Before August 2014, Rocket Raccoon and Groot were very obscure characters, but since the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, both are household names. One started out as a walking, talking Beatles reference and the other was a throwaway, Planet X-born alien from the 60s - hardly iconic origins. Still, these two characters have captured peoples imaginations. They have found new relevance in todays world because they perfectly illustrate the problem with modern comics. When I say modern comics, Im referring to titles released after 1985, when brilliant creators such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore helped redefine the funny book genre as a whole. If you look at everything that comes after classics like The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, it becomes clear that artists and writers have been trying to recapture that same lightning in a bottle. We can see this in the increase in rape as a story device, the rise of grim and gritty storylines full of death and dismemberment, and even in the preference for narration boxes over thought balloons. This era (often called the Dark Age) is when comics supposedly grew up. This notion of adulthood was in contrast to the comics of the Silver and Bronze ages, a time with a much more powerful Comics Code Authority - the regulating body created in 1954 as a response to the alleged connection between comics and juvenile delinquency. When the Silver Age started and ended is up for debate, but its commonly accepted to be between the debut of Barry Allen as the Flash in 1956 and the death of Spider-Mans girlfriend Gwen Stacy in 1973 - her death marked the end of the childishness of books like Supermans Pal, Jimmy Olsen, famous for its over-the-top plots, and the move toward stories influenced by real-world concerns. The Bronze Age brought us stories like Demon in a Bottle, exposing Tony Starks alcoholism and a greater focus on racial diversity (sound familiar?) with characters like Luke Cage, John Stewart as Green Lantern, Vixen, Cyborg, and others. The Bronze Age was closer to adulthood than the Silver, especially since the CCA granted a bit more freedom for content, but it was still comfortable with ridiculousness, like when Lois Lane becomes black for twenty four hours to better understand racial inequality. Post-Watchmen, from the late 80s into the 90s, the comic world was flooded with characters who expressed this new darkness and gritty realism. Characters like Apocalypse, Cable (and anything Rob Liefeld had a hand in, basically), Spawn, War Machine, Darkhawk, Hellboy, and others are all symptomatic of this focus. Many were defined by the large firearms they sported. It felt like every new Image character had at least one futuristic gun the size of his leg. You know who else is known for carrying around a huge gun? Rocket Raccoon. With his oversized weapon, Rocket clearly represents the Dark Age; and with his overt silliness (a walking talking TREE?) and lack of weapons represents the Silver and Bronze Ages. DC and Marvel have been running away from the idea that comics are for kids for over twenty years. DC in particular is known to cancel all of its experimental/lighthearted books in times of trouble in favor of the comfortable grit. Its obvious what approach theyve chosen for their movies. Theres not a smile to be found in the trailer for Batman v. Superman. But this focus on supposed realism is what is killing the very concept of the superhero itself. When things become too serious, everything breaks down. Consider the Joker Problem: After all these years of murderous activity, why doesnt Batman just kill him? See, if Joker is just a lunatic who commits CRIMES to get Batmans attention, as long as the body count is low, Batman can be forgiven for thinking he can be rehabilitated. But if every time Joker escapes Arkham, he puts sixty people in body bags, Batman really has no excuse. But this problem only arises because Batman has been forbidden from silliness for over a decade. It seems like they saw the horrible reaction to Batman and Robin, the infamous Joel Schumacher debacle and decided that it failed only because it wasnt dark, not because it was horrible. And anyone who thinks Marvel isnt guilty of this only needs to look as far as Jonathan Hickmans lead up to Secret Wars in which the heroes carefully and methodically murder alternate earths to protect their own. The big two keep thinking we want the grim and the grit, but the success of titles like Ms. Marvel, Batgirl, and Gotham Academy shows that the conventional wisdom might be outdated. Just as it was clear Guardians of the Galaxy wanted Rocket to be the fan favorite, but everyone fell in love with Groot. As soon as the movie came out, everyone wanted a dancing Groot. He is soft spoken, kind to children, presumably an environmentalist, and willing to sacrifice his life for the ones he cares about. Rocket swears a lot and shoots things. Clearly one has more appeal than the other. Until the Big Two stop trying to capture lightning in a bottle again by imitating Watchmen - Im looking at YOU, Identity Crisis - theyll never take the necessary risks to truly expand the medium. The new DCYou and Marvel rebooting its universe for the first time are the latest gimmicks to attract new readers; they may work, but if you hand people Rockets when they want Groots, theyll jump ship real quick.
