The Icon Equation is something I created over 20 years ago yet never truly implemented or tested. WILL POWER is finally that test!
Go almost anywhere in the world and ask someone to name at least 3 or 4 Superheroes, at least American superheroes. What do you think they will say? Come on, play this game with me! What do you think they will say? Okay first you say your three superheroes someone in China or Africa might name and I’ll tell you who I think they might name and let’s see if we match up. Okay? You ready? I think they’ll saaaayy: “SUPERMAN, BATMAN, SPIDERMAN, and maybe WONDER WOMAN.” It might be some combination of those but I’m sure one or two of those four will be in there. Isn’t that POWERFUL!?! Why is that? Why are they so ICONIC? Why are they known so well? Why are they so UNFORGETTABLE? Hmmmm… That is the mystery!
Have you ever wondered why some characters become SUPER-STARS while others never make it past “Super?” Ever wondered why your grandmother, who has never read a comic book in her life, can recall certain superheroes’ names? Or have you ever wondered why some characters you seem to never forget, while others you can barely remember? Well, I have wondered those exact questions myself! It bothered me for a long time. So I set out to try and find the secret to creating ICONIC CHARACTERS…. Well, I think I might have figured it out! I call it “THE ICON EQUATION!”
The Equation Came to me after years of observation:
The comic book world has many a hero that has bound it’s generational pages. Some have “IT” and some don’t have “IT” or what I call THE ICON EQUATION. Let’s see if you can figure it out.
Look at the following three superheroes below. These three you’ve seen before but for some reason they never really made it big. Some would say it’s because of their LAME POWERS. I call heroes in this category: DORKY-DO-GOODERS! -But I Don’t think it’s their powers per say that made them forgetable. Go Ahead, take a look! Do you think Grandma knows any of these heroes?
Now that you’ve seen these DORKY-DO-GOODERS, have you figured it out yet? NO? Well take a look at the following next three heroes. I wouldn’t say they’re unpopular because they’re DORKY… In my opinion, that’s not the reason! The fact is they never made ICON status like SUPERMAN or SPIDERMAN because they lack THE ICON EQUATION! In my opinion, they have the potential but they are just not formulated to reach the ring of stardom. I call the close but not quite icons like these VICE PRESIDENTS…. take a look and see if you can figure out why they never made it!
Now these VICE PRESIDENTS are obviously not as lame as Squirrel Girl or the other DORK-DO-GOODERS but why are they not as ICONIC as SUPERMAN, BATMAN, SPIDERMAN, or WONDER WOMAN? WHY is that? I THINK I KNOW WHY! If you look closely you’ll notice several common themes all these characters share. Both the DORKY-DO-GOODERS and the VICE PRESIDENTS suffer from these flaws. It took me a while to figure it all out… but there are definite elements that effect a character’s ability to transcend comics and become a national, or even global, ICON.
In my opinion, the qualifying requirements are not hard to understand! In fact, the rules are fairly simple! The secret elements make such common sense, I have come to understand why many of us have over looked them. I’ve itemized these iconic driving elements that seem to make a character unforgettable, well liked, contagious, energetic, and ICONIC! These variables I call THE ICON EQUATION And they are now being tested! Because I’ve taken those elements and applied them to WILL POWER!…. .
Let’s hope I’m right… If you’re interested in these theories, be sure to keep a look out in the Will Power store and hopefully bookshelves everywhere for my first Non-comic comic called, what else: “THE ICON EQUATION! by Vince White”
Until Next Time -Be POWERFUL!
-Vince
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