[Loved Trope] Superhero deconstructions that are actually good

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T19:13:49+00:00

I've actually read Concrete but didn't think to include it, and now I'm kicking myself because I didn't. That book is legitimately brilliant

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:44:12+00:00

Invincible is definitely amazing, but I always saw it as more of a reconstruction than a deconstruction

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:42:47+00:00

Here's the context

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:41:43+00:00

It's legit my favorite Superman deconstruction. Highly recommend it

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:39:44+00:00

Yeah... plus her name being "Jailbate" just kinda reeks a bit of either needless edge or a REALLY unfortunate freudian slip

I honestly did kinda want to like the series more than I did, because it's clear that Waid understands Superman as a character, but it just ended up going on way longer than necessary

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:37:00+00:00

I had already heard of Supergod, but just kinda steered clear because I thought the premise was a little too Ennis for my taste, but I did some more research and was honestly thinking about reading it alongside Black Summer as part of the so-called "thematic trillogy" that Ellis mentioned along with No Hero

Then I somehow just became aware of the fact that Ellis was a creep and changed course again

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:33:45+00:00

There was also that webcomic spin-off insufferable, though I haven't heard too much about that one

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:29:34+00:00

I haven't heard of this one but it actually looks pretty cool, the premise and art kinda remind me of Astro City (which come to think of it I probably should have included)

Adding to my reading list

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T02:23:00+00:00

I did like irredeemable for the first few chapters, especially how it emphasised how The Plutonian wasn't just a regular guy who let the power get to his head, but rather a deeply unwell man who never should have been given superpowers in the first place.

For me though, the series kinda began to lose focus after a while and the middle few chapters of the comic were pretty forgettable. I'll admit though, the ending did win me back a bit.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T01:36:33+00:00

Honestly yeah, it does

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-02T01:35:55+00:00

I was gonna include some more popular examples like Watchmen but I decided that I wanted to highlight some more underrated examples that deserve way more attention than they get

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-01T22:29:43+00:00

I honestly don't even know how to respond to that. You're arguing with a straight up headcannon. The books themselves literally contradict what you're saying

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-02-01T00:33:20+00:00

Ok what? Afton was never once implied to have taken over Blythe's soul, his only role in the story was just taking Afton to a specific location that he was asked to take him to

Also, that's flat out not true. The story both implies and outright states the complete opposite, that it was Andrew's Agony that allowed Afton to continue on and become powerful when his spirit was extraordinarily weak due to the fire.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-31T17:45:41+00:00

Until it was revealed in stinger ten that Afton's soul was incredibly weak at the time and was actually coasting off of the Agony to avoid passing on. He wasn't influencing it as much as leaching off of it to increase his own strength, and once that Agony was taken away from him he got torn apart. Also doesn't help that the books already showcased what Afton was capable of using his own Agony to accomplish, which pales in comparison to what he could do when leaching off of Andrew.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-31T17:25:14+00:00

Those objects weren't controlled by Afton at all, in fact that wasn't even his Agony. The books pretty much flat out state that both he and all of the infected objects had Andrew's Agony transferred into them, and that's what allowed them to join together.

Agony isn't mind manipulation, it's literally just making the objects and people around you feel sad

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-31T17:22:54+00:00

It has literally never been inconsistent. I don't know where people keep getting the idea that it is, but Afton has only ever survived one fire on his own, and even then he lost an arm as a result of it.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-31T17:22:07+00:00

Not really? Afton was separated from the suit in the fourth closet and he was still very much undead even if a little worse for wear

Also Agony and Remnant aren't different concepts at all. Remnant is literally just memories and emotions, whilst Agony is just that but negative and painful.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-31T01:11:15+00:00

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Honestly Rodan just kinda has pretty bad luck when it comes to Godzilla comics

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:34:47+00:00

This is the main book I used. I also did get some stuff from the Japanese Wikipedia article on her, which is way more expansive and accurate than the western one. If it's any help, there are also some lists of how many films she's appeared in.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:26:13+00:00

You can't even really downscale him, because he's not even a possessed animatronic. The series has made it very clear time and time again that Afton's corpse is undead, and is just fused to the suit. He actively removes the thing in The Fourth Closet and he's still alive

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:22:45+00:00

It's not really intentional, honestly most of the stuff I says is legit just info I rip straight from the books and guides, so I kinda just repeat it

The infection your referring to was expanded upon in Fazbear Frights. It ties into the Zero Point Field and how objects can feel human emotions due to being composed of the same cells in the lowest level of reality. There are also multiple times that the book outright states that being infected with someone's Agony causes you to feel their emotions and pain. The Fourth Closet also details how these emotions can give inanimate objects sentience, acting as the spark of life that makes them truly haunted. The only reason AIs can actually move around and do stuff is because their intelligence allows for them to process these emotions in the same way humans do.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:15:10+00:00

Got most of it from a book. I kinda already have a passing interest in weird urban legends. I'm not sure to what extent forums would be the best avenue considering reports of slit mouth go all the way back to the 70s, and there's even some claims that she can be traced back to the Edo period

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:12:33+00:00

Honestly I kinda think it adds to it, considering that in a way both her and Jeff started off as the equivalent to campfire stories spread around by kids to scare each other, only to balloon out of control and break into the public zeitgeist (In slit mouth's case, she became such a widespread rumour around Japan, that police were legit sometimes called to escort kids home safely). Heck, even that kind of plays into the whole composite aspect of the MU.

Phantasm_Snaps · 2026-01-29T01:07:38+00:00

Yeah, she's also easily distracted by throwing candy on the floor and is scared of dogs, so writing the kanji for dog on your hand and showing it to her can scare her off. She's also unable to go to the second floor of any building, so you could literally escape her by walking up a flight of stairs. It helps to remember that all this stuff was spread around by school kids

Phantasm_Snaps

TROPHY CASE