Ultima527 wrote:I love superheroes, but I don't read a lot of superhero comics. I guess that makes me a poser...
Honestly, I only read web-comics. Buying/borrowing printed comics just seem like too much trouble to go through for just a couple pages (to me, anyway) so that rules out Marvel and DC. So pardon my skewed knowledge; it is based entirely around the movies and what I can remember from the 90s cartoons.
I agree with Eishiya; you should do what YOU want. On the other hand, listening to others can help you figure out what you want, so here's my two cents:
--- and I DO!
Although, it really depends on what approach you're going for. It definitely sounds like your going for something lighter toned, so we can rule out the "gritty, realistic" approach.
.....(Dang. I wanted another excuse to roast DC).
I guess what I mean to say is, are you down with something more comical, and perhaps satirical, or are you trying to "recapture the magic" of classic superheroes? Because doing both is possible, and while it is easy to botch, I think it can be done right. In other words, be campy, make fun of yourself for being campy, but at the end of the day, don't be ashamed of it. The affectionate parody is, in my opinion, an untapped genre with a lot of potential.
--well i do go for the good old days of heros, but ill be focusing on character developmnet and on other aspects, since main hero is still a kid
--and i alredy did give a punch to the ganre in second page of the comic ( although it could had come off as bit cynical)
I've read comics that tried to re-capture the magic (as I'm now apparently calling it), and it always leaves me conflicted. The reader obviously loves the genre, loves what they're doing, and are obviously having a great time, and in that respect I'm happy for them, but far too often, the author is so in love with the idea of what they're doing that they neglect the quality that could really make their story great. Usually, they have a small (if existent) fan-base, so a part of me feels bad for them, but the more cold and calculating part of my mind realizes they deserve it.
--ok I'll keep that in my mind
To summarize, love what you do, but don't love it blindly. I can see you've got the first part down, and the fact that you're asking about this shows you're eager to avoid the latter. Again, this is great, but remember that you don't have to do everything we say.
--of course!! but its a lil good way for brainstorming and helps me for what im looking for Turtleboy
So that got a little more philosophical than I intended...to get back on topic, here's what I like or would like in a superhero story, whether I've seen it before or not:
Make sure your hero's (and villain's) powers are clearly defined. I don't really care about scale; I care more about consistency. Define what your characters can do and what they can't do, and don't change it up for the sake of the plot. This advice is usually aimed at the hero, but I think it's usually the villain who needs it more. Too often, the powers of the villains seem vague; the power of the villain (usually the archvillain) seems to be to conjure up whatever obstacle the plot calls for. You don't have to limit how many powers they have; just don't make them up as you go along. Make the villain scary, but make them finite. Give them a scary, dangerous power (or set of powers), but leave it at that. Let the hero figure out how to get around it, without having to deal with some other ability thrown in at the last minute, forcing the hero to rely on willpower or a lazily written, heroic sacrifice. To me, nothing is more satisfying than watching everything we already know about come together as the hero
outsmarts the villain, rather than out...determines...them. You can still play it up that way, just don't make it a deus-ex-machina.
--about that, seeking the awnsers where he got the powers will be one of the plot points for the turtleboy series
Don't be afraid to make the villain sympathetic, but make sure the hero is the one we're rooting for. Accidentally making the villain more sympathetic is exactly why the "from the villain's point of view" sub-genre exists (and sadly, everyone who dabbles in this sub-genre thinks they invented it. No, you're not a genius for basing the hero off your high-school bully.)
Make the motivations of both the hero(s) and the villain(s) believable.
--ill note this one
I like heroes with clearly defined powers and believable motivations. I also like superhero comics to be self aware, but not
apologetically self away. Poke fun at the genre, but don't over due it. And when you do, try to be creative with the jokes; we've all heard "lol, men with tights!" a millions times. Do something different. Have fun with it. Make jokes without showing cynical, contempt for the genre.
- ok, I keep this one on mind for future seaquels
(i think when i gave the punch for the ganre in second page-it maybe did felt cynical)
Now for some things I don't like:
Spidermans. Don't get me wrong, I like Spiderman. What I don't like is everything trying to take the same approach; an angsty, teenage superhero, where much of the conflict revolves around how hard it is to juggle their normal life with being a superhero. I'm not even against this concept, I just feel that too many people mimic it formulaic without putting their own, unique spin on it. Do it if you want to, but make sure you're making it your own. Try and add something new; show a different angle.
Of course, I'd be wary of the opposite extreme; making your character really cool with, and dare I say, psyched out, about being a hero. I don't want to hear someone stand around and talk about how awesome superheroes are. Don't try to convince us you love superheroes. I believe you, and I agree. A little commentary is okay, but overall, show, don't tell. Be the thing your exited about.
-- well im going lil bit for the spiderman thing, but im definitley not going for what the stupid writers did to Spidey in recent years!
TURTLEBOY will have responsibilitie- heck im planing on going all for making some of the characters having consequences!
Ironmans. Again, love Ironman, but in this area, even Marvel can't help but repeat it's own formula. I feel like Ant Man and Deadpool are both just tweaked versions of Ironman; Ant Man is just Ironman as a petty thief, and Deadpool is Ironman except WHOA! HE'S VULGAR! THAT IS SO REVOLUTIONARY!!!!
(Okay, before anyone get's up in arms, I thought Deadpool was a good movie overall...but to be honest, I hardly laughed.)
Okay, maybe Deadpool's a bit of a stretch, but do you get what I'm saying? All the heroes (mainstream or otherwise) who's whole gimick is to crack jokes, they all start to run together after a while. Again, if you think you can do it well and put your own spin on it, that's fine.
---ok ill noe that, but i do plan on cracking some puns, ill still keep my character like you are writing here!
I guess, overall, what I'm trying to say is, don't do something that's been done before and try to pass it off as original. That's the only thing that really
irks me. If you want to do something that's been done before,
admit that it's been done before, and then try to do it better. And if you want to do something different...I hope you can pull it off.
--i do belive that what im doing has alredy been dne, but i think no one had guts for having a child hero (like literaly a kid as hero)
---and really thanks for the coment- it did help alot

Okay, sorry for the long rant, and sorry if it wasn't specific enough. You really got me thinking. Anyway, I hope it was helpful!