User blog:Shastab24/Why did I go with superheroes?

Plenty of people disparage the superhero genre, and some companies (I think I'm explicity thinking of Radical Comics) actually go so far as to boast that they don't publish superhero comics. What I wonder is why there is so much hate.

Superheroes are an exploration into science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime stories, mythology, and more all in one package. They hearken back to the old pulp tales while bringing things into a broader context with interpersonal characterization and resonating themes. They (if good) inspire us to do better with our lives or otherwise help us escape from the broader world for a while.

Yes, some are vigilantes in all but name, enforcing their values on the populace, but not all of them. Superman is a protector. He sees something he can do and does it, to save people, without trudging on the law. A building is burning down and he flies people out. Someone steps off a high ledge and he catches them. The police are unable to stop a bank robbery and so he does. I see Superman as the one we all should look up to, and so do many others. He has plenty in his wake, and these are all ones who show what it is like if we put ourselves to a greater calling that puts our self-interests below the peace of mind of others. Yes, he often is paired with Batman, whose dealings are far more meddling, but in the Bat, we see things as they sometimes need to be, that some may need to get their hands dirty to exact any lasting change. But the rule is still there: those with the power are obligated to protect the masses.

Karabear is my attempt to bring my ideas of a superhero universe as a whole to the fore. These are not going to be paragons. Hey, I grew up reading Marvel Comics and saw the flawed heroes as very interesting. However, I will keep the underlying notion in: the attitude. These characters are not "might makes right", but ones who cannot sit idley by as people suffer when they could have done something about it. They will run the gamut of how they go about doing this. Though I hold Superman at an ideal, I know not all of my characters would. Where's the drama when everybody agrees?

I want to see if I can show people that the superhero genre is more than "fly in, punch the monster and leave". So many others have also tried to do this, but sometimes one needs to think of strength in numbers. But there is also the fine-tuning. The superhero genre needs to be seen as something worthy. I want to bring romance, adventure, action, intellectualism, and more. Things I want to explore is how ideas, both good and bad, can shape a society; how the landscape of the world would change when the impossible is suddenly possible; my own view of multiversal relations and how genres can mix believably even though they seem to be at odds; how I can tell an absolutely entertaining story, regardless of whether it even meets any of those ends (because if it entertains myself and the readers, then it's perfect).

I am sure not everyone will love my stories. We writers are vain, but we can't afford to be that vain. People will object to my LGBT inclusion (if they are so inclined), my particular characterizations, the directions I take my stories, if they feel it's derivative, and all that. Without dissent, there is no discourse. And without critique, nothing can get better, and every writer in the world could stand to improve.

All I hope is that I can get at least some people to experience these stories with as much joy as I have when I conceive them. And make some money doing it--I didn't say my motives were completely pure.