{"id":2390,"date":"2013-11-05T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-05T21:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=2390"},"modified":"2024-01-08T13:53:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T21:53:06","slug":"maggies-world-011-its-a-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/maggies-world-011-its-a-plot\/","title":{"rendered":"Maggie\u2019s World 011: It\u2019s a Plot!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MAGGIE’S WORLD<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\u2019s World 011: It\u2019s a Plot!<\/h1>\n\n\n
Maggie Thompson<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Last month, I went on at length about influences on and from comics in general. Now, let\u2019s be more specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, in the course of some book sale or other, I ended up with a book called Photoplay Plot Encyclopedia<\/em> by Frederick Palmer. My copy is the 1922 edition (second revised edition) from Palmer Photoplay Corporation Department of Education (Los Angeles), so (just to be clear) it\u2019s now in the public domain. And I\u2019m about to use this pop-culture antique to take a look at comic-book stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subtitle is An Analysis of the Use in Photoplays of the Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations and Their Subdivisions<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know there were precisely 36 dramatic situations? Palmer says it\u2019s \u201ca list of all the fundamental dramatic material to be found in human experience.\u201d So when we\u2019re talking about influences, Palmer\u2019s premise would be that we\u2019re always dealing with no more than these basic influences. (Mind you, he has enough subdivisions of each to fill many pages.) In bold, then, here they are\u2014along with a look at a few of the forms we have as examples in comics. (For the record: This analysis was brainstormed with former Comics Buyer\u2019s Guide<\/em> Editor Brent Frankenhoff. Because, no surprise, no matter what our day jobs may happen to be at any given moment, both of us still obsess on comics.):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A page from the 1922 edition of the\u00a0Photoplay Plot Encyclopedia<\/em>\u00a0by Frederick Palmer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

FIRST SITUATION\u2014SUPPLICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about the premise of Power Pack<\/em> (Marvel, August 1984)? Whitey asked the kids to complete his mission for him and, in the process, gave them powers. (Boy, I miss this series as originated by Louise Simonson and June Brigman!) It was up to the kids, not only to carry out Whitey\u2019s request, but also to keep their adventures and powers secret from their mom and dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A better-known example of this\u2014one that formed the basis for one of the most popular comics characters\u2014might be Silver Surfer\u2019s interaction with Galactus. (In fact, I bet we will find more than one of the 36 Dramatic Situations lurking in the Silver Surfer\u2019s over-arching storyline.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECOND SITUATION\u2014DELIVERANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most common heroic and super-heroic situations. \u201cWho was that Masked Man?\u201d was the stereotypical response to the Lone Ranger\u2019s preserving folks from catastrophe. Certainly, this was the original goal for most (all?) heroic figures in comics\u2019 Golden Age. Think of Superman, Batman, Prince Valiant, Captain America, Captain Marvel \u2026 OK, it\u2019s a given in our field, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRD SITUATION\u2014CRIME PURSUED BY VENGEANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Batman, of course. But that was just the start\u2014or one of many starts, come to think of it. Nevertheless, we\u2019re looking for some variety here \u2026 How about Frank Miller\u2019s Sin City<\/em>? Punisher?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOURTH SITUATION\u2014VENGEANCE TAKEN FOR KINDRED UPON KINDRED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bone<\/em>\u2014though that wasn\u2019t initially apparent. And, hey, are you reading Mark Millar and Frank Quitely\u2019s Jupiter\u2019s Legacy<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIFTH SITUATION\u2014PURSUIT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of Bone<\/em>: \u201cstupid, stupid rat creatures!\u201d Perhaps the over-the-top moment of Jeff Smith\u2019s classic series would be the \u201cCow Race\u201d sequence, with pursued and pursuers in the midst of a climactic crush of oddity. (Yes, of course, it\u2019s not the only example. But we aren\u2019t going to take all day on this.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIXTH SITUATION\u2014DISASTER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the set-up for all the post-apocalyptic science fiction in comics, from Walking Dead<\/em> to Adventure Time<\/em> to Kamandi<\/em> to The Hulk\u2019s \u201cThe End\u201d arc. And, hey, Krypton blew the heck up, right? And\u2014and this is part of the point of Palmer\u2019s work\u2014the sixth situation is often found in conjunction with other situations. Such as the first and the second: supplication and deliverance. (Hooray for Finn in Adventure Time<\/em>\u2019s \u201cSlumber Party Panic,\u201d to cite just one weird example.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEVENTH SITUATION\u2014FALLING PREY TO CRUELTY OR MISFORTUNE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concrete<\/em> and Little Orphan Annie<\/em> come immediately to mind, but there are many, many others. In the Golden Age, Doctor Mid-Nite was blind, Captain Marvel Jr. was poor and crippled in his non-heroic form (and Billy Batson before him was in bad shape before he became a newscaster). Misfortune? Heck, that\u2019s the kick-off for more series than you can name!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EIGHTH SITUATION\u2014REVOLT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mouse Guard<\/em>, Kingdom Come<\/em> (with younger heroes against the older ones), Marvel\u2019s Civil War.<\/em> Yep. We don\u2019t even have to visit the wonderful assortment of Star Wars<\/em> timelines, courtesy of a variety of Dark Horse contributors. But we could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NINTH SITUATION\u2014DARING ENTERPRISE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ElfQuest saga, Deadman\u2019s search to solve the mystery of his origin, and the Green Lantern\/Green Arrow<\/em> \u201cHard-Traveling Heroes\u201d era are a few that fit this situation comfortably. Or daringly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TENTH SITUATION\u2014ABDUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age of Bronze<\/em> is a natural sample of this situation\u2014but, of course, Eric Shanower brings together in his series the epic forces of The Iliad<\/em>, so is it fitting to credit his masterpiece as one of the comics basics for this situation? Of course, there\u2019s the Carl Barks classic \u201cDonald Duck and the Mummy\u2019s Ring,\u201d which first appeared in Dell\u2019s Four-Color<\/em> #29 and featured the Ducks\u2019 adventure to rescue Huey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ELEVENTH SITUATION\u2014THE ENIGMA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This provides probably the basis of the entire genre of mystery fiction. Detective Comics<\/em> might be one of the starters for this situation, then, with an assortment of mysteries to be solved, even before Bruce Wayne entered the scene. In some cases, a story arc is set up to solve a riddle. Who killed Deadman? Sometimes, the existence of a character itself is a mystery: Is Denny Colt (aka The Spirit) dead or alive? On the other hand, sometimes it\u2019s just ignored: Plastic Man is just plastic because he fell in a vat; deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWELFTH SITUATION\u2014OBTAINING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey, Galactus was all about obtaining, right? Minor detail: What he wanted to obtain was Earth. Hey, no way, big guy! Another obsessive out to obtain a bunch of stuff: Uncle Scrooge McDuck, whose experiences in \u201cTralla La\u201d (Uncle Scrooge<\/em> #6) provided a marvelous lesson in economics for young readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTEENTH SITUATION\u2014ENMITY OF KINSMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marvel\u2019s Loki has it in for his brother, Thor. Joe Kubert\u2019s Tor is kicked out of his tribe (\u201calone \u2026 to face a hostile world \u2026 in the world of a million years ago!\u201d). Oh, and Gladstone Gander is Donald\u2019s perpetual rival for Daisy\u2019s affections. (Yeah, so ganders aren\u2019t really close relatives of ducks\u2014but this was comics.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOURTEENTH SITUATION\u2014RIVALRY OF KINSMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this the time to bring up Superman\u2019s keeping secret the mere existence of Supergirl\u2014or should we forget about that Silver Age annoyance? Hm, \u201crivalry\u201d vs. the thirteenth situation\u2019s \u201cenmity\u201d: Maybe Donald and Gladstone belong in this one, instead. In any event, DC\u2019s Cain (House of Mystery<\/em>) and Abel (House of Secrets<\/em>) qualify, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIFTEENTH SITUATION\u2014MURDEROUS ADULTERY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

P\u2019Gell? Characters in the Conan saga?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIXTEENTH SITUATION\u2014MADNESS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, we need go no further than The Joker, of course. But how can we resist pointing to The Creeper, Harley Quinn, Deadpool, Badger, and Lobo? \u2019Nuff said?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEVENTEENTH SITUATION\u2014FATAL IMPRUDENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t have as many ongoing villains who actually die in comics\u2014which is not to say we have none. Nevertheless, King Nevawuzza comes first to my mind: the ancient ruler featured in \u201cDonald Duck in Ancient Persia\u201d (Four Color<\/em> #275).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EIGHTEENTH SITUATION\u2014INVOLUNTARY CRIMES OF LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did Norrin Radd do it all for love of Shalla-Bal? That\u2019s the story!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NINETEENTH SITUATION\u2014SLAYING OF A KINSMAN UNRECOGNIZED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, folks. This is the challenge; I have to take it in the order it appears in the book, but I should have saved it for last. I can\u2019t think of a case in which this is a fundamental comic-book situation. Probably, this is due to my mental lapses regarding manga; I betcha there\u2019s lots of these stories in manga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTIETH SITUATION\u2014SELF-SACRIFICE FOR AN IDEAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to Norrin Radd again, right? Are there others? Well, throughout their respective careers, such characters as Peter Parker, Kal-El, and Bruce Wayne have given up \u201cnormal\u201d lives to help others. In fact, it may be fair to consider this one of the basic memes of comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-FIRST SITUATION\u2014SELF-SACRIFICE FOR KINDRED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why limit this to \u201ckindred\u201d? Bruce Banner risked all to help Rick Jones, for goodness\u2019 sake! And let\u2019s not forget Bucky. On the other hand, if we must limit it to relatives, here\u2019s Peter Parker again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-SECOND SITUATION\u2014ALL SACRIFICED FOR A PASSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghost Rider, Age of Bronze<\/em>, Sin City<\/em>, Morbius \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-THIRD SITUATION\u2014NECESSITY OF SACRIFICING LOVED ONES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an element (or at least a threat) in stories ranging from Walking Dead<\/em> to Sandman<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-FOURTH SITUATION\u2014RIVALRY OF SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about Sivana and Captain Marvel? (Which, come to think of it is the superior, The Rightful Ruler of the Universe or The World\u2019s Mightiest Mortal?) How about Superman and Jimmy Olsen (well, hardly in all the stories, but \u2026) And there\u2019s Mr. Incredible vs. Buddy (aka Syndrome).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-FIFTH SITUATION\u2014ADULTERY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting tired yet? Well, let\u2019s note Age of Bronze<\/em> and DC\u2019s Starman and Black Canary situations and leave it at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-SIXTH SITUATION\u2014CRIMES OF LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, wow, lots. Let\u2019s settle on Watchmen<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-SEVENTH SITUATION\u2014DISCOVERY OF THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED ONE<\/strong> OK, I\u2019m picking History of Violence<\/em> for this. Did you even know it began as a comic book by John Wagner and Vince Locke? Or maybe you\u2019d pick the discovery of Speedy\u2019s drug addiction in \u201cSnowbirds Don\u2019t Fly\u201d by Denny O\u2019Neil and Neal Adams in Green Lantern\/Green Arrow<\/em> #25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-EIGHTH SITUATION\u2014OBSTACLES TO LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concrete. Swamp Thing. Sand Saref. Aw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWENTY-NINTH SITUATION\u2014AN ENEMY LOVED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daredevil and Elektra. Batman and Catwoman. Spider-Man and The Black Cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTIETH SITUATION\u2014AMBITION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, Sivana declared himself to be Rightful Ruler of the Universe. Which is pretty all-encompassing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-FIRST SITUATION\u2014STRUGGLE AGAINST A GOD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the Plot Encyclopedia<\/em> says, \u201c\u2026its popular appeal is obviously not great,\u201d and adds, \u201cIt requires a breadth of treatment and a philosophical insight which are indeed rare,\u201d things have changed a bit. The Golden Age Wonder Woman tales often involved Mars, and that was decades before Thor coped with both Loki and Odin. The kid series Olympians<\/em>, of course, involves it, too; have you checked out those graphic novels aimed at young readers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-SECOND SITUATION\u2014MISTAKEN JEALOUSY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there another plot in Archie Comics? Of course, it doesn\u2019t have to be mistaken<\/em> jealousy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-THIRD SITUATION\u2014ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many Funny Animal plots don\u2019t involve this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-FOURTH SITUATION\u2014REMORSE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Power Pack to Phoenix to Cerebus, characters make mistakes, and the smart ones question their own behavior. What could they have done differently? What should they do differently in the future? From Sandman to Spider-Man \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-FIFTH SITUATION\u2014RECOVERY OF A LOST ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about the Olympians<\/em> series again? Sandman features more than one classic tale with this basis\u2014and we remember Bone<\/em> yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIRTY-SIXTH SITUATION\u2014LOSS OF LOVED ONES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s Walking Dead<\/em>, Spider-Man<\/em>, and Flash<\/em>. And that\u2019s just for starters. But\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s what strikes me about this list, even as virtually all of its 36 themes can be found again and again throughout comic books, comic strips, and animated cartoons: Nowhere among these situations is what I\u2019ll now posit as the THIRTY-SEVENTH SITUATION\u2014RECEIVING SUPER-POWERS<\/strong>. Hey, does this mean there is something new under the sun, after all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hooray for comics!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maggie\u2019s World by Maggie Thompson appears the first Tuesday of every month on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Maggie Thompson<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n