Forgotten parts of hypotheses

[thebitterguy]

Oh, yeah: Another point I also wanted to make with this post vis a vis calling funnybook characters by their Christian names: If you call The Punisher "Frank", you scare the FUCK out of me, and I'll wait for the next bus.

Comments

[tfbretz.livejournal.com]

Lighten up, Francis.

;-)

[autobotsrollout.livejournal.com]

Mostly I use superhero names, but there are two cases where I go to Christian names:

1.) Multiple heroes with same identity (Green Lanterns, Green Arrows, Flashes, et cetera). This is mostly a DC thing, which is most of the reason I always say "Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine," but also "Wally, Ollie, Kyle and Hal."

2.) Intermittently but not always: members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, mostly because the tradition has been that the team members use their real names to refer to one another for over thirty years now.

[zenten.livejournal.com]

Ok, yeah, that is creepy.

Not as creepy as when he went to Riverdale, but still creepy.

[absinthe-dot-ca.livejournal.com]

Crap. You got me on that one.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

On the rare occasions when I mention him at all, I tend to call him "Frank" because I can't say or type his PATENTLY RIDICULOUS CODE NAME with a straight face.

[thebitterguy]

That's what they called guys like that in the '70s.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

...can you actually CALL Wonder Woman by her Christian name?

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

When you put it that way, she isn't exactly a Christian, I would guess. But her given name is Diana.

Most of my exposure to superheroes comes from Justice League Unlimited, and they all call each other by their given names -- Diana, Bruce, Wally, Kal/Clark (depending on who's talking to him).

[thebitterguy]

Oh, I have no problems with the characters doing it in the course of a story, as long as they're doing it somewhere secure. But when fans chatter about the characters that way, it can get on my nerves.

[waiwode.livejournal.com]

I still think there's grounds for calling someone by their full name*. ie, Referring to Peter Parker, much like referring to the Super-playwright "Shakespeare" as William Shakespeare, should be prefectly acceptably.

But it drove me batty when people called him "Will" in class. Invited him over to tea, did you?

Doug.

* Minus middle names, if any, in most cases.

[creativedv8tion.livejournal.com]

Really think this is rather silly to take up so much of your time, but hey.

That being said, I'm really not sure, as I've not put as much thought into it as you have, obviously, but I think the way I handle it is that if I'm talking about them in their heroic identity, I'd likely refer to them as their heroic nomenclature, and if I'm talking about them in their non-heroic identity, then likely I'd use their "true identity" nomenclature.

At least, after a few moments thought, that's what I think I do.

[thebitterguy]

Yes, these two blog posts have consumed me.

[creativedv8tion.livejournal.com]

Who said you were consumed with it?

Oh, you did.

K.