Friday, June 7, 2013

Inspiration Friday!


Inspiration Friday. Every Friday I find a topic and give three things from that topic that inspire me. This is not a favorites list necessarily, though they are some of my favorite things. This weeks topic is Comic Characters.

Well anyone that knows me in person and a few that know me through the interenets, knows I am huge comic fan and also a huge Superman fan. Since it is one week until Man of Steel I figured I'd go full on nerd and talk about the comic characters that inspire me as a writer. Also because I couldn't sleep last night I decided to go ahead and draw all of the pictures for this post, got to love insomnia. 



Since it is no surprise we might as well go with the obvious, SUPERMAN. It is funny as a writer I try to find anything that has to do with writing advice I can. It has become quite common to see people using advice that sounds something like, "Things not to do when creating your hero, be nothing like Superman." Now I know what they mean is on paper(ha comic pun...sorry) Superman just seems too powerful for any kind of good story telling. I agree, limitations are always better for a story than how powerful someone is. Still one of the cool things about being a fan of his comics is I get to see that a good writer can always work with anything to tell a great story. It is something that takes some amount of skill, but overcoming the fact that your hero is supposed to be invincible can make for some really cool ideas. I would be remiss if I left this post and didn't point out what actually makes Supes great. He is the guy that will be wracked with kryptonite and still find the strength to push the kid out of the way of the speeding truck. Will, having been made to believe a villain has killed Lois, still turn that person in to face justice instead of taking it into his own hands. He has at times had to use intelligence to solve what his fist could not and his compassion to show the world a better way. He to me is the definition of hero and he inspires me.



Next we have Colossus from X-men. People love Wolverine and I get it he is a tough guy who is an anti-hero and happens to be played by Hugh Jackman. Even before that he was the one guy in the X-men people wanted to read about. For me though Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin (Colossus) always caught my attention. To me he is the most underplayed character in the whole series of books. First of all lets talk about the cool factor. He can turn his entire body to organic steel, he can lift upwards of 70 tons and while in metal form doesn't need to eat or sleep and can take damage to rival other big hitters. Of course beside being cool, this is not what inspires me about this character. Piotr is an artist, he actually paints. He is someone who falls in love easily and can be hurt emotionally where his powers keep him safe from other forms of damage. I like the idea of this giant indestructible "Tin Man" having such a  big heart and gentle soul. It really makes me think of a character before I write them and wonder what is behind all of the amazing things I want this person to do. Here is to hoping Marvel wakes up and sees the potential this guy has.



Last we have Deadpool. So this character is a foul mouthed mercenary with one liners that make Spider-man seem like he took a vow of silence. He is in love with Bea Arthur from Golden Girls and is fond of breaking the forth wall. How could this silly characters among silly reading material inspire a novelist you say? Humor my dear friends humor. I crack up reading this guys comic because it takes the things that comics and comic fans take quite seriously and just plain makes fun of them. There are many staples in writing, especially in fantasy. I have found that sometimes taking these serious but sometimes over used themes and giving them a humorous twist can be just what a story needs. Beside my mom taught me early on if you can't laugh at life it is going to be a long hard road.

Anyway these are some thing that inspire me. What about you? Have any of read a Comic Book? As always have fun and keep reading.

14 comments:

  1. They really need to do more with Deadpool.
    I think with Man of Steel they are going to portray Superman as a more conflicted character and make him a little less perfect.
    And still really hope it leads to a JLA movie. I'd be all over that!

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    1. As far as I know JLA will be out in 2015.

      Yeah I have almost given up on a Deadpool movie I have heard about it for so many years. but hey it may still happen.

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  2. Yes, I've read comic books, although few recently. Our library used to have a great stash of them and my kids and I would read through them. Unfortunately, they don't anymore . . . and I rarely get to comic book stores. Wolverine is one of my old faves, and I like Hugh Jackman's portrayal, but I've always wondered about Colossus too - he seems like an interesting character that always gets overlooked.

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    1. He definitely is, that is cool your library had some wonder why they stopped?

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  3. Great drawings! I think you would like a blog called The Lair of the Silver Fox. He's a comic book fan and collector. If you can't find him, let me know and I'll give you the URL. He has just started posting again after a pretty long absence. You might enjoy his latest stuff and some older posts, too.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Cool I will check him out thank you.

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    2. Oh, so that's how Brandon found me! Thanks, Janie! And Brandon, I enjoyed this post and will keep checking out your blog.

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    3. Yep she sent me your way. Hope I can keep you entertained :).

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  4. Nice drawings :D

    Humor is a big seller for me, I would definitely enjoy seeing more of Deadpool... I didn't exactly like how little they had him in X-Men Origins... but Wolverine!.. Hugh Jackman, OK I won't go there (whatevs!), I like the idea of Colossus also with that gentle heart hidden in his steel exterior.

    Superman? I have no issues with the guy, I like it all. He is a hero weak or strong. I can't wait. I want more. The Justice League of America movie needs to happen too... by next year would be good.

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    1. Yeah I have most of the run of Cable and Deadpool and that guy is pure awesome. Oh man origins....sigh...I was so excited for that comic and then the art and the stories just let me down I still have a ton of them, but those will be sellers one day.

      Well I think they are waiting to see how well Superman does before they jump into other stuff. But I agree as long as it is good the sooner the better.

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  5. I never really got into comics, which I feel damages my nerd cred. ;) But I love the inspiration you got from Deadpool! I'm the kind of person who finds over-seriousness awkward and uncomfortable, so I love some humor here and there.

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    1. Nah we all nerd in our own way. Yes humor is a must for me as well.

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  6. I've never read a whole comic book, but I love watching the movie adaptions.

    Still, you made some very good points about writing. :-)

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