Friday, August 13, 2004

New Challenges?



When was the last time a creator came on and took a series in a new direction?

These days it seems like everyone is retelling the origin or revisiting the "classic" confrontation. I'd like some new storylines with new characters, going in different directions.

I don't mean that in terms of say Superman becoming a hippie who wonders the planet looking for the next Woodstock or Batman becomes a ballerina.

Yet more that I wish writers would come up with new challenges for them. I'm tired of seeing every Captain America story basically come down to beating up the Red Skull. Or Batman face off with the Joker or one of the other half a dozen bad guys once again.

Where are the new threats, and challenges? I know those are classic match-ups that a lot of people like, yet they bore me for the most part because they've been done in so many ways already. Where are the new challenges that could become as classic as these older characters and stories have become?

Let's talk Hal Jordan's return as Green Lantern after the events in Rebirth happen for instance. Do the fans of that character really just want to just see him going back to working at Ferris Aircraft, hiding his identity from Carol. While battling Sinestro, Black Hand or Itty every other issue? Is that really what readers want to see is just a rehash of comics they've already read?

It certainly seems so anyway. Which just makes me wonder these days whether I'd be better off sticking with just rereading back issues. If all today's superhero comics have to offer are rehash of those anyway, than why not just read the originals?

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