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Kurt Busiek's avatar

"A man comes at me with his fists, I'll meet him with fists. A man stands guard at a gate I want to go through, holding a wooden spear, making some Savage Land bucks to support his Savage Land wife and kids, I'll slaughter him like livestock before he even knows I'm there."

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Karl Kesel's avatar

Quite honestly, this was a problem I always had with HARLEY QUINN— a character I enjoy immensely and enjoyed writing immensely, but the fact was she had killed many, MANY people, and had no remorse over it. In her defense— and I did make it just that in the comics I wrote— she is insane. When it came time to do my and David Hahn's creator-owned IMPOSSIBLE JONES, I made it very clear she was a THIEF— not an assassin, not insane— the implication being she stole things without necessarily killing people. Which doesn't mean she's an angel— she certainly has no problem LETTING people die who are trying to do her harm. I think IMP can be HEROIC, but she is not necessarily always a HERO.

The other side of this conundrum is the idea of the BULLY. Most superheroes, almost by definition, have something going for them (powers, skills) that the normal person does not. So (to my mind) you have to be very careful how those powers and skills are used. Captain America against a half dozen armed goons (or soldiers) is still a lopsided battle. We all want to cheer for Might Makes Right— when that might is on our side— but we have to be very careful about the message that sends. Call me crazy, but I think a lot of the problems we have with gun violence and political extremism in this country right now is because far too many people think LIFE IS LIKE THE MOVIES. And the more superheroes populate that movie mainstream, the more it's essential to be very aware of the message they're sending.

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