The Ethics of Consolation

For Colossus, in response to the situations I discussed in the last post, solace was found in the form of a tattoo (I'm still kicking myself for not having the issue this appeared in on hand to scan and include a picture of) or in the mindless fighting that bordered on deadly. For Wolverine it is often, surprisingly enough, found in a Japanese garden while meditating. Scott Summers (Cyclops), as seen in the third X-Men movie, attempts to find comfort in his sorrow by shutting himself off from the world. Spider-Man turned to his friends after the loss of a loved one. And Tony Stark, the hero known as Iron Man...usually just drowns his pain with alcohol.

Everyone deals with loss and pain in different ways. Superheroes are no different, and it is in times of pain that they demonstrate the humanity that so often seems hidden from us. Heroes behind masks often seem inaccessible to the masses (almost none of the adults I talk to, adults who got to live during the golden age of comic books understands what is so very real about these characters), yet when they are encountering loss it is easy for us to see ourselves in them. Mark Millar has recently taken a spin on the comic book hero we are accustomed to. In his acclaimed series Kick-Ass (soon to be a major motion picture...get excited...maybe) Millar brings us the tale of Dave Lizewski, a very ordinary high school student who chooses to become a super hero. After all, how hard can it be? He's read the literature (comic books of course), and his heart is in the right place...what else is there to the business of heroism? Lizewski dons a mask and steps into the night to fight crime...he gets beaten to a pulp and barely escapes the ordeal alive. Yet he persists...and eventually finds some degree of success as a hero. Now I'm sure there will be plenty of failure to come, but I have been unable to read the recent issues of the story as I am a poor college student and am waiting for the trade paperback to be released so I can afford it. Still, there is much to be examined in this story.


Consolation for Dave Lizewski comes in the form of a mask. While he is not dealing with loss per say, he is dealing with pain. The pain of being ordinary, pain of discontent. Lizewski is just an average student, if that, the girl he likes barely notices him, and his single dad is barely around. He retreats behind the mask because it makes him something more, something that people take notice of. The problem involved with this, and many forms of consolation, is that it can become an idol, and I think in the case of Dave Lizewski this is the case. Is the point here that heroism is wrong? Of course not, nor am I saying that seeking out friends or family or any other form of consolation is wrong. However, that should not be our first and only option.


As the Bible says, God is a comforting God. Take Isaiah 40:11 for example, "He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." Exodus 20:3 commands us to have no other gods apart from God. In regards to idolatry, I don't mean to say for a second that when we find comfort outside of God it is wrong, however this is often what happens. Idolatry is defined as "blind or excessive devotion to something", in Lizewski's case, a mask that allows him to do heroic deeds. God is to be our comfort, but if we take comfort in other things I still think that is perfectly fine. However, we should not place our trust and devotion in these items of solace. Our hope should not rest in people or things, it should remain with God.

'Nuff Said
-Cable

Responsibility?

A wise man once said "With great power comes great responsibility."

This quote, the driving force behind Spider-Man's heroic journey has been a source of conflict throughout the years for our favorite web-slinger. The hero is forced day after day to choose between his personal well-being and his responsibility to others. Something that I find interesting is that the foundation for one of my favorite heroes is drawn straight out of the Gospel of Luke. When Ben Parker imparts this classic wisdom to his nephew Peter, he is essentially paraphrasing Luke 12:48 (From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (NLV Translation)).

A parallel between the ethics discussed in Biblical Heritage and comic book heroes is much easier to make when looking at a comic book hero who finds his mantra in a scriptural paraphrase. After discussing sin in class this week it made me think of yet another definition for sin, one I briefly touched on in my introductory post. I think sin can also be viewed as neglecting to do the right thing, even if one doesn't do anything wrong. Spider-Man faces this issue in the early years of his almost five decades of publication history. Peter Parker's life as Spider-Man seems to bring him nothing but hardship, and as a result, despite all the good his alter ego does, Peter hangs up his webs and proclaims 'Spider-Man No More!'



This now classic scene (from Amazing Spider-Man #50 and later portrayed in the second Spider-Man movie) leads to mountains of conflict for Peter Parker. While he at first enjoys the freedom from the responsibility that his powers have given him, Peter's conscience eventually leads him to pick up his mantle yet again and resume his often difficult life of crime-fighting. This issue that Spider-Man faces raises many questions about the nature of sin. Is the violation of responsibility a sin? It certainly causes Spider-Man to become consumed with guilt, and thus I think he would agree. I tend to think that a sin of omission is just as bad as any other sin, if not worse. Just like the death of Peter Parker's uncle is on his hands due to his lack of action (as seen in Amazing Fantasy #15 and the first Spider-Man movie), any wrong that happened because of his cry of 'Spider-Man No More!' would have been his fault as well. When we choose to not use our powers for good, we are using them for ill, even if we don't use them at all.

And because I feel like making a musical plug, I will bring up what got me thinking of this issue before calling it quits. This week British band Oasis essentially broke up upon the departure of Noel Gallagher. My first thought was selfish. While I am not a huge fan of Oasis (I instead prefer listening to their rivals, and I think they are full of themselves), I enjoy their music, and their last album was pure brilliance (Dig Out Your Soul, check it out), so when I heard that Noel was leaving the band I immediately saw it as a violation of his responsibility to use his musical talent to bring the world decent music. Of course Gallagher had several excellent reasons for leaving, but I still wish it was not so. And that is how it is related. I'm going to go mourn and hope that the dissolution of Oasis leads to the re-forming of Blur.

'Nuff said!
-Cable