What does realism mean?
By Rosebunse 4 Comments
Ok, so, here's my gripe with "realism"? We see it everyday. Plus, despite what some people will tell you, totally unrealistic stuff happens everyday. If something is fiction, why can't physics be played with? Why can't things be manipulated? Of course, it all has to do with execution , but why can't an author decide to do as they please with their world of fiction? Writer Vladimir Nabokov played with this in his novels. The most subtle-spoiler alert!!!!- would be in his classic Lolita, where Charlotte is randomly killed off via car crash. This let's pedophile Herbert have full access to Dolores, the 10 year old girl he lusts after. This book does not justify raping children, and in fact shows some of the negative effects of doing so. What it does justify is letting an author do as he pleases. By randomly and rather unrealistically killing Charlotte, Nabokov effectively sets the main plot in motion without slowing down. Without Charlotte being a worried parent, Herbert is free to take Dolores. In both DC and Marvel, armies made up of generally unstable people are allowed to just do as they please. Sure, you have a few guys like General Ross who kinda make a fuss, but for the most part, they are left alone. Don't talk about the X-Men, because they aren't government sanctioned. Without a soft take on realism, comics could not be. Of course, there are limits, but for the most part, it's a good thing. So the next time you complain about something in fiction not being realistic, unless you can come up with a good reason other than "it's not realistic", do not complain.
Yes, I am a stout supporter of FrankenCastle.