“One of the big differences between now and then is that creators didn’t used to feel like they had to do THEIR version of a character. While I can’t say that made the books better–they were more consistent. Often it doesn’t feel like the same characters when creators change.” – Erik Larsen (Creator of Savage Dragon)
I have to agree with Erik Larsen on this matter. Being a comic fan for 2 decades, I have seen this occur often. Super villains are usually victims of this inconsistency. Doctor Doom frequently shifts between being an arrogant yet noble man and a ruthless and power mad despot. Can a person painted as sane have such drastic shifts between noble (risking his life to save one of his citizens/adopting that citizen’s child and making the child, his heir/putting aside his jealousy to save the life of his mortal enemy’s children twice) and wicked (sending and confining a child to Hell/murdering and skinning his true love for power/brutally attacking another ruler and murdering his bodyguard/abusing and mistreating his people). Which is the true Victor Von Doom? This inconsistency also occurs with Magneto, who constantly shifts between passionate activist and terrorist/genocidal mass murderer. I wouldn’t have a problem if these characters were portrayed as sociopaths or insane nutjobs like Norman Osbourne or Joker, but rational people do not have such drastic personality shifts unless they are losing their minds. I think that there should be a definitive view/image of these characters instead of the constant flip-flop.
Images courtesy of Marvel.com
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Dork Geekus
I am the following: reflective, a rambler, introspective, a good listener, a dreamer, a friend indeed, slightly paranoid, a bit jaded, apathetic, confused, a thinker, partial Communists, a romantic, the son of George Louis Costanza,the nephew of Cosmo Kramer, and last but not least a geek. I enjoy reading: scifi novels, Greek/Roman/Norse/Japanese myths, Arthurian legends, poems, mangas, simply put anything that will make me think. I am an admirer of the works of Akira Toriyama, Hideo Kojima, Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Ale Garza, Travis Charest, Osamu Tezuka (the god of anime), Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughan, Geoff Johns, Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Frank Tieri, Mark Brooks, Mark Smith, Dan Hipp, Jo Chen, Joss Whedon, Warren Ellis, and last but not least, Grant Morrison. My reviews are spoiler-free by default, so I won't ruin anything for geek 'virgins'
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Character Continuity/Consistency VS Remixes by @dorkgeekus http://www.lickmygeek.com/2009-12-23/character-continuityconsistency-vs-remixes/
RT @J3551C4: Character Continuity/Consistency VS Remixes by @dorkgeekus http://www.lickmygeek.com/2009-12-23/character-continuityconsist …