What surprised me the most about the Crime SuspenStories wasn't the gruesome or horrific acts that were depicted, but the fact that these acts were committed by the main character and often the narrator of the story. This is a major difference from anything else we have read and this trait allows for these stories to accomplish something that none of the previously read stories could: making the comic about the actual story.
With less than reputable protagonists, the reader is unable to identify with the main character as much as a Superman or a Wonder Woman, forcing the story itself to compensate. Because of this, the comic is more about the actual story than the character. This is made possible through the text heavy style which often gives insight to the criminal's actions. Through these textual descriptions, the character is developed throughout the story, resulting in changing attitudes and a realization that criminals have real motives for their actions. In this sense, I thought many of these stories were very modern in that they recognize that the world isn't made up of only good and evil but that there is a large grey area of moral ambiguity. Obviously the actions taken by some of these characters are horrendous but the style of narrative allows for an insight into the human element of crime, allowing for a rich and developed story.
It's really interesting that you brought up the topic of moral ambiguity because I was wondering when we would come across stories that have realistic characters where there is no clear line between good and bad. I didn't see the characters in these comics as morally ambiguous because most of the time they were already doing bad things and were trying to compensate by doing an action that backfired on them. There is one story that depicts the point you made, Murder May Boomerang, which in my opinion, one of the best out of the ones we read in Crime SuspenStories. The main character is hardworking and respectable but kills the wrong person for the sake of his father. Overall, I really liked your thoughts on how these stories are narrative-driven rather than character-driven.
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