Watching the Marvel cinematic universe expand is like watching history repeat itself. There was a time when Bionic men, Incredible Hulks, talking cars, and other super-powered beings were television staples. In their wake came a deluge of medical and police procedural dramas. The psycho-social impact of the shift requires much more in-depth explanation than a 10 minute blog post. Notably, however, recent dramas have been trending towards the military intelligence (likely as a reflection of combat actions and a population more interested in glamorizing the secret services) side of the fiction pool.
Cloak and Dagger is the new med drama and at times these constructs lend themselves quite well to the realms of the super-powered. Agents of Shield is one example of this working out fairly well. Blacklist is an example of one that draws upon real world-styled intrigue to keep the reader hooked without all the cgi and drama of super-powered people.
Nothing profound to announce about this development–not yet. I’m watching the shift and starting to form thoughts and opinions. I’ll write more as I theorize more.
Some Thoughts:
- 1813 marked the birth of the Philomathean Society, the oldest U.S. literary society. This is of particular import to me as a writer, though I cannot claim to write literature of the small market publishable variety. I cannot in truth even claim to write literature. I write stuff like this. And I love doing it.
- My son’s cat keeps dragging insects into the house to play with them. She has a hankering for roaches and spiders, neither of which I want her to drag anywhere.