The Unreal Reality
by: The Professor 2 years, 3 months, 2 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes ago 17
Email Article Print ArticleWhat 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
Are you the same “Dan Wolkow” who worked with me on the paper about “Self-directed Growth of Molecular Nano-Structures on Silicon”? Because if you are, I told you then. Yes, Superman could be real in a parallel universe but not exist here except in our selective sub conscience.
Or, it was all just a dream and I need to up my medication ... again.
Molecu-who What!?!? Egads, I hope that wasn’t me! I’m not that smart. But you evidentally are! Tell me more, science-person! Tell.....me.....more!
Er ... sorry, wrong Professor. So how did you make those coconuts into a radio on that island with Gilligan?
Awesome article! Just the type of columnist we need around here to give us some cred! So what’s your take on parallel universes doing ‘real’ commerce like Second Life? The ‘blurring’ of real/unreal is creeping beyond our choice in fiction.
No problem. I’m just glad there is someone out there giving me a good name. I’m more of an English/Theater/Literature professor...but I can turn a coconut into a radio if enough rum is provided.
Sixstring,
That’s an interesting question. I think about stuff like that when I read what weapons for what games are available on e-bay. Of course I think about that with any collectable medium. What do we really buy and sell. Paper? Cardboard? Numbers?
Your point is well taken though. That line is blurred more and more every day.
good job on the article. i couldn’t agree more with your hypothesis. all reality is subjective at some level, and as those alternate realities merge with our collective “reality” it causes more and more disruption as the reality we view as real absorbs the unreal realities…
(at that point, oliver was consumed by a wormhole created by his own circular logic. all correspondence should be addressed to oliver c/o earth two. there all of the komikazee krew have goatees! that’s how you know they’re evil!)
It is why I am against cloning. If there were more of me, I would be besides myself. It would be like the time I tried to contain myself but I escaped.
However, I am drawn to article that contains all of the following.
1. Albert Einstein and his big brain.
2. Friedrich Nietzsche, who’s own grasp of reality may be in question.
3. Beowulf, who’s existence barely survived flames.
4. Superman who exists whether we acknowledge him or not.
Hope to read more from you if you really exist.
Oliver,
Will you kick Earth 2 Curvezilla in groin for me. I am sure he deserves it.
You have uncovered part of my evil plan. I am the evil, goateed, earth 2 version of that pansy known as The Professor! Dang you Mister Nice and your super-sluething skills!
Nice article, I find it interesting that it is a lot like someone critiquing another persons dream. The reality that one person has is purely subjective to his/her life up to a given point. So if I were to tell the Prof a dream of mine and for him to interpret it and critique it would purely be coming from his life experiences and none of my own.
So in relation, for me to impose my beliefs about superman is purely coming from MY own view of life and how my life has/and is effecting my perception. Nicely done.
"There’s no here, here.”
From a history POV, I’ve always found it interesting the way that comics reinvent themselves. I love alternate history novels. Send me an alternate history comic in a ‘verse I’m familiar with? Heaven!
But, to get a little more philosophical on you, isn’t everything a degree of perception? Just like all monitors are calibrated differently, we all see things according to the way we’re wired (either from experience or just ‘the way it is’
.
At the same time, there has to be a point from which the standard deviation emits. There has to be a point of agreement regarding a specific comic universe. And it has to be something utterly basic. What is it? Is it the backstory that emits? Is it the syrupy goodness of most protagonists? Is it merely the images on the page? There has to be some shared perception - a cosmic comic truth, if you will.
Lise,
That may be the best observation of fact you could have on this subject. Very nice.
Lise,
I love the idea of “a cosmic truth”. Well put. I also am intrigued by the idea of a “point of agreement”.
My only concern is, as you mention with your suggested questions, where we base that from. I think we start to get into a bit of a tizzy when we start with big “T” truth and little “t” truth sometimes. Of course this can be cultural as well. What is truth...can the truth be known...if so can the truth be told at all? Ultimatley, I think I agree...it just raises more questions for me!
Thanks for more to think about.
I think I recall this discussion happening a few times in my dorm room about 3 am. It went on and on until someone said there is NO absolute.
I would then go for a walk, look up into the night sky and resolve the issue.
Today, I just turn off my computer and see what is happening in the real world.
Seeing how I am locked in doors I must continue with the discussion, I MUST!!! (whoo) The gooey goodness that is the characters background is only original to the fact of one storyteller and one artist (if you will). But like many things within comics the character is handed over to talented (and not so talented) artist and writers that change the character to fit their needs for the month, and even more to become a societal reflection that is occurring outside the walls of the particular publisher.
Determining the “original” or “right” becomes assimilated into the many different story lines thought up to “reinvent” the character to a whole new slew of people. Furthermore the “original” also become convoluted with the many different titles that follow certain characters i.e.: Superman, Spider-Man, Bat-Man...and so on. I am sure there are many amen’s out there when discussing how Superman can have a particular power in one Superman title and not have it in another, or how Spider-Man can be in Canada when in another title he is sleeping on the Beyonder’s couch.
The “original” only really gets us to point B. But point B seems to split of into B.1 or B.2, and yet we the fandom accept and allow the deviation to take place all the while allowing for the small and large nuances to change the “original” hero into the hero we recognize and respect today. That is why I think the Prof is correct in determining that the cosmic comic truth is really not the “original” cosmic truth, but what we see fit to put into the “original” as our cosmic comic truth by the many representations of the character.
Except Super-Pro, he was just lame idea/hero from the get go.