Hi everyone.
The feedback about my comics has always been extremely positive, especially around characterisation. I’d like to believe it’s deserved, when people say that the superheroes that I create are written in a really compelling, real-feeling way.
They’re not just a paragon of virtue or a monster that’s unsaveable; they have depth to them. They’re real people and I therefore often get asked how it is or what process I go through in order to do it.
I thought I’d share some part of that today!
I’ve always felt that a superhero is more important behind the mask, that the character is not the superhero. The character is the person who put the mask on and became the superhero.
There are some obvious characters who bend that slightly: Bruce Wayne and Batman is probably the most extreme case that I can think of, where really he’s Batman, and Bruce Wayne is a is the costume. For Superman, I’m not so convinced – I think he’s still that good-hearted farm boy that grew up in Kansas. But I digress.
When you want to write a character who is going to be a superhero, think about where they started and why they became a superhero, and therefore what kind of person they are that makes them that superhero.
Are they someone who saw a wrong and needs to do a right, like Lacuna? Are they someone who found they had powers and thinks it’s morally wrong to not do anything with them, like Drift or Violete.
And then when things happen to that hero, how do they react? Not “how do they react” as a hero, because they’re putting on a front as a hero, they’re wearing the costume, they’re being that Paragon as best they can be, whether it’s of virtue or of evil.
Instead, think about how the person changes as a result, and how does that change their approach to being the Paragon?
That’s where the key to realism lies, remembering that the centre of the superhero is what’s behind the mask, not what they show to the outside world.
If you’re someone who’s writing a superhero story, creating a universe, playing a role playing game, or any other endeavour, always remember this, your character will be more real!
– Ed