Obsidian Potency 3.0
Mr. Terrific...Why?
posted Wednesday, 30 September 2009
In Justice Society of America #31, released today, Michael Holt (aka Mr. Terrific) was confirmed dead on the last page.
Why did Bill Willingham do this? And why did DC Comics' editorial board decide it was ok?
Mr. Terrific has played a major role in almost all of DC Comics' major crossover/epic events of the last 5-10 years. He is the third-smartest character in DC Comics, behind only Batman (#2) and Lex Luthor (#1). He was the chairperson and team leader of the Justice Society of America . He was also one of my personal favorites, and one of the only prominent mainstream African-American super heroes.
Bill Willingham took over writing JSA just two issues ago...and this is what he chooses to do right off the bat? The worst part is that it was so undramatic. There was no long, drawn-out scene, and he didn't really die in a heroic way. If you're going to make a splash by killing off a major character, why not make the death itself more dramatic/impactful?
I don't doubt this will have a major impact on storylines going forward, and the ramifications of this may be felt for years to come. If that's not the case, I would be even more pissed. Alternatively, Willingham could bring him back to life sometime down the road. That kind of outcome usually pisses me off -- but not when the character shouldn't have been killed off in the first place.
Mr. Terrific was one of the most admirable, non-stereotyped black characters in comics. Thanks, DC, for making his death appear to be nothing more than shock value (at least on the surface). If the subsequent stories do not justify this move, I'm going to drop the book.
Why did Bill Willingham do this? And why did DC Comics' editorial board decide it was ok?
Mr. Terrific has played a major role in almost all of DC Comics' major crossover/epic events of the last 5-10 years. He is the third-smartest character in DC Comics, behind only Batman (#2) and Lex Luthor (#1). He was the chairperson and team leader of the Justice Society of America . He was also one of my personal favorites, and one of the only prominent mainstream African-American super heroes.
Bill Willingham took over writing JSA just two issues ago...and this is what he chooses to do right off the bat? The worst part is that it was so undramatic. There was no long, drawn-out scene, and he didn't really die in a heroic way. If you're going to make a splash by killing off a major character, why not make the death itself more dramatic/impactful?
I don't doubt this will have a major impact on storylines going forward, and the ramifications of this may be felt for years to come. If that's not the case, I would be even more pissed. Alternatively, Willingham could bring him back to life sometime down the road. That kind of outcome usually pisses me off -- but not when the character shouldn't have been killed off in the first place.
Mr. Terrific was one of the most admirable, non-stereotyped black characters in comics. Thanks, DC, for making his death appear to be nothing more than shock value (at least on the surface). If the subsequent stories do not justify this move, I'm going to drop the book.
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