I play with those questions when I compare characters, stories and comic strip creators. But those questions came back to my geek mind recently, after I got involved in a twitter conversation started by Erik Larsen (@ErikJLarsen), who posted this question,
"Who would you list as singular visionaries whose characters should never be touched by successive creators?"
Many tweeters replied with answers; Garth Ennis-Preacher; Alan Moore-Watchmen; Jack Kirby-New Gods; Steve Gerber-Howard the Duck and also Erik Larsen-Savage Dragon, but to that single question there wasn't many tweets for a creator who's creations fitted that bill. Yes many came close, but not completely.
I throw in my suggestion of Stan Lee's Silver Surfer, only to be, quite rightly, pointed out by Mr. Larsen that the cosmic one was a creation of Jack Kirby while working with Stan. In truth it was the way the Silver Surfer was written that I felt should never be tampered with, as in the first Silver Surfer series. So I jokingly pushed my case forward with this tweet,
"@ErikJLarsen Very valid point. Can I change it to Lee & Kirby on Silver Surfer (with a little input from John Buscema) or is that cheating?"
His reply was,
"@The_BeeSting Cheating."
Well that's me put in my place. He's right of course!
One of the tweets to his question was retweeted by Erik, from @Louiestowell it read,
"@ErikJLarsen no such animal. Great characters have potential to live beyond their creator."
He later posts another question from @gibsoncomics which read,
"@ErikJLarsen I'm almost a little more curious about people who have done better versions of certain characters than their original creators."
To this Erik replied that he thought almost everybody's Batman was better than Bob Kane's. I don't think I'll find many to disagree with that statement.
The question of "better versions that the original," is one with which I played with many times too. The original creators ideas can be truly brilliant, but let another master of the artform take it and run with it, this can become spectacular. Away from the comic world take the play Hamlet. Written by the wordsmith genius William Shakespeare somewhere between 1599 and 1602, so I'm lead to believe. Still played today, it's the bench mark for a quality actor. But why try if you can't really improve on it? Make Hamlet a lesbian freedom fighter in the year 2599 and it just becomes another pale copy. Sir Laurence Olivier is said to have performered the definitive version of the Prince of Denmark. When David Tennant took a break from Doctor Who to try his hand at the roll made immortal by the late knight, many scoffed, but he received rave reviews. Like in Doctor Who itself, the actor who becomes the Doctor has to be the same but different. This take skill to find the new in the old, Peter Capaldi has that skill in plenty. For an actor any iconic roll is the test of greatness. I would say it would be easier to start with a blank page and create something interesting, than be given something that been seen a million times and make it interesting. But where is the challenge in that?
Back to comics, I love Stan and Jacks original X-Men, they where a truly original idea in 1963, but the closest they got to being the definitive version was the Sentinels/Bolivar Trask storyline in issues 14-16. But for many it wasn't until Chris Claremont/John Byrne worked together that the MasterMold for the X-Men was created. (Alright some may say Wein/Claremont/Cockrum, and yes Thomas/Adams where also brilliant.) Claremont/Byrne have an amazing talent for moving characters on a level, their versions of Iron-Fist, Ms. Marvel and Spider-man improve on the originals. But even characters that they create can be improved on. Claremont with Herb Trimpe created Captain Britain for Marvel UK in 1976, but for me Alans Moore and Davis got the character just right! Even when Claremont and Davis teamed up to give us Excalibur it wasn't going to rival the Moore/Davis version, even as great as it was.
Alan Moore can do both, create wonderful new characters and revitalise something from the past, Marvelman is just such an example of the old, (Yes it is Marvelman not Miracleman!) while with David Lloyd V for Vendetta is possibly the most perfect complete piece of graphic work ever! Even though DC had to finish the story off in their colour editions, it has to be read in its original form, the black and white strip in Warriors, to be really appreciated. No one else is going to improve on it, even though I do enjoy the film version, which was only given the blessing of Lloyd not Moore.
Conan the Barbarian is great with Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith but even better with Thomas/ John Buscema, although Robert E. Howard was the visionary that cemented the character in an entire world of wonder and adventure. I can't see DareDevil without Frank Millers vision, nor Wolverine with out that Claremont/Miller mini series. Captain Marvel has to be Sterlin, Nick Fury for me with his agents of Steranko. But let's thank the visionaries that created the charactors; Stan Lee/Bill Everett; Len Wein/John Romita Sr/Herb Trimpe; Stan Lee/Gene Colan and Stan Lee/Jack Kirby. Heroes all!
I'll finish off with a tweet I posted to @ErikJLarsen.
"True. But I like to think that Lee & Kirby created characters that where gifts to creators that followed as well as the world."
Whether the "steep and thorny" or the "primrose path" I thank all creators for filling my free time with their wonderful gifts.
“Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whilst, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads
And recks not his own read.”
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whilst, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads
And recks not his own read.”
William Shakespeare "Hamlet" Act I Scene III
Make Mine Marvel.
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