The Spectre in Rebirth?

[gwangung]

Bold: Only true if the writer is a talent-less brick-headed drool dispenser.

For writers with actual talent whoever, the level of power doesn't matter squat when it comes to finding interesting stories to write. If you want an example: Superman and Green Lantern are both astronomically powerful to the point of being ridiculous, and neither appear to give writers any trouble about what to do with them, even if it is to take power away from them.

I am going to disagree to an extent.

It takes an excellent writer to handle high powered characters, particularly those with non-physical components; being good is not good enough.

Why? Because once you get past a certain level, it is very hard to ground the fight so readers understand the power levels of characters and why they are a threat to the protagonist. You can instinctively understand when you toss a mountain at someone; the person is STRONG. But energy blasts? It becomes abstract and very arbitrary at a certain point. You can tell a reader what's going on, but it's very hard to show.

[Trey Strain]

Something else a Spectre comic needs is to lose the weird speech balloons and typeface when the Spectre speaks. It's gimmicky and distracting.

[Trey Strain]

I've never liked the body sticking, mask, gloves and boots either. Just make him a cowled skeleton, like the Grim Reaper. That'll look and work fine.

[Trey Strain]

The key thing in a Specr\tre title is to ground him. Give him an actual job. with people who are interesting but don't have super-powers.

You know, like Jim Corrigan, police detective.

[Captain Smith]

I think he should wear Pajamas and a bunny hat. Arguing about how one's fan fiction is definitive is ridiculous. If you get the job, let us know.

I'd be quite happy with a Corrigan / Ostrander version. About power - that is easily handled by not evoking him in everyday superhero shenanigans. The vengeance mission did that quite well. The scenes where the Spectre appeared in the courtroom with the burning kid skeletons says it all as to what he should be.

[Outside_85]

You said I would make the Spectre weak, and I provided you a link that plainly shows something very different. If you don't want to read it, that's fine, but in that case don't accuse me of wanting to do something or other with the character that you would oppose.

If you want to keep making that claim, you'll have to either read it and support what you're saying, or take my word for it that you're wrong.

I don't need to read your fantasy world, because you've said time and time again on this forum that depowering the Spectre is what you wanted to do, so either you stay true to your word and depower him or you are trying to sell me snake-oil by being a truly terrible salesman.

How about I just go through all the other threads on this board where you, Trey Strain, have said; 'magical characters should to be depowered to be relatable'?

I am going to disagree to an extent.

It takes an excellent writer to handle high powered characters, particularly those with non-physical components; being good is not good enough.

So by that logic JT Krul must be one of DC's best writers for his Captain Atom run?

[Trey Strain]

I don't need to read your fantasy world, because you've said time and time again on this forum that depowering the Spectre is what you wanted to do, so either you stay true to your word and depower him or you are trying to sell me snake-oil by being a truly terrible salesman.

How about I just go through all the other threads on this board where you, Trey Strain, have said; 'magical characters should to be depowered to be relatable'?

I've never said that super-heroes have to be "relatable." I've also never said that magical characters need to be "depowered." That's just nonsense. I've said that they shouldn't be so powerful as to be unwriteable. Big difference there, and one that you should be able to easily grasp.

Why don't you go through the story instead? It would be no less work. It shows the Spectre coming very close to exterminating the human race, and Alan and Raker catching all kinds of hell trying to stop him.

You don't have to like the story, of course, but you can't read it and say with a straight face that I've made the Spectre weak.

But you're too smart for me to fool with actual evidence, aren't you?

[Trey Strain]

I think he should wear Pajamas and a bunny hat. Arguing about how one's fan fiction is definitive is ridiculous. If you get the job, let us know.

I'd be quite happy with a Corrigan / Ostrander version. About power - that is easily handled by not evoking him in everyday superhero shenanigans. The vengeance mission did that quite well. The scenes where the Spectre appeared in the courtroom with the burning kid skeletons says it all as to what he should be.

Wait, what? I said the story I wrote was "definitive" how? Of course I wrote him the way I wanted him to be, just as anyone else would. That's what you would do, isn't it? Of course it is.

No, I don't like vengeance. I think it's a very base motive, and I reject the idea that people can claim God is their partner when they carry it out.

That's the way I see it. You're welcome to see it otherwise.

[Trey Strain]

Bo the way, Outside 85, the concern that I've heard in feedback I've gotten about the story has nothing to do with how powerful he is (he's plenty powerful), but that I've made him such a villain that nobody can imagine how I'm going to redeem him.

Well, people are not supposed to be able to figure out how a story is going to end. I will redeem him though.

[Captain Smith]

‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,
In due time their foot will slip;
For the day of their calamity is near,
And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

Works for me, if God has the Spectre drop you into a big tequilla bottle full of man-eating worms.

[Trey Strain]

Works for me, if God has the Spectre drop you into a big tequilla bottle full of man-eating worms.

You can think so.

[Captain Smith]

Yep, that's the best version of the character - if you get hired to take over the book, then you do what you want. Have the Spectre open a vegan restaurant to avenge the victims of KFC.

[Outside_85]

I've never said that super-heroes have to be "relatable." I've also never said that magical characters need to be "depowered." That's just nonsense. I've said that they shouldn't be so powerful as to be unwriteable. Big difference there, and one that you should be able to easily grasp.

Except you haven't grasped that there is no such thing as 'too much power' in comics, only limitations of a writers skill. And we've known that ever since Satan was created to oppose the omnipotent.

Why don't you go through the story instead? It would be no less work. It shows the Spectre coming very close to exterminating the human race, and Alan and Raker catching all kinds of hell trying to stop him.

I'd rather read a story that actually interests me, yours does not.

You don't have to like the story, of course, but you can't read it and say with a straight face that I've made the Spectre weak.

You can call it Granny's Peach Lemonade and I still wont drink it. Why on Earth would I want to waste my time on something I can already tell I wont like? Would you eat moldy bread just because someone asked you to?

But you're too smart for me to fool with actual evidence, aren't you?

You mean like post #2 in this very thread?:

I don't know.

But if it does, then it needs to be about Jim Corrigan and not some damned "host." He needs a supporting cast of interesting but normal people to ground him. And he needs to be powered down enough to be writable.

Bo the way, Outside 85, the concern that I've heard in feedback I've gotten about the story has nothing to do with how powerful he is (he's plenty powerful), but that I've made him such a villain that nobody can imagine how I'm going to redeem him.

Well, people are not supposed to be able to figure out how a story is going to end. I will redeem him though.

And I wrote about 600 pages of story of a character growing her power to god-like proportions and only a tiny handful moo'ed the word Mary Sue in the 8 reviews they left.

[steeplejack2112]

Can put Spectre and Dr Fate in JSA rebirth.

Totally second this idea.

[Trey Strain]

Except you haven't grasped that there is no such thing as 'too much power' in comics, only limitations of a writers skill. And we've known that ever since Satan was created to oppose the omnipotent.



I'd rather read a story that actually interests me, yours does not.



You can call it Granny's Peach Lemonade and I still wont drink it. Why on Earth would I want to waste my time on something I can already tell I wont like? Would you eat moldy bread just because someone asked you to?



You mean like post #2 in this very thread?:





And I wrote about 600 pages of story of a character growing her power to god-like proportions and only a tiny handful moo'ed the word Mary Sue in the 8 reviews they left.

You're telling me that I would make the Spectre weak when I've offered you evidence that that's pure nonsense. Yet you refuse to look at the evidence because you "just know" what I'd do.

That's far too low a level of discussion for me to take part in. You can say what you want to me, but I won't respond to you any more.