Tonight’s Top Stories
A brief overview of some of the more notable roles the media has played in storylines from the big two publishers.
Over the last few decades, the face of the mainstream media has changed and evolved at an expedient rate. Newspaper and radio gave way to television, which is now slowly being overtaken by online journalism and live stream reports. News networks can now be instantaneously fact checked and called out on bias. But whatever form it may take, the media will always be a powerful part of the creative toolbox when it comes to storytelling.
When it comes to the media’s role within the context of comic storylines, the prime examples that come to mind are Clark Kent and Peter Parker. As Superman and Spider-Man, they are flagship heroes for DC and Marvel, respectively, but as characters they do not have a lot of common ground. One thing they do have in common is a love of journalism, which when coupled with a careful exploitation of their costumed identities, allows them to avoid suspicion while remaining in the public eye.
One of the themes quietly building in the corner of DC Comics’ New 52 is an ongoing rebranding of many existing heroes as meta-humans. The first issue of Scott Lobdell’s Teen Titans includes a flurry of news reports discussing the negative impacts of teen metahumans and the lack of legal repercussions for their actions. Arguably the earliest indication of an anti-metahuman sentiment among the populace in the new DC Universe, it remains to be seen whether this media prejudice extends to all costumed heroes, super powered or not.
Marvel’s headline grabbing Civil War storyline affected the entire 616 universe in 2006. The super-hero registration legislation trope is played perfectly in this arc that redefined the Marvel lineup. The storyline kicks off with a terrorist attack from the villainous Nitro, who decimates multiple city blocks before escaping. The Civil War story arc took a very meta-textual approach to the increased violence and death in mainstream comics, and offered an in-universe perspective to the changes. The saga drew interesting parallels to the real-world terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the subsequent PATRIOT Act.
Bruce Wayne: Fugitive was a storyline that ran through the Bat-books in 2002, and in its first act the story switched gears from Bruce Wayne, the world’s greatest detective, to Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy. Accused of murdering his former flame, Vesper Fairchild, Bruce must contend with the mayhem brought on by being thrust into the public eye. Notably, the series suggested that Bruce was additionally traumatized by the media coverage and gossip surrounding the death of his parents, resulting in the facade of a Wayne who prefers not to make headlines. From this point onward, it became the new status quo for the Batman mythos to feature a philanthropic Bruce Wayne intent on bettering Gotham, to the point where he comes out as Batman’s financial backer in Grant Morrison’s Batman, Inc.
For the one reader out there who has yet to read Watchmen, be warned; there are spoilers ahead.
Alan Moore’s magnum opus features antagonist Adrian Veidt pulling one over on god himself, in the form of Dr. Manhattan. Ozymandias manages to best Jon not through strength or sheer intellect, but by carefully manipulating the revelation of a ‘shocking twist’ designed to catch a bewildered Manhattan off guard. Upon hearing the news that exposure to Dr. Manhattan has allegedly been plaguing those closest to him with irreparable cancer, the media swarm pounces. The storm of reporters and cameras is enough to overpower Manhattan into a self-imposed exile, allowing Veidt’s plan to continue unimpeded. The media serves as Ozymandias’ most powerful weapon, eventually misleading the entire planet into uniting against global threats.
On the other side of the spectrum is Frank Miller’s critically acclaimed Elseworlds tale, The Dark Knight Returns. Though it is Bruce Wayne’s return to the cape and cowl that carries the action, the narration is delivered by multiple television news programs reporting the events of the story as they occur. In many cases, the new reporters and the interviews with Gotham City citizens serve as a window to voice readers’ reactions to the twists and turns the story takes as Batman reappears after a ten year absence.
The media continues to play an important role in comic books, making appearances from both sides. Heroes leverage the media to support their missions to make the world a better place while the media spotlights the less than stellar super powered characters to attempt to promote their own agenda.