Comic Books and
Speculative Fiction:
Defining the Space
Between assumption and Assertion
Eric Barrientos
Do I think one can make a distinction between fantasy and
science fiction? Definitely. Does it matter? Perhaps not, but that may depend
on the goal or whim of the author. The distinction between fantasy and science
fiction lies in the space between assumption and assertion. The particular
expertise I draw on to make this judgment comes not only from the Speculative
Fiction class, but also from a modest background in superhero comics and the
influence of a bunch of comic book nerd friends I grew up with.
I am particularly fond of the DC universe of comics while my
friends are diehard Marvel fans, but they both present blended elements of
fantasy and science fiction. If we take a look at the DC universe we have
Batman who uses his intelligence to invent spectacular gadgets to aid him in
his crusade for justice. We also of course have Superman, the alien sent via
rocket ship from the dead planet Krypton and derives his powers from the light of
our Yellow sun. What do they have in common? Although perhaps phlebotinum-y, Batman’s
technology is always explained, and so are Superman’s powers.
Similarly, the Marvel universe has Tony Stark and Spiderman.
Why can Iron Man exist? Because Tony Stark has an arc
reactor in his chest. Why does Spiderman have powers? A radioactive spider
bit him. And so on. One derives power from technology and the other from
biology, but both are explained via some made up scientific sounding reasons.
This is wholly expected of such characters. The readers need a reason to
believe a normal person (as superheroes usually start out as) could become such
a powerful hero. These types of heroes are really the core science fiction
inspired heroes of the comic book sub-genre.
As always, there is another side to the coin. While the
great majority of famous comic book heroes have science fiction origins there
are also superheroes with fantasy origins living in the same pages. DC has
Wonder Woman and Constantine, while Marvel has Thor and Dr. Strange. While
these all may seem like wildly different characters even within their universe
they all have one thing in common: their powers are never explained by
‘scientific’ means. No phlebotinum necessary! Why is Wonder Woman so smart and
strong? She’s an Amazonian
princess endowed with power by the gods of course. Thor? He’s not just
endowed by gods he is one, a Norse god in fact. Constantine is a detective with
a knack for occult
magic. Dr. Strange is Sorcerer
Supreme and master of the dark magical arts. We don’t expect an explanation of
these heroes’ powers because they are either divinely or magically obtained. As
readers we just trust that the gods inherently have power and magic just works
as it always does. These are the fantasy comic book heroes and they fall nicely
into Philips Martin’s idea that fantasy is about belief.
The reason I wanted to discuss comic book heroes is because
of how the sub-genre blends fantasy and science fiction while still managing to
keep them distinct. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Constantine all exist
in the same universe. And the same goes for Tony Stark, Spiderman, Thor, and
Doctor Strange. In the comic book universe(s) science fiction and fantasy
coexist (and even sometimes collide), but they can still be distinguished. Batman does not have supernatural might and
Wonder Woman doesn’t have a supercomputer but they are both part of the Justice
League. Tony Stark does not use magic and Thor does not build arc reactors, but
they can both be part of the Avengers.
What do comic book heroes have to teach us about the
distinctions between fantasy and science fiction? I think they ultimately teach
us that they are just two sides of the same coin. Sure, the etching on either
side is different, but you can still buy a great story with it. So, the
distinctions don’t really matter too much in that regard. Comic book publishers
are in the business of selling comics to readers who want to read about things
that don’t happen in our world. Both fantasy and science fiction achieve that
goal, so they use them both. In this case the distinctions don’t matter because
they’re unhelpful to both DC and Marvel’s purpose. For Tolkien, Zelazny, LeGuin,
or Dick’s purposes the distinctions may be more relevant. Ultimately, the major
distinction between the two branches of speculative fiction seems to be whether
the reader must assume the given world works as the author describes (i.e.by
magic) or whether the author must assert why the given world works (i.e. by
real science or phlebotinum).
http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/DC-vs-Marvel-Movies-Casts-Casting-Rumors.jpg
Eric:
ReplyDeleteThe comic book fangirl in me is, naturally, infinitely charmed by your decision to use these characters and worlds as a way of exploring how naturally and continuously sf/f blend. Although that blending is standard issue in comics, it's less well-known -- or maybe just more obvious and commented upon? -- in novels and short stories. Perhaps it's just a question of frequency. If enough authors of traditional fiction media start mixing their peanut butter and jelly together, maybe we'll stop chirping about whether this or that belongs together and just accept it as a matter of artistic discretion.
Best,
TT