Graceful Exit

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere soon ;-) Well... I have to go somewhere soon, so today's post will be short, but I'll be back tomorrow, same time, same place, same channel.

_{Image by AntMan3001 - source: Flickr}

See what I did there? I just ensured you, dear reader, that the story of my blog hasn't ended yet and that there will be a sequel. This is exactly the power of serialized storytelling, be it in comic books and TV series with the episodes ending with a cliffhanger, or movie franchises with the individual films ending the same way, and / or an added after-credit scene. This technique is used to always leave the paying audience wanting more; all who want to know how the story continues will have to wait until the next episode. This is robbing us from one of the most important parts of all stories; the resolution, the end. Before going on, there will be spoilers for the film Logan, so don't read on (and wait for the next episode ;-)), and don't watch the video if you haven't seen it yet!

Stories in the superhero genre have the added problem that many of the the main protagonists suffer from immortality. How often have you heard Batman, a regular mortal human being with a lot of money, gadgets, a cape and a mask, say that Batman is an image, a symbol, much more than a bat or a man? Even if Bruce Wayne dies, Batman lives on; even our mortal superheroes are immortal and today's cliffhanger could be which one of several implied candidates will take up his mantle. However much I still love the genre, the concept of "death" or "finality" is almost meaningless in it's stories. It's the end of a story that often gives it meaning, so it could be argued that this type of story-telling adds to the nihilistic nature of the post-modern era.

This is why Logan is such a rare gem among the superhero films; Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart give their best performances as Wolverine and Professor X respectively, and the film as a whole is a celebration of finality's grace. Yes, there's something beautiful to be found the finity of life, and a satisfaction to be gained from the end of a magnificent story, even if you first wish it to never end... The best stories are the ones you want to re-read or re-watch because the finale left you so impressed that you actually didn't want the story to end; the stories that end despite you not wanting them to end. The video below explains this beautifully, even if the narrator is wrong about Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man never dying because the character is such a cash-cow...

_{Logan - The Death Of A Genre}

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Thanks so much for visiting my blog and reading my posts dear reader, I appreciate that a lot :-) If you like my content, please consider leaving a comment, upvote or resteem. I'll be back here tomorrow and sincerely hope you'll join me. Until then, keep steeming!

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