What I like in Comics and Other Works of Fiction
Being a writer and artist, I find myself consuming a lot of fiction. I read comics and novels like fish drink water. Good writers read I'm told. So after years of doing so, I've finally figured out what I like about them all.
I like mystery. And not just neccessarily "who killed this guy and why?" But stuff like, "How'd he do that?" "What does that mean?" "How did the Man Your Man Can Smell Like suddenly end up on a horse?" If you can make me ask a question about the character or plot, you've got my attention. I hated LOST because they asked too many questions with giving me a chance to try to figure out the answers. Even if answers never come at least give me a chance to make some theories before moving on to the next ontological mystery. That's why games like Castlevania and RE4 are so awesome. It's a puzzle you have to solve slowly (while fighting off the undead).
I like quirky characters. The Doctor. Viewtiful Joe. Scott Pilgrim. Juno. They have personalities that are different but are also relateable. They speak and think just a little differently from the rest of us without being superior to us. The Question will always be more interesting as a person than Batman, even though Bats is the cooler hero. Hercule Poirot has faults and sparks of whimsy that (most takes on) Sherlock Holmes eschews for logical prowess as a detective. They have flaws and nerdy interests and little dark secrects that don't keep them from being awesome.
If characters have special abilities, I like the ones that don't use them as the answer to all their problems. I like to see my heroes and villians use their brains to the fullest extent they can. The mental game of cat and mouse that comes with the fight and chase is just as exciting to me. Half the fun of the first two Home Alone movies was watching Kevin prep the house for the bandits. He can't out-fight two crooks, but he knows his house layout better than they do, and he can lay traps. It's a tower defense game now, and Kev's the master of the dungeon. So many modern writers forget that Peter Parker is a scientific genius in his own right, and with years of photo-journalism under his belt would also make a decent detective. Spider strength, agility and sense just make using those other skills a bit easier to be a hero.
And finally, I like my heroes and baddies to really earn whatever they get. Don't just give them the +10 Sword of Asskicking and they suddenly become king of the land. They gotta learn how to use it. Maybe they don't use it as the ancient prophecy says but in a way that works for them and gets the desired results in the end. The bad guy can't blow up a building and go to jail. He's gotta fight back against incarceration tooth and nail! Take out a few cops! Hold a city hostage! Bluff your way out at least! "If you kill me, you'll never learn where the other bombs are, teehee..." Because, hey, a hero is only as good as his enemies.
Most modern fiction fails to me because they fail to do these things well. Here's hoping I can succeed. Wish me luck.
Because I'm gonna write a novel in November In which I plan to incorporate all these things and then some.
I like mystery. And not just neccessarily "who killed this guy and why?" But stuff like, "How'd he do that?" "What does that mean?" "How did the Man Your Man Can Smell Like suddenly end up on a horse?" If you can make me ask a question about the character or plot, you've got my attention. I hated LOST because they asked too many questions with giving me a chance to try to figure out the answers. Even if answers never come at least give me a chance to make some theories before moving on to the next ontological mystery. That's why games like Castlevania and RE4 are so awesome. It's a puzzle you have to solve slowly (while fighting off the undead).
I like quirky characters. The Doctor. Viewtiful Joe. Scott Pilgrim. Juno. They have personalities that are different but are also relateable. They speak and think just a little differently from the rest of us without being superior to us. The Question will always be more interesting as a person than Batman, even though Bats is the cooler hero. Hercule Poirot has faults and sparks of whimsy that (most takes on) Sherlock Holmes eschews for logical prowess as a detective. They have flaws and nerdy interests and little dark secrects that don't keep them from being awesome.
If characters have special abilities, I like the ones that don't use them as the answer to all their problems. I like to see my heroes and villians use their brains to the fullest extent they can. The mental game of cat and mouse that comes with the fight and chase is just as exciting to me. Half the fun of the first two Home Alone movies was watching Kevin prep the house for the bandits. He can't out-fight two crooks, but he knows his house layout better than they do, and he can lay traps. It's a tower defense game now, and Kev's the master of the dungeon. So many modern writers forget that Peter Parker is a scientific genius in his own right, and with years of photo-journalism under his belt would also make a decent detective. Spider strength, agility and sense just make using those other skills a bit easier to be a hero.
And finally, I like my heroes and baddies to really earn whatever they get. Don't just give them the +10 Sword of Asskicking and they suddenly become king of the land. They gotta learn how to use it. Maybe they don't use it as the ancient prophecy says but in a way that works for them and gets the desired results in the end. The bad guy can't blow up a building and go to jail. He's gotta fight back against incarceration tooth and nail! Take out a few cops! Hold a city hostage! Bluff your way out at least! "If you kill me, you'll never learn where the other bombs are, teehee..." Because, hey, a hero is only as good as his enemies.
Most modern fiction fails to me because they fail to do these things well. Here's hoping I can succeed. Wish me luck.
Because I'm gonna write a novel in November In which I plan to incorporate all these things and then some.