The Art of Comic Book Writing by Mark Kneece

Author:Mark Kneece [Kneece, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60774-751-2
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2015-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

Empathy vs. Sympathy in Main Characters

Empathy implies that the reader understands the motivations of the character, why the character is doing what the character is doing. Sympathy, on the other hand, means that the reader likes the main character, roots for the main character on some level. Generally, readers empathize with villains and sympathize with heroes. The reader, however, should always understand the motivations of characters.

Main Characters Need Flaws

When creating a character, consider who the character is and what the character is most worried about. What is the worst thing that could happen to the character? The main character of most stories has some kind of weakness, often hidden. More than two thousand years ago Aristotle used the word hamartia, a Greek word meaning “mistake,” to identify the necessity for a flaw or error in a character.

Without a flaw, the main character quickly becomes stale, dull, and redundant. The flaw a character possesses is often what the plot of a story is built around. Superman is, in fact, a prime example of an initially perfect character. With no flaws, however, the novelty of his powers quickly wears off. Superman’s first major vulnerability was his feelings for Lois Lane, a flat character in the beginning. She was there for him to worry about. He couldn’t be physically hurt, but she could. She created inner turmoil for Superman, as he was torn between his desire for her and his responsibility to maintain his role as Clark Kent. When Kryptonite was introduced into the comics in 1949, Superman suddenly had a direct Achilles heel. He was vulnerable to its effects, and because the device humanizes Superman, it makes him a much more interesting character. Readers identify with a flawed character more than an unflawed character.

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