Even superheroes go through crises sometimes, and author Tom King knows best as his upcoming Heroes in Crisis deals right with this topic. Speaking to Publishers Weekly, King revealed that his work will focus on how people — with superpowers — deal with PTSD.
“I wanted to write about how it’s okay to have trauma, and there are ways to get through it,” King said. “There are so many people who are still suffering and asking for help is such a hard thing to do. There are better words for it, but it feels almost unmanly. If I could have the most powerful people in our dreams — these superheroes — and show that everyone goes through this, that no one’s alone.”
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King then went on to speak about his connection with Jack Kirby’s works and his upcoming screenplay based on the New Gods series, which will be helmed by Ava DuVernay.
“When I read that work, to me I’m reading the work of a guy who’s been through something,” King said. “I feel like it’s incredibly personal work. I see in it a lot of pain from war and also a lot of love — the love of his wife which helped him through that. Maybe I’m just reading myself into his work. But I think that what makes Jack Kirby special is that you can read yourself into his work.”
“I feel like I have this genius, Jack Kirby, who created this [series] and this genius Ava DuVernay,” he added. “I see them as parallel figures, both taking their uniquely American backgrounds and using them to push American art forward into places it’s never been before.”
King can do great things with the right source material. Here’s hoping he can do it again.
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