New Roles For Old Souls (unused narrative archetypes and who could fill them)

[caj]

The Celebrity Hero should be Elongated Man since Ralph Dibny never kept his identity a secret.

I'd also like to see the Playboy type hero. Not an out and out hound dog or man wh_re, but more of a James Bond type.

[DrNewGod]

The Celebrity Hero should be Elongated Man since Ralph Dibny never kept his identity a secret.

How did I miss that? Elongated Man's back features pretty much were about him being The Celebrity Hero.

[j9ac9k]

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but Mister Miracle is also a celebrity hero. He actually prefers to be on stage. Same with Zatanna.

For the Romance Archetype, there are a couple options for me - both fall into the "star-crossed" type:
-- Hawkman and Hawkwoman (or girl): It doesn't have to be the kind of romance comics that used to be published, but a book that's really about their relationship, without sacrificing the adventure, etc. "Sandman Mystery Theatre" is a great example of a mature romantic relationship comicbook where the romance didn't undermine the drama of the masked adventures.
-- Adam Strange and Alanna: classic "couple with an obstacle to overcome." Seeing their lives together, then torn apart over and over and seeing how it affects each of them when they're apart would be good drama. And we'd always cheer for them when they get to be together, etc. They're like Ladyhawke...

[Denirac]

What about Lionel Luthor as a Big Corporate Threat, Someone who's presense is even a threat to Lex

[Ascended]

The Celebrity Hero should be Elongated Man since Ralph Dibny never kept his identity a secret.

I'd also like to see the Playboy type hero. Not an out and out hound dog or man wh_re, but more of a James Bond type.

Pretty sure Nightwing fits the bill for the "Playboy" archetype. Dick is the official male sex symbol for DC and has had a number of relationships with various women without falling into skeevy territory like Ollie usually does.

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but Mister Miracle is also a celebrity hero. He actually prefers to be on stage. Same with Zatanna.

For the Romance Archetype, there are a couple options for me - both fall into the "star-crossed" type:
-- Hawkman and Hawkwoman (or girl): It doesn't have to be the kind of romance comics that used to be published, but a book that's really about their relationship, without sacrificing the adventure, etc. "Sandman Mystery Theatre" is a great example of a mature romantic relationship comicbook where the romance didn't undermine the drama of the masked adventures.
-- Adam Strange and Alanna: classic "couple with an obstacle to overcome." Seeing their lives together, then torn apart over and over and seeing how it affects each of them when they're apart would be good drama. And we'd always cheer for them when they get to be together, etc. They're like Ladyhawke...

Oh, Ralph is a great choice for the Celebrity hero! And I think Zee is perfect too. Actually, since she's a bigger name, she's probably a better choice....but damn, I'm kicking myself for not even thinking of either of them! Mister Miracle is a good one too, I just hesitate to mess with anything New Gods too much. King has made his Miracle series one of the gems of comics, but most of the time DC just mishandles the Fourth World so badly I'd rather not see them used at all, yknow?

And I think the Hawks work really well for the "Romance" archetype. A lot of their stories over the last twenty years have been about them and their "star crossed lovers" thing. I was thinking of the Hawks as being more "pulp adventure" archetypes but they fit this mold really well too.

[Ascended]

What about Lionel Luthor as a Big Corporate Threat, Someone who's presense is even a threat to Lex

Hmm....I'd hesitate to have another Luthor running around at the same time. I'd be fine with Lionel being used as a foil for Clark when Clark is still young (ala Smallville), but is there room in the DCU for two Luthors simultaneously? I can't see Lex allowing it. And really, I think Lex *is* the "Corporate shark" archetype already. But that's a great archetype and we haven't even mentioned it yet! Nice catch.

Do we have a political archetype? I suppose it's Ollie by default, since almost no one else talks politics at all and Ollie is well known for his liberal viewpoints (plus he was mayor for a little bit). But, just like the "corporate shark" I feel like the good options for the "politico" are far and few between......

[DrNewGod]

And I think the Hawks work really well for the "Romance" archetype. A lot of their stories over the last twenty years have been about them and their "star crossed lovers" thing. I was thinking of the Hawks as being more "pulp adventure" archetypes but they fit this mold really well too.

Elongated Man and Sue basically played Nick and Nora Charles in his backup feature. I'd love to see the Hawks do something similar, but rather than the angsty Will They Fulfill Their Destiny stuff that's been the last twenty years, more like Christie's Tommy and Tuppence

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Instead of Lionel maybe you could use Lena instead? Evil sibling rivalry anyone ?