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Is this the end of the postmodern hero?
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The most crass and blatant example of the postmodern superhero may have come to a bloody end on January 27, 2010, with the release of the 8th and possibly final issue of the comic book series Kick-Ass, by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Popularly believed to have been ushered in by Alan Moore's critically acclaimed Watchmen, the aptly named “Dark Age of comics,” with its ultra-realistic violence, glorified vigilantism, and disregard for good versus evil heroism, has ruled the comic landscape for nearly 25 years. However, from the recent news from both Marvel and DC, we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Postmodern Superhero.
Starting in April 2010, the world of mainstream comics will look much brighter, and as a corollary, much more heroic. At the conclusion of the Green Lantern-centric mega-event Blackest Night, in which zombified friends and foes rise from the grave to terrorize the world, DC comics will follow up with the 26 issue bi-weekly series Brightest Day. Dan DiDio, the editor-in-chief of DC, has told fans that the new storyline will be “Introducing new characters, rebuilding some classic DC heroes and villains, and at the same time bringing in new concepts and ideas,” He also made note that readers should expect to, “...see a lot of characters confronting the past, because it's time for us and them to put the past to bed so characters like Ray Palmer [The Atom] can move on to the next adventure and next step."
Marvel Comics has also felt these winds of change. At the conclusion of the year-long Dark Reign storyline, which spun out of the popular Civil War and Secret Invasion story events featuring the villains of the Marvel Universe rising to control the United States (if not the world), Marvel has announced the beginning of a new direction called The Heroic Age. Editor-in-chief Joe Quesada has similarly promised that "Heroes will be heroes again," saying the new status-quo will be "…a throwback to the early days of the Marvel Universe, with more of a swashbuckling feel."
Both of these changes represent a break from the dominant narratives in the superhero genre. By promoting fantastic stories set in the arena of Good's triumph over Evil in the face of impossible odds, rather then the deconstruction of the superhero psyche and the blurring of the lines between the roles of Hero and Villain, the same roles that made postmodern comic books like Spawn and Miracleman famous, the writers at Marvel and DC seem to be attempting to alter the discourse of superhero literature.
Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the postmodern super hero? Will comics once again take on the pulp elements that so pervaded the medium until the early 1980s? With a new generation of comic book writers and artists entering the industry, like Matt Fraction, Jim Cheung, and Marcos Martin, writers who find most of their inspiration in the pulpy throwback tales of heroism and bright colors like those told by Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby, it is becoming pretty likely. Will these stories excite readers enough to forget the tortured heroes that dominated the "Dark Age" of comics, represented by characters like Rorschach, Wolverine, the Punisher, and Batman?
Only time will tell.
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