Here’s a solid example of what I am always talking about when it comes to art, media, bias, and transference. I have written several essays on why art is altered immediately after you experience it, but this is an interesting focal point.
This is regarding the She Hulk television show.
She-Hulk comic writer Dan Slott says that the show was the most comic book accurate series that Marvel has made. His opinion comes from being the one who has written the most She-Hulk comics and read nearly every run.
From a fan perspective however, many She-Hulk fans consider the show to be a terrible representation of the comic book. They feel it “missed the mark”. Dan has given examples of things in the show that are also things he wrote in the comic that people seem to have forgotten.
Reading something visual like a comic and watching something visual are two different ways of experiencing something. It even uses different areas of the brain. Differences are inevitable and should be expected.
Dan’s She-Hulk is different in his mind as the writer/creator, than it is in everyone else’s mind.
Dan is fighting a losing battle trying to explain to fandom what She-Hulk is or how they should see it because he cannot change someone else’s reality which completely alters how they see and interpret the media they consume.
Who She-Hulk is to him is different from who she is to women, who she is to men, who she is to Marvel fans, who she is to fans of Maslany, and those who dislike her.
𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘵𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.
There are people who think the “ownership” of art changes hands once the artist puts it out into the world. I disagree with that.
Art comes from the soul of an artist and in many ways is a reflection of what the artist themselves wants to share with the audience … what message they want to convey and what feelings come from who they are. To say that those things are less important than someone else’s interpretation is a very selfish way to see art.
Art is someone’s personal expression.
To say that someone’s personal view should be negated because you yourself cannot understand it or feel it, is not how art should be judged.
As an African American, if I create art about my experience in the world, it’s not for someone White or Asian or other to say my viewpoint is invalid because it’s not how they see it. My art is not your vision, it’s my own.
Your opinion doesn’t change what the art is … it only alters it and changes it from its original form in your perspective.
Everything is subjective … but media especially is. It is completely altered by those who view it.
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