Electric Turnip
  • Blog
  • Stories
    • Story 000
    • Story 001
    • Story 002
    • Story 004
    • Story 007 - Unfinished
    • Story 008
    • Story 010 - BattleWagon
    • Story 012
  • Images
    • Adventure Caddie concept gallery
    • Page Design Gallery
    • Older Work
  • 5FEAT Video
  • Videos
  • Game Experiments
    • Climb
    • Super Shapetoy
    • TurboGarbageTruck
    • 031 - Best Games - Enchanter
    • 033 - Shader Test
  • Contact

183

5/2/2016

0 Comments

 
My favorite superhero is Spider-Man. It may have been the late 60s cartoon series or the late 70s comic books, but either way, I was very young when I was first introduced to Spider-Man. Something about the character has always appealed to me. It took me a very long time put my finger on exactly what.
Spider-Man is one of the most famous superheroes. Right up there with Batman, but very different from the usual superhero archetype. Spider-Man is powerful, fast, idealistic, cocky, smart, witty, and pure of heart. All the things you want in your heroes. He is also contemplative, unsure of himself, clumsy, intimidated, awkward, shy, and frightened.  When Peter Parker puts on the Spider-Man costume, he is attempting to hide not only his face, but all of the things he is feeling. In the hands of the best writers, Spider-Man becomes the analogue of the messy internal turmoil that storms in everyone. His human frailties, more often than not, creep into his superhero persona. Both Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s struggles are more internal than external. More so than Mysterio and Vulture, Spider-Man’s villains are self doubt, and fear of failure. I sum it up this way. Spider-Man represents everything that you are, and everything that you want to be.
We recently took a family trip to DisneyLand. My kids feel like they are getting a little too old to participate in the Jedi Academy show that they put on in the Tomorrowland area, but we had a little time the one day, so I headed over to watch. Either I never got too old, or I rounded the corner and no longer have any bearing on what I am too old for.
If you haven’t seen it, the setup is this. About 30 kids sign up to participate in each performance as Jedi Padawan. The previous show had the kids go through a quick training instruction delivered by the Jedi masters before they battled back Star Wars villains using their new lightsaber skills. Darth Vader would stomp around the stage and act menacing, the kids would fight him, win, and everyone had a good time.
The show now, is a bit different. 30 or so children are marched in wearing Jedi robes accompanied by swelling John Williams music and led by charismatic performers playing the Jedi masters. That much is the same. This time though, they have created a simple story to explain the proceedings. All of the remaining Jedi are on the run from nefarious forces and they have come across the refuge of an ancient Jedi temple. To enter the temple they will have to face the manifestation of their fears. Spectres of evil Star Wars characters will emerge and they will use the same lightsaber fencing moves as in previous versions of the show to defeat them.
If that was all that was changed, I wouldn’t have really had any response to the show. It would be a simple pantomime set in the Star Wars mythos for young kids to enjoy. They have added one very important twist to the production. There is now a running commentary between the level headed Jedi master and his adept but excitable apprentice. The master keeps telling the kids that they are facing off against their fears and that it is their bravery, not their lightsaber skills that will get them through this trial. The apprentice, of course, struggles with this. During the final minutes of the show, the apprentice, an adult who has led these 30 children through their drills of blocking, dodging, and striking, lets her fear get the better of her. Her fears are portrayed by a legitimately intimidating Kylo Ren. It comes as no surprise to all the adults present, that with the help of all the children she overcomes her fear and succeeds by not fighting at all. The conflict was, after all, an internal one.
This is standard moralistic fare. The type of stories we have all become accustomed to. It would be very easy to dismiss this simple play as children's entertainment, devoid of complexity and maturity.
Simple or not, when I watched as thirty small hands reached forward to force push away the legitimately frightening menace on the stage, it made me well up a little. What would have been simply a fun half hour activity at a theme park, may shape some kids world view, if even in a small way. The same small ways that myths and stories have shaped us since people have been telling them. Out of thirty kids, comprised roughly half girls and half boys, I hope that at least one in that group found their Spider-Man.

​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    October 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010

    Categories

    All
    Adventure Caddie
    Best Games

    RSS Feed

Owen McManus
  • Blog
  • Stories
    • Story 000
    • Story 001
    • Story 002
    • Story 004
    • Story 007 - Unfinished
    • Story 008
    • Story 010 - BattleWagon
    • Story 012
  • Images
    • Adventure Caddie concept gallery
    • Page Design Gallery
    • Older Work
  • 5FEAT Video
  • Videos
  • Game Experiments
    • Climb
    • Super Shapetoy
    • TurboGarbageTruck
    • 031 - Best Games - Enchanter
    • 033 - Shader Test
  • Contact