I always thought it was crazy that, say, super strong superheroes never bothered to learn to fight properly. I’m glad Marc is taking the time to learn how to properly use his strengths. No pun intended.
Indeed it’s a trope, but I feel there’s a reason for that. If you’re already super strong, learning a combat sport of martial art won’t make you much more effective except against people in your power level range. It’s easier and quicker to train for more strength (assuming your super strength grows with baseline muscular mass, of course), and it has uses beyond fighting: ramming down doors, throwing stuff out of the way, lifting heavy objects, supporting fallen ceilings…
It also bears noting that up until the late nineties at least, superhero stories were mostly not about fighting (secret ID issues, exposition dialogue, planning, chases, sleuthing, training, other dialogue, problem-solving, or saving endangered bystanders took up a lot of them). To take the best-known example, X-men Danger Room exercises were much more about using powers in innovative and clever ways than punching, kicking, or throwing an enemy. (Cable did change a lot of that when he took up the New Mutants, likely because at the time his own powers were at their lowest ebb.)
Early Spider-Man fought his enemies much less than he found ways to disable them. Even in Wolverine’s first limited series (I mean, Wolverine), fight scenes are usually short and to the point. (Then again, Claremont and Miller had stated from the onset that they weren’t interested in telling a berserker’s story.)
Oberon reminds me a bit of that Wayne Family story where Damian said he’d train other youths, then proceeded to trounce them one by one, because he’s Damian. Another family member pointed out that he wasn’t training them, just venting his frustrations. Thankfully Damian eventually came around and actually gave good advice to the other kids.
In a nutshell, I hope Oberon is advising Marc on how to fight, not using him as a punching bag for anger management. (Then again, there’s also the possibility that he’s acting on Saira’s findings as well…)
It’s impressive how Marc looks skinny in the first panel compared to bulky Oberon in the second one. Very good use of high- and low-angle shots here.
I always thought it was crazy that, say, super strong superheroes never bothered to learn to fight properly. I’m glad Marc is taking the time to learn how to properly use his strengths. No pun intended.
Indeed it’s a trope, but I feel there’s a reason for that. If you’re already super strong, learning a combat sport of martial art won’t make you much more effective except against people in your power level range. It’s easier and quicker to train for more strength (assuming your super strength grows with baseline muscular mass, of course), and it has uses beyond fighting: ramming down doors, throwing stuff out of the way, lifting heavy objects, supporting fallen ceilings…
It also bears noting that up until the late nineties at least, superhero stories were mostly not about fighting (secret ID issues, exposition dialogue, planning, chases, sleuthing, training, other dialogue, problem-solving, or saving endangered bystanders took up a lot of them). To take the best-known example, X-men Danger Room exercises were much more about using powers in innovative and clever ways than punching, kicking, or throwing an enemy. (Cable did change a lot of that when he took up the New Mutants, likely because at the time his own powers were at their lowest ebb.)
Early Spider-Man fought his enemies much less than he found ways to disable them. Even in Wolverine’s first limited series (I mean, Wolverine), fight scenes are usually short and to the point. (Then again, Claremont and Miller had stated from the onset that they weren’t interested in telling a berserker’s story.)
Oberon reminds me a bit of that Wayne Family story where Damian said he’d train other youths, then proceeded to trounce them one by one, because he’s Damian. Another family member pointed out that he wasn’t training them, just venting his frustrations. Thankfully Damian eventually came around and actually gave good advice to the other kids.
In a nutshell, I hope Oberon is advising Marc on how to fight, not using him as a punching bag for anger management. (Then again, there’s also the possibility that he’s acting on Saira’s findings as well…)
It’s impressive how Marc looks skinny in the first panel compared to bulky Oberon in the second one. Very good use of high- and low-angle shots here.