We do not necessarily believe it to be true, but part of us wants it to be. That is what escapism is all about. We run to the fantasy to get away from everything else. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing. I think the whole world could use a healthy dose of escapism right now. The point is, we become part of these other worlds that we escape to; we are the watchful eyes, the observers that make these worlds possible by our mere perception of them. Nothing exists until then. Without us, there are no dreamworlds.
Now, here’s the rub. Because we create these worlds by our perception of them, we naturally believe our perception to be the true observation. Of course we realize other people view what we view and come up with their own perceptions, but deep down inside where it really matters, we all know that we are right and whoever disagrees obviously does not have a clue. And why not feel this way? Reading is mostly a singular experience. You are reading to get away from the idiots, not to have them agree with you! In our own minds then, we have formed a symbiotic bond with the stories that we read. Subconsciously we have the satisfaction of being part of the creation of this world.
But herein lay the problem: we are not the only perceivers out there. There are countless others whom claim the same right and degree of perception as we do. Most of the time we do not pay much attention to them; they walk the aisles of our local comic shops or sit next to us at the movies and we pay them no mind. We don’t even mind hearing their bizarre views on the worlds they have created which is a parallel universe to yours (and yours would be Earth 1, right?). The real problem occurs when our perception is shattered by a massive media attack: the movie. Yeah, I saw X-Men 3, that’s not how it really happened! Or, Spider-man can’t shoot webs from his hands! It is the fact that he is a scientific boy-genius that can invent web-slingers that makes him who he is! Maybe even, Daredevil got hit by that truck saving an old woman, not running away from the sight of his father being a goon! The heroism Matt Murdock displayed made him a hero before he became blind and had heightened senses. This may all be true, but is it real?
There are no facts, only interpretations.
…Friedrich Nietzsche
‘Real’ is something that is there; it is tangible. You are real. I might be real. The seven-layer bean burrito you had for lunch is real. But the comic realm is not. There is no real story of Superman. There is no real Superman. Sure, there is an original story that appeared in a comic book a long time ago, but that doesn’t lay claim to any interpretations of the text. We choose what we are willing to accept even from the original storyline. Personally, I have always thought Superman was a pretty lame character. You might love him. I find him arrogant and needy. You might find him self-sacrificing and charming. The point is, we might have read the same story and had completely different readings. And that is okay. We do not have to agree. That is what makes it beautiful.
And let’s not kid ourselves too much, these stories we are reading are amalgamations and retellings of myths and legends from hundreds to thousands of years ago. There were heroes and villains before superheroes and supervillains. Superheroes just took those concepts and changed them around for our times. It has to happen that way. I mean, just how old is Peter Parker anyway? Shouldn’t he be like 55 by now? He’s got his cell phone and Tivo just like we do. Most of us don’t seem to mind that kind of advancement in our characters, so why not in the stories as well. Ask a 50 year old, a 30 year old and a 10 year old for the ‘real’ story of the X-Men. Think it will be the same? Think the 10 year old kid is going to buy into the “beast wasn’t always blue and furry” jive talk you’re going feed them. Of course not. They might be interested in “your” X-Men, but it will never be theirs, and there is nothing wrong with that. If people lived forever, I am sure someone would be out there telling you that Beowulf was a Geat, not a Kryptonian, and he crossed the sea, not a galaxy. These stories are the expansion of our myths. They live, breathe and die with us in every generation, so let’s just sit back, pop open a bottle of Meade or some Guinness and enjoy the ride, whichever way it takes us.
By:
Dan Wolkow