Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Buddy Buddy p9 + p10


Did you notice that Hiro (pictured above), the only Asian superhero in the hit tv series HEROES, is also the only character that readily embraced his powers? Everyone else - the Westerners - see their powers as burdens, something that must be hidden to protect their loved ones!


A lot of western superheroes hide their true identity. For example, Peter Parker keeps his secret that he is Spiderman. The movie catch phrase is "with great power comes great responsibilities."


I attended a talk at National Library conducted by Shawn Siow, assisted by Ocean, from Funix. He offered a view that Western superhero comics take Christianity's Jesus Christ as the basic template - where a hero is often a Chosen One whose powers save others but bring himself suffering. Manga superhero comics are heavily influenced by Buddhism. Since everyone can become a Buddha, even a commoner can be a comic book hero.

That's why Hiro Nakamura is the only one who can't wait to 'save the world' in HEROES! He does not see his powers as a burden.


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Cover of Sir Fong 2

Cover of Sir Fong 2