Some stories are just GREAT STORIES. Themes transcend time and position and place and age… Boy meets Girl stories are great for many people. Then there’s good guy gets bad guy stories, or good intentions turned to catastrophe by circumstance. These themes are finite, used over and over again without growing old (on a personal basis, of course. Some themes aren’t as appreciated by some as others). This idea is part of why I enjoyed Frozen Prospects so much, my most recent fantasy novel read. The story was just great, regardless of the characters names and the environment they were put in by the creator.
This great story/theme idea was a lot of why I enjoyed The Arrow, which I just finished watching on the CW website. This character definitely goes into the great 
story category for me. (If you missed it, it aired Wednesday, 10/10/12. Click The Arrow here to watch it yourself. I never seem able to catch anything on T.V. when it actually airs, so thank you technology for internet streaming and DVR, etc…). Being a Smallville watcher for many seasons, I was familiar with this character, and excited to hear about him getting his own show. Thank you Twisted Geeks for making me aware of this! My intentions here are not to review the episode. I liked it very much, but more importantly, it made me think on this theme,umm- theme…
The parallels between Oliver and Bruce, rich boys who lose family so turn to fighting crime, seem so obvious as to be laughable. The stories aren’t exactly the same; Bruce works on a more vengeful type line than Oliver’s apparent make-right-the-wrongs-of-ones-father, but the premises still run the same course. As obvious as I think these similarities are, in this case I didn’t mind, which is curious, as I’ve been known to bash Harry Potter a little because of it’s Lord of the Rings rip offs. Maybe it’s because Ms. Rowling comes across as considering herself genius for her thoughtful storytelling that does it. Since I don’t know the creator of Arrow, or their stand on their storytelling ability, this isn’t hanging over it. No story is truly original, so to use this criteria to judge anything will definitely leave one extremely disappointed. As said earlier, themes are finite, so will invariably be re-used often…
…So then, what is it about some themes that make them GREAT STORIES to some, while others hate them? Maybe not hate, but 
can’t get past the first time they’ve ever seen/heard/read that theme, like this Harry Potter example? Maybe I like The Lord of the Rings so much, I can’t deal with a similar story that isn’t as epic? Or maybe I don’t like this theme enough to hear it rendered again?
Batman is my favorite superhero because he’s a guy who sacrifices his life to get out there and do what we all wish we could do. Anakin Skywalker is another favorite because his evilness is so subjective. John Connor and Paul Atreides are slaves to their fate. Any characters that run these same themes are great in my book. Sure, there can be blatant rip offs, like Lucas‘ direct copies of Frank Herbert‘s, and other sci-fi writers’, themes. Granted, timing, and marketing, and so many other things, play a huge part in what people know, whether or not it was the first, or the best, or whatever. Most people have at least heard of Star Wars over having seen/read/know of Dune, or the other sci-fi books written in the 60’s & 70’s that Star Wars grabbed material from. I digress…
I’m sure there are many who don’t like Batman, who hated this first episode of The Arrow, and who only think of Anakin Skywalker as the whiny adolescent we all wanted to slap more than once. For me, the theory behind him is what makes me like him. Just like the theory behind Oliver, aka Arrow, is what makes me like him, and will bring me back to this show next week (I may even remember to watch it as it’s on). Assuming some character progression along the way (no one likes a stagnant character, part of why Smallville got annoying to me, and Anita Blake needs to just get over it), Arrow may become a favorite as well.
- WHAT THEME TENDS TO DRAW YOU IN?
- WHOSE YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER?
My first, and greatest love was always books, which turned into writing early on. Then came movies. Games didn’t enter my life until PS2 came out. I tend to stay away from games as they suck my world into oblivion. I stop sleeping. I stop paying attention to everything else when I get into them, though I break this for Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Gears, and FF. Recently entering the amateur indie film scene, Stealing Shade Productions (stealingshade.com) was born. I’m also working on a comic book (stealingshade.indieaisle.com) and 2 novels. There are bets on whether these will get finished Find me on Facebook @facebook.com/StealingShadeProductions or check out my alter ego at shutthehealthup.wordpress.com.
