Thursday Re-Cap for Scarlet Witch: Witches' Road, Vol.1

 On Thursday, we discussed Scarlet Witch: Witches' Road and also looked at comic book history from WWII to the birth of Marvel, where things really changed--and almost ended--for comics. Here are some of the main points:

The Artwork:

* It was more challenging, on the whole, especially in how it transitioned from frame to frame. Some chapters, such as the one in Greece, were very experimental, making it difficult to know which way to read the comic. This seemed to echo the maze-like origin of the Minotaur, as well as the mysterious journey that Scarlet Witch found herself on. It was also suggested that it mimics her own confused mental state, as she is suffering from depression and fear of her own past catching up with her.

* Also discussed how the style often did away with frames altogether, and made us experience the comic like a montage (as in film), where many events fold over one another and time seems suspended. We see this particularly in the last comic, where she visits the crypt and confronts the ghosts of the nuns and the Inquisitors. 

The Character

* We discussed, too, the advantage of having a non-iconic character like Scarlet Witch. While she is famous and well-known, she doesn't have the baggage of a Superman or Batman. You can take more risks with her and re-define who she is and where she comes from. This is what happened over the decades with her character, as she started out as a teenage mutant who just had 'hex power,' and wasn't a true witch. 

* Many female characters, which were developed to be minor players or love interests, have known become ripe for exploration by major comic book writers and artists--notably women, who want to tell their stories. Along with Scarlet Witch, we have Mockingbird, Catwoman, Ms. Marvel, Black Cat, etc. This echoes the struggle women have had in society in general, and bringing these characters front and center is a way of telling new stories about old worlds. 

Comic Book History

* We talked about how after WWII, many soldiers developed a love for comics, since it was the easiest literature to transport and read--and dispose of. So comics became more adult in content, breeding romance comics, crime comics, horror comics, and even some blatantly pornographic comics. This caused concern among many adults, as their children were still reading comics, and there was nothing preventing kids from reading about murder, adultery, and rape (and God forbid the parents should screen their children's reading material!)

* So enter Dr. Wertham, who was largely behind the Comics Code of 1954. This code censored comics so they couldn't present anything objectionable to young minds...but in so doing, preventing comics from expressing almost anything that made them interesting. Some examples of the code include:

(2) All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted. 

(4) In no case shall evil be presented alluringly, nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.

(5) Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.

(1) Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure.

(3) All characters shall be depicted in dress reasonably acceptable to society.

(10) Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden. 

* Stan Lee largely changed this by attempting a "last ditch" effort to make comics interesting again with Marvel Comics. According to him, The characters would be the kind I could personally relate to: they’d be flesh and blood, they’d have their faults and foibles, they’d be fallible and feisty, and—most important of all—inside their colorful, costumed booties they’ve still have feet of clay.’”  All of his creations caught fire with young imaginations, particularly with teenagers, who wanted tales of superheroes they could relate to. Examples of early Marvel characters included Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, Spider Man, The Hulk, Thor, the Avengers, and the X-Men. 

* The X-Men are particularly important, since they were the first team of teenagers who had powers they were born with, making them mutants--the next 'evolution' of the human race. This soon became a metaphor for kids who were born different and had to hide their identity and 'pass' as normal. In the 70's and 80's, this resonated with many gay and lesbian readers who felt they were the mutants.