High Concept Books

iceman

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Mar 22, 2005
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While reading Bulleteer #1 a few months ago, I realized something: I really really enjoy comic books that, while still using super heroes, explore some higher concept. In Bulleteer, it was the sexuality of comic books. The heroes origin comes out of her husbands superhero fetish, and the art almost always shows the buxom main character naked.

This was, naturally, written by Grant Morrison, who is known for writing these kid of works. Unfortunately, I didn't get into new X-men because I was a dumb kid who hated the art and characters and wouldn't give it a try. I was foolish. But other writer's write concept books as well.

JMS's Supreme Power is a super hero book, but one immersed in reality. Almost every event, aside from the rise of ultra-powered beings, of course, is almost completely predictable. It can be argued that this, a superheroes presence in the real world, and how that would affect the world (and how the world would affect the superheroes), specifically politically.

So I was thinking, why aren't more books like this? They seem to work with almost any character. C-list Jamie Madrox? Make his book an existential film-noir. His power works incredibly well in an existential setting. I really really REALLY want Hal Jordan's book to be politically based, mostly because Hal Jordan alone is boring and tired. Even books about icons can be concept books, just look at Morrison's new Superman book. It's a concept book about bring the golden age hero into a modern world, and the icon-ness of the hero.

So yeah, I don't get why there are more than them.


SUBQUESTION!

Write your own proposal for a hero book, and its new high concept ... concept!

Example: Green Lantern about an exploration of a super-powered being having to listen to authoritative figures, and how politics in a system of global cops can screw it over, big time.

or

Iceman about the science of super-hero powers, and how characters can explore and experiment about their powers in their sparetime, and how this affects their personality and life.
 
You don't get that many "high concept" books as you call them because few people are willing to write them. Even fewer are actually capable of writing the book and pulling it off. It's the same as any other medium.

I'll post some idea's later.
 

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