Mr Sensitive said:
Maybe in the sixties, yes, but not anymore.
Only to the extent that the publishers try to have it both ways.
(Which will one day blow up in their faces, probably when a third-grader picks up an Ed Brubaker
Daredevil from beside the coloring books in the grocery store magazine section. One gander from a lawsuit-seeking parent and it's settlement time for the store, the distributor
and Marvel.
)
Mr Sensitive said:
Ambiguity teaches the children better than role models.
Well that's news to me and a lot of other parents.
I think my own kids learn more (and learn better) by witnessing what I hope is my dignified and civil interraction with the people and situations we encounter together every day. And they are decidedly disserved and diminished when they witness me lean on the horn at some idiot and mutter
"goddamnnidiotmotherfrazzer!"
Of course, I always make sure to follow that up with, "That's not the way you should act, kids!"
There's ambiguity for you.
Mr Sensitive said:
Wolverine, in the movies, gets a bit of his counterpart in X-Men Evolution, which is no good. Why?
I honestly don't know quite what you're referring to here. And I didn't bring a blue book with me today. Tell you what, make it multiple choice and I'll guess "C."
Mr Sensitive said:
It takes out one of his most important features: he is a loner, and has to fight against his extreme animal nature. On the other hand, and still in the comics, Logan has this very delicate relationship with women, children and animals....I think that to where he directs his violence teaches a good deal about what the world is, and the difficult decisions one has to make in order to calm down his inner fury.
Batman: the same thing. He struggles against his tendency of becoming the same madman as his enemies. It's more difficult to diferentiate his methods from the criminals' (if you compare him with, let's say, Captain America, or Superman), he is many times cynical, or sardonic, etc.
Take one of the best superhero stories, the Born Again series in Daredevil issues, by Miller and Mazzuchelli: Daredevil crosses the line more than once. But it is very substantial. One has to face what it takes to stand for his principles.
I don't disagree with any of this, really. I have no problem with any of these characterizations; in the case of Daredevil, the grittier approach was what saved the character from becoming a self-parody. And "Born Again" is an outstanding achievement.
Could it work in a movie? With a PG-13 or R rating, sure.
Of course they'd still screw it entirely and strip out every subtle nuance of character that Miller and Mazuchelli infused it with...and probably add some profanity and titillation that wasn't in the comics.
Mr Sensitive said:
Political correctness doesn't give good lessons, it just avoids artificially any possible danger.
Except that we're not talking about "political correctness," at least not by any definition I'm familiar with.
I'm just saying that these characters (the FF, Spidey, Superman- your
iconic characters) were created
for children and that they should be allowed to keep the morality and dignity they were created with.
I think the studios want that, too. (They just don't always exercise the best judgment.) And you can
bet the licensees want the characters to be age-appropriate as much as possible.
It can be a slipperly slope, though. Where should the publishers draw the line? I enjoyed the hell out of
Dark Knight Returns but it didn't belong in an 8-year old's hands, at least not without parental consent. Same thing definitely goes for
The Killing Joke. And Ronin. And Watchmen.
And I love 'em all. I will let my future 12-year old read
Dark Knight, sure. But my 7 year old? Give me a break.
Where should the line be drawn? It shouldn't. I don't think there
is a line. And if there
is, it definitely keeps moving.
I don't want any type of media banned or even economically boycotted, but I
would like to see publishers, studios and networks show just a bit more civic responsibility, at least in rating and/or identifying content.
I realized a long time ago that I can't stop the dumbass next door from allowing his 5-year old to watch "The Grudge," but I'd be damned if I didn't raise the freakin' roof when I walked into my 3-year old son's preschool a few years back and found them showing the "Hulk" movie.
Of course they assumed that the Hulk movie would be
okay, since their own knowledge of the character came from kids' coloring books, underoos, action figures, the 70's tv show and story books.
I mean even if someone there had read the first 200+ issues of Hulk comics, they'd have no reason to think otherwise.
At least the Hulk's essential character wasn't violated. It was more like the film around him was the violation.
Again, it's not about political correctness.
It's about civility.