Marvel has made the headlines lately with their recent announcements that will and already have shaken up their print universe. Tony Stark/Iron Man is moving to San Francisco and has a brand new suit. Steve Rogers is replaced by Sam Wilson, who is black, as the next Captain America. And the one that hits home for me – Mjolnir, the Asgardian hammer forged from the heart of a dying star and enchanted by the words spoken over Odin’s beard, is now held by a female.
Most of you are aware of the Thor-inspired theme of my Instagram photos. If not, well, I have an Thor-inspired theme for my Instagram photos:
http://instagram.com/mjolnir_mcfly
See. I told you. I wasn’t lying (also see my post called #100).
I’ve always applied the idea of driving my Instagram account to roll with the times, both world/nationwide and personal moments. Prior to the 2014 baseball season, I set up a spring training series where Thor (played by yours truly, again if you were unaware) works on his timing at the plate and his curveball on the mound. With the return of my brother from boot camp in April, he accepted the role of Captain America, and us brothers were reassembled via a six-photo series glorious with hammer and shield action – which are my favorite of the bunch to date. And that’s always been my style and preferred method to my madness. Somewhere there’s always a story to be told, and I want to be the one to tell it to you with multiple layers.
So, the last five photos that I posted on my ‘Gram are direct nods to Marvel’s move to pull the hammer away from the guy that’s been Marvel’s Thor for the last fifty-two years and pass it onto someone else. There is a new Thor in town, and you can imagine the shock. After all, many people tend to not accept change very well.
One can assume that it would not be easy to let go of that power after possessing it for that long, right? We can all relate to – at the very least imagine – the anguish of losing what made you feel extraordinary, and having to witness it move on and accept another (strike a chord? See: break ups).
I have not read the Marvel books, so I am not aware of why or how he lost worthy for Mjolnir in the first place. But for my photographic and ‘Gram purposes, those details were not required. What I sought to visually hammer home (pun intended), was the unadulterated distress of loss, and the only thing left that mattered was how to find a way to get it all back.
What resulted was a five-photo series that I am actually very proud of. It achieved everything I wanted – acting, dramatic lighting, plot progression from one photo to the next, and visual cameos of space and wormhole travel and Asgard itself (at least, the notion of it and how it would look). More than anything else, people got the idea and I was floored by the overwhelmingly positive responses. It ends with a bit of an apology to Marvel, as I am not ready to give up the hammer. In the end you have to believe in what you are worth. And when you do that, ideals become very difficult to let go. Or maybe that’s too deep of an ending, and I simply could not find a female replacement. Hmm. Who knows.
What also spawned from the success of this story arc are… more story arcs! I’ll still have one-shots of beautiful sunsets and sunrises and landmarks (who on the ‘Gram doesn’t love those?) but the future direction of my account will now continue toward a collection of storytelling series. You know, panels of a comic book, if you will.
See what I did there?
PERFECT TIMING 