I don’t know if I’ve
made it clear yet, but I have a thing for heroes.
Maybe that’s why I have
so many issues with gritty stories. If
you’ll let me make a blanket statement or two, they’re largely about terrible
people in terrible situations and terrible places doing terrible things. Why not give me amazing people in a terrible
world? Or amazing situations and
terrible things? Or terrible situations
with people doing amazing things? And
why not have the entire story (bar a few dark moments) be geared towards a
happy ending, rather than a gritty story that heaps on the doom and gloom only
to go “hey, maybe things won’t be so bad after all!” at the very end? I know there are exceptions (Looper, The Dark Knight, and…well,
arguably True Grit), but I’m pretty
friggin’ sure there are a lot of gritty missteps. O hai Gears
of War 3, Max Payne 3, and Resident
Evil 6.
I don’t mean to harp on
gritty stuff all the time -- sometimes, but not all the time -- but I just want
to make it clear where I stand. Ideas
and themes can be explored in any way, not just through certain aesthetics and
conventions. The moment you start to
limit yourself is the moment you start to fail -- as a writer, as a creator, or
just as a human being. A show that’s
(ostensibly) for children can be as deep and subtle as any other story out
there if it wants to be; all it takes is a little ingenuity, some effort, and
of course a strong spirit. And in my
opinion, a surefire, almost-universal way to appeal to everyone’s sensibilities
-- young or old, naïve or jaded, silly or sophisticated -- is through the lens of
a hero. They inspire. They excite.
They struggle, yet succeed anyway.
They move toward a conclusion by their own power. A hero done right can be a tour de force;
they have the power to make any story more amazing, more special, more
meaningful, and of course more memorable.
In a sense, a good hero
IS the story itself. And I intend to
prove that -- with this series, and ESPECIALLY with this post.