PROPINION: Sympathy for the Mischief-Makers
Authored by David Hopkins

I'm attracted to the notion of a protagonist discovering heroism, instead of being innately led to doing the right thing. Good and evil are such broad labels. They don't always indicate the complexities possible within a story. If a story is to reflect believable reality, we live in a world where good people are not universally recognized or championed, and rarely are evil people so clearly malignant. Such complex characters are timeless, and have been around since the earliest days of storytelling. The Trickster is beyond simple boundaries of good and evil. The Trickster is an archetype found most often in mythology, folklore, and religion, noted for their mischievous and cunning nature. They prefer using creativity instead of brute strength to fight their battles. The potential for adventure is always present, because they frequently stumble upon situations where they are unwanted.

At times, American culture has been hesitant to embrace the Trickster because of his or her moral ambiguity. We've had a long tradition of wanting our heroes to wear white and our villains to wear black. The Trickster is somewhere in-between. Ambiguity is the core of their nature - playful and malicious, stupid and smart, foolish and wise, good and evil. This character indulges in the extremities between opposites. He or she does the right thing, but not always for the right reasons. They are able to outsmart and outwit anyone, but they are often their own worst enemy. We begrudgingly acknowledge these antiheroes, quick to lament the loss of the "true hero" in our stories. Let me say this - the Trickster can be 100% heroic. Only their methods are not always straight and narrow. The Trickster has taken many forms throughout history. Some of them heroic. Some not so much.

One of the oldest and most familiar Tricksters is Satan. While artists have frequently depicted him as a lord of hell, as the source and ruler of all evil opposing God, this imagery has its origins more in Greek dualism more than actual Christian theology. In the Bible, he's most commonly shown as a trickster, a deceiver, and a prince of lies. He takes the form of a serpent to betray Eve. He makes a wager with God for the well being of the faithful servant Job. Satan tempts Jesus in the desert to gain power over him. From scripture, hell is not his home; it's his punishment. Satan was a fallen angel, one who loved God, but because of his vanity was cast out of heaven. He mutinied against the heavenly realm taking with him a third of the angels. This story is loaded with dramatic tension, which you see retold to this day - the hero and the villain as one time friends, intimately close, and then pitted against each other.

From Greek mythology, Hermes is most commonly known as a messenger for the gods. Among other things, he's also a trickster, known for his cunning and shrewdness. On the day Hermes was born, he snuck away from his sleeping mother and went to where his brother Apollo grazed his cattle. There, Hermes stole a number of the herd. When Apollo protested, Hermes's mother came to the defence claiming it was impossible since Hermes was still a swaddled baby.

In contrast to Hermes, Loki from Norse mythology is a more devious trickster. Like Satan as a serpent, Loki can take many forms. This common motif may reflect the elusive and deceptive nature of these archetypes. Like Satan, Loki is imprisoned. The myth holds that during the final battle of Ragnarok, he will lead the giants against the gods.

In the Algonquin myth, Manabozho is a trickster as the "Great Hare". Later, this figure became incorporated into the African American folklore of Brer Rabbit. We can see a modern incarnation in Bugs Bunny. The rabbit is a popular symbol for the trickster-- possibly because the rabbit does not have strength or the ability to fight, so it must be quick and clever. Bugs Bunny, in his series of misadventures, would often thwart his opponent by deception, and by assuming different roles. The thrill was in his ability to dance along a dangerous line and still survive.

From England, Robin Hood is a true heroic trickster, an antagonist to the privileged class to help those in need. He challenges the laws for a greater cause. Robin Hood, in particular, illustrates a popular idea of the trickster being a hero for the common person. Possibly because people in power typically establish the rules and authority, while the Trickster is one who tests those rules. A theme also found in Shakespeare's work, which frequently depicts the lower class and especially women, as more cunning and clever than the socially powerful. I'm often amazed Shakespeare could perform these plays in front of England's most elite, being that they were almost always the recipient of folly and misfortune.

On television, shows like Con, Punk'd, and Viva la Bam fit the Trickster archetype all too well. It's like watching a train wreck. I get so uncomfortable, squirming in my chair, but I can't change the channel. And from that damn show Survivor, remember Jon Dalton? To gain sympathy from the other cast members, Jon set up an elaborate hoax where his friend came to the island informing him his grandmother died. (A complete lie.) The other members let him win the reward challenge as a consolation. And later, as a result of him saying, "I swear on my grandmother", a different cast member got kicked off the island. The host Jeff Probst told Zap2it.com that Jon, "knows he went into the game as a villain, and he played it that way" and as a result "is one of the best villains we've ever had." A villain? Sure, but there are many types of villains. Jon Dalton is a trickster, through and through.

What is the appeal of a trickster in popular culture? Why would we champion the efforts of people who are far from perfect, defying the ethical norms? I think it deals with two fundamentals of storytelling. First, good stories establish expectations and then subvert them. Readers like to be surprised within familiar territory, to see variations on a theme. The Trickster is perfectly suited to break with the anticipated and predictable outcomes. They find pleasure in messing with expectations. Secondly, readers project themselves into the role of protagonist. Without sounding too cliché, it's the true magic behind stories. Projection is a safe way to "act out" those mischievous urges held at bay by an understanding of the consequences. The Trickster throws the consequences to the wind in favour of greater opportunities. Most of us would never rob a bank, but we've thought about it while standing in line to make our deposit, carefully formulating our perfect plan. Or am I the only one?

That's how Karma Incorporated came to be-- with a great love for mischief. I wanted to create characters, who, like little subsections of my own nature, could pull the stunts I only fantasize about. Not only that, Karma Incorporated gave me an opportunity to explore the idea of what would lead a person, generally selfish and with tainted motivations, to choose the right and heroic path. Exploring the age-old question about our own nature, are people essentially charitable or corrupt? I spent over a month developing these five characters. Each one was a different variation on the classic trickster archetype - with different motivations and backgrounds. All with an overwhelming desire to make mischief. Once I had my cast, the story became clearer. I would follow the characters and see what trouble they created for themselves.

The Trickster wears grey. I don't know why society seems so bent on ideals and either/or options. I prefer the stories that remind us, good deeds don't go unpunished and it's our flaws that often define us. Perfect sucks. I want a little corruption with my heroes. I can't help but be attracted to the Trickster.

Karma Incorporated #1 will be out in July. I wrote the series. Tom Kurzanski did the art, which Marlena Hall coloured. Published by the kind people at Viper Comics. Go to vipercomics.com for more details or my own site Anti Hero Comics.com/Karma Inc.

You can check out some preview pages below.

Karma Inc Issue 1, 2 & 3

Karma Inc Issue 2
Pages 1, 2 & 3

Karma Inc Issue 2
Pages 4, 5 & 6

Born 1977 in the city of Chicago, David Hopkins currently lives with his wife Melissa and daughter Kennedy in their house in Arlington, Texas. His days are spent in front of a classroom, teaching sophomore level English at a high school in the suburbs. Every other spare moment is spent trying to figure out how to make a full-time job of writing comics. Over the past few years he's done some short stores for the Dead@17: Rough Cut anthologies, Western Tales of Terror, and the Silent Forest Television Parody Special, but Karma Incorporated will be his first three-issue miniseries. Also, it should be mentioned, David completely stole his bio's wording from Len Kody's Pop Image bio.

You can contact him (David, not Len) at david@antiherocomics.com.


PopImage Forum - Discuss this message at the PopImage forum.


Upfront Archive - Read past Upfront articles