Weekly "what are you reading" Thread #71

The king heck heroica by rick veitch

Issue 1 of 4 of part 3 just came out

A comic series which combines the history of comics, Nietzschean philosophy, mysticism, and conspiracy. Maximortal is in particular really good and about the creation of superman and DC's exploitation of Siegel and Shuster. A shame most people just hear the premise of Brat Pack and assume its just edgelord stuff like the boys when its more about how comic companies exploit their creators, readers, and ips for profit rather then being anti super hero.

But for all of the eye-popping CGI, modern superheroes are pretty one-dimensional and dull. They're mostly concerned with survival in an escalating conflict. The plot provides them with a menace. They have mommy/daddy issues. They fight and wisecrack. They win and return home the same as they were (except when one of them needs to die for a while as a marketing stunt). Corporate supes are denied the best part of classical heroic storytelling, which is the treasure that will transform their lives. The Knights of the Round Table were out to find the Holy Grail, which would guide them to a higher level of purity and completion. Modern superheroes don't have a clue about that. If there's ever a Holy Grail in one of today's superhero movies, it will be written into the story as a fiendish weapon in the hands of a super-powered lunatic.

So, I'm motivated to explore this transcendent ideal that properly belongs to superheroes. I've been doing it since the beginning of my career in stories like The One and Abraxas and the Earthman. And the theme is definitely at the core of the Heroica.

!comicshitters