Rogerian Argumentative Essay

As the title of this Rogerian Argument states, are comic books real literature? We’re not entirely sure how often this question is asked, but it is definitely a question worth asking. Comic books have been around since the 40s and possibly way before, so it’s no coincidence that these books would be subject to immense amounts of controversy over the decades. One of these controversies is whether or not comic books should be considered “real” literature. Many people believe comic books to be too childish and unrealistic, while others think of comic books to be quite profound. Much like any other Rogerian Argument, each side will give several reasons why they believe their cause is just. Brad Ricca has simplified the argument to a tee in an article he wrote about the issue,
comics can be literary – or not, they can be complicated – or not.
Much like any other Rogerian Argument, the debate doesn’t necessarily have a specific side, like Brad Ricca said, it’s either or. A great example of a more complicated comic book is Spider-man: Blue. This particular story revolves around Peter Parker rather than his crime fighting alter ego Spider-man. The book takes place on Valentines day, and consists of Peter hiding away in his attic, talking into a tape recorder cataloguing all the things he wishes he could’ve said to Gwen Stacy, Peter’s significant other, who’s death he was responsible for. What many people don’t know is that a reoccurring theme in Spider-man is death. This is evident as we see Peter grieve over the deaths of many of his loved ones, such as his Uncle Ben and as mentioned above Gwen Stacy. The theme of death in Spider-man comic books explore the trials and tribulations of a normal kid turned into a radioactive superhero by a strange twist of fate. Peter still tries to maintain a normal everyday life all the while trying to
protect the citizens of New York, trying to make up for his failures, even though deep down he knows that he will never be able to make up for the death of Uncle Ben or Gwen. Spider-man goes a lot deeper than just a kid becoming a super hero, it delves into Peters psychosis and his moral dilemmas when it comes to being a hero and doing the right thing. As the general audience can see, this Spider-man story is a lot more deep and down to earth than most other run of the mill “villain of the week” stories, and it is very much true that these types of stories outnumber the more complicated ones. But this comparison supports Brads claim as stated above, comic books can be complicated – or not. Let’s just go ahead and get this point across, comic books deserve your respect! Since it is apparent that they have failed to gain mainstream attention according to Julian Darius, an undergraduate who obtained an M.A. in French (high honors) and a PhD in English. Although comic book movies, much like any other book to film adaptation, have garnered much success with the mainstream audience, actual comic books have still yet to be acknowledged in the mainstream and are still looked upon as an enigma. So how are comic books supposed to be recognized for their literature when they are constantly being overshadowed by their movie adaptations? Many would argue that the same has been done to the Harry Potter series of books. Most of the general audience may not even know about the movies source material. Even though comic book movies may be successful, there are still tons of critics who complain about the movies being “unrealistic”, which is also a complaint found in most comic books. But a good story doesn’t need to be realistic, it’s all a matter of opinion (much like this essay). Going back to the subject of deeper stories, plenty of comics are also very dark, focusing on more mature material. A wonderful example would be the Watchmen series, the story is used as a means to reflect contemporary anxieties and to deconstruct and parody the superhero concept. Watchmen depicts an alternate history where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s, helping the United States to win the Vietnam War. In 1985, the country is edging toward nuclear war with the Soviet Union, freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most former superheroes are in retirement or working for the government. The story focuses on the personal development and moral struggles of the protagonists as an investigation into the murder of a government sponsored superhero pulls them out of retirement. Another example is the Marvel Comics event: Civil War, which pits two teams of superheroes against each other, one supporting freedom and the individual rights of citizens, and the other supporting the government and keeping the super humans in check. Captain America, one of the main characters in the story, is in between a rock and a hard place, from being the poster boy for World War 2 propaganda, to opposing the government he once fought for. Iron man is the main antagonist, wanting the Avengers to sign the super human registration act in order to keep track of their every movement, which Captain America describes as a direct violation to the Constitution. Spider-man also plays a major role in the story, representing the everyday people who get caught up in the conflict and must choose which side to align with. While this comic tells a lot about the political choices these heroes must make, it also dwells on their conflicts that arise over their comradery, and other personal relationships that they share. For the average literary consumer who usually steer away from comic books for being too silly, this book would be a pleasant surprise, offering something more than just super heroes wearing fancy costumes. People tend to take comic books less seriously because of the simple fact that the book is about super hero, while the genre itself can feel a bit repetitive at times, there are numerous other comics that feature more down to earth stories. Example being Sam and Twitch, two fictional NYPD homicide detectives, created by Todd McFarlane.