You’d think at some point we wouldn’t see having superhero films as a good thing.
– Steven Savage
Video, Film, and Television
Competence Porn In Fiction Versus Gaming
I loved the article io9 did about the loss of Competence Porn (watching competent people do competent things) in SF. It noted how many SF stories had lost that element, leaving us with assorted “average” guys, non-scientists, and the like facing SF situations. I had to agree, at least on an intuitive level.
I miss tales of scientists and engineers solving stuff. I grew up with Dick Seaton (real name) of the Skylark stories. I, like many, wanted to be Spock or Scotty. I loved the idea of Iron Man and engineers making cool stuff.
I wasn’t into the idea that someone someone who lacks knowledge and skill (and doesn’t acquire them) is going to solve things. Wasn’t believable. Wasn’t a good story really. Didn’t give me anything to aim for.
(I could go into this as part of anti-intellectualism or “My ignorance is the same of your knowledge” trend or whatever, but that’s for later).
This got me thinking about gaming, another form of storytelling.
The Age of the Dark Knight of Steel: Getting More Cynical About Comics Adaptions
It’s no secret that I’m one of the people here at MuseHack who is expecting a Hollywood meltdown to happen (or the current one to get worse). There’s too much going on, too much going wrong, too many checklists trying to save the cat, and 2015 is loaded with Blockbusters. It’s a collision course with reality, and I’m expecting some pain.
Now that being said, I’ve also found some of the current releases quite good. I enjoyed “The Avengers” even if it was rather standard. I do need to see “Man of Steel” because Serdar, ever holding high standards, was impressed. But looking at the latest announcements, something has upped my cynicism levels even further.
Big Name Adaptions within existing properties, specifically, comics.