Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Update: 10/25/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 11/24/09.
ROBERT PRICE
Official Site: http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/.
MEETING SUMMARY:
Meeting Date: September 9, 2000.
Meeting Site: Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Official Attendance: 35.
Meeting Program: Talk by Horror Editor / Writer.
Notes:
Meeting Memories:
Newsletter Account:
The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2000 Philip J De Parto:
... Robert Price was the featured speaker at the meeting. Mr Price wears many hats within the field. He is the executer of the estate of fantasy writer Lin Carter. He is a published author himself. He edits horror anthologies for Chaosium. He is a college professor and authority on myth. It was in this final capacity that he based his talk.
His talk centered on comic books as modern mythology. In particular, he talked about Superman, Batman, Spiderman and The X-Men.
He becomes exasperated at parents who discourage their children from reading comics. He feels the best comics tap into arcetypes which allow young people to find guidance and direction in a society which offers little in the way of rites of passage provided by most of our world's cultures.
They are not to be taken literally. Young people are well aware that Spiderman and Batman are not actual people, but neither are Scarlett O'Hara or Hamlet. But the fact that they don't exist, does not make them any less true. A roughneck friend of Mr Price finally got his act together while in the navy by reflecting on Luke Skywalker and Spiderman and that with great power comes great responsibility.
The story of Superman is mythologically the same as Jesus. A child is sent into the world by his father. He grows up and uses his godlike powers not for his own aggrandizement, but to help the common man.
Batman represents a different, powerful archetype. His dominating drive is revenge, and he straddles the line between good and evil. He wears gray and black, and seeks justice by terrorizing the wicked.
It is no fluke that THE X-MEN has become one of the most popular comics. They are mutants who seem like normal people during childhood, but whose bodies begin to change when they hit puberty. Many times their appearance changes and strange powers manifest themselves. They are despised outsiders who must cling together or be destroyed. They are given the choice between two paths by charismatic elders. Magneto says they should use their powers to take over the world and make it safe for mutantkind. Professor X advocates using their powers on behalf of regular mortals, even if their actions go unappreciated. This particular comic tied in most closely with his earlier comments about comics and rites of passage mythologies.
There was a lively question and answer session about myth, comics and religion. When someone asked about Catwoman, Mr Price responded that she was bad not because she was liberated, but because she was desperate. She was also drawn that way.