Blurring the Line Between Good and Evil by Donna Galanti

My worn copy from school translated
by Ian Seraillier

I did a panel this weekend as a presenter at Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference in New Jersey on the line between good and evil in fiction. This is a favorite topic I love to debate when it comes to writing and reading!

I write fantasy and it can be difficult to separate the idea of good and evil from the fantasy genre, which traces its ancestry back ages with stories about brave heroes battling hideous monsters or cruel tyrants.  Fantasy tales of long ago contain a clear good and bad side, like the hero Beowulf and monster Grendel, or the noble Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham (although personally I kind of feel bad for Grendel).

Here’s the original and translated beginning of the heroic epic poem Beowulf, written sometime between 700–1000 A.D. and primarily in the West Saxon dialect of Old English. It's grand poetic lyrical verse portraying good versus evil for sure! And it's actually a good middle grade read with beautiful language that could open up discussion with your child if you read it together (if you don't mind a little monster mayhem). And I did just this with my son.

Original manuscript from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf with my translated copy

  

When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings he continued this convention of white hats/black hats in fantasy, writing about the evil adversary of the dark lord and the band of courageous heroes that seeks to stop him. He wrote this during World War II, and at that time people had a clear definition of “evil.”

And in The Lord of the Rings the battle lines are clearly drawn between the ugly, vicious orcs as the “bad guys,” set against the handsome and brave alliance of elves and men. There is little doubt in the reader’s mind which character they should be rooting for; J.R.R. Tolkien practically stamped “evil” and “good” on the heads of the characters.

Anti-heroes blur the line now more than ever between good and evil in fiction, even though anti-heroes have been around a long time. But what exactly is an anti-hero? One way to look at it is this: if doing X makes a villain and doing Z makes a hero – what about those that choose option Y? These are the anti-heroes – and my favorite kind of character to write. To get a clearer picture, think 'Dirty Harry' and 'Mad Max'.

Anti-heroes are too good to be a villain, too evil to be a hero. They perfectly walk this line of good and evil, blurring the line. They are good guys who do bad things for all the right reasons.

Take Harry Potter which has examples of good, evil, and the anti-hero at play throughout the series. Harry = classic hero. Snape = anti-hero (a villain for the good guys). Voldemort = pure evil. As a reader, for me it’s a thrill when someone I perceived as bad turns out to be good, and vice versa. Like Snape in Harry Potter.

One of my favorite fantasy series is The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. In these books, good and evil are clearly drawn between the characters yet while we have heroes like the ranger, Halt, we also see him as a flawed hero - and to me, that makes him more relatable and appealing.

If we keep it in comic book terms, we have bad like Lex Luthor, good like Spiderman, or a mix like Batman. And Batman is the original comic book anti-hero as a creature of the night, striking from the shadows, and using fear as a weapon and working outside the law for justice.

Dragon Con 2012 by  Andrew Guyton

In my book Joshua and the Lightning Road, one of my favorite characters to write was the anti-hero Leandro. Why is he an anti-hero?

He is evil because: He kills “bad guys” like Child Collectors and anyone who gets in his way to further his cause to find his lost family.

He is good because: He self-sacrifices by giving up a life to find his family and helps others he deems “deserving of his help” along the way.

And I think we can all relate to that. It’s a universal feeling to want to protect those we love. And to get back to J.R.R.Tolkien, I actually fashioned Leandro’s spirit after my hero, Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, a tormented, self-sacrificing kind of hero who kills to protect those he cares about. 

But let me play devil’s advocate here. If boundaries help to differentiate between heroes and villains – and if someone is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals, can it lead them astray forever? Does the end justify the means?

I think it’s important that we as storytellers set up situations that allow readers to seek the truth about good and evil – and that we must do so in a compelling, engaging fashion. It’s our responsibility as writers for story to deeply impact people, otherwise we have failed as writers.

And, ultimately, every character is their own hero to themselves in every story – villain, hero, or anti-hero. Just as we are heroes in our own real life stories. 

As people we embody both good and evil, and our characters need to be equally as dimensional. The question is: have the days of white hats/black hats in stories been replaced by the flawed hero, anti-hero, and the relatable antagonist? And if so, which do you prefer? And who are some of your favorites in middle grade fiction?

A most definite "evil" character but did he deserve what he got?
Illustration by Bill Pesce

So You Want to Write a Graphic Novel? Great!

It seems like every conference has at least one workshop on writing a graphic novel. I bet you’ve even tinkered with the idea yourself, right? Of course, how to write one is the follow up question that causes problems.

Been there. Done that. Slipped in the gutters.

That’s a graphic novel joke (not a good one), because gutters are the spaces between the panels in sequential art, and…

*crickets*

Okay, bad terrible jokes aside, the idea of writing a comic or graphic novel appeals to a lot of us. Heck, my own writing journey started after taking a “creative vacation” that included a week-long class on writing comics taught by Peter David. Yes, the Peter David of the Eisner award winning run on The Incredible Hulk (all the fan boys just perked up…).

That week awakened my interest in writing. Not specifically writing comics, but as they say, “write what you know.” And so, like many an aspiring writer, I started buying craft books (we should have a support group), and mine included more than a few on comics and sequential art. At VCFA, I spent much of my time researching words and pictures as storytelling tools, and in this past May I presented a talk at NESCBWI on that topic. All of which is to say, I may not be the world’s biggest expert, but I have some bona fides in my corner, and a short list of craft books you might find helpful when approaching your graphic novel. Ready?

Before I start that list, I want to make one more point (or maybe my first point, I’m tired and need more coffee). It helps to become familiar with the medium you’re writing for. Makes sense, right? So do yourself a favor and read the best ones out there. Here's some links to help ferret them out:

Kids Comics Awards 2014
Kirkus Graphic Novels & Comic Books Reviews
School Library Journal Graphic Novel Reviews

Bookmark those for future reference, because here come the craft books.

Craft Books for Graphic Novelists

Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David

A very nice overview of the comic writing process that looks at everything from story structure to word balloon placement to script format.

The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels

A real nuts-and-bolts approach to every aspect of independently producing and self-publishing your graphic novel. If you're a motivated, self-starter this book will be a valuable road map for you to follow.

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels 

Scott McCloud's follow-up to Understanding Comics is even better, in my opinion, for the writer of comics. I love his books on comics, and can lose hours at a time re-reading and unpacking everything McCloud puts into them. This book will raise your writing game, no matter what format you're writing.

The Ultimate Spider-Man Script Book

Speaking of format, that's very often the first question new graphic novel writers ask. This collection of actual comic scripts from Brian Michael Bendis is invaluable for granting access into one writer's specific way of doing it. Better still, with a little digging in your local comic shop or in trade paperback collections, you can find the published comics and see how the illustrator translated the script into a completed comic. 

Words for Pictures – the Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels

More Bendis, and with good reason. He's been one of Marvel's top writers for well over a decade, and he brings a Whedonesque approach to his work. Epic conflicts, fueled as much by small character moments as cataclysm, are a hallmark of his writing, and that always works for me. In this brand new book, Bendis not only discusses his approach to writing, but also interviews other top creatives in the field, including illustrators, and editors. It's a terrific guide to the craft and the business.

Excelsior!

My list of craft books tends to lean heavily into the superhero genre, but that doesn't mean they are the be-all and end-all of graphic novels, not by a long shot. What it means is that I think anyone looking to write graphic novels can learn how it's done from the industry professionals that have driven the format's popularity. 

Learn the format, then tell your story with it. 

Up, up, and away!

Wednesday is Comic Book Day!

I’ve read a lot of comics in my time, and I have the long boxes to prove it. I’ve also read quite a few middle grade superhero novels, and it’s a sub genre that has more depth than you might think. For non-comic fans, it’s easy to dismiss such books as adolescent power fantasies, but when you do that you miss out on some excellent stories.

Comics are the mainstream. The superheroes that first took to the skies in four-color glory have never been more powerful. Movies, TV, and video games based on superheroes are bigger than Giant-Man, and generating a fortune that even Lex Luthor would envy. It’s only natural that there’d be room for novels in that media-mix as well. And what I’ve found in those novels are stories with a range of ideas and styles.

Range? Superheroes? Tights and fights? Really?

Yup. Range. Or maybe a more accurate description would be tone. See, here’s the thing with superhero stories – because the format is so well known, clever authors can use your expectations against you. They can throw curve balls, twist tropes, and stretch your imagination.

The recent success of the Marvel Cinema Universe, or MCU to the geeks out there (my peeps!), has shown how this works. Yes, the Marvel movies are based on comic books, but the story geniuses behind them know that comics are a meta-format that can carry the tropes of other genres on it’s super-strong, gamma-irradiated shoulders. The Avengers can be the big, earth-shattering event movie, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier can be a 70’s political thriller, while the Guardians of the Galaxy can be a space-opera-crime-romp. The genre subverts others genres to its will the way Superman bends steel with his bare hands.

Back to middle grade novels. Here are a few of my recent faves that use the background of comics to tell universal tales.

Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities – Mike Jung’s take on superheroes contains an awesome twist (that I will not spoil here). Jung delivers a well rounded cast of diverse characters (by gender, race and socio-economic circumstance), that drive a lively, hilarious adventure. With giant robots, and a superhero fan club that manages to save the day.

Powerless – Matthew Cody’s Powerless is a deeper, more character driven mystery. There are plenty of super powers on display throughout, coupled with perilous action, but the narrative has a more realistic tone. It hit me like vintage 70’s Spielberg, or the movie Super 8. It’s the first of a trilogy. The second book, Super, has a fantastic twist on the first, but the same great tone. The third, Villainous, comes out later this summer, and is something to look forward to.

Sidekicked – This book, by John David Anderson, really digs into the sidekick-hero relationship through the eyes of a sidekick whose hero has thrown in the towel. It touches on the nature of right and wrong, adds a dash of romance, and a heap of Whedon-esque Scooby Gang fun. Anderson’s latest, Minion, takes a look at this same world through the eyes of a villainous sidekick and it dropped yesterday. I can’t wait to get my gauntleted hands on it.

These are just a handful of examples of the super books out there for middle grade readers. I love how each one takes such a different angle on the genre while delivering excellent stories that keep kids looking for the next one. Because that’s a another built in comic-trope; there’s got to be a next issue!

Got any favorites of your own? I’d love to read them too, so tell me about them in the comments.