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Transformations: Making Heroes out of Villains
by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Comic heroes are big influences on many little (and big) kids. And there wouldn't be any heroes if their anti-theses didn't exist.

Medusa. Lex Luthor. Magneto. Catwoman. The Joker. Mojo Jojo. Clayface.

They're some of the villains we love to hate. We think they don't have any redeeming qualities. They're just pure evil.

But, what if their creators never really did them justice? What if they had been unfairly portrayed all these years so Superman, Spiderman, the X-men, Batman, the Power Puff Girls and the others would look good in public? What if they do have a soft and sensitive spot underneath?

For today's Daily Write, pick a villain. I mentioned some villains in cartoons earlier but you can choose a villain from your favorite book or film. Just pick someone who's always been considered scum by society.

Then, imagine you're a reporter doing a story on your villain. The media has portrayed your villain as ruthless, you thought it was time the public find out he/she isn't all that evil.

Your job is to balance the scale by interviewing your villain and finding out his/her "good" side. Prepare questions for your villain and let him/her answer them.

[Excerpted from the e-mail workshop, DAILY WRITES: 31 Days of Writing Bliss]

Copyright © 2001 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ