Is Shipping dangerous?
Comic Reviews for week ending 12/4/2022
Good morning, my friend,
The more ComicalOpinions.com grows, the more the site and I get tagged in all kinds of online threads about an assortment of comics-related topics. This one caught my attention:
It caught my attention because Shipping, the fanfic practice of pairing two or more characters into a romantic relationship, seems more prevalent than ever. It’s so prevalent, you can start to see “news” articles and pro creators talking about addressing fan Ships as part of their story craft
I’m a canon purist. You can call me old-fashioned, but I believe a character should only grow, change, and evolve within the confines of who they are as a person.
When you allow the personalities and innate traits of a character to become fluid, that character is no longer a character but a template for whatever the creator of the moment wants that character to be. You can’t invest in a template whose a different person from one month to the next, so readers connect to and stick with characters who act like real people and evolve as real people do.
I’m not alone in wanting characters to be developed as real people, but I understand not everyone feels the same. Enter the Shippers.
Shippers, to me, are a special breed of weird fans constantly looking for a feeling of gratification out of seeing characters engage in romantic trysts. Is shipping a new thing? No, fanfic existed long before the Internet. Go to any back issue of fan magazines or newsletters, and you’ll find readers' submitted stories featuring their favorite characters doing all sorts of wild things.
I’m not a psychologist, so I couldn’t tell you one way or the other if Shipping is healthy for the person writing the fanfic. Creative expression is healthier than bottling up your feelings, I suppose, as long as that expression isn’t harmful.
Why, then, is Shipping becoming an increasingly prevalent topic of conversation?
The Internet makes creating fanfic very easy. Social media enables the distribution of fanfic on a global scale as simple as pushing a button.
But the Shipping isn’t the problem, and not why the reaction to the tweet above is so strong.
The problem rests with the editors and creators who’ve chosen to listen to Shippers and make ill-advised changes to characters because those “pros” think it’s hot or trendy or what the fans really want.
Writing stories for an established character isn’t just a job, it’s a responsibility; a responsibility that should be taken seriously. Treating a character with care shows respect for the creators that brought that character to life for, in some cases, decades and shows respect for the creators who will have to do something with the characters long after you and I are gone. Honoring the past and paving the way for the future is not a responsibility I take lightly, and neither should any creator/editor in charge of established characters.
So, is Shipping dangerous? In and of itself, no. What IS dangerous are creators and editors who cater to the whims of fanfic fandom for a quick hit of approval when a change could irrevocably harm the legacy and future of a character.
Let fans fanfic, but it’s a creator's and editor’s job to keep fanfic separate.
What do you think? Should editors and creators listen to Shipping requests more? Less? Never? Leave a comment below, and we’ll feature it in an upcoming newsletter.
Now, let’s talk about the 5th week in November.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #66 – Review
ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #5 – Review
CAT-MAN AND KITTEN (ONE-SHOT) – Review
007 #4 – Review
UNBREAKABLE RED SONJA #2 – Review
VAMPIRELLA: YEAR ONE #4 – Review
THE BOOGYMAN #3 – Review
A.GUARDIAN #2 – Review
THE ARGUS #2 – Review
GOOD BOY (VOL. 3) #1 – Review
NINJA KAIDAN #5 – Review
Maeve #1 (Red 5 Comics)
Dahlia in the Dark #1 (Mad Cave Studios)
Blade Runner 2039 #1 (Titan Comics)
Doctor Wilder #5 (Blackbox Comics)
Vampirella vs Red Sonja #2 (Dynamite Comics)
American Mythology Monsters #1 (American Mythology)
Tights #2 (Indie Submission)
Kingdom Come Deliverance (Indie Submission)
Big Bang Adventures #18 (Indie Submission)
Iris (Indie Submission)
That’s the shortlist for now. We’ll add more titles and adjust as time and resources allow.
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Have a great day!