Trinities (AKA my Geekiest Post Ever)
So Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley's year-long weekly maxi-series, Trinity, just finished up last Wednesday. Not as mysterious and world-creating as 52, but not as mind-numbingly irritating as Countdown. Trinity was more of a straightforward superhero epic about Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. I really enjoyed it because when it comes to straight up super hero tales, Busiek's the master. I thought some of the issues were filler, but hey, the writing and art were solid throughout, so that I appreciate.
In light of that, I tried to figure out what kind of power the Trinity holds. What virtues do Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, in context of the greater hero concept, really stand for? What examples do they set? What kind of trends can you see in them that have roots in history and mythology? What timeless aspects do they embody that will echo throughout future civilizations?
I tried to come up with the "7 Realms of Fandom" to try and figure this out, but I ended up coming up with two lists that don't fit into this context. The first one still needs fine tuning, but the second one, I decided to use is made of DC, Marvel, Disney, Star Trek, anime, and Shakespeare. I was going to throw in Christianity's Holy Trinity or Hinduism's Trimurti to round out the 7 (because of that magic number), but neither of those quite work. So now there are 6, and if anyone has any suggestions for the 7th, I'd welcome them.
I decided to use Marvel's "Big 3 Avengers" counterparts rather than some of their most popular characters(like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk). My three favorite Disney movies, the captains of the three best Star Trek series (which I guess is subjective), the three big anime properties I've been exposed to, and representing the works of William Shakespeare are a tragedy, comedy, and history.
Sorry, I know this is long, but I thank you for sticking around.
Humanity has always had a need to create stories, using metaphors that explain the workings of the universe in terms of fantastic works of entertainment. Within those, they have their heroes. I've come up with three basic kinds of heroes, the Inventive, the Mythic, and the Iconic.
The Inventive is the human hero. The smart guy who uses his wits to save the day. Inspires man to be the best he can be. The Mythic is the god character. Beyond human, powerful, and tied in with creation stories and the roots of the universe. Then there's Iconic, the hero whose story, principles, and lessons are so strong, they're adapted into man's collective unconscious. There is some overlap, I admit, but this is what works for me.
Batman represents the Inventive. He's the World's Greatest Detective, he's worked himself to be the best non-powered hero he is and becomes one of the finest heroes as a result. His Marvel counterpart is Iron Man, genius inventor whose greatest power is his mind, always on the cutting edge of science and technology. The Disney equivalent would be Aladdin, who fought against a sorcerer much more powerful than he and tricked him into defeat. Over in Star Trek we have Captain Picard, the most intelligent captain there is, his strength is his ability to assess problems and think them out. Naruto, an immensely popular Japanese cartoon character, is the trickster of his group, and able to improvise quite well. Rounding them out is Hamlet, a big thinker (yeah, there's an understatement) who is on a quest to avenge his father. Interestingly enough, Hamlet's been linked to Picard, and very recently, Iron Man.
Wonder Woman is the Mythic. Connected to Greek Gods and a mystical island paradise, she's a gift from the heavens who works to protect and bring peace to the mortal world. Thor, sent by his father to live among mortals to humble him, he becomes their hero, a true figure to look up to in awe. Disney's Hercules, that's self explanatory, the divine made hero. Since the first episode of Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko was elevated to god-like status, and that played throughout the series, particular his ascension in the finale. Goku is based on a Japanese folk tale, and he's pretty much god-like on Dragonball Z. Speaking of fairy tales, we have mythical fair folk in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream playing around with mortal lives.
Finally we have the Iconic. Superman. He stands for Truth, Justice, the American Way, and loads of other things. He's a true modern legend and an inspiration for strength, courage, and virtue. Captain America, who embodies the pure spirit of America, and the best the country and her ideals can be, is the Marvel equivalent. Then there's Ariel, the Little Mermaid, whose charming tale and influence on animated movies after the late 1980's cemented her as part of pop culture (she's also mentioned in the Da Vinci Code as being an important symbol). Then there's the most well-known Star Trek captain there is, Captain Kirk, who set the standard not just for Star Trek captains but science fiction space ship captains in general. For anime, I decided on Sailor Moon. The magic girl concept is pretty well known, and there's tons of merchandise with her face on it. I admit to have never read it, but I think the Shakespeare play that fits this the best is Henry VIII, as he is an important historical figure who influenced the flow of both English history and Christian history.
Okay, that's the short version of this. I had lots of thoughts surrounding this, but I've gone on long enough...for now. Comments, thoughts, critiques, all welcome.
In light of that, I tried to figure out what kind of power the Trinity holds. What virtues do Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, in context of the greater hero concept, really stand for? What examples do they set? What kind of trends can you see in them that have roots in history and mythology? What timeless aspects do they embody that will echo throughout future civilizations?
I tried to come up with the "7 Realms of Fandom" to try and figure this out, but I ended up coming up with two lists that don't fit into this context. The first one still needs fine tuning, but the second one, I decided to use is made of DC, Marvel, Disney, Star Trek, anime, and Shakespeare. I was going to throw in Christianity's Holy Trinity or Hinduism's Trimurti to round out the 7 (because of that magic number), but neither of those quite work. So now there are 6, and if anyone has any suggestions for the 7th, I'd welcome them.
I decided to use Marvel's "Big 3 Avengers" counterparts rather than some of their most popular characters(like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk). My three favorite Disney movies, the captains of the three best Star Trek series (which I guess is subjective), the three big anime properties I've been exposed to, and representing the works of William Shakespeare are a tragedy, comedy, and history.
Sorry, I know this is long, but I thank you for sticking around.
Humanity has always had a need to create stories, using metaphors that explain the workings of the universe in terms of fantastic works of entertainment. Within those, they have their heroes. I've come up with three basic kinds of heroes, the Inventive, the Mythic, and the Iconic.
The Inventive is the human hero. The smart guy who uses his wits to save the day. Inspires man to be the best he can be. The Mythic is the god character. Beyond human, powerful, and tied in with creation stories and the roots of the universe. Then there's Iconic, the hero whose story, principles, and lessons are so strong, they're adapted into man's collective unconscious. There is some overlap, I admit, but this is what works for me.
Batman represents the Inventive. He's the World's Greatest Detective, he's worked himself to be the best non-powered hero he is and becomes one of the finest heroes as a result. His Marvel counterpart is Iron Man, genius inventor whose greatest power is his mind, always on the cutting edge of science and technology. The Disney equivalent would be Aladdin, who fought against a sorcerer much more powerful than he and tricked him into defeat. Over in Star Trek we have Captain Picard, the most intelligent captain there is, his strength is his ability to assess problems and think them out. Naruto, an immensely popular Japanese cartoon character, is the trickster of his group, and able to improvise quite well. Rounding them out is Hamlet, a big thinker (yeah, there's an understatement) who is on a quest to avenge his father. Interestingly enough, Hamlet's been linked to Picard, and very recently, Iron Man.
Wonder Woman is the Mythic. Connected to Greek Gods and a mystical island paradise, she's a gift from the heavens who works to protect and bring peace to the mortal world. Thor, sent by his father to live among mortals to humble him, he becomes their hero, a true figure to look up to in awe. Disney's Hercules, that's self explanatory, the divine made hero. Since the first episode of Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko was elevated to god-like status, and that played throughout the series, particular his ascension in the finale. Goku is based on a Japanese folk tale, and he's pretty much god-like on Dragonball Z. Speaking of fairy tales, we have mythical fair folk in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream playing around with mortal lives.
Finally we have the Iconic. Superman. He stands for Truth, Justice, the American Way, and loads of other things. He's a true modern legend and an inspiration for strength, courage, and virtue. Captain America, who embodies the pure spirit of America, and the best the country and her ideals can be, is the Marvel equivalent. Then there's Ariel, the Little Mermaid, whose charming tale and influence on animated movies after the late 1980's cemented her as part of pop culture (she's also mentioned in the Da Vinci Code as being an important symbol). Then there's the most well-known Star Trek captain there is, Captain Kirk, who set the standard not just for Star Trek captains but science fiction space ship captains in general. For anime, I decided on Sailor Moon. The magic girl concept is pretty well known, and there's tons of merchandise with her face on it. I admit to have never read it, but I think the Shakespeare play that fits this the best is Henry VIII, as he is an important historical figure who influenced the flow of both English history and Christian history.
Okay, that's the short version of this. I had lots of thoughts surrounding this, but I've gone on long enough...for now. Comments, thoughts, critiques, all welcome.