What Makes a Superhero a Superhero? ft. Bardic Broadcasts

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

He calls himself "The Bard". I have nothing but respect for a person who can call themselves "The"-Anything. His accent only adds to my respect. His marvelous beard adds to it even further.

[@gettingartsywithalobster1949]

Just Some Guy with a Mustache But could he be a freelancer?

[@TheMemzie99]

The best thing about The Bard is his broadsoard

[@oatmat]

You Know this is a really interesting question, and what makes a Superhero is essentially what qualities define them for children, and I say that because most of us are introduced to Superheroes at a young age, and at that age we don't truly understand complex storytelling or characters that have great depth to them, but we get "Hooked" by 3 basic things: 1. A really cool Costume , 2. A Great Name, 3. An interesting Gimmick/Superpower (Batman= Ninja Detective, Flash=Super Speed), Once the audience excepts these 3 crucial elements the characters begin to grow rapidly and then you can go on a sort of Journey of exploring these characters by learning about their backstories and Identities and as you grow up a little more you start to really rediscover superheroes again and they take on a whole different meaning.

[@Austinisspooky]

The vampire-werewolf Batman theory was BRILLIANT.

[@thedarkspecter9532]

AustinB I just started the video and don't even know what you're talking about yet, but it already sounds amazing!

[@HarleyQuinnsMrJ]

It really gives context for the creation of fictional characters.

[@oatmat]

the bard was awesome please bring him back

[@leng4610uk]

The Bard is the pure quill of awesome. More from The Bard!

[@hyaena23]

this was great. some of the ideas exposed here affected me deeply. love you guys.

[@DaBlueJay2001]

Well for starters, you can't have a hero without a BROWDSOWD!!

[@TheMemzie99]

BROADSOAD?

[@yabbadabbindude]

Separate Cloud phire ohv roff

[@DaBlueJay2001]

TheMemzie99 yep, BROADSOWD

[@Rorschach9001]

This was really interesting and thought provoking. The parallels of batman and vampire and werewolf mythology was something I've never thought of before. You should definitely bring the bard back for a follow up

[@ShawnWeeded510]

would love to see this guy as a recurring guest and maybe an episode with Joel on the show as well with Bard.

[@TheRealZubes]

Shawn Zamir FFXV yeah or that Tiffany character! 😉

[@drumanchu4247]

Fantastic episode, I absolutely loved this chat. More crossovers with The Bard would be great.

[@ineptgamer3814]

HAHAHA 44:40 "In the next game, he'll be wearing the Batmobile." Excellent, Sal..!! Never heard of The Bard, but he's very eloquent and is able to give great lateral insights into superheroes from another perspective..! Top stuff as always from ComicPOP..!!!

[@ojinrvk]

This is a really awesome podcast! Could you give a little "behind the scenes" info about how this team-up came to be? I hope you can do something else with The Bard in the future and I'm glad you've introduced me to his channel. It's super cool.

[@andrewwestfall65]

While he may not be an expert on comics, The Bard's overall literary knowledge and understanding make for a fantastic conversation

[@LockedOnTargetShow]

Sal, this was an amazing discussion. I was not aware of the parallels of the gothic literature and batman. I feel embarrassed writing that, but it literally was eye opening for me. Thanks for broadening my perspective and understanding about characters that I love. The Bard was a great guest. As far as the discussion goes, I couldn't help but remember Aftershock's comic SuperZero where a normal girl tries to get super powers through various means. I don't want to spoil the ending, but she trully is a super hero by the end of the book, and its not because of her powers, but because of her actions.

[@aratikphobos5709]

Loved this, hopefully Bard will b back his interpretations are very different from and are extremely interesting.

[@OtseisRagnarok]

lmao so when the bard started talking about villains, I was like "no way he's going to mention my favorite, black manta" and then he fucking does.

[@MrCoxie64]

This is the most in-depth and interesting conversation I have ever heard on the topic of comic books. Please do more of this.

[@derekwst3-YGO]

I heard the bard say brief, so I checked how much time I had and I see 30 mins more....and it made me chuckle

[@MercysLittleShoww]

I usually love this show because of the funny stories and jokes, but this was completely different. And I loved it just as much. I love the comparisons between superheroes and vampires and barbarians. This episode was something special. I love every episode. And of course my favorites are the ones with Joel. But this was a nice change.

[@MercysLittleShoww]

And just like every episode the best stuff is the stuff that went off subject

[@MercysLittleShoww]

And this guy's love of Judge Dredd makes me love him

[@leesingh2207]

this was incredible. the bard is a really well read and thoughtful guy.

[@wespeters9815]

Amazing video, i had not expected much from the new guest and i am glad to have been proven so wrong. Already looking forward to his next appearance. Thank you both for the great content.

[@thejpshow15]

okay first off... thank you for bringing in the bard who has opened my mind to so much and as a writer this episode was the best thing ever! as a writer I focus so much on the build of my characters (especially my male ones) and some kind of symbol or animal that I can connect to them just listening to this made me realize how often I work to create a super hero than just a character...i feel enlightened by this... once again thank you and I will totally be subbing to bard

[@milesupshur9869]

Dang this Bard guy was enthralling.

[@derianparker5829]

This is really interesting! I'm actually writing a little story regarding the idea of what makes a hero and what's necessary to protect.

[@GitShiddy]

What a super interesting & intellectual conversation! Please do this again! I'm not a big fan of the Arthurian mythologies but to hear it applied to the modern myths so intriguing. Also loved the Batman comparison to Dracula, though I disagree with Robin's being the Brides. Within that analogy I see them as Renfield type characters, they see what Batman is hope one day to become like him & when they do or get close to becoming alike they wish they weren't. But it's to late, there's no going back.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Ahh well done! That's just the sort of avenue of thought I was hoping this discussion might open up. YOu can draw some interesting parallels between the Robin character(s) and Renfield. I'd need to know the comics better to discuss it properly, but in particular I am interested to see how closely Renfield might be represented in there. He emulates Dracula (the blood is the life!) and acts on his behalf, but is ultimately rejected and destroyed by the count. Maybe some Robins are brides and some are Renfields; measured in the bat-balance and found wanting.

[@Pronater]

Best episode of elseworlds yet. It changed the way I look at Batman.

[@allengreenberg2715]

wow that was really cool and philosophical

[@DartFrog815]

Such a great discussion merging genres and opinions. The bard was a fantastic and insightful guest, please ask him back again.

[@metalliopleurodon]

Really good episode! I hope we can see The Bard again in the Elseworlds Exchange. Sal what do you think about Superman in the comic "Justice" in which he says: Being bulletproof means nothing. There's no such thing as bulletproof. Anything that bounces off me hits something else. Could hit someone. The people in the most danger are the closest to me. Imagine living with that everyday. It would be great if someone else were Superman, But i wasn't given a choice, Only the responsibility.

[@OtseisRagnarok]

I love that characterization of superman as a paladin.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

I think we might even be able to expand that line of thought into reading batman in comparison with the concept of the anti-paladin. I might look into it if I ever get the chance to revisit this topic.

[@Andrew93752]

This was so great, hope we could see a villain themed discussion in the future!

[@williamgazca963]

can't wait to see what's in store for this great channel in 2017. let's go comic pop 👏!!!!!

[@akba666]

the best thing about this podcast is the BRODE SODE

[@brandondaniels1862]

the best thing about this podcast is the BOX ART!

[@robertsatterfield4757]

Loved this video the topic was very interesting and philosophical. Maybe you could answer the question. Do Superheros exist because of super villians or do villians exist because of superheros?

[@TheRealZubes]

I like that question. I think some rules would have to be qualified before delving in, because it might end up becoming a conversation about the intent of the writer/creator.

[@hazelcoleman6744]

such a great conversation. hope he's back again soon!

[@nathansuggs9928]

this was a really intellectual and insightful discussion

[@ciaranmcfarlane2805]

Loved this! Would love more of these deconstruction episodes with The Bard

[@jonfedien8637]

Hearing the comparison of myths and especially the comparison between Superman and the paladin was very interesting. I wonder if we can assign classes to the other league member's

[@darthuncle]

Love having conversations with my sister since she is similar to the Bard. Not a comic reader, but can respect what they do, plus she is very smart.

[@rorschach221]

Interesting bit about Luthor there. I'm partial to Morrison's take in All-Star Superman where Luther is basically like, "you know what? I'm the apex of humanity and it took me every ounce of willpower and talent to become who I am, and you're a God simply by virtue of existing. You didn't earn it." The xenophobe take is stupid to me. He's supposed to be this guy of unparalleled genius but the fact that the dude is an alien is what bothers him?

[@ItsMichaelReid]

I guess it depends on the origin like if you have the Luthor who was born rich or the luthor who was born into poverty.

[@lucastassinari6036]

rorschach221 I totally agree

[@rorschach221]

ItsMichaelReid That's true, but I think you can do a take on Luthor where he was born into money but is also driven to be the best that humanity has to offer.

[@ItsMichaelReid]

rorschach221 But I feel its not as driven to home if he was born rich. I like a Luthor born into poverty or at least middle class.

[@rorschach221]

ItsMichaelReid I prefer a Luthor who didn't start out on top too! All I was saying is that if they insist on having him born into wealth, they should still keep this part of his character because he doesn't work nearly as well without it.

[@joshualie7440]

Extremely fascinating examination of the superhero concept. Your show never disappoints, keep it up!

[@LH_ore]

Amazing guest, I hope to see him back in the show.

[@20DollarGoldPiece]

could you do a podcast on 'what makes a super villain?' ?

[@HollowGolem]

Regarding Herakles saving people, it was either incidentally or he would go out of his way for a friend. For instance, he wrestled Thanos (the embodiment of Death, not the Marvel character) to save his friend Admetus.

[@ianlaue6283]

I do consider Scarlet Pimpernel the proto-superhero, him and Zorro are both pre-comic superheroes. Their treatment as "heroic" is what matters, the fact they may be selfish douches about it is irrelevent

[@bradwatkins7564]

Really great conversation on Sword and Sorcery and the "Barbarian" ideal.

[@zerozaku1468]

This was truly interesting

[@Martin_TheCollector]

OMG THE BARD IS FABULOUS!!!!!!!! LOVE HIS VIDS Also Rogue One is far better than Episode 7. NUFF SAID.

[@metalliopleurodon]

Rogue One was fucking amazing.

[@Martin_TheCollector]

Metalliopleurodon The force is with me, & I am one with the force....

[@jackneptune97]

my life goal is to have a bromance as real as that of sal and the bard

[@lucastassinari6036]

great episode ! awesome accent The bard ! I think what makes a superhero is the fact the he chooses to selflessly act to protwct others asking nothing in return

[@Pryrates89]

This was a really entertaining and stimulating conversasion! A true Elseworlds Exchange!

[@Havennator]

I really really enjoyed this! Keep it up with the awesomeness!

[@jimmypittaro8795]

Hey Sal! I don't know if you read every comment, but I hope you see this. I don't completely agree with your interpretation of King's Batman. King does show throughout the I Am Suicide arc that in order to be Batman you have to be a bit crazy, as well as suicidal; however, there is a moment during Bruce's suicide attempt where he prays to anything for help or answers. No one responds and Bruce decides to live his life as Batman from that moment on. Isn't that Bruce willingly deciding to live, in order to be the one who can answer people's calls of need? I may just have a different interpretation than you and maybe even the author, but I felt that was very uplifting to find that even though the boy died that night, he emerged wanting to be something that no one else could. I do have some problems with the I Am Suicide arc, but I thought King really nailed the introduction of suicide into the Batman mythos. I really hope you respond, so I can further see your interpretation of it.

[@tomprice2587]

Great vid guys. More of this please 😀

[@TarellHudson]

I’m still waiting for the return of the Bard to discuss Batman as a chivalric knight.

[@blackzaxh384]

I'm looking forward to the villians video like what makes the kingpin different from your other crime lords what makes zsasz different than other serial killers ect.

[@joaquinflowers8012]

This was insightful af

[@k-gurung8214]

this was insane to watch and in fun way.

[@emilianolemus7647]

Great podcast guys enjoyed it alot!!! 😀

[@Woopywomp]

Man id love to see the bard back

[@Mike61679]

i play the marvel heroes game he mentioned. the armor he is talking about is from the marvel now story arc. im pretty sure the point of that was armor was it adapted to his size when hull or banner. and would protect banner if need be. i thought it looked pretty cool

[@darknite653]

Holy shit, this Bard guy is marvelous. I'm subscribing as soon as I'm done watching.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Ahh, tally ho, Hawkeye! Thank you for the compliment!

[@Yosamania1337]

AMazing. I love this guys unboxing

[@yabbadabbindude]

what a Kkkkrrraackkkinggg discussion

[@improv113]

this... this was so. so. so. so. SO GOOD

[@Depthcharge2030]

This was amazing.

[@neroangelus469]

Lobo is altruistic to a minor degree because he does have a fondness for space dolphins and a love of the space fly waitress Darlene who he adores, not lust, but adores and treats her so gentle. yeah, most of the time, the majority is Lobo is fairly amoral. But he is capable of altruism and he is also a man of his word, he actually prides himself on being honest and never lies. I recommend checking out the audio book Last Sons to really hear a cool story that stars Lobo, Superman and Martian Manhunter.

[@JosephSmith-we4ue]

This man is amazing. He gets it.

[@phantom13666]

Great video!!

[@finsoto]

Terror. Thx Bard.

[@Dollar_Dad]

good listen!

[@Straw117]

Bring back the Bard!

[@MilkFearless]

The Hulk looks pretty bad ass in his armor in World War Hulk.

[@crimsoncrow]

First exchange I've watched in a while. Good job

[@tinarodiguez5975]

I can not find the bArd the link says channel does not exist

[@comicpop]

Worked for me, but try this: kzbin.info

[@gravityape7708]

This episode was great!

[@CptChandler]

The best part about super heros is the cape.

[@Ldad27]

MORE BARD!

[@polilla318]

This is awesome

[@Nexion3653]

I think that a superhero is someone who should do the right thing not for Glory not for praise but because it's the right thing to do I believe that superheroes should not fight each other I think they should just fight evil

[@comicritical1696]

Batman is Morlun confirmed

[@thepostman257]

this was in awesome episode

[@MrBaabaBooeyTV]

thanks for so much good content !

[@Nergling]

I would say a superhero has to be relateable to the audience, has to overcome genuine adversity and has to have some kind of redeemable quality. Let's give it a go on a DC and then a Marvel character and see what happens... Superman - Not relateable in anyway to us as humans as he is too far removed from us as mere mortals, it is like comparing us to God. His perfection in body gives us no more comfort than a fat person sitting at their computer looking at pictures of super models, there is nothing to aspire to because it is too far out of reach. All the adversity he has to overcome is no more than anyone who loses a loved one, so is of no greater import to the story than a mere inconvenience. Not only this but his super powers are simply there, he doesn't really have to try to use any of them (this is not the same as having to learn how to use them, which is often a counter argument). He does however have many redeemable qualities, he is a nice person at heart and genuinely does the right thing. He doesn't kill or at least tries not to in the majority of cases. Thus Superman probably the first character you think of when someone says 'superhero' to you is not actually a superhero he is a super character. Wolverine - Similarly unrelateable in super powers however has genuine conflict, emotional trauma and probably varying levels of PTSD, something eminently relateable to for many combat veterans. The adversity he has to overcome is incredible, mental health problems, loss, persecution from society and the government, not to mention he is experimented upon by effectively Nazi-esque war criminals. He has redeemable qualities and they are dragged out of him by the people he eventually grows to like and even love. He is absolutely an anti-hero in many cases but his lashing out can make him even more of a realistic character. Whilst much less PC and massively flawed on many levels as a humanitarian and 'nice person' it is these flaws that make him relatable and interesting and they make him no less a superhero. Be under no illusion I am not a DC fan, however it is this very criteria that makes me dread the introduction of Captain 'MacGuffin' Marvel to the MCU. It is also this very criteria that makes the characters in Dragonball Z eminently more real than many other so called 'superheros'.

[@TevyaSmolka]

When was this

[@TheRealZubes]

Tevya Smolka it was a pre-recorded show!

[@TevyaSmolka]

TheRealZubes oh gotcha i didn't know that

[@yohsephcassidy7324]

awesome!

[@JoeBrando_]

but batman wearing armor makes sense he's the Dark Knight

[@BardicBroadcasts]

That's an interesting point. Of course, litteral armour isn't really needed to get the same affectation of the knight. After all, a knight adopts a persona when he dons his harness and batman seems to do the same. It merits thinking about at least!

[@lucastassinari6036]

Batarang Nerd true dat

[@marlonreynolds5422]

Defenders of the Earth!!!

[@rahava]

Is every superhero story fundamentally the same as the classic cowboy movie trope where a mysterious man comes into town and deals with the criminals running the town, then rides off into the sunset at the end of the film?

[@comicpop]

No.

[@nickh4676]

relotixke1 No.

[@thebatpanda5987]

No.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Yes, at least in a sense. There are very strong ties between western mythologies and superhero mythologies. It might be argued that the superhero is the ultimate evolution of the classic western 'stranger' or 'drifter' who shows up, solves problems, yet remains largely unknown because of his obfuscated identity. Riding into the sunset is just a symbol for slipping back into anonymity which superheroes do with some frequency. 'Who was that masked man?' Batman certainly wears its western influences on its sleeve from what I have seen and a great number of super-heroes seem to have their origins outside of or in the margins of the societies they protect (rather like Barbarian heroes). The association may not apply in every case but its significant enough to warrant discussion.

[@jjaro14]

third... that's pretty good?

[@lucastassinari6036]

hey guys can it happen that a comment is cancelled ?

[@malonshammer]

I loved the episode, as always. But terror means extreme fear and has never been meant as a positive thing. If he didn't go on so long about something that's just factually wrong I wouldn't have commented about it. Hopefully I don't come across as a dick. Feel free to prove me wrong if you can provide a source, I couldn't find any.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Sure. Fred Botting outlines the positivity of terror quite well, saying that 'terror, in its sublime manifestations, is associated with subjective elevation, with the pleasures of imaginatively transcending or overcoming fear ... the subjective elevation in moments of terror is thus exciting and pleasurable, uplifting the self'. This is what we are seeking after when we want to watch a scary movie or read Gothic novels or even read about real-life terrors like serial killers. I has a positivity to it that its counterpart, horror, lacks. Instead of an uplifting expansion of the self, horror 'distinguishes a contraction at the imminence and unavoidability of the threat' (quotes from Bottings book 'Gothic, the New Critical Idiom, pages 9 and 10). Terror can certainly be used in a wholly negative sense in general parlance but the sublime is still inextricably part of its core. It is, after all, where we get the word 'terrific'.

[@malonshammer]

Interesting, but terrific originally meant something being frightening. From EtymOnline: 1660s, "frightening," from L. terrificus "causing terror or fear," from terrere "fill with fear" (see terrible) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Weakened sensed of "very great, severe" (e.g. terrific headache) appeared 1809; colloquial sense of "excellent" began 1888. Over time the meaning changed, as recently as the 1930's it still meant "frightening" (books.google.com/books?id=tCgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35&dq=%22terrific%22&hl=en&ei=mc5OToyAL4fiiAKTh4mKAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q=%22terrific%22&f=false) But by the 40's it had changed to be as we know it now (www.google.com/search?q=%22terrific%22&tbs=bks:1,cdr:1,cd_min:1931,cd_max:1944&lr=lang_en#q=%22terrific%22&hl=en&lr=lang_en&tbs=cdr:1,cd_min:1931,cd_max:1944,lr%3alang_1en,sbd:1&tbm=bks&source=lnt&sa=X&ei=-c5OTqaCKJTWiAK8y62UAQ&ved=0CCAQpwUoAQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.&fp=d124ba368e543b57&biw=1366&bih=667) Here's another page with multiple links to that just not being the case english.stackexchange.com/questions/102884/is-the-use-of-the-word-terrible-in-a-positive-sense-at-all-common And a more general etymology page www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1EODB_enUS719US719&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=etymology%20terror From what you've quoted Botting doesn't really seem to use any actual evidence to back up his claims. I can see how terror is a positive thing in so far as I went to a scary movie and was successfully terrified, but I just can't find any evidence whatsoever that points towards what you're claiming to be true outside of one man's considerations. This sounds more like his opinion as to what drives people to want things like scary movies than actual evidence that terror ever meant anything but horror. Hell, even a thesaurus will point out that horror and terror are synonyms. I'm curious if you have any evidence as of now I'm not convinced, though I do thank you for taking the time to reply to my comment with actual quotes (or at least paraphrases, haven't read his book myself). I wholly understand if not though. Honestly, aside from genuine curiosity, a desire to put off research for my actual college classes is my main drive here.

[@BardicBroadcasts]

Oh dear, If you're interested in this with a desire to put off research you might be in trouble, haha. I reccomend giving Botting's book a read, he is a well respected scholar of Gothic literature (and literature in general). I also recommend 'the Handbook to Gothic Literature' edited by Marie Mulvey-Roberts. If you have access to a university library you should be able to get your hands on both of these easily and for free; they explore the relationships of terror, horror and the sublime quite well. The shortest version is that terror is a transcendent emotion and horror is not. Its a distinction that originates with Anne Radcliffe and not with Botting (or me, thought I certainly agree with the position). This is literary theory we're talking about here, not seeking after of absolute and ultimate meaning behind our language (which is mutable) and as such you're free to disagree with the balance of sublimity placed on the emotion of terror. I encourage it! Just don't do it out of hand. Have a look and see what you think.

[@ecosmith7852]

second..not as good as first. but oh well

[@RealWrestlingWFI]

Not my favorite episode. Not really a big fan of Bard on this style of podcast. Just a constructive criticism: Sal when you have special guests on, I think you agree and cater way too much and are afraid to challenge their opinion, as much as you would Tiff or Joel.

[@ArabKatib]

Strange... I never liked Batman.. or cared for any of his stories.. He is too dark for my taste.. I like Superman..

[@CarlosRodriguez-sv4wd]

first