I "talk" about Spidey and hero epics (part 1)

I'm taking this class on early Western civilization, and it's actually pretty cool. We're reading these Mesopotamian creation myths and hero epics.

See, my professor was really getting into the structure of the hero epic, and the multiple trials s/he goes through in his/her journey. He talked about the common conventions and patterns that the hero epic employs, like the Hero Overcoming a Monster or the Hero Finding a Sidekick.

And all this got me thinking: THIS IS TOTALLY COMIC BOOKS, so I present to you. . . The Amazing Spider-Man #'s 492-495. . .

. . . as a hero epic. Here are a few common tropes in hero epics as they show up the "Digger" storyarc of Amazing Spider-Man. Some background here is that there's a new villain made up of the gamma-irradiated body parts of dead mobsters from the 70s. 
And it's out for revenge on the mobster who ordered their hits.

I love comic books. So. Freakin'. Much.


ONE: The hero is initiated into a journey

TWO: The hero doesn't slay the monster from the start:

And lastly for today's post. . . 

THREE: The hero must face and overcome temptation:
It doesn't have to be with webs, but it's certainly an option!

I could tell you how this four-issue arc was really important, because it was the one where Peter and MJ started working on their marriage, which they totally had, but that just opens up a can of webs that I can't close. PLUS: webs are icky.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

so.....there were comic books in latin???

well, beats having to make a graphic novel for LA.

Plot....what to do? what to do!

Kevin said...

It'd have to be on a tablet or something. I'd love to imagine someone trying to turn the page there!

Making a graphic novel? That sounds so cool. I never had to do anything like that, but then again, I can't draw either.

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