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scans_dailyFrom the storyline where Mia Dearden is diagnosed with HIV
There are pros and cons in using your main character as an audience surrogate. On the one hand, as the experts explain the subject to them, it in a way allows time for exposition that they and the audience might not be familiar with. A good example of this would be the Slavers storyline in Punisher Max, where Frank Castle learns about a human trafficking ring via one of its victims and a social worker as he isn't as familiar with Eastern European sex slavers as he is with, say, the Mafia.
The downside to this is when a character is selected to be the audience surrogate in such a way that, a) they should know this already, or b) them not knowing it makes them look ignorant at best and dangerous at worst.
An example of this can be found in the Green Arrow HIV storyline by Judd Winick, where Mia's pre-Ollie life comes back to meet her in an exceedingly ugly way.
Now, the information given is good and well researched, but it still leads to a moment of quiet horror in regards to Ollie apparently being ignorant as to what AIDS and HIV are. Namely, this is a guy who is shown to be a serial womaniser who has had spontaneous unprotected sex with numerous women in the past, resulting in several biological children (although Shado's kid wasn't made with Ollie's conscent and Arrowette wasn't confirmed as Ollie's, as such).
It's kind of bizarre that they chose Ollie of all people to relay this information to, as with Connor Hawke (who Mia was also close with) could arguably have more of an excuse to be ignorant of the subject than a guy who lived through the 1980s and 90s. And then there's the additional issue of Ollie sleeping with multiple women with the DCU superhero community as well, such as Black Canary, Huntress (yes, Winick again), and Manitou Dawn, who we've got to hope are more responsible than him otherwise things could rapidly turn unpleasant./lj-cut>
There are pros and cons in using your main character as an audience surrogate. On the one hand, as the experts explain the subject to them, it in a way allows time for exposition that they and the audience might not be familiar with. A good example of this would be the Slavers storyline in Punisher Max, where Frank Castle learns about a human trafficking ring via one of its victims and a social worker as he isn't as familiar with Eastern European sex slavers as he is with, say, the Mafia.
The downside to this is when a character is selected to be the audience surrogate in such a way that, a) they should know this already, or b) them not knowing it makes them look ignorant at best and dangerous at worst.
An example of this can be found in the Green Arrow HIV storyline by Judd Winick, where Mia's pre-Ollie life comes back to meet her in an exceedingly ugly way.
Now, the information given is good and well researched, but it still leads to a moment of quiet horror in regards to Ollie apparently being ignorant as to what AIDS and HIV are. Namely, this is a guy who is shown to be a serial womaniser who has had spontaneous unprotected sex with numerous women in the past, resulting in several biological children (although Shado's kid wasn't made with Ollie's conscent and Arrowette wasn't confirmed as Ollie's, as such).
It's kind of bizarre that they chose Ollie of all people to relay this information to, as with Connor Hawke (who Mia was also close with) could arguably have more of an excuse to be ignorant of the subject than a guy who lived through the 1980s and 90s. And then there's the additional issue of Ollie sleeping with multiple women with the DCU superhero community as well, such as Black Canary, Huntress (yes, Winick again), and Manitou Dawn, who we've got to hope are more responsible than him otherwise things could rapidly turn unpleasant./lj-cut>
no subject
Date: 2013-06-26 10:00 pm (UTC)Back on point though, I guess one way to rationalize Ollie's apparent ignorance here is that he is just thrown by the reveal, cause it's one thing to learn and hear about HIV/AIDS, and another to have it affect someone he's so close to and is responsible for. So he's sort of just second-guessing and double-checking all the information he may have previous known to make sure that he gives Mia the exact attention and help she needs.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-26 10:23 pm (UTC)This is after the real Ollie died, then Parallax/Hal did something to bring him back, but his soul was happy in the afterlife so he didn't come back until he absolutely had to.
This guy's memories predate Longbow Hunters by a significant degree if I understand the storyline right
no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-26 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 04:00 am (UTC)I think he was just in denial for a minute.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-27 11:18 am (UTC)