Why is is that the major superhero characters in comics are all so old. I don't mean the characters themselves but rather the creations. Superman for example was created in 1932. Spider-Man in 1962. Batman in 1939. Green Lantern in 1940 and the X-Men in 1963. With the recent reboot of the DC universe I was expecting maybe to see some brand new characters. To my knowledge there haven't been. Isn't that a bit odd?
So why are we not being treated to new comics characters all of the time? Well actually, we are. They just don't gain the popularity of classic characters or they end up being added in to current comics. Let's take a look at Batman. Over the years since his introduction we have had loads of new good guy and villain characters introduced. There's Nightwing (formerly Robin), Azrael, Catwoman, Joker, Scarecrow, Riddler, Batgirl and the Huntress to name a few. These characters will often get their own comic titles so we do get new comics that way. For another example look at the X-Men comics. There has been tons of new characters over the years. Here's a quick list off the top of my head. Blink, X-23, Phantomex, Beak, Deadpool, Danger, That doctor guy who wears a white hat.
There are some brand new characters that pop up but they just don't seem to catch the imagination as much as the classics. Over the last twenty years there has been Spawn, Witchblade and Wanted to name a few. These have been quite successful and have translated into movies and TV but the lay person on the street could probably not recognise the Witchblade.
So what are the reasons for the lack of new characters. Is it down to comic fans not wanting to try new things? Very maybe. Comics aren't cheap. You can't just try out 2 new comics while buying a few regular favourites without spending ?10 to ?20. I think that's a shame. If comics were more affordable I for one would buy a lot more of them and probably try out more new titles.
Or is the problem that all of the good characters have been done? I don't think so. Certainly when it comes to naming superheroes after animals that ship may have sailed. Although I think familiarity with old characters means we think them less silly than they are. For example. Spider-Man, Batman, Birdman, Sharkman. Why is it that the first two sound cool and the second two sound pretty stupid? Would Birdman and Sharkman have been the cooler sounding choices if they had come first?
I think the reason for the lack of new guys on the block is to do with the state of the comics industry as a whole. With less people buying comics publishers don't want to take risks and instead concentrate on their performers like Wolverine and Superman.
To read blogs about superheroes like X-Men, Superman and Spiderman comics as well as new and interesting characters, toy reviews and scifi movies visit the BangZap Blog.
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