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How do you like your comic universe: Lighthearted or Grim-Dark?

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HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#1: Apr 28th 2012 at 11:42:40 AM

So, comics have changed from those simpler Silver age times. Things have gotten pretty dark, then gotten light again.

We have Marvel Adventures line, but we also have stuff like Marvel Max. Then we have the main universes for both DC and Marvel, that seem to swing between really bleak, and pretty fun.

So I'm asking you guys, which do you prefer?

I realized that I like there to be something of a Tongue in cheek attitude to superheroes. There's an inherent silliness about them that can't be ignored, but there is still something awesome about them as well. Bat Man The Brave And The Bold brought me to this realization.

However, you can't ignore some of the more serious implications of these worlds: Attacks by crazy supervillains, alien invasions, and people with spectacular powers taking the law into their own hands. I don't think these things should be ignored, but sometimes it goes way too far, and we get Civil War and Identity Crisis.

So how do you like your heroes: fun and somewhat lighthearted, or serious and grim?

One Strip! One Strip!
KingZeal Since: Oct, 2009
#2: Apr 28th 2012 at 11:52:20 AM

About 70% optimistic.

My favorite overall storytelling resolution is Earn Your Happy Ending, which I define as a horrific and negative situation which irreversibly damages the status quo in some way, but in its place arises a new status quo which is either just as good or better than the one before it.

A perfect example would be Planet Hulk.

edited 28th Apr '12 11:53:05 AM by KingZeal

DrFurball Since: Jan, 2001
#3: Apr 28th 2012 at 12:00:07 PM

I think, in general, I lean more toward the lighthearted. I love Marvel's Silver Age and the Bill And Ted comics, for example.

That's not to say I don't enjoy some of the darker stuff, though. It really all depends on the story.

OdieEsty Why would I write that? Since: Mar, 2012
Why would I write that?
#4: Apr 28th 2012 at 12:09:34 PM

[up]Isn't TNMT a parody of grimdark comics though? Would that technically make it grimdark?

Also I like my stories similar to Deadpool. Dark, but taking a light hearted approach to it.

Remember! Hyperbole is an exaggeration made for comedic effect, and shouldn't be taken literally!
DrFurball Since: Jan, 2001
#5: Apr 28th 2012 at 1:43:13 PM

[up] It began as a parody, but it had become its own thing by the time of "Return to New York", which was a dark storyline, as was the later "Shades of Grey" and "City at War".

edited 28th Apr '12 1:44:07 PM by DrFurball

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Apr 28th 2012 at 3:13:06 PM

Overly light and overly dark comics tend to not work out so well, IMO. I like my comics to have shades of both - some comics work best when they're lighter (Batman, for instance), and others work best when they're darker.

One thing I dislike about comics these days is attempts to pull mythoses in directions they really don't fit as well in (usually darker, but sometimes in the opposite direction), but every series is relative in what they need to succeed.

I will say this, we kind of need a popular idealistic comic franchise these days, just to be the juxtaposing point.

TiggersAreGreat Since: Mar, 2011
#7: Apr 28th 2012 at 3:24:38 PM

Me, I prefer comics to be balanced, like 50-50. They should be able to go into mature topics, but maintain a sense of humour. I wonder if the majority of artists, writers and readers will ever figure that out!

Oh, Equestria, we stand on guard for thee!
Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#8: Apr 28th 2012 at 4:18:35 PM

My top three comics are X Factor, Avengers Academy, and Journey Into Mystery. All are generally light. X-Factor and Journey are among the funnest comics out there, just hilarious. AA is less comedic, but it's still generally lighthearted. At the very least, it's optimistic. Possibly one of the most optimistic books out there, actually.

I just prefer more optimistic comics in general.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#9: Apr 28th 2012 at 4:26:14 PM

[up]

Agreed. Stories that acknowledge the darker aspects of the world, but don't bury you in them, and make you feel as though any attempt to make things better isn't doomed to fail on general principle are the stories I like the most.

Hell, for all the complaints about the real world, and how Humans Are Bastards, we are constantly attempting to better ourselves, and in some (small) ways have succeeded. Stories that emulate that are closer to the real world than any Darker and Edgier Crapsack World etc.

One Strip! One Strip!
KillerBunny666 Since: Jun, 2010
#10: Apr 29th 2012 at 4:58:00 PM

I don't think I necessarily like one more than the other but I hate both extremes.

I don't like comics that are too goofy, cute or kiddy but I do like it when they are funny and fun, something like Nextwave for example, but I also like dark comics however I hate it when it gets too dark that I stop caring, specially when it has the SAME problem happening again and the heroes don't acomplish anything ever(x-men comics were like this last decade, I don't know if things changed).

I tend to also grow tired of one or the other if I read too many comics that have the same tone so I just switch back and forth when it comes to preference ^^

:)
Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#11: Apr 29th 2012 at 5:10:16 PM

"(x-men comics were like this last decade, I don't know if things changed)"

It has, actually. The X-Men line is going through a great renaissance right now. Uncanny X-Men, under Kieron Gillen, is the best it's been in 20 years. Uncanny X-Force had one of the best stories of 2011 with the Dark Angel Saga. X-Factor, as always, is brilliant. X-Men Legacy has been really good. Wolverine & the X-Men has been well-received, though I've been thoroughly unimpressed (shallow characterization, too much silliness). Abnett and Lanning are finding their footing with New Mutants, and I've been enjoying it. Adjectiveless X-Men continues to be utterly mediocre. Astonishing X-Men just got a new writer that I've never been a particular fan of, but I'll give it time.

All in all, this is actually a really good time to be an X-Men fan.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
Jhimmibhob Since: Dec, 2010
#12: Apr 29th 2012 at 6:53:24 PM

Neither. It strikes me as a false choice—in comics terms, the difference between "lighthearted/Grimdark" and "Silver Age/Dark Age" is pretty much the same as the difference between "childhood/teenage years." I don't care for either, and much prefer adulthood.

I detest Silver Age fatuousness and Dark Age self-dramatization with an equal passion. I had hopes that the latter was equivalent to an "awkward adolescent" stage that would transition into a genuinely mature comics universe, but it didn't happen. Instead, comics creators regressed back to mommy's house (aesthetically speaking), and we're back at square one. Damn shame.

Long story short, neither choice is ultimately tolerable or productive. Of the two, I guess I respect the "lighthearted" option slightly less.

edited 29th Apr '12 6:55:38 PM by Jhimmibhob

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Sijo from Puerto Rico Since: Jan, 2001
#14: Apr 29th 2012 at 9:27:36 PM

Personally, I tend to like my heroes Light. However I don't demand that *every* superhero be nice. Some heroes work better Dark (Batman for example.) I also don't demand that a universe only contain heroes of one type or another. Heck, the real world is pretty light AND dark at the same time.

What does bother me, however, is when characters who *aren't* supposed to be dark get darkened just to make them sell (or just because their latest writer felt like it.) Facing harsh situations for a while, yes, but not for the long run. And when you do that to too many characters at the same time, it just makes it feel like they live in a Crapsack World (even if that's not the case.)

edited 29th Apr '12 9:31:38 PM by Sijo

KingZeal Since: Oct, 2009
#15: Apr 29th 2012 at 9:33:13 PM

Uncanny X-Men, under [insert creator name here], is the best it's been in 20 years.

I've heard this many, many, many, many*

times in the years I've been reading comics. And every time, it's been a disappointment.

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#16: Apr 29th 2012 at 10:59:48 PM

Weird. Maybe on the darker end, just a little, but seriously, the entertainingly bizarre reigns supreme for me in the realm of sequential art. The usual "light/dark" dynamic is comparatively unimportant.

edited 29th Apr '12 11:01:13 PM by JHM

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#17: Apr 30th 2012 at 1:26:16 AM

[up][up] But this time, it's true.

Seriously, Gillen has been killing it on that book. Guy's a brilliant writer in general, of course. Journey Into Mystery is just phenomenal. But he's been doing a great job with UXM. His first arc had Sinister being ridiculously awesome, then had a filler issue that made people feel sorry for a Phalanx. Then he moved on to an arc spun off from Uncanny X-Force's Dark Angel Saga, and was great. Then a couple issues using Unit from the S.W.O.R.D. mini (which was also by Gillen - and that mini used the original Death's Head!) where he was awesome. And his first Av X tie-in issue is probably the best issue of the whole event so far.

UXM has had a lot of mediocre runs over the past 20 years, including Claremont's return to the title. But Gillen, in just 11 issues, has already returned the title to greatness.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
KingZeal Since: Oct, 2009
#18: Apr 30th 2012 at 3:48:27 AM

Sorry if none of that sounds even slightly intriguing to me.

VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#19: Apr 30th 2012 at 9:08:31 AM

So how do you like your heroes: fun and somewhat lighthearted, or serious and grim?

Yes.

Ukrainian Red Cross
PennyDreadful Since: May, 2010
#20: Apr 30th 2012 at 11:58:30 AM

I lean toward lighter, mainly because comics have become SO grimdark it's kind of ludicrous. They have angst! Grimdarkness! Scenery Gorn! Violent, graphic deaths! Violent, angsty, grimark, graphic deaths with Scenery Gorn! It's become overkill. I see lots of horror comics on the stands, but very few fun, humorous, or simply lighthearted titles. In fact, I can think of only a couple of titles (X-Factor and New Mutants) with even a trace of humor being published right now.

Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#21: Apr 30th 2012 at 1:32:20 PM

[up] X-Factor, New Mutants, Journey Into Mystery, Wolverine and the X-Men (though I find it focuses on silliness to the point where it crowds out good characterization). This week's issue of Avengers Academy will start with naked Hercules. Slott has been having a great time with Amazing Spider-Man. Waid has been having even more fun with Daredevil. Ultimate Spider-Man is fun. There's a new Marvel Zombies coming in May. Av X Vs. is pretty ridiculously light fun. It's just people beating on each other. Avenging Spider-Man is light fun. Captain America and Hawkeye. Defenders. Deadpool, though it sucks ass. The most recent issue of FF had Johnny Storm and Peter Parker as roommates - hilarious. Thunderbolts is usually pretty funny.

So, plenty of fun, funny, lighthearted comics out there.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
Arthur205 Since: Nov, 2010
#22: Apr 30th 2012 at 2:58:57 PM

When comics reader complain about darkness in their comics I laugh. I read Berserk. Makes what their whining about look like Adam Wests Batman. Though honestly the kind of tone I like depends on my mood. Sometimes i like lighter stuff like Spider-man, other time I'll pick up something like the Punisher or Batman. Don't see why it has to be one or the other

edited 30th Apr '12 3:03:00 PM by Arthur205

Sijo from Puerto Rico Since: Jan, 2001
#23: Apr 30th 2012 at 7:33:22 PM

Stuff like Berserk is MEANT to be dark. Superheroes are not. And as you said, there's room for both, and you can even like both styles. But some try to darken heroes and then claim its because the public likes them that way today. I don't buy it. Most of Marvel's comics (save the X-Men related ones) are lighter than DC's these days.

edited 30th Apr '12 7:34:39 PM by Sijo

HamburgerTime Since: Apr, 2010
#24: Apr 30th 2012 at 8:07:05 PM

Does it have to be one extreme or the other?

That said, if I had to pick I would definitely choose light. I was a big Marvel fan for the longest time, but I got out of it around the time of Civil War and Marvel's heroes being written to be bootlickers for a borderline-Complete Monster government. DC, while it was also getting darker around the same time (see: Identity Crisis), at least allowed its heroes to be genuinely good people. However, in recent years, I've drifted back to Marvel, and I believe this is in part because Marvel realized its mistakes with Civil War and fixed them, while DC jumped onto the Darker and Edgier train with storylines like Brightest Day and Cry For Justice. That and I'm completely uninterested in the reboot. So, for now, I'm sticking with Marvel; there's always the chance Avengers Vs X Men could dump the company back in the pit, but the first two issues have been well-received, so...

Arthur205 Since: Nov, 2010
#25: Apr 30th 2012 at 8:32:50 PM

Who says superheroes aren't supposed to be dark? Batman is probably the most popular superhero right now, and he's probably the darkest of the major superheroes. And my point about Berserk was that most what comics fans consider dark aren't really that dark. I'm mean, people complain about Green Lantern, and it certainly has gotten gorier, but in the end of the day Hal Jordan gonna win, save the universe, yadayadayada. He's never going to be forced to see his Love Interest raped in front of him and go kinda crazy. that's why I find it kind of hard to take complaints about darkness in comic seriously.


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