hero or villain?
by Francesco R. of HIgh Tech High International '14
Have you ever gotten tired of the same old “villain commits crime, hero appears, things go wrong, hero prevails and throws villain in jail” superhero stories? I know I have. I picked up these books because I wanted an unpredictable, new kind of story. These graphic novels flip the normal superhero story and put the protagonist in a new kind of trouble, and in a few cases, a grave. Take the path less traveled and try flipping the superhero story with these graphic novels.
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Watchmen
by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons - 296 pages Starting off with the brutal murder of The Comedian, a celebrated hero and war veteran, this graphic novel throws you into the thick of a controversial investigation of the “Mask Murderer” Sociopath and hero, Rorschach, scientific anomaly, Dr. Manhattan, and retired successor Nite Owl team up again to hunt down the mask killer. Banned, shunned, arrested and discredited, this band of retired heroes fight for justice whether the world wants it or not. |
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore & David Lloyd - 296 pages It is common for people to assume that if you have some power that makes you more than the average human being, you automatically understand and stay on the better side of good and evil. But in V’s case, he was never a hero, but a morally-balanced source of who was dropped into a fear-driven, power-hungry government. V automatically fights against the government’s tight grasp over the people, and on the Fifth of November, he reminds them all that one man failed many years ago to destroy the unjust Houses of Parliament, and he destroys them himself. Read this book and see the stuff that was left out of the movie. |
Final Crisis by Grant Morrison - 352 pages Normal graphic novels usually start with a villain’s attack, and then end with a superhero's daring rescue of the damsel and defeat of the villain. But this story isn't anything like that. Rather than the hero being an omnipotent and omniscient deity among ants, the heroes are the targets and victims and virtually powerless. Unable to defend Earth, the human beings, or even themselves, their powers, abilities, skills, and technology prove useless against Darkseid's power and Anti-Life Equation. If you enjoy watching the DC heroes in action, then this is the graphic novel for you. |