Its rare in comics for a heros origin not to undergo constant revision every 10-15 years. Case in point the current Green Arrow: Year One series by Andy Diggle and Jock. I can think of at least three instances in the past 30 years in which his origin has been told and expanded upon.
Diggle cites Batmans origin as a classic example of how, in its earliest version almost 70 years ago, was told in a single page. More recently, Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli re-told the story on a grander scale in Batman: Year One.
Such nuances are necessary as comic readers have grown more sophisticated over the years. Todays reader is older and often better educated than your average fifth grader. Motivations and character development are key ingredients to crafting a viable hero capable of maintaining a monthly book.
Perhaps it began with Spider-Man. After all, if a person were suddenly gifted with super-human abilities, it would make sense to use those powers for personal gain, rather than dedicate oneself to fighting crime.
In the earliest days of comics, it was understandable that a wealthy playboy would put on a mask and fight crime out of sheer boredom. The average reader usually 8-12 years old would accept it.
With the advent of the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s, stories took on an innocence bordering on the childish. For instance, in Action Comics #241, Batman invades Supermans Fortress of Solitude with the intent of playing a practical joke. Hardly a tale worthy of the Dark Knight as we know him today.
National Periodical Publications, as DC was known at the time, had a cash cow in the form of Superman, with little interest in taking risks. In searching for new ideas, they instead chose to give old characters such as The Flash and Green Lantern extreme makeovers. Such strategies may have ushered in what we know today as the Silver Age.
The early 1960s were a fertile time for popular culture, as art forms assumed greater risks in the realms of music, film and art. Marvel Comics had struggled through the 1950s, and perhaps their creative atmosphere was less conservative than that of their rival publisher.
By the time the Fantastic Four crashed onto the scene in 1961, comics had been around for over 20 years, long enough for some creators such as Joe Simon and Jack Kirby to have carved out their own niche in the industry, rather than seeing comic book work as a stepping stone to magazine illustration or writing novels.
With the advent of the so-called Marvel Age of comics, a new generation of future creators were coming of age, introducing new storytelling sensibilities. Rather than aim their work at the pre-pubescent audience, they chose instead to craft stories they themselves would have liked to read.
By the end of the 1960s, it may have been that National brought younger readers into the fold, with more innocent stories perhaps aimed at younger readers. Later, as the comics fan grew older, he/she might graduate to a higher level of storytelling commonly found in the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
By the early 1970s, Supermans mythos had over 30 years of baggage in the form of extraneous supporting characters, borrowed concepts, and outdated sensibilities. Batman had undergone numerous incarnations, from an avenging creature of the night to comedic buffoon and back again. Wonder Woman struggled to maintain her relevance in the wake of the womens liberation movement.
Over the next ten years, comics continued to evolve, while fandom exploded under the influence of Star Trek and Star Wars. As the decade drew to a close, fantasy heroes took on more complex characterization. Titles such as the X-Men and New Teen Titans presented heroes with greater dimension to their personalities.
It wouldn't be until the mid-1980s that DC Comics would undergo major housecleaning, which streamlined their cumbersome multiverse in the process. As a result, almost every major player in the DC Universe had his or her origin re-told, bringing it more in line with modern sensibilities.
As Andy Diggle suggested regarding his take on Green Arrow, these aint your daddys super-heroes. Nor should they be. Every generation of readers needs to believe that these characters have a relevance to the here and now, rather than remain the outdated versions. It may explain why older characters such as Doc Savage and The Shadow have suffered from dwindling popularity.
Nevertheless, the same may have once been said of the Lone Ranger, who pre-dates almost all masked crimefighters. Today, the current title from Dynamite entertainment has been receiving rave reviews from readers and critics alike.
Praise and adulation? Scorn and ridicule? E-mail me at philip@comicbookbin.com
