I think we all want to change the world in our own minute way, but we don't know how to go about it. Right now, in this phase of my life, the things that change me are stories. I'm sure, in years to come, events will break me down and build me up, and events right now work on a level to shape my character, but the things that make my inspiration work are stories.
I think about all the stories that have made a lump in my throat form, and I don't think I can achieve that kind of poignancy. Moments of sheer character driven sadness that make you put down what you're reading and mourn for the lacking in your own ability to achieve such a thing.
I'm a comic book fan. And I know people look down at this for being something immature and geeky and pathetic, but look at the film adaptions for these kinds of stories. The Rocketeer. Iron Man. Ghost World. The Dark Knight. Watchmen. All these potential masterpieces that either work or don't (I accept a lot don't work. Hulk (first), Catwoman, etc), and make so much money and attract a whole new kind of readership, these are mainstream, aren't they?
There's a point to this.
The story that touched me in ways that no "classic literature" has ever done so, is called Starman. #0-80, two annuals, one special, a mini-series showcasing the greatest non-villain there ever was (The Shade), and it was such a beautiful package that is so enthralling that I think my life is the richer for reading it. I'm not going to explain why I love it, or why you should, or why so many others do, but the entirety of the run culminates in #73 and the funeral of a much loved character... I want to care. A lot of things don't make me care. So if you want to achieve something in regards to me, now you know what to do. Make me care.
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